Since the Carmelo trade during last years 2010-2011 NBA season there has been speculation on both ends whether the trade was better for Denver or New York. Initially it seemed the Knicks were getting the sweet end of the deal but looking at the numbers now, some people may think a little differently. Looking at the regular season records for both teams since the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Knicks are 20-22, not even .500, while the Denver Nuggets are 28-12, sixteen games over .500.

When analyzing the trade that took place between the NY Knicks the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, neither team kept all players in the trade. Most of these players were traded after the lockout for other reasons. The Knicks lost Raymond Felton who was their starting point guard, although they received a veteran point guard in Chauncey Billups through the trade, after the lockout they got rid of Billups to free up cap space to sign big free agent Tyson Chandler from the Mavericks.

Everyone knows that D’Antoni preaches offense and is known for not being the best defensive coach. Then this stat would confuse some people in that, the Knicks are 22nd in offensive efficiency, which is a stat that measures points per every 100 possessions. While the Knicks are 22nd in this category the, “Meloless” Nuggets rank 5th.

So this leads to the question what is missing in the NY Knicks offense and the answer is: a solid point guard. With the loss of Billups and Felton, the Knicks fell back to signing two other veteran point guards, Mike Bibby from the Miami Heat, and Baron Davis from the Cleveland Cavaliers who is still trying to return from injuries.

With that in mind, much of the weight of the Knicks offense was not on any of their “Big 3″ so to speak, but on their rookie point guard Iman Shumpert out of Georgia Tech. Shumpert has come to the starting position and said in an interview about Carmelo and Stoudemire, “We’re making them take a lot of tough shots and we’re depending on them to score points,” Shumpert said. “We’ve got to make the offense a lot smoother.”

Shumpert makes a good point because coming into Wednesday game against the Suns, the Knicks were fifth worst in field goal percentage, and in the game against the Suns, the Knicks shot only 37.5 percent. Shumpert has a lot to learn being a rookie. When you look at teams like the San Antonio Spurs with Tony Parker, you see a team with a solid point guard with a smooth running offense.

That means breaking down the defense, running the offense, calling the right plays and finding the open man in order to put points on the board. Maybe Knicks is not giving Shumpert time to develop and go after veteran point guard Steve Nash who will be a free agent after this season. Looking back he ran a flawless offense with Stoudmire that could potentially work in D’Antoni’s offense.

The Knicks look to turn their four game losing streak around this Friday at the Garden when the 4-9 Milwaukee Bucks come into town. More importantly the Nuggets come to NY for the first time since the Melo trade and they come into the Garden with a better record the NY Knicks, and all eyes are on Melo to deliver an all-star performance.

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Despite criticism from much of the media about their decision, the Knicks and Donnie Walsh, for the situation they were in, completely made the right choice when they drafted Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech, with the 17 pick in last Thursday’s (June 21) NBA Draft.

Howard Beck of the New York Times explains the situation that the Knicks were in saying, “The need now is for high-quality role players, as well as shooting, rebounding and size. But the best shooters and big men were gone by the time the Knicks picked.”

These “shooters and big men” whom Beck refers to, most certainly include, Jimmer Fredette, Klay Thomson, Bismack Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic, all of whom the Knicks were rumored to have had interest in before the draft. With these four players gone, The Knicks were left with the predicament of who to choose and they obviously thought Shumpert fit their needs better.

Knicks management, Donnie Walsh in particular, said the Knicks decided to go with the smaller Shumpert because he was thought fit the needs of the team more. In reference these comments by Walsh, Chris Sheridan of ESPN writes that, “the Knicks chose a defensive-minded guard rather than a defensive-minded forward simply because of the lack of playing time opportunities available at those positions behind Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.”

The media has been critical of the Knicks decision and have been saying that the team should have scooped up forwards Chris Singleton or Kenneth Faried instead.  However, at the present moment these players would be excessive if added to the Knicks roster, due to the fact that the team is already stacked with players at the forward position.

Although many experts have said it was a stretch to take Shumpert with the 17th pick, he does give the Knicks added depth and multiple options being able to play both the point guard and two guard position.

Additionally to the holes Shumpert fills for the Knicks, management thinks of him highly because of the performance he displayed at pre-draft workouts. in reference to one of Shumperts workouts, Donnie Walsh said, “He shot the ball extremely well. His shot’s not broke. Some guys you see, and you can tell right away they can’t shoot and they’re going to have to learn form. He has good form, he was hitting shots, he can defend very well. Very well. And he’s got tremendously long arms, so I really liked him a lot,”

Also impressing the Knicks was Shumpert’s athleticism and physique. Jared Zwerling of ESPN refers to Shumpert as having  “freakish athleticism”. At the Chicago combine, Shumpert impressed onlookers, including the Knicks, with this “freakish athleticism” recording a 36.5-inch standing vertical leap. In terms of physique, what is unique about Shumpert, is, how tall he is for a point guard, yet still manages to play this position. Shumpert stands at 6-6 feet tall, with a wingspan of 6-10. Not many point guards have a wingspan of 7 feet!  Shumpert’s length, both in height and wingspan, are physical attributes considered to help him on the defensive end of the floor.

Shumpert is known more for his defensive prowess than his offense; however, if he can improve his offense even a modest amount Shumpert could be a sleeper pick that many teams will regret passing on. Even if Shumpert does not necessarily improve his offense, he can still contribute and be a valuable part of the Knicks roster. As New York Times writer Howard Beck explains, “Shumpert does not need the ball to be effective, making him a solid complement to the Knicks’ three stars.” Surely, he will be a formidable addition to the team as they come together to contend for a championship next year.

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