What They're Saying: New York Knicks Links

Nov 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson and small forward Metta World Peace (51) talk during time out against the Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden. Charlotte Bobcats defeat the New York Knicks 102-97. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The New York Knicks are in the midst of a second day off from basketball. It seems needed. The 30-point stomping from the San Antonio Spurs this past Sunday was exhausting, painful — the kind that likely takes a few days from which to recover.

Was it the worst loss of the Mike Woodson era? It might have been. Let’s have a look at some of the other gruesome losses from last year to this young season.

11/23/12 – at Houston Rockets

Traveling to Houston to play the up-tempo, upstart Rockets proved fatal for last year’s Knicks. Facing Jeremy Lin for the first, the Knicks experienced, perhaps, some bad karma as the Rockets floored the Knicks, exposing a half-hearted effort. New York lost 103-131 – a 28-point loss that saw the Rockets shoot 52% from the field, 56% from deep. It was ugly.

2/20/13 – at Indiana Pacers

Losing to a rival — or at least a former rival — makes blowouts even more insufferable. A post-All-Star Game matchup with the Pacers turned into one of the ugliest of the season. Seemingly rusty or just disinterested after the All-Star break, the Knicks got their tails whipped by the boastful, bruising Pacers. Indiana played well, but New York did themselves in with 34% shooting from the field and 18% from three-point range. J.R. Smith also got ejected for throwing an elbow at Lance Stephenson.

3/3/13 – at Danver Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony’s return to Denver was so unspectacular I’ve tried to block it from my mind. The Nuggets out-gunned the Knicks in transition, scoring easy basket after easy basket to blow up the lead. ‘Melo left with a knee injury, Chandler got hurt, too, and also left. It was bad, and all the while, Nuggets fans taunted Anthony and the Knicks.

11/10/13 – vs. San Antonio Spurs

No need to revisit this one. The Knicks got their tails whipped and were simply outclassed by the Spurs.

My gut: The loss in Indiana was the worst, because losing to Indiana is more heated, more emotional.

Now that everyone has turned their stomachs inside out recalling these details, let’s jump to the links:

– Mike Kurylo of Knickerblogger explains how Andrea Bargnani’s presence resembles Eddy Curry’s. Brace yourselves — there are some apt comparisons.

– Joe Flynn of Bleacher Report sadly identifies just how much these New York Knicks lack an identity.

– Carmelo Anthony came to Mike Woodson’s defense. He’s somewhat right: no, Woodson isn’t out there playing, so he can only do so much. However, Woodson is the coach and has to figure out how this team best functions, and he’s doing pretty miserably at that job.

– A few possible lineup changes/things: 1) Kenyon Martin will play tomorrow, Amar’e Stoudemire will not. 2) Metta World Peace and J.R. Smith are candidates to start tomorrow. (Does Woodson know Smith just shot 1-9 FG, had 4 turnovers, and registered a -42 in his first game back? He does? OK). 3) A note about the Knicks scrimmage today.

What They’re Saying: New York Knicks Links

By Scott Davis | Nov 12, 2013