Hornacek: Carmelo won't need to carry Knicks every night

Reinforcements have arrived for the revamped New York Knicks.

No longer will Carmelo Anthony represent the Knicks' lone source of offense. Offseason imports Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings, along with last year's breakout star Kristaps Porzingis, should help lessen the load on Anthony.

"That’s the beauty of having these more talented guys on the team. He doesn’t have to carry us every night," Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters Friday.

"There’ll be stretches in games, maybe he does. Then other times, maybe another guy does. He’s at a point where he knows what it’s going to be for our team to win, and that’s not going to be him shooting it every time or trying to do that. There are going to be times when, yes (he carries the Knicks). But he feels very comfortable, I think, with his teammates right now."

Anthony is creeping towards his mid-thirties, and isn't as durable as he once was. The veteran gunner has missed 50 games over the last two seasons on account of knee injuries.

New York's added firepower should also allow Anthony to further his transformation into a playmaker. Anthony set a career high in assists (accompanied by a decade-long low in scoring) last season as he made a concerted adjustment toward involving his teammates in the offense.