New York Knicks: What Every Starter Has To Prove

4 of 7

Jan 18, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) defends New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the first overtime at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks won 119-113 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Carmelo Anthony: He Can Win

Position: Small Forward
Age: 32 (5/29/1984)
Slash Line: .434/.339/.829
Season Averages: 35.1 MPG, 21.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.5 BPG

The New York Knicks are building the immediate future around nine-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony. In doing so, New York is taking a calculated risk on Anthony being able to do something he’s never done before: win an NBA championship.

With just one Conference Finals appearance and no trip to the NBA Finals, however, Anthony must prove that he can win at the highest possible level.

Knicks sixth man Brandon Jennings recently told Anthony Donahue of the “33rd And 7th” podcast that merely making the playoffs wouldn’t be enough. Jennings voiced the general consensus that, once New York gets there, it needs to win at least one series.

For the 32-year-old Anthony, anything short of making the playoffs would be a failure; anything short of winning a series would be a disappointment.

Anthony is one of the greatest players of his era, as evidenced by his being No. 29 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He has 66 games of postseason experience, but his team has been eliminated in the first round in eight of his 10 appearances.

Anthony is safe and secure as a future inductee into the Hall of Fame, but his chance to win as the No. 1 player in New York begins in 2016-17.

Home/Knicks News