Impatience is already starting to take its toll in New York. When the Knicks traded for Carmelo Anthony last season, fans instantly started thinking championship. Then, it was quickly determined that the Knicks could not keep up defensively. In order to solve that issue, New York brought in a low-post presence in Tyson Chandler. Their defense has improved a bit, but so far it has not translated into wins. The Knicks are 2-4 after losing 118-110 to the Bobcats on Wednesday night. Apparently it’s time to start blaming the coach.
According to the NY Daily News, Knicks fans briefly started chanting “Phil Jackson” before filing out of the Garden on Wednesday. We knew Mike D’Antoni would start taking some serious heat if he can’t turn this group of talent into a championship-caliber team, but we didn’t know it would come only six games into the season.
Jackson is not the answer. The Knicks have to get tougher. It is a natural reaction for fans to think Jackson can rescue any team, but that would not be the case with New York. With guys like Amar’e Stoudemire and Chandler down low, the Knicks have plenty of size. We know they have plenty of scoring, so their success this season will hinge upon toughness.
Simply put, if the Knicks decide defense is important to them at some point during the course of the season, they’ll be one of the most dangerous teams in the East. Until then, they’re just another above-average squad.
Chest bump to I Am a GM for the story
