Knicks' Walsh: Blame Me For Post-Melo Trade Struggles
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- The Knicks have swooned in a big way following their blockbuster trade for Carmelo Anthony, capped by Monday night's bloody 96-86 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Donnie Walsh wants the world to know that if there's blame to go around, it falls on him.
"I take more responsibility than the players or the coaches," Walsh said. "I made a monumental trade in the middle of the season, and it appears to me they're having a hard time getting together, which is understandable."
The Knicks lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 7-9 since acquiring Anthony last month. And, as with Miami's occasional struggles this season, Walsh has concerns about how long it takes a team to figure things out when it has put superstars together.
"That's why I don't like to do it in the middle of the season," said Walsh. "We gave up a lot. We got back a lot. But I do think this trade is going to make us better in the future. In the long run, this trade will make us a better franchise."
Anthony scored 22 points for the Knicks, but neither he nor Amar'e Stoudemire had a field goal in the fourth quarter. Coach Mike D'Antoni has come under fire recently for his inability to get the Knicks on the same page.
"It's really hard," Walsh said. "I've asked our coach to live with two years where we were breaking it down, and now I'm asking him to put this team together after the trade deadline."
Did the Carmelo trade push the Knicks' progress back a couple years? Sound off on New York's swoon in the comments below...
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