It's rare that players from the 1973 New York Knicks NBA championship team criticize each other, but the state of Phil Jackson's modern-day Knicks prompted one player to speak out.

Earl "The Pearl" Monroe told the New York Post Thursday that Jackson never put Carmelo Anthony in a position to succeed.

"There was no chemistry, not even in the locker room. And Melo, he has done what he was brought here to do," Monroe told the Post. "Phil needed to put people around him that do what he doesn’t do. That’s up to management. Melo played up to his strengths and he played up to his weaknesses. He’s always been that player. You need to augment him with the right other pieces.”

Monroe called out Jackson's decision to complement Anthony with a high-volume shooter like Derrick Rose, and another low-percentage shooter like Courtney Lee, neither of whom is great defensively.

In addition to that, both are fast-paced players who don't fit the triangle offense — or Anthony's game, for that matter.

"If they’re doing the triangle, that’s a slower game and they’re going to need more spot shooters," Monroe said.

While he did praise the pickup of a player like Joakim Noah who is a fit for the triangle, that one addition doesn't make up for all the other pieces that were shoehorned into the Knicks' roster.

The nostalgia of the 1973 Knicks' championship may be wearing off for Earl "The Pearl" and it may just be a matter of time before other Knick legends stop backing the Zen Master.