However, the attitudes have changed since Game 4. All because of what everyone saw during Game 5. The worst news is, Knicks fans should be terrified of what’s ahead.

Almost everyday, two of my buddies from home and I exchange sport-related texts in a message group on our phones. When the Knicks jumped out to an impressive 9-0 lead minutes into Game 5, the following was exchanged:

“Finish Them.”

“Tough 9-0 run to start the game lol.”

“Shouldn’t even be playing this game!”

“Over.”

You get where our collective heads were out. Of course, we all know what happened from there. As much as Knicks fans want to bemoan that the refs called a terrible game, the fact of the matter is the Knicks couldn’t hit anything from the field and got very lazy on defense when calls didn’t go their way. The refs didn’t cost the Knicks that game, their shooting did.

As everything started to develop throughout Game 5 and the clearer the result became, a disturbing black cloud started to form over my head. Maybe it’s the Mets fan inside of me that immediately turns to doom and gloom in situations like these, but it’s beginning to feel more and more apparent that there’s just no way for the Knicks to win this series anymore.

Let’s think about this a little longer.

It’s been a talking point this entire series, even when the Celtics were getting pummeled each and every third quarter they played in the first three games. Nobody on this Boston team is talking about next year or about what may happen to the core after these playoffs. They’re only focus is on the task at hand, regardless of circumstance. At the same time, how many times have we heard Carmelo Anthony sports the worst career playoff win-percentage of active players? Yeah, sure, we can try to brush that off as something that happened on Nuggets teams that weren’t equipped to compete in the star-studded West. That doesn’t make the statistic any less true, though.

It is without question the Knicks have lost any and all momentum they had gained through the series’ first three games. This is a wounded team – at least mentally – heading back to Boston with their tails between their legs. This is also a Boston team that will refuse to lose Game 6 on their home court. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and now Jason Terry are too proud to let a pompous, cocky team walk onto their floor and boss them around for 48 minutes. I’d say the chance the Knicks take Game 6 is probably around the 15% marker.

And if the Knicks do, indeed, drop Game 6, there’s almost no chance they win Game 7. Not against this Celtics team.

I think Steve Kerr had the line of the night during the Game 5 broadcast on TNT, talking about the time the Red Sox came back from down 3-0 to beat the Yankees in 2004.

“If you’re the Knicks, you have to win Game 5. Because the Celtics are going to have Schilling ready for Game 6, and Pedro ready for Game 7. Like Kevin Millar said, ‘don’t let us throw those guys.’”

The Kings were incredibly poor in the 2nd quarter, managing only 11 points. Furthermore, they were outscored 72-30 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined, pretty much putting the nails in the coffin early in Madison Square Garden.

If anybody needed more reassurance that the proper place for Amar’e Stoudemire on the Knicks this year is as the first person to come off the bench, tonight was that night. The Knicks were completely out of control early in this game and desperately needed some burst of offense when the starters, all five of them, were out of sync early. That man was STAT, he immediately entered the game, buoyed the ship and made his first couple shots.

During a night in which Carmelo Anthony was uncharacteristically off from the floor, the Knicks definitely needed the scoring from Amar’e. Was it the difference in the game? Maybe not, considering how poorly the Kings played from start to finish. But, it proved that if things are out of funk for the Knicks, they have the ability to turn to Amar’e off the bench and right the ship. This will be one of the most important factors to watch the rest of the season as the Knicks continue to charge towards the playoffs. Amar’e Stoudemire’s ability to respond off the bench and create offense for himself while others struggle around him will be paramount. It will be equally as important as him finding a niche on the floor with Carmelo on an average night when ‘Melo is shooting better than 25%.

Speaking of ‘Melo, it’s a shame that his scoring streak had to snap tonight. But, I’d rather him have a poor game now, against a much inferior opponent while letting his teammates carry the load, then have another game against the Celtics or Heat. It’s the nature of the NBA season. Stars will have off nights. The important thing is to have the off nights against teams you can beat anyway. Like the Kings.

This was also the second straight game in which Tyson Chandler went absolutely bonkers inside. Back-to-back 20 rebound performances from the big man inside is massive. Remember, the two worst rebounding teams in the league are the Celtics and Heat. Chandler becomes exponentially more important when it’ll matter the most in the post-season, because his ability to dictate the play on both ends of the floor underneath could change the whole rhythm of a seven-game series.

