The New York Knicks have been an unmitigated disaster this season, and new reports indicate things could get a whole lot worse.
At 4-19, the Knicks are off to their worst start in franchise history. The level of discord in the locker room has grown to the point that star forward Carmelo Anthony threatened to beat up teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. after a loss to the Brooklyn Nets last week, sources told ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
“Nobody’s taken a swing at anybody, but there’s a lot of arguing and cursing each other out after games,” one source said.
Hardaway reportedly is one of several Knicks players who are upset with the way Anthony monopolizes the team’s offense. Anthony is averaging 18.8 shots per game, third in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant and LaMarcus Aldridge.
“Sources said players voiced their displeasure with Anthony over the weekend,” Broussard wrote Wednesday, “telling him he shoots too much, doesn’t move or pass the ball, and plays defense only when he feels like it.”
Another source of frustration has been first-year head coach Derek Fisher’s insistence on employing the triangle offense despite the fact that New York ranks second-to-last in the NBA in scoring average.
“Guys are definitely frustrated,” another one of Broussard’s sources said. “But some of it’s just basketball stuff that the players don’t like doing. When somebody’s demanding that you make a hard cut, you don’t like it because you have to work harder. When someone says it’s not OK to throw a bulls— pass, guys don’t like it.”
Anthony might not be a part of that offense for much longer, however. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported Wednesday, citing a source, that the seven-time All-Star might need surgery to relieve chronic soreness in his left knee.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
