Melo or Mediocre?

Is this man who the New York Knicks need to succeed?

Unlike any other professional team in New York, the Knicks do not have to share the biggest sports market in the world with any other team. It is for this reason that the Knicks are special to New York fans. The Knicks are "it" if you are from New York and have any interest in basketball. And in the past, our Knick teams did not make it at all difficult to be an interested fan. However, ever since the dreaded Isiah Thomas-led years it has been a different story. Nevertheless, let's not dwell on the New York fan's decade long nightmare. The fact of the matter is that now with the arrival of Amare Stoudemire and the .500 play of the New York Knicks, Knicks fans have for the first time in a long time some hope. While this may be true, any New Yorker knows that in New York .500 level play is not nearly enough. The fans are hungry for more.

Since Lebron and Bosh took their talents to South Beach, it has become the desired model for NBA teams to try to create their own "big three." The Knicks are finally in a position to add a second piece in the form of Carmelo Anthony and possibly Chris Paul down the road. However, where do Donnie Walsh and the Knicks draw the line between giving up too much and making a move that could propel this franchise to a level it has not been in many years?

This year has proven that the Knicks do have assets in their young talent. Landry Fields, Danilo Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler have all proved to be capable of playing as starters in this league. As a Knicks fan. I love to watch these players. Not only have they shown glimpses of how good they can be , but also they seem to sincerely want to play for New York. However, it is just that, they only show glimpses. At such young ages, they are too inconsistent to truly carry this team past the first round in the playoffs. The Knicks, as currently constructed, are just a mediocre .500 team and in New York that can only fly for so long.

Knick fans are craving much more, and their recent lackluster play proves that they will only continue to achieve a .500 record with the talent they have. Yes, it would be nice to have these players in addition to Carmelo who we can risk to acquire this summer. But, like I said, this is a risk. Carmelo has said himself that if he is not traded by the deadline then he will consider resigning in Denver. Let’s be frank, no matter how much people will like to criticize his gunslinger mentality, Carmelo is an elite NBA talent. Pairing Carmelo with Stoudemire would truly be magical and it would definitely give the Knicks that extra playoff push they need. Yes, it would not put us in Finals contention just yet, but with players like Eddy Curry coming off the books this summer, the Knicks can build around this talented nucleus starting next year (that is if there will be a season).

While this year’s Knicks team has been fun to watch (at times), I think what would truly be more fun is to watch Carmelo rock The Garden alongside Amare. I believe the infatuation fans currently have for these young players will quickly evaporate once they see Melo donning the blue and orange and dropping upwards of 30 points a night. Maybe we will have a couple of very good teams if these players develop to be as good as some think. But as we saw with Patrick Ewing and the great Knicks teams of the 90s, the difference between being good and winning a championship is huge, and I believe that the goal of winning a championship will be closer with Carmelo at the helm.

The question remains: wager the future or keep the status quo and remain mediocre?

I say go all in.