In the world of professional sports, there is perhaps no team more polarizing than the New York Knicks. They play in the largest city in the country, under the bright lights of a world famous arena,  Madison Square Garden. Surrounded by a rich culture and a devoted fan base, it is no secret that the Knicks are one of the most beloved teams in sports. But all of the luxuries that the Knicks players and fans enjoy come at a price: namely, the “Mellodrama” of costly star Carmelo Anthony, who seems less and less likely to be able to carry the Knicks to a championship.

A history lesson for the uninitiated: when Anthony became a member of the New York Knicks in 2011, it appeared that the future of the organization was bright. With young stars in Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire to build around, winning was the newfound culture in New York, but the team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Lebron-led Heat.

Although the loss was devastating, the Knicks were  contenders for years to come.

In the 2012-13 season, the Knicks had massive success, finishing second in the East with a 54-28 record. However, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to a much more physical Indiana Pacers team. In the offseason in which they re-signed key shooting guard J.R. Smith, the Knicks looked poised to make another run. Anthony had perhaps the best individual season of his career, capturing the league scoring title and attempting to keep the Knicks relevant in the playoff hunt.

But the team proved unable to overcome injuries to key players, Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler included, and the Knicks fell to a 37-45 record and ninth place in the east, missing the playoffs by one spot.

At this point, Anthony was a free agent in the upcoming offseason and newly acquired General Manager and 11-time NBA Champion Phil Jackson knew that to keep contending for an NBA title, it was requisite to pay his star player if he wanted to keep him in New York. Anthony signed a five-year, 124- million-dollar contract with a no-trade clause. While lucrative for Anthony, it was a controversial move with fans given the fact that Anthony was nearing thirty and had not given the Knicks the kind of success. Some commentators, such as Scott Davis of Business Insider, felt that Jackson should have let Anthony walk and the money should have gone toward a complete roster overhaul. Nevertheless, an offensive superstar such as Anthony was one the Knicks felt imperative to their future success.

Losing former key pieces Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire proved to be detrimental to the New York Knicks success in the 2014-2015 season. Fans worst fears reigned true as they finished with an abysmal 17-65 record, a season highlighted most by shutting down Carmelo Anthony after the All-Star Game,  and trading role players Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was clear that things couldn’t get much worse for the Knicks, a franchise who who seemed poised for playoff contention for the next few years.

The Knicks had now entered a complete rebuild, and in return for their poor record, they were awarded the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. They used this pick on 7’3” power forward Kristaps Porzingis from Latvia. Along with Porzingis, the Knicks free agency was highlighted by acquiring shooting guard Aaron Afflalo and role playing big man Robin Lopez. Not necessarily a championship team, but expendable pieces to use as trade bait and a decent start to a roster overhaul nonetheless. But once again, the Knicks underperformed as they finished 30-52, well out of the playoffs.

This offseason would prove to be the biggest test of General Manager Phil Jackson yet. In a market like New York with rich culture surrounding it, many were sure they’d be able to land a big free agent to play alongside Anthony to help lead them to the promised land for the first time in franchise history. The Knicks were able to land former MVP Derrick Rose and his counterpart in Chicago, Joakim Noah.The Knicks were still expected to make a playoff appearance, even with some controversial signings and key injuries.

Currently, Carmelo Anthony is a superstar on the wrong side of thirty playing for a struggling New York team. This is the current culture which the New York Knicks have built to create what’s been affectionately named as “Melodrama.” Playing in New York is never easy for an athlete, and when you play for a lackluster team and a General Manager looking to make a move to put himself back into the good graces of brutal New York sports fans, it only gets harder. Given the cryptic tweets of Phil Jackson about his thoughts on  his lone superstar in Carmelo Anthony and the constant headlines seen in the papers, the New York Knicks worst nightmares have all collapsed upon them. They’re considered to need a miracle to make the playoffs and are now scrambling for what direction they should take their franchise. Trading Carmelo Anthony may be their best option given the value they could get for him in return, but this would require Anthony waiving his no trade clause; a task which may be difficult, but very possible if both sides agree that it’s best to part ways. As an outsider perspective of a struggling team, this appears to be not just the only option, but the best one as well.

In no matter what sport, there are going to be struggling teams. However, when you play in what is considered a Mecca for the media and devoted fan bases, this is not acceptable. The Knicks have been through the ringer as they’ve experienced great success, as well as their lowest point in franchise history. As Carmelo Anthony ages and still holds still able to produce, he should take his talents to a team where his contribution will not be wasted. As long as Phil Jackson no longer wants to be scrutinized by New York fans along with the New York tabloids, he needs to get a deal done for Anthony and build around his young stud in Kristaps Porzingis. If they take the necessary steps and spend their free agent money wisely on someone to compliment Porzingis, Knicks fans will remember what it’s like to have a future and perhaps build a champion; a feat which has not been accomplished by the franchise in 71 years.