Schmeelk: It's February, And The Knicks' Problems Haven't Changed

By John Schmeelk
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Coming into the season, the Knicks' issues were anything if not predictable. Going back to my season preview, the Knicks have held to form when it comes to what is holding them back when they lose games this year.

First things first, they are entirely dependent on Carmelo Anthony to score. When he doesn't play, they are 0-5. In games such as Tuesday night's, when he shoots poorly (4-of-16), they have trouble scoring enough points to win. Anthony has played well this year, but as he gets older, it will be more and more difficult for him to carry the load night in and night out. He needs help.

The second thing I wrote about in that preview is the Knicks' lack of a consistent secondary scorer. Arron Afflalo has been up and down this year, which if you follow his career, is not much of a surprise. He goes through stretches when he looks like he can be the second-best player on a team. Then he goes through stretches when you wonder if he should be a starter on a good team. He is in one of those bad stretches now, and the Knicks are having trouble scoring points, and winning.

No one else on the roster is capable of being that second banana the team needs. As I wrote about Tuesday, Kristaps Porzingis isn't at the point offensively where you can depend on him to create on his own. Derrick Williams is a spark, but not a consistent enough shooter. When Afflalo isn't playing well, the Knicks have nowhere else to turn when it comes to creating baskets other than Anthony.

The third thing that has been a focus from the start of the season is the Knicks' point guard position. Jose Calderon will turn 35 this year, and as most older players do, he is missing games because of injury. When he plays, he is good at getting the Knicks into their offense and knocking down the open shot, but he can't stay in front of opposing point guards or create his own shot. He's very limited physically.

Jerian Grant has not come along as quickly as some would like, either. He has shown flashes of being able to penetrate and create offense in the pick-and-roll, but most times he still looks like he is figuring things out. Point guards take some time to adapt in the NBA, but as an older college player, some were expecting a little more from him in his rookie year.

The other big question for the Knicks entering this season was their defense. Consistently a team that ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in defense, the Knicks were going to have to improve on that end of the floor this year if they were going to win. To coach Derek Fisher's credit, he has done that. For the most part, the Knicks come out every night and play hard, even if sometimes they just aren't talented enough to win. They rank 18th in the league in defensive efficiency. Given their perimeter defensive personnel, it's a decent place for the Knicks to be.

Fisher's progress was another concern before this season. He has improved in his second year as head coach. His rotations have gotten more consistent and are certainly better than in the past. The team plays hard for him. He has obviously connected with Anthony, who is fully embracing the team concept and dishing out more assists and taking fewer shots than at any other time in his playing career.

There still needs to be progress on offense, where the team can still look stagnant in the triangle. There isn't nearly enough motion off the ball on most possessions. End-of-game plays have gotten better, but there are still too many times when the first and only option is a one-on-one play. Those are necessary in the final minutes, but there should be more action off the ball to give the player going one-on-one more options.

The Knicks are better, but much like we said before the season, they still have a lot of flaws. They still probably aren't a playoff team, even though they will likely keep that hope alive through April. It's still a good year of progress for Fisher, Porzingis and the Knicks. How do they take that next step? That's the tough question that there really isn't a great answer to.

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