The NY Knicks have been off to a solid start this season and while Jose Calderon is injured, Carmelo Anthony has started to get the hang of the triangle offense with Iman Shumpert, JR Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire and this comes as some fans and the media have speculated that the Knicks could go after Rajon Rondo in a trade this season before he hits free agency.
According to ESPN.com writer Ian Begley, Anthony has started making the most of the triangle offense and so far through three games, Anthony has been playing less than last season and producing more. Ahead of the season many speculated that Anthony would have his numbers go down because of the new offense, but players and coaches that have worked the triangle refuted that. Phil Jackson said that Anthony may take less shots, but he would be taking more high-quality shots and so far that is what has happened.
Derek Fisher has masterfully used his rotation over the past two games and that has helped Anthony, who played a ton of minutes and was tired by the end of last season. Anthony did not play the first five and a half minutes against Cleveland in the fourth quarter in the win against the Cavaliers and he helped seal that game. Anthony had over 20 points in that game and he scored nine of those after coming back in the fourth quarter, including the shot over LeBron that helped put the team over.
Fisher did the same with Anthony against the Hornets the other night and that game was close and once he came back, Anthony produced once again. Anthony sat out for about three and a half minutes in the fourth quarter of that game and he came back and hit two quick shots and helped keep the Knicks up. Anthony has praised the work of Fisher so far along with Shumpert and Stoudemire and right now the Knicks are 2-1, which is a big improvement over last season. Yes, it's just three games, but the team started off 3-13 last season and right now it's looking like that won't be happening. Fisher said that he wants to keep Anthony fresh this season and that likely is a smart move, as he is the key for the Knicks making any type of playoff run this year, even if it's just to the second round or conference finals.
Anthony is leading the team with 22 points per game and he said that so far this year all the "bad energy" from last season is gone and that has been a big factor for the team. Iman Shumpert and the Knicks just passed the date for a contract extension and now he will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Shumpert came up in trade rumors last year and last summer, but the Knicks opted to keep him. Rajon Rondo will be a target for the Knicks writes Marc Stein and he says that a trade could happen at the deadline, but it's much more likely Rondo stays in Boston and then hits free agency. The Lakers and Knicks were listed as the top teams that will be targeting Rondo.
