The more Carmelo Anthony rambled Saturday night, the glummer and graver he sounded. This postgame session was not made for James Dolan’s MSG Network.
Anthony may sound gloomy because he senses he wants it more than anyone else in the Knicks’ locker room. That is a problem now, going forward and this summer.
Melo had always sounded optimistic across his career before this season. In the summer of 2012 in London, Michelle Obama attended Team USA’s opener, hugged Anthony after the game and told him she loves that he always looks happy. “Keep on smiling,’’ the first lady told Anthony that afternoon.
Anthony is not smiling anymore. He has been grim and grimmer as the Knicks have dug a 3-6 hole, lowlighted by an absurd five-game home losing streak. After the Knicks were Saturday Night Dead against Atlanta in a 20-point loss, Anthony dropped the bomb he feels like the team isn’t even trying.
There’s a lot eating at Anthony and one issue eating at a lot of the players is Dolan’s medical staff’s minutes restrictions on certain guys. The Amar’e Stoudemire/Kenyon Martin conundrum is handcuffing Mike Woodson and the two players.
Dolan might as well buy Woodson a calculator for the sidelines so he can tabulate the seconds.
Rugged play off the bench from their power forward tandem of Martin and Stoudemire is desperately needed now that center Tyson Chandler, still on crutches, is out at least three more weeks. As it stands in the latest revision, Stoudemire isn’t supposed to play more than 10 minutes a night and no back-to-backs.
Stoudemire is hoping that number increases soon.
Martin’s situation eased a bit after a recent meeting between Martin’s agent, Andy Miller, and Knicks GM Steve Mills. Martin can now play in every game, with Martin making the call if he feels his ankles are too sore to play. However, Martin’s minutes restriction of 15-20 minutes is still in place.
It’s no way to run a basketball team as the Knicks medical staff tries to reinvent the wheel. Stoudemire doesn’t have a chance to get any rhythm or enough playing time to get back to close to his old form.
He’s better than he has shown. He needs a chance, and so does Martin. Both played just one preseason game, so this is almost still like the exhibition season for them.
“It’s hard for myself, hard for him to coach,’’ Stoudemire said Saturday. “By the time you get up and down and get adjusted to the speed of the game, it’s already three minutes, and then in two minutes you’re out. And if you miss a shot, it feels the world is collapsing on you because you’re expected to do so much and somewhat win the game in five minutes.”
They both need to play more because this way isn’t working. The heavy-handedness of Dolan’s medical people is not exactly the best recruiting tool for Anthony, who seems baffled by the team’s shifting starting lineups and chaotic rotations.
Anthony’s panicky remarks Saturday just may be aimed at the restrictions. Remember, Anthony came to New York to play with Stoudemire. Let them play. If Stoudemire and Martin break down, so be it. But this way isn’t working.
“There’s a nasty feeling in here,’’ Anthony said.
J.R. Smith, who also came back to a brief restriction of 30 minutes, said repeatedly if it continued, he’d just as soon not come back. That’s how much players hate the system.
There, too, is undeniably a leadership vacuum. Smith recently alluded to missing the voices of their grizzled veterans — Rasheed Wallace, Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas — from last season when the Knicks began 18-5 on the way to 54-28.
Without Chandler, Smith has been told to be “a voice’’ in the locker room. But he’s struggling so badly on Twitter and with his jumper, it’s tough to lead. Same with Raymond Felton, who has looked lousy through nine games, still not over a nagging hamstring injury.
Anthony is worried by the time Chandler returns, the Knicks not only may have lost a chance to get home-court advantage in the first round, but could find themselves fighting just to get into the playoffs.
Melo hasn’t found a rhythm on his jumper, but is playing his butt off every night, grinding and banging for boards. After the Knicks lost the 109-106 Houston heartbreaker and Anthony notched 25 points, an NBA personnel man on hand said, “Melo almost single-handedly beat the Rockets. That was the hardest I’ve ever seen him play. It was impressive.’’
Anthony needs help up front and there’s no reason to wait. Stoudemire and Martin need to be unleashed.