Following Wednesday night’s horrific loss to Charlotte, Carmelo Anthony told his Knicks teammates, “It can’t get any worse.’’
Oh, yes, it can. The stumbling Knicks face the 0-6 Wizards tonight in Washington and the Pistons, the Central Division bottom-dwellers, in Detroit tomorrow. Another two losses tacked on to a 2-4 record and lame-duck coach Mike D’Antoni could soon find himself in the same predicament as Paul Westphal, who was fired yesterday by the Kings.
The Knicks showed they are better than the Kings, whom they trashed on New Year’s Eve, but that’s about it. The new year has started like a nightmare, with consecutive Garden losses to the pitiful Raptors and more pitiful Bobcats.
Asked if another two losses against the East’s dregs will have fans clamoring further for change, D’Antoni referenced last season’s early struggles.
“It’s not like we were 3-8 [last year] and they weren’t clamoring and everybody was like, ‘Oh, it’ll be fine,’ ’’ D’Antoni said. “That’s New York. That’s fine. That’s the way it goes. All we can do is the best we can do. I hate it that we’re 2-4. I don’t hate anything else.’’
D’Antoni must hate that former president Donnie Walsh, the man who hired him, is not in power watching his back. D’Antoni was brought back for the final year of his contract though Walsh stepped down.
But if the Knicks get off to a dreadful start through 10 games after mortgaging their potential 2012 salary cap space to acquire center Tyson Chandler, it could doom D’Antoni. The Knicks’ 2011-12 media guide, released this week, has one word on its cover: “NOW.’’
One thing in D’Antoni’s favor is owner James Dolan has the memory of the lockout-shortened 1999 season, when coach Jeff Van Gundy staged a mediocre regular season before the eighth-seeded Knicks regrouped to make a run to the Finals. Plus, the Knicks won’t have their fully formed team until point guard Baron Davis heals.
Defensive assistant Mike Woodson has not distinguished himself yet. The Knicks’ defense never looked worse than it did Wednesday at the Garden in allowing the Bobcats to score 118 points.
Retired Phil Jackson will not be available until at least next season. As The Post reported, he nearly attended last week’s Knicks-Lakers game in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Jeanie Buss, but didn’t want it misconstrued.
“I think it’s about us,’’ D’Antoni said. “It’s not about Washington or Detroit or the Lakers. It’s can we play a little bit better. Right now it’s us against us.
“We were awful [against the Bobcats]. Probably it’s lot of pressure busting pipes. I think we’ve got some pipes busted out there and we’ve got some guys who are just not performing real well.’’
The Knicks spent yesterday surveying Wednesday’s wreckage during a 45-minute film session.
“Usually you don’t have a 45-minute film session after the sixth game, but it’s because we need it,’’ Anthony said.
Charlotte’s Boris Diaw, a former D’Antoni favorite in Phoenix, highlighted the carnage as he outplayed Amar’e Stoudemire and exploded for 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting.
After gaudy preseason expectations, Knicks fans already are riled up. Even though the game is in Washington, D’Antoni could hear some derisive chants, with the usual thousands of Knicks fans expected in DC’s downtown arena.
Anthony is trying to dispute the notion these are the same old defense-less Knicks.
“We lost some games we should have won,’’ Anthony said. “It’s still just six games. That doesn’t mean we should hang our heads and have our body language be down. There’s no need for that. We don’t want that. It’s a big picture we’re looking at.
“I’m not too concerned with what people are saying about this team,’’ he added. “We hear stuff every day. We’ll get better.’’