NEW YORK _ Carmelo Anthony once believed the Knicks had enough veteran talent to contend in the Eastern Conference. He started alongside three rookies Thursday night for the second straight game, and two of them were undrafted.
Anthony couldn't have predicted this. Few could have. But everything that could go wrong for the Knicks has, and now Jeff Hornacek is forced to use these kinds of lineups. It's possible he could start five rookies in the Knicks' season finale Wednesday. He also could start five undrafted rookies.
The roster that Phil Jackson put together has been just one of the reasons the Knicks will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year and are one-loss from dropping at least 50 games for the third straight season.
Anthony missed a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left as the Knicks fell 106-103 to the Wizards at the Garden. The Knicks have three games remaining in this disappointing season.
The Knicks (30-49) erased a 15-point deficit and 12-point hole to tie the game down the stretch, but they never took the lead. Anthony scored 23 to lead the Knicks. Justin Holiday added 16.
Bradley Beal had 25 and John Wall 24 for the Wizards (48-31).
Marshall Plumlee made his first NBA start, two nights after Maurice Ndour was given his first NBA start. Ron Baker also started in the backcourt. But Hornacek played four veterans and rookie Willie Hernangomez in crunch time.
Anthony made back-to-back jumpers to tie it 101 with 1:10 to go. Beal then drilled a baseline 3-pointer to put Washington up 104-101 with 49.9 seconds left. Two Anthony foul shots with 32.3 seconds left brought the Knicks within one.
Beal made it a three-point game again after hitting two foul shots with 8.9 seconds remaining. Holiday fouled Beal inside with seven-tenths of a second left on the shot clock.
In Thursday night's game, the Knicks were without five of their projected top seven players coming into the season.
Kristaps Porzingis was a late scratch because of lower back soreness that also kept him out of the prior game. Derrick Rose had season-ending knee surgery Wednesday. Joakim Noah is suspended for violating the terms of the anti-drug policy. Lance Thomas remains out with a hip issue. And Brandon Jennings played, just not for the Knicks.
The Knicks waived Jennings in February, and signed with the Wizards. He came off the bench and had four points and three assists in 20 minutes.
Jennings was a big reason the Knicks felt this would be a good season. They believed with Rose and Jennings they had a strong point guard pairing. Thursday night, it was Ron Baker and Sasha Vujacic manning the position.
Jackson has taken much of the blame for the Knicks' shortcomings this season, and the past two. Former Bulls great Scottie Pippen said Jackson shouldn't be back as president. But he's also had his supporters, including Shaquille O'Neal and now Dennis Rodman.
The NBA's former bad boy said in an interview with CBSSports.com that the today's players can't handle Jackson "mentally" and said Anthony would never win with the Knicks.
"Phil Jackson lets you be a man first," Rodman said. "And people like Anthony and ... stuff like that, that's called pressure, man.
"That's pressure. Especially in New York. They want to win in New York; they will never win in New York. They'll never win in New York. I'm just saying. Even though he's a great athlete, great player, he'll never win in New York."
Rodman may be right about that. Anthony's time with the Knicks might be nearing an end. The Knicks are expected to see if they can trade their perennial All-Star this summer, and really go with a youth movement.
Porzingis is being groomed to be the franchise player going forward. Hernangomez looks like a piece for the Knicks to build around, and they should have a top-10 pick in this draft. They'll still need some veterans, particularly at point guard, to hold everything together.
Even with that there are no guarantees next season will be better for the Knicks.
