New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings. Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Former Knicks Guard Explains Carmelo Anthony Era Collapse

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks are about a decade removed from Carmelo Anthony's prime, but the team won just one playoff series during his time with the franchise.

In the 2012-13 season, the Knicks won 54 games, but two years later, they had only 17 victories. Shane Larkin, a member of the 2014-15 Knicks, explained why things didn't work out with Anthony towards the end of his time in New York.

"We had a talented team, and you tell 15 guys, "Hey guys, you're gonna play this new kind of style of offense that nobody's played in the NBA for years, except Kurt Rambis in Minnesota," which didn't work there," Larkin said in an interview with HoopsHype.

"And now you wanna come and bring it to the New York Knicks, and you have Melo playing at the pinch post, which I understand. I do understand. 'Cause Melo, when he starts putting it behind his head in the jab, like you can't guard him. However, maybe Melo can do it. None of us, none of the rest of us, is accustomed to this style of play. I mean, no disrespect. I understand the idea and the vision that it was. It just didn't fit me and my style of game."

New York Knicks guard Shane Larkin with the ball during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images

At this time, Phil Jackson was heavily involved in the basketball operations and Derek Fisher, a former point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, was a first-year head coach. The pieces worked in Los Angeles when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were there, but the Knicks were trying to fit a square block in a round hole.

The roster itself was just not built for what the Knicks were trying to do. While the talent on the roster wasn't enough to win a lot of games, they should have had more than 17 victories on the season.

Nobody on the Knicks roster that season started more than 42 games and the team was just cycling players in and out. It ultimately led to Anthony's departure two years later, forcing the Knicks to rebuild once again.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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