Carmelo Anthony: League needs Knicks, Lakers, Celtics to be powerhouses

To hear Carmelo Anthony tell it, the NBA may be in some trouble.

He didn't say quite as much at the All-Star practice in New York on Saturday, but he seems to think the league is lacking a little something with its marquee franchises struggling.

"The league needs New York to be that powerhouse again," Anthony told reporters of his New York Knicks. "The league needs the Lakers and Boston to be those powerhouses again."

Need may not be the correct word, as the league seems to be doing more than fine as is. But Anthony's probably correct that league would thrive even more if the most popular teams were better. 2013-14 was the first time in the league's history that the Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics all missed the postseason, and it appears they'll double down on that this season.

The argument that improvement from large-market teams would help the league is fairly simple: they have the largest audiences and would help boost national television ratings. Broadcasters have begun flexing the Knicks and Lakers out of prime time spots in the schedule for the remainder of this season, and a second consecutive playoffs without these major markets is probably a minor annoyance to the league.

The league's enormous new media rights deal and the sale prices of franchises suggest everything is good as is, but a return to relevance for three of its most storied franchises could always serve to make the league's near-term outlook even brighter.