Dec 5, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots the ball over Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Dec 5, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots the ball over Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller (40) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. REUTERS

Things are getting worse for the struggling New York Knicks. The team is in the middle of one the worst starts in franchise history, sporting a dismal 4-19 start with close to a quarter of the games already played out. In the middle of the turmoil is Carmelo Anthony, the franchise player newly signed to probably his last multi-year, mega-million dollar extension. Anthony is battling back and knee injuries recently but the latest news is more troubling, the leader of the team is causing tension within the locker room.

According to a report of Chris Broussard of ESPN, the former scoring champion and Olympic gold medalist got into a messy shouting match with teammate and second year player Tim Hardaway Jr. during their weekend's loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The tension apparently began when Hardaway Jr. shouted "get the rebound," after a miss which Anthony interpreted as a command directed at him. As the two players went back into the locker room after the loss, the former Denver Nuggets standout threatened to beat up Hardaway. Luckily things did escalate into a brawl and both parties just went with the verbal jabs. Anthony could not be reached for comments to clear up the matter but Hardaway Jr. already cleared his side of the story.

Hardaway Jr. on argument with Melo: "We're brothers. Brothers argue in the heat of the moment and then they make up. It's just that simple."

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 11, 2014

Thing cannot be any gloomier for Anthony and the Knicks as they are facing their possible tenth straight loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The team's leading scorer opted to rest his ailing knee for the Spurs game which all the more decreases its chances to halt the losing culture. Aside from the lack of team chemistry, many sources are pointing out that one of the many sources of strife is the insistence of President Phil Jackson and Coach Derek Fisher to implement the triangle offence with the lack of suitable personnel to fit the mold.

Jackson has been quoted the previous week as saying that some of the players on the roster are not open to embracing the new changes instituted. "Obviously we're disappointed. There's some resistance to discipline, order and culture change," Jackson said via the tweet of ESPN's Ian Begley.