National Basketball Association

Should Anthony phase himself out?

Published Jan. 24, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Carmelo Anthony, the star forward who has led the Knicks to many points but few wins this year, got introspective over the weekend. He said maybe he should shoot less. Maybe he tries to do too much and doesn't get the ball to fellow star Amar'e Stoudemire enough. Maybe the Knicks' woeful start is his fault.

Or, maybe not, since Anthony backtracked on his comments Monday. But his long weekend of soul searching raised a pivotal question for the Knicks: Should Anthony phase himself out?

The case for Anthony is obvious. He is a four-time All-Star who is scoring 25 points per game. He is a certified superstar, who last year was one of the most sought-after trade targets in league history.

The problem with Anthony is not his points, it's with how he scores. Anthony's production comes at a price: the relevance of his teammates. He's taking about 21 shots a game, six more than any other Knick.

On Tuesday in Charlotte, there was a little more evidence against him. He had his worst game as a Knick, hitting none of his seven shot attempts and scoring one point in a 111-78 victory over the Bobcats to break a six-game losing streak. Stoudemire had 18 points.

On Wednesday in Cleveland, he scored 15 points and took 14 shots. The Knicks lost 91-81 to fall to 7-11.

There's a case to be made that Anthony should be playing like he has been this year. NBA basketball has a long history of superstars hogging shots, and Anthony's on pace for just his third-highest shot total of his eight-year career.

But for now, it's not paying off, and it's because of Anthony's peculiar playing style. His specialty, shooting from 16 to 23 feet, is a spectacular one. It's also an inefficient one. He incorporates some of the best maneuvers in the game from that distance, with spins and jab-steps to leave defenders with broken ankles and hearts. Anthony takes 6.7 shots per game from beyond 23 feet; that's third most in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. The difference is that both of those players make more than 40 percent from that distance; Anthony makes just 34 percent, the worst of his career.

For now, Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni seems unconcerned with Anthony's style of play.

"I just think he has to play his game and he can't think too much," D'Antoni said this week.

Stoudemire, who scored 25.3 points per game last season, is down to 17 this year and his shots have dropped from 19 to 15. He and Anthony had a summit this week to discuss the problems in the offense.

Stoudemire said his message to Anthony was that the offense should get everyone involved.