After a disappointing campaign that saw them post the worst record in their 69-year history, the New York Knicks face a summer likely to be chock full of change, as Phil Jackson begins rebuilding the roster he spent most of this misbegotten season tearing down. He'll look to land a cornerstone with a top-five pick in June's 2015 NBA draft, hoping to find a future franchise-leading talent to pair with current foundational piece Carmelo Anthony.

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Jackson will also look to start spending the team's estimated $30 million in salary cap space on what he's called "total basketball players" to slot in alongside Anthony in hopes of changing the Knicks' fortunes (although perhaps not quite as drastically as Derek Fisher might expect). As Jackson compiles his shopping list, retired point guard Chauncey Billups — an NBA champion and Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons, who spent parts of three seasons with Anthony in New York and Denver — thinks The Zen Master ought to prioritize vocal veterans, because as he sees it, while 'Melo is clearly a man comfortable wearing many different hats, "loud and outspoken leader" isn't one of them.

From Ian Begley of ESPN New York:

“He’s not that guy,” Billups said on “The Knicks Blog with Anthony Donahue” radio show. “Melo’s a good friend of mine, one of the best players I ever played with, but he’s not the guy who’s going to stand up in the locker room and give this rah-rah speech and get the team to rally. That’s not who he is.

“One thing he is, he’s going to come to play every single night, he’s going to practice every single day. He is who he is, He’s not that guy [who leads vocally]. But for who he is, he’s great. You've got to find another guy to make speeches, and another guy to do most of the leading. [Carmelo’s] going to most of the time lead by example. He’s not going to be vocal, he’s not going to rock the boat.” [...]

“That’s tough to ask for,” Billups said of asking a player to develop into a leader. “I’ll just say this, you've got all that cap room, you better go find someone [to be a vocal leader]. Melo, that’s not who he is and we are who we are. That’s like asking me to be this guy with a 40-inch vertical and go in there and be dunking on everybody like I’m Russell Westbrook. You can’t ask an apple to be an orange, that’s just not fair.

“[Carmelo] will lead by example," Billups said. "He’s going to come to work and he’s playing for the win every night. There’s no question about that, that’s who he is. He’s a great player, he wants to win. He’s going to come to work. He’s going to lead by example, he’s not going to be vocal.”

This isn't the first time Billups has leveled this particular criticism at Anthony. During 2015 All-Star Weekend in New York back in February, Billups emphasized the importance of surrounding Anthony with strong-willed veterans not only during their time together in Denver, when 'Melo was in his mid-20s, but also later in his career, as an established All-Star whose credentials as a leader had come into question.

"That’s kind of how I perceive him," Billups said during a February ESPN Radio interview. "He is a great player and one thing I love about Melo is he practiced hard every day. He didn’t sit out games. He was a good soldier, pretty sure he still is. But I think he needs other strong leadership in that locker room with him.”

It's important to note that not being loud does not necessarily constitute passivity or a tendency to fade. The hard work, good practice habits and commitment to suiting up that Billups referenced also seem like pretty valuable and instructive leadership traits. Still, Billups' point seems fair, considering the composition of the two most successful NBA teams on which Anthony has played.

The 2008-09 Nuggets that pushed the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals surrounded the instant-offense scoring of Anthony and J.R. Smith with the been-there-before likes of Billups, Kenyon Martin and Anthony Carter, as well as steadying influences like Nene and Dahntay Jones. The 2012-13 Knicks that won New York's first division title in 19 years surrounded the instant-offense scoring Anthony and Smith with the been-there-before likes of Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler, as well as steadying influences like Pablo Prigioni and Steve Novak.