As for the rest of the Knicks, I mean, everyone played well except for Carmelo and you could make the case that Jason Kidd struggled early on. But, Kidd was coming off an injury that forced him out of action earlier in the week. So, you can forgive him for being rusty. Always great to see Steve Novak break out the 3-pt belt with his five threes, J.R. Smith draining seven of his own while leading the Knicks with 25 points and the continued impressive play of Pablo Prigioni and his seven assists in 22 minutes.

Then there are the Kings. At this point, I really don’t know what to say. A buddy of mine, also a huge Knicks fan, asked a very important question tonight on Facebook: “Is this really the team Sacramento is fighting to keep? Is this really the team Seattle wants?”

The Kings are put together like a fantasy team. They have pieces every other team in the NBA would want, but none of those pieces makes sense together playing on the same roster. DeMarcus Cousins was really the only impressive player on the floor tonight, putting up a 25-point effort (no other King had more than 11, Thomas Robinson, who was also the only other player in double figures), nine rebound game. Cousins is a strange character, to say the least. He’d probably benefit the most out of any King to be on a different team, but he’s easily the best player Sacramento has to offer, and trading him would be a tough sell.

Tyreke Evans is in desperate need of new scenery. He’s in the same play O.J. Mayo was in Memphis. He just hasn’t found his niche in Sacramento, and he may never reach his potential if he spends more time in Sacramento/Seattle. He needs a new pair of eyes to evaluate his skills and find a better system. I still think he could be a All-Star level player, but he won’t realize that in the situation he’s currently in.

To summarize what we all saw tonight, the New York Knicks are very talented, and the Sacramento Kings are an absolute mess. Up next, the Knicks will get the Detroit Pistons on Monday, a team New York handled with ease in London the last time the two met. Knicks fans should continue to be encouraged by this team’s play.

Barring major injuries, this is a top three team in the Eastern Conference. Climbing higher than that and taking down the Miami Heat, well, that’s still to be determined.

It’s a trade scenario where, rivalries aside, I liked from the Knicks perspective because I genuinely believe that Humphries is a much better fit for this current group of players than STAT. And I thought it would be a positive from the Nets perspective as well because they’re still looking to add star power to their new brand, and Stoudemire is, if anything else, still a star in the NBA.

Over the weekend, buzz around the internet started generating another potential new home for Amar’e, and it would be a somewhat familiar home, at least personale wise.

With the Los Angeles Lakers continuing to sputter even under new coach Mike D’Antoni, a lot of trade options have been thrown out in regards to moving Pau Gasol (who is quickly becoming the scape goat for why nothing is working). Gasol has two years at roughly $19 million per year left on his contract, so there are very few teams that have the contracts to match up with the Lakers in a potential trade. To name a few options the Lakers have had currently, the Raptors (they could trade both Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani), the Timberwolves (a less likely scenario that would almost certainly include Kevin Love) and the Atlanta Hawks (the most talked about rumor that would include Josh Smith).

Now, it appears we can include the Knicks on the short list of teams that may be in the Gasol trade arena. There are two trade scenarios that could work in terms of getting Gasol to New York. The first, and more favorable option for the Knicks, would be a straight-up trade of Gasol-for-Amar’e. However, the salaries do work enough that the Lakers could demand Iman Shumpert from the Knicks as insurance in terms of talent for Stoudemire’s balky knees.

While I was on board for the Humphries package, I am completely off the bandwagon on the Pau Gasol rumors. Gasol may be an upgrade defensively from Amar’e, and the Knicks would be able to go bigger with a line-up including Gasol, Chandler and Anthony than any other team in the East, but it doesn’t solve any of the potential spacing problems Stoudemire may cause on the offensive end. Gasol is clearly not a fit for the D’Antoni run-and-gun, so it would make sense for the Lakers to seek a more athletic forward that could play within 18-feet of the rim. However, I would still be very worried about clogging up the middle of the lane with two big men that want to emphasize bodying up down low.

I would also hate to give up Iman Shumpert at any cost right now unless it was to bring in a player like Chris Paul. Shumpert is one of the best wing defenders in the league and would almost immediately provide the Knicks with more depth than few teams can compete with. Ronnie Brewer has been a fantastic addition, but Shumpert is a rich-man’s version of everything Brewer has been able to accomplish. He has the ability to spot up from beyond the arc and cut to the lane for emphatic finishes much like J.R. Smith, all while playing a much stingier defense on the other end. I don’t see how packaging him and Amar’e Stoudemire for Pau Gasol would actually make the Knicks a better team.

Instead, I think it would be a swap of one headache for another, with fans not totally realizing it at first because we’d be too excited about our shiny new toy.

