Judge: "Mr. Anthony, you've being charged with first-degree murder of the chemistry of the Knicks, which they haven't had since Willis Reed limped on the floor. How do you plead?
Carmelo Anthony (nervous mumble): "Um, Linsanity, your Honor?"
Admit it. You're part of the growing public perception that this will not work, that Melo will poop on the party, that he's hopelessly unable to change. You suspect he will demand the ball and the new savior will give it up far too often. You're almost sure the Knicks' season, suddenly inflated with hope, will go pop once Melo returns and Jeremy Lin, an underdog all his life, bends over backward to appease the A-list scorer.
And your hunch, whether it turns out right or wrong, does have a degree of merit.
Melo works best when he's with the ball, isolating on his man, pumping jumpers while everyone else tends to stand and watch. This is how it was in Denver and through 23 games this season with the Knicks. This has earned him millions of dollars, a run of All-Star Games, a spot on the Olympic team ... and zero championships.
Now, the entire dynamic of the Knicks just changed in a flash, all because of the improbable rise of Lin, a D-Leaguer who grabbed the basketball world by the throat the last few days. Lin needs the ball to set up his drive to the hoop and his teammates for shots. The Knicks are undefeated ever since the basketball gods dropped a smart point guard in the middle of Manhattan, as Melo watched from the bench in street clothes, hoping to return this week from injury.
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