Not a One Man Fix

            Just under a year ago, 34^th Street was glowing, prepared to embrace the triumphant return of a homegrown hero.  Now, an iconic building has an ever growing feeling of disdain festering within its walls.  The building, of course, is Madison Square Garden.  After the Knicks gutted their roster to acquire Carmelo Anthony in February of 2011, excitement swept New York.  When the Knicks played .500 basketball after the trade—the sentiment being fed to masses was patience, and that “Next year” would be the year that Amare and Carmelo and the rest of the Knickerbockers became a winning force.  Following an early playoff exit, the Knicks retooled in the offseason, picking up defensive dynamo Tyson Chandler play center, and give defensively last ranked Knicks some help on that end of the court.  Starting as preseason favorites, now, more than one month into the season, the Knicks are 7-13, but the latest news is that there is hope, once Baron Davis returns, the Knicks will resume winning ways.  Baron Davis—yeah right.  The arrival of one player cannot fix the Knicks.

            The Knicks’ problems are far worse than lacking depth at the point guard spot, the entire team is suffering.  Perhaps the most obvious problem with the Knicks is their 3-point shooting.  This season, the 3 point shot has not been finding the bottom of the basket for the Knicks, yet it appears that the Knicks have grown infatuated with the 3, taking as many as 43 in a single game!  What’s worse for the Knicks is that they are only converting 30% of those shots; furthermore, the 3 point “marksmen” of last season have disappeared, with Toney Douglas, Carmelo Anthony and Landry Fields shooting 25, 30, and 22 percent from beyond the arc respectively.  The Knicks have had poor shot selection with the 3 as well, shooting them when well covered, and at times when a surer bucket is available.  Baron Davis’ presence on the court cannot fix the shots of his teammates, and he cannot remove the fascination with the 3 ball that the rest of the Knicks have, as they refuse to stop shooting a ridiculous amount of them, 23.8 per game to be exact, which places them for 3^rd most in the league.  Another serious issue that the Knicks face is the complete disappearance of their star forward, Amare Stoudemire.  Stoudemire is a shadow of his former self on the floor, once being a dominant and important scoring force for this Knicks team, he now fouls almost apathetically, sometimes getting only 20 minutes on the court.  The Knicks need Stoudemire to play.  Stoudemire is also missing open looks regularly, shooting a dreadful 42% from the field, a full 11 percentage points beneath his career average.  Putting Baron Davis into the mix will not let Amare drive to the basket more effectively, nor will it improve his shot.  The shot that the Knicks desperately need.  Last season, Amare averaged 25 points per game,  and the team as a whole ranked 2^nd in points per game. Now the Knicks rank 17^th in points per game.  Lastly, and most importantly, the Knicks are playing lazily and apathetically.  With one exception, the rookie Iman Shumpert, who hustles all over the court.  The rest of the team trots down the court, and never appears to be fazed by defeat, even to much lesser opponents.  After a turnover, the Knicks will play lackadaisical defense, whether it be fouling without challenging a shot, or failing to even defend the perimeter, as the Knicks have been destroyed from outside all season.  How can the fans expect Baron Davis to fix the Knicks?  An oft-injured point guard, who has been accused of playing without heart.  That appears to be what the rest of the Knicks team is.  So, by replacing the most active player on the court with Davis, what can the Knicks expect?  More of the same.