Look, nobody will really know the impact of Amar’e Stoudemire’s return until  he’s fully healthy, so we can play the game of skepticism as much as we want. What I do know is if I’m going to roll the dice with another big man on the floor with Carmelo and Chandler, I’d rather it be STAT than Pau Gasol.

But it is a question worth asking, considering the current construct of the Knicks team and the incredible early season success they’ve had thus far. Even more shocking, the question has moved away from would the Knicks trade Amar’e, to can the Knicks trade Amar’e?

Remember, this is a guy with two more years on his deal after this one at about $20 million annually. He is currently missing time due to knee issues, which have always been a problem in his career and why his contract couldn’t get insured when New York originally signed him. Is there a team in the NBA that would take on the risk that is Amar’e Stoudemire and give up something meaningful in return to make it worth the Knicks time?

There is. Hear me out.

Besides being an effective basketball player, Amar’e is still a player with huge name recognition and star power. A franchise that brings in STAT may be searching for another way to build their brand, or even change their franchise’s identity. A team that is in search of a re-modeling, that is trying to steal headlines and become more than what they are. Does this all sound familiar yet? It should.

It’s the Brooklyn Nets.

And there is a deal that works, though the teams have to wait until players can be moved after signing new contracts.

The Knicks would send Stoudemire to the Nets for Kris Humphries, Mirze Teletovic, Josh Childress and the trade exceptions the Nets received from the Mehmet Okur and Shawne Williams trades. There is a chance another player (someone in the Keith Bogans range) would need to be included to make the salaries match up better.

Isn’t that a deal, as a Knicks fan, you would do?

If there is a weakness on this current Knicks team, it’s rebounding. Humphries is a better rebounder and interior defender than STAT and fits the current model of the Knicks roster. He would become the first big off the bench that would play around 25 minutes a night and grab somewhere between 8-10 rebounds without commanding much of the offensive attention and allowing the wing players to make plays. He’d be the prize of the deal for the Knicks, as Teletovic would simply provide depth to an already deep bench and Childress would likely be bought out after the trade.

As for the Nets, they’re still looking for another true star to team with Deron Williams in Brooklyn. They probably don’t have the financial flexibility to sign Dwight Howard in free agency after the year, so they’ll have to make another trade like they did for Joe Johnson last season. By no means is Humphries an untouchable for them, and they’d bite at the opportunity to take on a New York star to try and steal headlines.

And I don’t think there would be concern on the Knicks end as far as trading within the limits of New York goes. Right now, they have to be about making their team better. It’s hard to believe, but Kris Humphries makes the Knicks a better team right now when compared to Amar’e Stoudemire. That’s a sentence I never thought I’d be typing in any circumstance. Yet here we are.

So, I ask you, on this day of giving thanks, would you trade Amar’e Stoudemire to the Brooklyn Nets?

I would.

Re-read that last sentence again. And one more time, while you’re at it.

A big reason why the Knicks have beat the Heat and the 76ers twice, you ask? There are three very obvious, hard-hitting analysis answers that we all know: 3-point shooting, defensive intensity, and Carmelo Anthony.

The numbers ‘Melo is currently putting up is really only half the story. Sure, it’s always nice to look up and see that he’s averaging 26.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and is shooting 43.5% from the field. But, the real story is the absolute control Anthony has of the offense when he’s running freely as the team’s power forward.

We talked about it a lot before the season started once Amar’e Stoudemire went down with his knee injury. Carmelo Anthony having free reign inside is a match-up nightmare for almost every team in the NBA. ‘Melo will take you outside and nail jumpers in your face until you literally can’t see anymore. If his outside stroke isn’t working, he’ll back you up inside and use a bevy of moves that include a fadeaway jumper and some baby hooks that barely kiss rim as they fall into the net.

Really, what ‘Melo at the four truly means is much more offensive spacing for his teammates. Defenses can’t lock down on their men because concern #1 is always where is Carmelo Anthony on the court. When Anthony is running around, cutting in and out of the box and along the baseline, or along the wing, the defense needs to stay in perpetual movement. That allows snipers like Steve Novak, Jason Kidd and Ronnie Brewer (who knew?) to set up shop in the corners. It gives players like J.R. Smith to do what he does best, which is cut in and out and take any open shot in whatever area code he finds himself in. It allows Raymond Felton to ochestrate the offense and keep everybody moving at all times.

