Carmelo Anthony just can’t figure it out.
After 39 games, the Knicks small forward is averaging career lows with 20.0 points a game and shooting 39.9 percent from the field, looking less and less like the player owner James Dolan so desperately wanted to acquire from Denver last year.
Anthony says he is not worried, but he also has no idea how to return to the scorer who averaged more than 26.0 points over the previous six seasons and has shot over 45 percent in his nine-year career.
“I wish I had an answer to that question,” said Anthony, after scoring 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting in the Knicks’ 101-79 win over the Pistons last night at Madison Square Garden. “I’ve been around this game for a long time. It happens. I’m not too concerned about it at this point. As far as my offensive game, I’m telling you, I promise you, I’m not concerned about that.”
Since Anthony doesn’t seem to know how to shake off a season’s worth of rust, interim coach Mike Woodson thought he would give it a shot. After Anthony opened last night’s game shooting 1-for-7, making his only basket on a spoon-fed, fast-break dunk from J.R. Smith, Woodson drew up the first two plays of the second half for Anthony.
The forward responded by scoring on both plays and making his first four shots of the half, but played just over 29 minutes, sitting the entire fourth quarter with the game in hand.
“I opened up the second half with two plays to get Carmelo closer to the bucket, and he delivered both times,” Woodson said. “As a coach, I have to help him. That’s my job. I’m willing to continue to work with him and try to put him in the best position possible to be successful to help us win.”
Although Mike D’Antoni’s departure has cured much of what ailed the Knicks, Anthony’s career-worst season has not been salvaged yet. Hidden by the cloak of the team’s success — the Knicks improved to 6-1 under Woodson — Anthony has managed to escape the brunt of the back pages despite his struggles.
He has gone seven straight games without scoring 20 points — the longest stretch of his career — averaging 14.1 points while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 21.7 percent on 3-pointers in that span.
His 29.5 percent 3-point shooting this season is his worst since 2006-07.
“I can’t help him make shots, but I’ve got to put him in the right position to be successful,” Woodson said.