Lowe: Melo at the Four is Working Pretty Nicely So Far

We certainly don't need to be told that Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks have been thriving so far with him as the starting lineup's power forward. Zach Lowe, though, breaks the whole thing down neatly into a series of "bets"-- minor gambles that Mike Woodson is taking with the somewhat unorthodox lineup-- that have paid off for New York. The post has all the excellent analysis (plus video) we've come to expect from our friend Zach, plus a nice evaluation of how Amar'e Stoudemire might fit into all this:

New York is scoring 112.3 points per 100 possessions with Melo on the floor and just 101.4 when he sits, per NBA.com. The first number would lead the league by a mile; the second number is about league average.

This is the obvious place for Stoudemire, the guy who can prop up the offense for 12-15 minutes a night when Melo sits. New York's pile of aging, defense-first centers would allow Stoudemire to fill this role without also playing center, which is untenable defensively. It's also possible to slot Stoudemire a few non-Chandler minutes per night with Anthony at small forward and Rasheed Wallace acting as a spot-up center. That's not ideal, but it can work in small doses.

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I highly recommend taking a look at Lowe's piece for some lovely examples of how the Knicks' Melo-centric attack has succeeded thus far.

Incidentally, you can expect to see the usual lineup tonight against New Orleans's frontcourt of Anthony Davis and Robin Lopez.