Maybe most importantly, it frees up the lane. It allows Tyson Chandler to get down low, keep centers anchored inside and unable to provide help on screens and allows the big man to clean up the glass when 3s aren’t falling. It also allows Chandler to get every open look inside created by the players setting up along the wing. There is no longer a crowd underneath that we have seen when it’s both Chandler and Stoudemire on the court at the same time.

It’s that final reason why Mike Woodson is going to have to keep starting Carmelo Anthony at the power forward position even when Amar’e Stoudemire returns to health. Look, this isn’t the first time you’re hearing this, but the Knicks are a much better team if Amar’e Stoudemire is the sixth man. When Stoudemire is the big man on the court, with Tyson Chandler getting a breather, the offense gains a new edge while the defense is sacrificed slightly. Stoudemire and Chandler on the court at the same time creates more traffic under the rim than the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour traffic on a Wednesday. It is not how this offense is built to run, and it limits what Anthony, the team’s unquestioned best player, can do.

Is it hard to believe we’re entering a world in which Amar’e Stoudemire, the team’s 2nd highest paid player, needs to be coming off the bench and playing around 30 minutes a night? Sure.

But you know what else is hard to believe? The Knicks having a 3-0 record, winning each game by 15+ points and not allowing an opponent, which includes the Miami Heat, to score more than 90 points.

As a New York Giants play-by-play guy once said, if it ain’t broke, don’t break it.

That’s right. I am very much so a displaced New York Knicks fan that is finding new and unique ways to keep tabs on my only true winter sport squad thanks to Gary Bettman taking all the fun away from being a hockey fan (before you ask, no, I don’t have a New York alliance in football mostly due to my problem as a degenerate gambler).

Maybe it’s the Mets fan inside of me that is always drawn to the player on the team that isn’t the star, but does something that sparks excitement any time they’re playing. I mean, the Mets are pretty much a team of players that do one thing well and a lot of things below average. It’s kind of our trademark. I think.

However, I have never found a guy on the Knicks that I have hitched my bandwagon to. I was still a little young and new to the whole basketball game to get on the Charlie Ward train. Larry Johnson was probably my first, but a lot of my love for LJ comes from Space Jam and the 4-point play.

Last year, the trendy pick would’ve been Jeremy Lin. Lin-sanity washed over New York like ticker-tape in the Canyon of Champions. There wasn’t a Knicks fan in the world that didn’t enjoy riding the high that was the height of the extremely brief Jeremy Lin Era inside Madison Square Garden.

For me, and I felt that I was in the remote minority, the guy that grabbed my attention wasn’t Lin. Nor was it Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler or even the ridiculousness that was J.R. Smith’s ever-changing hair-dos.

It was Steve Novak.

That’s right. From the day the Knicks picked Novak up off waivers before the start of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, I was all in on Novak. I mean, here’s a guy that’s best attribute is to hang out in the corner behind the arc and snipe wide-open 3s like they were lay-ups. Steve Novak was a grown-up, athletic, tall, talented-at-basketball version of me (you know, the guy in the pick-up game that almost exclusively shoots 3s).

As the season wore on, Novak started to get more playing time. And more playing time for Steve Novak meant more opportunities to hit open treys. And more opportunities to hit open treys also meant that he made more 3s at a record-setting percentage. The more 3s he made, the more attention he started to get. Once he got the attention, everyone else joined the bandwagon I seemingly built from scratch.

The story of Steve Novak is an interesting one. He’s the guy where if he does something well, the natural reaction isn’t just to get fired up. I find myself so ecstatic when Novak is on a three-point binge that I break out in uncontrollable laughter. The funny part of that is I know I’m not alone in this phenomenon. A buddy of mine sent me a text last night, saying he was watching the game at a bar and whenever Novak put up a shot, the entire place would go berserk.

Who else on the Knicks can create such an atmosphere? We expect greatness from Carmelo Anthony, so when he’s going right, we’re pumped up, but not out of our minds. Tyson Chandler is the team and emotional leader, so there will always be fist pumping and high-fiving when he makes a big play. But Novak, it’s different. Total elation is the only appropriate response to anything he pulls off.

And the best part is that anything seems possible. That’s Steve Novak.

It shouldn’t be news to anyone at this point that star forward Amar’e Stoudemire will miss at least the first six weeks of the season due to a recurring issue with his left knee. It’s also important to remember that STAT’s knees were such an issue before the Knicks signed him that his $100 million contract is completely uninsured. While the initial reports are saying six weeks, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that these knee problems could become a year-long issue.

