Going into this season, all eyes should be on Carmelo Anthony. He is, as far as I'm concerned, the main reason the Knicks allowed Lin to leave. Carmelo never seemed to appreciate Lin stealing the spotlight, or the way Lin won the hearts of the New York in a way Carmelo never has. To follow that act, Carmelo demonstrated in the Olympics why New York gets frustrated with him. Carmelo excelled throughout the Olympics as a power forward. His skill set has always been amazing, and he showed an ability the thrive there. The Knicks, however, have $35 million per season tied up in Amare and Tyson Chandler, preventing Carmelo from spending much time at the four spot. Carmelo also touted that he would rather stay at his "natural position", despite demonstrating how naturally and effectively he fits as a four.

Carmelo Anthony catches a lot of flak, but he is supremely talented. He gets grief because his potential to be even better is glaringly obvious, but he can't seem to achieve that next level of greatness. But New York remains likely to be in the playoffs, probably as a 4 or 5 seed. And if that happens, I firmly believe it will be strictly due to the strength of Carmelo Anthony, with a tip of the cap to Chandler interior defense.