Even an appearance by motivation guru Rex Ryan couldn't inspire the Knicks last night against the Lakers at the Garden—but their recent slump may have more to do with Carmelo Anthony than anything else. Ever since the Nets bowed out of the Anthony sweepstakes and the Knicks became the frontrunners, the team has gone 4-8, and dropped to a mediocre .500. And the Knicks players, coach and president all seem to agree that an acute case of Carmeloitis is to blame.
PG Raymond Felton told reporters after last night's loss that the constant rumor mill is affecting the team: "That's the problem right now. It's just that it's being talked about too much." Team president Donnie Walsh agreed, and thinks some of the younger players are taking it hardest: "I think it is. I don't know it is because you'd have to ask them. The only thing I can say is that we have a lot of young players who probably haven't been through this before. They've got to get used to it in New York because it's going to be there . . . every year." And earlier this week, Coach Mike D'Antoni suggested that the "We Want Me-Lo" fan chants at the Garden were hurting players' focus.
Mostly, it seems that everyone (including us) just wants the waiting to end (after all, it is the hardest part). At least one person is still pulling for Carmelo to the come to NYC: "I hope they get him," said Lakers guard Ron Artest. Artest, described by ESPN as "an unabashed Knicks fan," quickly tried to clarify himself: "Well, I'm not promoting it."