So, what do the Knicks do now? There’s actually a dirty little secret to the whole situation that isn’t really on the front pages, but should be:

The current way the Knicks are constructed, it always made more sense for Amar’e Stoudemire to come off the bench, not start. Seriously.

The numbers back this up. Last season, the 13 games Carmelo Anthony started as the team’s power forward, the Knicks went an impressive 9-4 and picked up a NBA Player of the Month award along the way. No STAT in the starting line-up frees up a potential log-jam underneath the rim. Now, Melo can cut in and out of the lane with less traffic around him inside, and Tyson Chandler can continue to get the best positioning for potential offensive putbacks that make him so valuable for this line-up.

There are very few teams that could force the Knicks into a position to start someone bigger than Carmelo Anthony at power forward, and almost all of them play in the Western Conference. Anthony should have no problem going up against players that will start opposite of him like Boston’s Brandon Bass, Atlanta’s Josh Smith or even David West in Indiana. ‘Melo would have free range to post up, play along the perimeter and drive to the basket at will. There would be no player in the starting five that would command the ball on offense to take away from Anthony’s touches, and players like J.R. Smith and Steve Novak will be able to play rover along the 3-point line and set up for open jumpers.

Now, as for what the starting line-up could potentially look like, Chandler is a lock to man the center position with Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith still occupying the two guard positions. What the Knicks choose to do with the traditional small forward spot in the starting five is where the intrigue will be. The likeliest of scenarios would be to insert Ronnie Brewer into the five, giving the Knicks an even more improved look on the defensive end, while allowing the offense to flow directly through Anthony with help from Felton and Smith. Against a larger line-up (against the Lakers or Thunder, for example), it’s plausible to see Kurt Thomas inserted, or even Marcus Camby when he’s completely healthy.

So, while on paper it hurts the Knicks to be without STAT to begin the season, the dirty truth is the team fits better as a unit when Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t in the starting line-up. He really should be this team’s sixth man, but it’s a role he surely will never accept.

For now, Carmelo Anthony will reign as the top dog and control the team. The success of the Knicks and how high they can climb in the standings depend solely on how well he performs on a nightly basis. And really, isn’t that what we all wanted when the Knicks traded for him from Denver?

For example, it would be both inaccurate and cheap for me to call either Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire or Tyson Chandler this year’s X-Factor. All three of those players have to play significant roles on the team this year in order for the Knicks to meet the very basic of goals fans and the organization have placed on them. Even if ‘Melo goes bonkers this year, averaging 30+ points a night, or Amar’e returns to the level he found when he first came to the Knicks, those can’t be considered X-Factor qualities. They’re overachieving, yes, but you expect a certain level of that success from your star players anyway.

Instead, in order to find someone that can rise to the level of an X-Factor, you need to look at the surrounding parts around your best players. Who has the potential to not only enhance the abilities of your best players, but add something to the game the others can’t? Who can take control of a game and dictate the team’s pace without commanding too much of the spotlight?

For me, there were only four players to really consider potential X-Factors, and three were eliminated rather quickly. As much as I would love to throw this tag on my man-crush, Steve Novak, I just can’t do it. Yes, there will be nights where Novak is literally draining everything from the MSG parking lot and I will be giddy as a school girl around the Biebs, but I don’t realistically expect Novak to average north of 8 points per contest and command more than 20 minutes a game. That wouldn’t be properly using his deadly accurate three-point skill-set while masking the fact that he’s a bit of an albatross on defense.

I also couldn’t give the title to Iman Shumpert. I do think Shump is going to play a huge roll on this team this season, but I’m still very worried about how healthy he will be for the long haul and how quickly the Knicks can get him back. It’s clear that, when healthy, Shumpert is the team’s best perimeter defender and their only shot at limiting the abilities of Dwayne Wade in a potential playoff series, so his health is of premium importance. But, that question mark limits my expectations for him in 2012-13 significantly.

Furthermore, I couldn’t give it to J.R. Smith. I just couldn’t. Mostly because I’m fearful Smith is going to read this article and take my anointing of him being the X-Factor as a free pass to throw up more treys at will. He’s like a rich man’s Al Harrington. He’s going to have nights when he’ll be absolutely lights out, throwing down huge dunks, making 3s from everywhere and scoring 27+ points. But, he’s also going to have his fair share of 5-for-19 nights from the field when all you want to do is throw something at the TV to maybe make him pass the ball more. There’s almost no middle ground for J.R. Smith, who really should be this team’s Sixth Man/Irrational Confidence Guy.

So, after much thought and deliberation, I have to think this year’s X-Factor is a familiar face around New York, and a player that has found success in this market before.

