It's a whole new ballgame now.
Carmelo is now playing in the mecca of basketball in New York City, and if there was any doubt he'd be able to live up to that hype, it started dissipating on Wednesday night. Melo hit a game-winning jump shot in Memphis, probably the first of many for him in a Knick uniform, improving the Knicks to 6-3 since acquiring him two weeks ago.
It might be time to start taking this guy seriously.
Melo's been there for barely more than a New York minute, and he's already established himself as a franchise player for a serious playoff threat. Among the Knicks' victims in the last two weeks: Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta and now the Grizzlies. Four legit playoff teams feeling the pain of a Melo beatdown.
The Big Apple's newest superstar dropped 31 points on the Grizz on Wednesday night. Two nights earlier, he had 34 against the Jazz.
It takes more than star power to be a champion, sure. The Miami Heat have bundled together quite a threesome of stars, but they're far from title locks. But in New York, you see a solid group of complementary players, one far better than what's come together in South Beach.
Chauncey Billups is more than a floor general and a savvy player on both ends. He's also a scorer that can shine when Melo and Amare Stoudemire draw the focus of opposing defenses.
Landry Fields is one of the best rebounding wing players in the game.
Ronny Turiaf is a very underrated defensive big men.
These pieces fit. They work together. It all makes sense.
Melo looks like he was born to earn NBA playoff berths. He's done it every single year since he arrived in the league in 2003. He'll do it again this spring, for sure.
But in New York, he's got the potential to be on more than a playoff team. His Knicks could be a sneaky playoff powerhouse, not just this spring but in future years as well.
Will they win a title in 2011? Almost certainly not. But they're going to be a tough out, and somewhere along the line, they could play spoiler for one of the East's top teams. If nothing else, Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks are earning our respect.
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