Carmelo Anthony remains out of the lineup for the New York Knicks which means the losses are piling up. The team has not been able to handle the absence of the franchise star as Kristaps Porzingis and company struggled once again against Memphis on Saturday. With adjustments being made in the lineup, are changes set to come for the Knicks in the future?
Anthony continues to deal with an ankle injury as the Knicks fell to 0-4 without him in the lineup. The Knicks were hopeful that he would have been able to play on Saturday, but Anthony is still not healthy and a timetable for a return is not yet know. While he has not been ruled out for the game against the Philadelphia 76ers, a return is uncertain.
"We think it's best for me to try to get a couple more days and take it one day at a time rather than coming back and have a chance of it being agitated again, not being full healthy," Anthony said, via ESPN.com. "The running is actually fine. It's more of kind of the takeoff, the power and the lift. I try to shoot and just that power to get the shot off, move certain directions."
With Anthony out, the Knicks are trying to find a lineup that works. Langston Galloway got his first start of the season as he and Arron Afflalo tried to control the backcourt. Galloway has struggled this season along with Jose Calderon which is why the Knicks are considering make a trade or signing to add more scoring help on the court. Head coach Derek Fisher is trying to get some kind of consistency going with the team, but it has yet to work.
According to ESPN's Ian Begley, the Knicks are being linked to a number of moves, but nothing is set in stone yet. Last year the Knicks signed Langston Galloway, Lance Thomas and Lou Amundson to 10-day contracts at this time and it worked out pretty well for the franchise. That could be the case again this year as Jimmy Fredette is being targeted as he thrives in D-League play. Fredette would be a low-risk, high-reward signing which is what New York wants right now.
The Knicks could make a trade. They have been linked to everyone from Brandon Jennings to Jamal Crawford and Ty Lawson. The Knicks want backcourt help, but they do not want to bring someone on that is going to impact their salary cap for the future. The Knicks are planning on having a lot to work with in the upcoming free agency run and they do not want to do anything that will harm that. Trading for someone on an expiring contract or bringing up Fredette could be the best move. According to Fisher, he has not had any conversations about that.
"I haven't been involved in any conversations to that degree,'' Fisher said, via the New York Post. "I can't fully speak for Phil [Jackson], Steve [Mills] and Allan [Houston] in that respect. I'm sure it's something they're looking at or considering, but I haven't been involved just yet.''