Raymond Felton.

How Felton handles the point and the egos on this Knicks offense will be something to behold. While a very average performance from Felton will not hurt the Knicks or take away from their success, if he finds the level of efficiency that he had before the Carmelo Anthony trade, he has a very good chance of being on that tweener-level of point guards, not quite elite, but certainly well above average. He will hold the keys to the Knicks offense, and it will be up to him to make sure everyone not only has a role, but knows exactly what that role is.

His role on the Knicks, even with Jason Kidd backing him up, will prove to be the difference in just how high the team’s water mark could be this season. For that reason, I have to believe that Ray Felton is this year’s X-Factor.

So now, well, what exactly is ‘Sheed going to do for the Knicks this year?

Honestly, expectations for all on-court contributions for Wallace have got to be rather low. He isn’t going to be starting. He isn’t even going to be in the first rotation off the bench. He’s behind the likes of Amar’e Stoudemire, Marcus Camby and Steve Novak in the pecking order of players that could potentially play inside.

I do think Wallace will appear in a good amount of games. Probably more than half. But, if anyone is expecting him for anything north of 15 minutes a night really needs a reality check. At this point in his career, which is getting a total jump-start after a brief retirement, ‘Sheed just isn’t that type of player.

However, the qualities Wallace does bring to this team from a chemistry standpoint cannot go understated. The Knicks front office have made it clear from the first day of the offseason that they wanted to improve the team’s chemistry in the post-D’Antoni era. That’s largely part of the reason why they elected to sign more veterans like Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, among others.

Like the other vets now on the roster, Wallace has immense playoff experience and knows exactly what it will take to bring the Knicks from contending for a playoff spot to contending for a championship. Remember, the distinction between those two points are critical. We’re typical New York sports fans. A season after making the playoffs, making the playoffs again isn’t enough to quench our collective thirst. We want more. While Wallace may not get the points per game or critical rebounds the Knicks desperately need, he will provide the exact influence in the lockerroom this team has seemingly lacked for a number of seasons.

I, for one, am totally excited just to see Rasheed Wallace roaming the Knicks bench after a huge play. The dude is pure entertainment. He’ll be a strong voice of leadership for this team.

And that’s perfect, considering expectations for this team are higher than ever.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at how the match-ups shake out between the Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks and Knicks battled for positioning near the bottom bracket of the Eastern Conference playoff standings, with the Knicks managing to pull away late. However, this is a new-look Milwaukee team then in years past. No longer is Milwaukee waiting around for a healthy Andrew Bogut, who they turned into Monte Ellis mid-season last year. This will be his first full season in beer and cheese country, and it will be a telling one.

Point Guard: Brandon Jennings (MIL) vs. Raymond Felton/Jason Kidd (NY)

This match-up is pretty cut and dry. There once was a time where I regretted the Knicks drafting Danillo Galinari over Jennings, but now that The Rooster was used as the centerpiece of the Carmelo Anthony trade, it’s hard to feel that bad anymore. Nevertheless, Jennings is not only a superior player than both Felton and Kidd, but he’s a guy that continually burns New York. He’s developing into one of the best young point guards in the league.

Edge: Milwaukee

Shooting Guard: Monte Ellis (MIL) vs. J.R. Smith (NY)

Both of these players have a tendency to get trigger happy, but there isn’t any doubt that Ellis is the more feared offensive threat. He can shoot from beyond the arc and slash to the basket at will. It will be a more interesting match-up once Iman Shumpert is healthy. How Shump plays defensively would be a huge difference maker in Milwaukee/New York showdowns. Again, not to say that J.R. Smith is a slouch on the defensive end. It’s just that Shumpert is in the process of becoming an elite-level defender. For now, however, Ellis is clearly the better option.

Edge: Milwaukee

Small Forward: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (MIL) vs. Carmelo Anthony (NY)

Head and shoulders above him, it’s Carmelo. That goes without saying. What The Prince does best is play defense and battle underneath. He’s a sneaky good player in the league that casual fans know little about because he’s never going to score in bunches. That’s not how his game is built. There is, however, the chance that Ersan Ilyasova could start at the 3 for Milwaukee, depending on the development of first round pick John Henson. But, with Milwaukee’s eyes set on a playoff berth, they’ll want to go with veteran experience and a known quantity. Either way, New York has the clear edge.

