New York Knicks Should Start Carmelo Anthony At Power Forward

Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) walks onto the court prior to taking on the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks need to turn the 2016-17 NBA regular season around. Could starting Carmelo Anthony at power forward be the answer?

The New York Knicks played the second game of a back-to-back on Jan. 12 and put together a much needed victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Knicks have been awful in back-to-back games this season, and were playing without Kristaps Porzingis who sat out due to a nagging achilles injury.

The Knicks were finally hit with some luck, as Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic, and Denzel Valentine all sat for the Bulls. However, in their first meeting on Nov. 4, both teams were at full strength and the Knicks managed to win that game as well.

The Knicks beat the Bulls because they played “together.” After a brutal performance against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, the Knicks bounced back with a total team effort.

The Stars Came To Play

When the Knicks win, it usually comes along with a great performance from Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose. Anthony finished the game with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 34 minutes.

Despite his airball three pointer that got him temporarily booed at Madison Square Garden, Anthony poured in a great performance.

Here’s the problem with Anthony this season: consistency. Anthony has shown in several games throughout the season that he can be an all around player who scores, passes, rebounds, and defends.

However, too many times this season, Anthony has defaulted to his isolation basketball, and the Knicks suffer every time.

The proof is in the pudding. When Anthony has more than four assists, the Knicks are 8-4. When Anthony has less than four assists, the Knicks are 10-18.

If Anthony wants to be the guy to bring a championship to New York, he has to play this way every single game.

On the other hand, there’s Derrick Rose. Since his disappearance on Monday, Rose has poured in back-to-back solid performances, the most recent coming at the hands of his former team.

Rose had 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 34 minutes of action with a +/- of +15. A lot of chatter has been thrown Rose’s way (rightfully so) for his off-the-court issues, but the Knicks can rejoice knowing it hasn’t been because his health.

Rose has his bounce back and gives the Knicks an elite driver to the basket—something the Knicks have lacked in the Anthony era. If the Knicks want to turn this season around, Rose has to be at the forefront, as his ability to penetrate opens up the Knicks offense.

Dec 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas (91) shoots a three-point shot against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The Bench Also Came to Play

The combination of Kyle O’Quinn and Mindaugas “Kuuuuuuz” Kuzminskas proved to be lethal against Chicago. O’Quinn continues his solid play off the bench with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and four blocks in just 17 minutes.

O’Quinn brings energy and intensity on the defensive end, and that’s something the Knicks simply can’t get enough of.

Kuzminskas poured in his best performance of the season with a career-high 19 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block in 30 minutes.

More importantly, 12 of his 19 points came in the fourth quarter when the Knicks desperately needed to close out a win against the Bulls.

The Knicks got a much needed win, improved to 18-22 on the season, and are somehow just 2.0 games back of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. With the Toronto Raptors coming up on Jan. 15, the Knicks can’t rely on opposing players being injured to win games.

Instead, head coach Jeff Hornacek has to shake up this lineup to win games against better opponents. By roster changes, I don’t mean exploring a trade.

Besides, Anthony has already said he isn’t willing to waive his no-trade clause. Per Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:

What roster changes should the Knicks make to improve their chances of victory?

Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after the shot clock winds down during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Start Anthony at Power Forward

When Carmelo Anthony starts at small forward, with Kristaps Porzingis at power forward and Joakim Noah at center, the spacing on the floor is far from ideal. When Anthony gets the ball on the wing, it’s easy for defenders to bring help since Noah isn’t a threat to score.

In an era of the NBA where spacing and 3-point shooting are the focus of many offenses, the Knicks are falling behind.

When the Knicks went 54-28 in the 2012-13 season, Anthony started at power forward alongside Tyson Chandler. That season, Anthony finished in the Top 3 in MVP voting and averaged 28.7 points on 44.9 percent shooting, along with 6.9 rebounds in 37 minutes a game.

This allowed Anthony to catch the ball on the wing, and either look to score or look to one of his shooters when the double team came.

Starting at the 4, Anthony will likely have a mismatch on a larger, slower opponent. Additionally, running pick and roll with Rose and Anthony will force a larger defender onto Rose and a smaller defender onto Anthony, thus creating mismatches all over.

With Porzingis dealing with a nagging achilles injury, Hornacek can manage his minutes and bring him off the bench. Since he plays with the bench at the beginning of the second and fourth quarter, why not just bring him off the bench altogether?

Dec 13, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) and forward Carmelo Anthony (7) against the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Knicks 113-111 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Starting Lineup

If Hornacek commits to this idea, the Knicks should start Rose, Courtney Lee, Lance Thomas, Anthony, and Noah. This is a more defensive lineup with the addition of Thomas, while Rose and Anthony handle the scoring load.

This lineup will be predicated on a half court offense, which benefits Anthony’s style of play.

Second Unit

With the addition of Porzingis to the second unit, it automatically makes the Knicks’ bench one of the most lethal benches in the league. Like Gregg Popovich did with Manu Ginobli, or Doc Rivers did with Jamal Crawford, having a high-caliber player come off the bench is a great move.

The lineup should consist of Brandon Jennings, Justin Holiday, Kuzminskas, Porzingis, and O’Quinn. Jennings likes to run, and with the youth in that lineup, they can do just that. Running in transition means easy buckets for Porzingis, who can stretch the floor at the power forward position.

Given the way O’Quinn has been defending and rebounding this season, the interior presence will still be formidable alongside Porzingis and his shot-blocking ability.

For the immediate future, the Knicks need to focus on easing Porzingis back. For a 7’3″ player who’s athletic and mobile like Porzingis, an achilles injury is scary.

Being that Porzingis is the future of this Knicks franchise, rushing him back would be foolish.

Once Porzingis is healthy, he can continue to come off the bench, except playing his normal minutes and helping close out games in the fourth quarter with the starting unit.

Hornacek can also experiment with lineups of Rose, Jennings, Lee, Anthony, and Porzingis. Playing against an athletic team that plays small, like the Golden State Warriors, this lineup can create many matchup problems for opposing teams.

There’s no shortage of talent on this Knicks team, but the pieces need to be moved around a little bit to get the best use of everyone’s talent.

Next: What's Next?

Jan 6, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. New York won 116-111. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

What’s Next?

Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Joakim Noah are used to playing half-court basketball, and that starting lineup suits the personnel. Jennings prefers to run-and-gun, and with the youth and skill on that second unit with Porzingis, the lineup suits the personnel.

The Knicks travel out of the country to take on the second place Raptors, in what will require a complete game from the Knicks.

If Porzingis is held out again, the Knicks will get to test Anthony at the power forward position against a very good team. If Porzingis is ready to play, bringing him off the bench and limiting his minutes should be the goal.

If so, they can test the waters with Porzingis in the second unit, and go from there.

With two days off in between games, the Knicks can rest up and prepare for an incredibly challenging upcoming schedule. The Knicks will play at Toronto, home against the Atlanta Hawks, at Boston, and home again for a surging Washington Wizards team.

We’ll see the true character of this Knicks team in the upcoming games.

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