Carmelo Anthony refused to engage Amar'e Stoudemire after the New York Knicks forward claimed he believes lack of ball movement has fueled the team's disappointing 3-10 start.
Following each of the team's last three losses, Stoudemire has told the New York Post he feels too much one-on-one play has virtually crippled the Knicks offense, a not too subtle shot at the trigger-happy likes of Anthony and guard J.R. Smith.
"It's just defense at this point," Anthony told The Post as the Knicks prepared to face the L.A. Clippers at Staples Center Wednesday night. "The easiest thing to do is try to point fingers and trying to figure out what's going on - like ball movement. At the end of the day it's defense, we're not guarding anybody."
Truth be told, the Knicks who now find themselves in the midst of a six-game losing streak, are guilty on both fronts. The team finds itself last in the NBA in assists and averaging nearly points a game less than last season (100-93.2)
At the same time, the teams ranks 25th in the league in defensive field goal percentage.
"It's easy to do because at the end of the day, I have the ball most of the offense,'' Anthony told The Post of the ball-hogging criticisms. "When you hear that, where it's coming from, why is it being said, the real reason we're not winning is we're not defending. We're not believing or trusting in one another on the defensive end.''
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