Edge: New York

Power Forward: Ersan Ilyasova (MIL) vs. Amar’e Stoudemire (NY)

Ilyasova was probably the best player you didn’t hear about last year. He got off to a terrible start in January, one of the many players in the league who desperately could’ve benefited from a regular training camp. After the calender flipped to February, however, Ilyasova became a walking double-double who had the ability to grab as many as 25 rebounds in a single game. Knicks fans didn’t see this first hand, however, as Ilyasova struggled in their four match-ups last year (8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds).

Part of the reasons for the struggles last year was because the Knicks had an answer for him wherever he was on the floor. Stoudemire or anyone else the Knicks ran out at the power position didn’t have a problem following him out along the wings because they knew Tyson Chandler was stationed underneath the rim as a last line of defense. Expect the exact same type of game plan against the versatile Turk next year. I’m also still on the bandwagon that a normal schedule plus a deeper bench will only benefit STAT and allow him to return to the level of play which netted him his huge contract in the first place.

Edge: New York

Center: Samuel Dalembert (MIL) vs. Tyson Chandler (NY)

You can count on one hand the number of centers that have a significant advantage over Tyson Chandler. Dalembert is not one of them. Again, Chandler is perfect for this Knicks team because he will never demand the ball on offense, but when he does get it, he finishes at an incredibly high percentage. Dalembert is a serviceable big that can thrive given the right structure. But, matched up against Chandler, he isn’t the same caliber of player.

Edge: New York

Bench: Beno Udrih/Doron Lamb/John Henson/Ekpe Udoh/Drew Gooden vs. Steve Novak/Marcus Camby/Ronnie Brewer/Kurt Thomas

The Bucks bench is a nice mix of veterans and young talent. Lamb and Henson, their draft picks from the most recent class, have the potential to start at some points in their careers, obviously with Henson having a chance to start out of the preseason. Once a lottery pick himself, Udoh started to find his niche towards the end of the year as a change-of-pace forward coming off the bench. As for Gooden, he’s seemingly played for every team but the Knicks in the league, and continues to be a decent fill-in starter who can put up about 10 points and 7 boards each night.

I still think the Knicks depth is one of their great strengths going into the season, and the reason why their bench is going to be much better than in years past. Every player has their role, and the bench will get even more dangerous once Shumpert returns to the rotation. There are very few teams that can match the depth the Knicks have, and that is going to show throughout the season.

Edge: New York

Summary: While I do forecast the Knicks to have a better season than Milwaukee, I do believe these are two playoff teams that will be battling each other all season for positioning. I know its a rather uncommon rivalry, but every Knicks/Bucks game is going to mean a little bit more this season, which should provide plenty of drama and entertainment. These aren’t your parents’ Milwaukee Bucks anymore.

Today, we’re taking a peak at how the future showdowns between the Knicks and the Toronto Raptors may shake out.

In the case of the Raptors, they’re a very interesting team to forecast. Heading into this off-season, they had two clear objectives on their to-do list, and only accomplished one. They were able to bring over 2011 first round draft pick Jonas Valanciunas from Europe, but were unable to land their prize on the free agent market, Steve Nash. But, their off-season remained topsy-tervy after missing out on Nash. Plenty of experts around the NBA gave the Raptors tons of love for getting point guard Kyle Lowry from the Rockets for very little after missing on Nash. Yet, at the same time, nobody truly enjoys the contract handed out to former Knicks role player Landry Fields, which was offered, at the time, as a way to keep the Knicks out of the Nash sweepstakes. Still, the Raptors have seemed to improved on paper from what was a semi-competitive team last year. So, let’s look at how they match up with New York position-by-position.

Point Guard: Kyle Lowry/Jose Calderon (TOR) v. Raymond Felton/Jason Kidd (NY)

Of the four players that will primarily be serving as their teams point guards, its possible that the Raptors have both the best of the bunch (Lowry) and the worst (Calderon). Lowry has steadily improved each year since being drafted by the Grizzlies in the first round out of Villanova, culminating last year in his best year to date, averaging 14.3 points and 6.6 assists a night while limiting his turnovers. He’s a steady hand that can guide an offense in both the half court set and in transition, and is a massive improvement over the play from Calderon last year, who’s been one of the biggest enigmas in the NBA for the past couple of seasons.

As for the Knicks, we’ve discussed the new point men for New York at length, and the jury is still out on how the likes of Felton and Kidd will react in the Mike Woodson offense. If Felton returns to his run-and-gun peak he flashed with the Knicks before being traded to Denver, he could emerge as the best option either team has to offer at the point. With Kidd, we know he brings leadership, defense and three point potential, but we aren’t sure how much he’ll be able to contribute on a nightly basis at age 38. On paper, the Raptors seemed to have more of a sure thing in their starter than the Knicks have in either of their options. For that, they deserve the slightest of edges in this aspect of the match-up.

