Carmelo Anthony is ‘sure’ the Knicks will make the playoffs
Fans were too excited when superstar Carmelo Anthony stated the New York Knicks wouldn’t be winning a championship in 2014. Whether you agree with him or not, it was honesty in his purest form and he’s right–this Knicks team has a long ways to go before they reach championship territory.
But the glass is half full for Anthony. Though a championship is out of the question, ‘Melo proclaims the playoffs as a sure thing for his New York Knicks.
"Carmelo Anthony already has claimed Knicks fans should not expect a championship this season.But the playoffs are another matter. In fact, Anthony on Monday asserted his belief the Knicks “absolutely” will be back in the playoffs after missing out last season.“Yeah, I think so for sure. Absolutely,” an impressively slimmed-down Anthony said of the Knicks’ playoff chances before entering the Jordan Gym Terminal 23 on W. 32nd Street for a late morning-to-early afternoon workout with a group of NBA players."
As confident as Anthony is, this statement may be a stretch.
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Without including outside factors, this current version of the Knicks could possibly be worse than last years iterations. Offensively, they’ll be fine. They’ve added Jose Calderon to the fold, a vast improvement over former starting point guard Raymond Felton, will give sophomore Tim Hardaway Jr. a increased role, and are expected to refine their offensive system as the presence of Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson give hints that Jackson’s famed Triangle Offense will implemented. But defensively? This team isn’t good and it’ll likely be their achilles heel throughout the ’14-15 season.
Looking outside of the Knicks, there’s a glimmer of hope with many expecting the Indiana Pacers to fall out of the playoffs sans-Paul George. Even if Indy is a guaranteed out, the Detroit Pistons may improve and the Brooklyn Nets are still solid enough with a core of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. There’s a concrete argument to be made that the Knicks are a lesser team than these two teams. This could inevitably keep the Knicks out the playoffs and into the lottery.
We’ll see what the Knicks are able to do. It’s commonplace for stars to guarantee the playoffs, but in the biggest basketball market in the world, all eyes will be on Anthony to fulfill his ‘promise’.