Carmelo Anthony doesn’t need Rajon Rondo on his side — just to trust his teammates more.
Rondo is coming to the Garden today … in a suit and as a rehabbing member of the Celtics.
After winning their last two games by a combined 68 points, the Knicks no longer look as if they desperately need Rondo as savior. They have their mojo back and finally appear a happier, locked-in unit, aiming to overtake the Celtics for first place in the awful Atlantic Division.
Anthony, who privately has pined for Rondo since July, is trusting his teammates and finding a new niche as chief distributor. “Mad-at-the-world” Iman Shumpert is playing with past ferociousness. Point guard Raymond Felton’s pinched nerve is easing and allowing him to push the pace. J.R. Smith has relocated his 3-point shot. And Andrea Bargnani continues as an able center replacement for injured Tyson Chandler.
Chandler is expected back within 10 days — on pace to return by the late end of a 4-6-week timetable. He was their best player before breaking his leg in the season’s fourth game. The Knicks also may re-sign Jeremy Tyler in about a week as he shakes off rust in the D-League.
The Knicks look to be emerging from that “dark space’’ Anthony cryptically talked of amid the catastrophic 0-4 Thanksgiving week road trip, causing Anthony’s friends to wonder if he will re-sign.
“Everyone had to get used to each other, and now we are back at it,’’ Felton said. “I knew it was eventually going to happen.”
And it all starts with their disgruntled superstar. Anthony had taken it upon himself to dominate the offense every game once Chandler went down. It backfired and players resented it. Amar’e Stoudemire and Shumpert complained publicly about “a lack of ball movement.’’
During the three-day break after Sunday’s New Orleans loss, a desperate coaching staff got Anthony to re-examine, make his teammates better, trust them and contribute more in the way of intangibles. He obliged.
On Thursday, Anthony didn’t take a shot against the Nets until 7:30 expired, with the Knicks already up double-digits. Against the Magic Friday, he scored 20 points on just 10 shots, secured 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Seven players hit double figures. Anthony wasn’t totally to blame for his prior shot-happy ways — his mates weren’t hitting open looks during the nine-game slide. Now they are.
“That’s what we need [from Anthony],’’ Smith said. “Whenever he’s getting doubled, he trusts us to make the right play, trusts us to make those shots. Fortunately my shot is falling [now]. Our trust level is getting higher and higher. As long as you can play trust-free basketball, we’re going to be successful.’’
After bashing the Nets in Brooklyn in a 30-point win, the Knicks routed Orlando by 38 points at the Garden playing in the same fast-paced, 3-point-shooting style created by stalwart defense. In the two wins, they were 33-of-61 (54.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
“I think the energy on the defensive end is what’s causing the shots to fall,’’ Shumpert said. “We’ve picked it up.’’
The Knicks, still a pitiful 5-13, became the first team in NBA history to break a nine-game losing streak by winning two straight games by 30 or more points.
“We showed [beating the Nets] wasn’t a fluke,” Felton said.
Signs are pointing up as they meet the surprisingly hot Celtics, whose rookie coach Brad Stevens has them atop potentially the worst division in sports history. The Celtics are 9-12 after winning five of their last seven and lead the Knicks by 2 ½ games. A Knicks victory would forge a tie in the loss column.
The Celtics won’t have Rondo (knee) back for at least a few more weeks, but nobody expects the run to last. After all, those in Beantown prefer they tank and join the superdraft’s lottery. Division foes Toronto and Philadelphia also are candidates to tank. The consensus favorite Nets are battling injury and coaching woes. That leaves the rejuvenated Knicks.
What took them so long to get a semblance of chemistry? A lot had to do with a chaotic training camp. The medical staff refused to allow Stoudemire to begin his knee rehab until training camp. He and Kenyon Martin couldn’t practice. Nor could rehabbing Smith. The unforeseen Chandler injury became too much to handle.
But the worst may be over.