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New York Knicks Should Start Carmelo Anthony At Power Forward

By Matthew Perez

Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) walks onto the court prior to taking on the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) walks onto the court prior to taking on the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after the shot clock winds down during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after the shot clock winds down during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Start Anthony at Power Forward

When Carmelo Anthony starts at small forward, with Kristaps Porzingis at power forward and Joakim Noah at center, the spacing on the floor is far from ideal. When Anthony gets the ball on the wing, it’s easy for defenders to bring help since Noah isn’t a threat to score.

In an era of the NBA where spacing and 3-point shooting are the focus of many offenses, the Knicks are falling behind.

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When the Knicks went 54-28 in the 2012-13 season, Anthony started at power forward alongside Tyson Chandler. That season, Anthony finished in the Top 3 in MVP voting and averaged 28.7 points on 44.9 percent shooting, along with 6.9 rebounds in 37 minutes a game.

This allowed Anthony to catch the ball on the wing, and either look to score or look to one of his shooters when the double team came.

Starting at the 4, Anthony will likely have a mismatch on a larger, slower opponent. Additionally, running pick and roll with Rose and Anthony will force a larger defender onto Rose and a smaller defender onto Anthony, thus creating mismatches all over.

With Porzingis dealing with a nagging achilles injury, Hornacek can manage his minutes and bring him off the bench. Since he plays with the bench at the beginning of the second and fourth quarter, why not just bring him off the bench altogether?

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