Were the Knicks better off without Melo?
6 years ago, when nobody wanted to touch Madison Square Garden with a broom, Amar’e Stoudemire signed a multi-year max-deal, with intentions of making them a legit competitor.
With Mike D’Antoni bringing his former offense to the team, New York immediately made a return to the post-season for the first time in over seven years and two years later would win their first playoff series since 2000. However, Stoudemire, now a member of the Miami Heat, made his return to the Garden last night and spoke with media before-and-after the game regarding his tenure.
In an interview with the New York Times, he essentially blamed the failure of the Knicks falling in the hands of Carmelo Anthony and his ego. He went to suggest that the team did not make an effort to re-sign Jeremy Lin after the 2012 season, and believed Melo was jealous of the Linsanity success.
Surprisingly, Stoudemire was in favor of Lin staying and praised his work ethic; but felt everyone wasn’t a fan of him becoming a new team star. Since the arrival of Phil Jackson, the team has imploded to the point of not even having a coach who can implement the triangle offense.
Since 2014, NY has seen three coaches, which only Mike Woodson had success past the Jeff Van Gundy era. Take a look at excerpts from the NYTs interview below and Melo’s response.
On the triangle system not working & suggesting Melo didn’t buy in
I think maybe three-fourths of the team thought it was great – including myself. But if you don’t have a full team that buys into a system, it’s never going to pan out.
On Jeremy Lin being forced out of New York by Melo
If he stayed, it would have been cool, but everyone wasn’t a fan of him being the new star, so he didn’t stay long. A lot of times, you’ve got to enjoy someone else’s success, and that wasn’t the case for us during that stretch. You’ve got to enjoy that. You’ve got to let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. But he was becoming a star, and I don’t think everyone was pleased with that.
Whether or not Melo should waive no-trade clause to leave the Knicks this summer
You have options. If you want to win, if that’s the main priority, if physically you can’t do it as a player and make your teammates better and get them to a point where they can win, then you might want to surround yourself around a team that’s built to win.
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