Wake up Knick fans and realize several things.

1. We will make the playoffs this season.

2. That will probably be the extent of our success this year.

3. The Knicks do not have any business even looking at options to acquire Carmelo Anthony unless they can also figure out how to acquire a legitimate Center in the process.

Now jump

Now before you comment read #3 again. I did not say do not get Mr. Anthony, I said do not get him unless you can figure out how to get a legitimate Center in here as well.  If we cannot figure out how to get both then pass on Mr. Anthony and get a Center. By Center I mean an established guy, with legitimate size to play the position, who has proven that he can control the defensive boards and provide an interior defensive presence in the paint. No drafting a 7 ft project from Ukraine, Serbia, or Turkey, and definitely not a NBA /D league transient like an Earl Barron type either.  The Knicks are going to be a playoff team this year, and barring serious injuries to key players should be one next year. We need to start acting like a legitimate contender. We need a guy who can play 30-35 minutes a night alongside Amar'e while providing consistent rebounding and defense. If he can score a little great, but that is not a requirement, rebounds and defensive presence are what we need from that position.  Also do not give me any of that D'Antoni will not play Centers BS.  We just played the Mavericks who have Tyson Chandler. D'Antoni would play that guy 30 minutes a night if he had him.

I understand all the superstar worship that goes on these days, and I am not even saying that as Knick fans we should not have a chance to say "look at our squad!" But in terms of actual competitiveness we need to be adult about this.  The Knicks have been out rebounded in 15 of their last 18 ball games folks. They lost 11 of those games. In those losses opponents scored an average of 51 pts in the paint a game.  What we are asking Amar'e Stoudemire to do is completely unfair. He is not the second coming of Bill Russell. Amar'e is a Power Forward who can play some Center he is not a Center. Amar'e is not a guy who is going to control the boards night in and night out, he is an average rebounder at best for a power forward. While Amar'e can block shots, he does not have the size or presence on the defensive end of the floor to control the paint. Amar'e has been great for us this year, but to get the most out of him you need to pair him with a Center who can provide the rebounding and defense he cannot.

Now you can pull out all of the advanced stats you want on Carmelo, this post isn't really about him, he is great at what he does and that is a given I have already said in previous comments that Anthony is a future Hall of Famer. But Carmelo cannot help the Knicks control the boards or provide a defensive presence to shut down the paint.

To be honest we are not a Carmelo away from being a contender, we are a Kendrick Perkins type guy away. If we had a guy like Perk who can command the paint on defense and control the defensive boards, our record right now would be up there with the Celtics and the Heat.  When you look at our losses this year it has been our rebounding and lack of interior defense that has killed us.  Even on some of these nights we struggled to score recently, the other teams were primarily building their leads off of offensive rebounds and scoring in the lane.

Carmelo Anthony is a want, a legitimate Center is a Need! Adding Anthony, without properly addressing the Center position is like buying new rims and a paint job for your old Chevy. The car might look better, but it will not take you any farther or go any faster than before.  Adding Anthony will make us look better on paper and will make us sexier to the Networks, but since he does not address any of the competitive flaws this team has, his addition will not do much to improve our record or our chances in the playoffs. If you cannot control the boards or the paint in the playoffs, you will be a one and done team. That is not an opinion but a fact! Name the last playoff team that outscored their opponents in the paint and out rebounded them, that lost a playoff series!