Edge: Toronto (slightly)

Shooting Guard: DeMar DeRozan (TOR) v. J.R. Smith (NY)

Many were expecting DeRozan to take the next step in his progression after averaging 17.2 points per game in his second season out of USC. Unfortunately for Raptors fans, that didn’t happen. While he still averaged 16.7 points a night last year, DeRozan saw his field goal percentage, rebounding and steals all take a dip, even though he saw more court time than the year prior. At this point in his career, DeRozan appears to be nothing more than a slasher with an ability to pop on a line score with a big scoring night from time to time. He doesn’t have any other peripheral skill that puts fear in opposing teams or the need to plan any extra for him as opposed to others that could see time at shooting guard in Toronto and may be best served down the road in his career as a sixth man.

Speaking of players better suited as sixth men, this brings us to J.R. Smith. With Iman Shumpert shelved at the start of the season as he recovers from that devastating knee injury in last year’s playoffs, Smith will more than likely take the role as starting two-guard for New York. In comparison to DeRozan, Smith’s game is much more dynamic, as he plays better defense and can kill a team from beyond the arc. While Smith commands more attention on offense, he also goes into funks where ball movement seems to die when it gets to J.R. for spurts during the game. Even when Smith is in his most selfish of moods, he’s still a better player, right now, than DeRozan.

Edge: New York

Small Forward: Landry Fields (TOR) vs. Carmelo Anthony (NY)

There is actually a lot of debate as to who will be the starting small forward for the Raptors this season. They could go small and start either Fields, their high-priced free agent acquisition, or even first round draft pick Terrence Ross. Or, they could insert Olympics sharpshooter Linas Kleiza into the line-up to add some more offensive punch. They could even play Amir Johnson, traditionally considered a power forward, to add more grit defensively. Then there’s the much ballyhooed Croatian Tomislav Zubcic, who could turn out to be the best of the bunch, though widely considered the least experienced. It may come down to a matter of match-ups as to who gets the start on any night.

Either way, none will even come close to the level of play Carmelo Anthony resides at. On his best of nights, ‘Melo is arguably the best scorer in the NBA and is in the conversation with Kevin Durant for the title of best small forward in the entire league (yes, I’m considering LeBron James more of a hybrid 4). Should Anthony’s play from the Olympics carry over into the regular season, the star forward could be on his way to a historic year.

Edge: New York

Power Forward: Andrea Bargnani (TOR) vs. Amar’e Stoudemire (NY)

On paper, it would seem that Stoudemire has the advantage. However, we all know games are not played on paper. And, Knicks fans are all too familiar with the games Bargnani has put up against New York in recent memory. For some reason, Bargnani loves playing the Knicks. He always has huge nights both on the glass and from beyond the arc, as the 7-footer can step outside and drain 3s at a Steve Novak-like rate. Even with the amount of joy I get every time Clyde tries to say “Bargnani” during a broadcast, few players in the league are as big of an offensive threat to the Knicks historically as the tall Italian.

Even with all that said, there are two reasons why I’m still in favor of giving Stoudemire the edge. The first of which is Mike Woodson’s new emphasis on defense with this unit. I don’t believe the looks Bargnani has gotten in the past against the team will be available to him anymore. The Knicks will have the ability to let STAT follow Bargnani out along the wing without sacrificing size underneath the basket with the likes of Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby in the lane. Second, I still think Stoudemire was playing last season well below 100% in terms of health. I don’t know if we’ll ever see the MVP-type level Stoudemire first flashed when he arrived to New York, but he is certainly much better than he played last year. The Knicks will also have a much deeper bench, which will only give them more flexibility to keep Amar’e fresh.

Edge: New York

Center: Jonas Valanciunas (TOR) vs. Tyson Chandler (NY)

This is a case of the what we know against what we might think someone will be. For all the raves and reviews given to the big Lithuanian, we haven’t seen him perform on a nightly basis against the best competition in the world, so it truly is unfair to rate his ability against a well established center like Chandler, the defending Defensive Player of the Year. Until further notice, the Knicks will have the edge in the big man department.

Edge: New York

Bench: Terrence Ross, John Lucas, Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza (TOR) vs. Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas (NY)

The Raptors have a lot of young players with something to prove off their bench, while the Knicks boast veterans who know how to play their roles as far as the structure of the team. We know Steve Novak can drain 3s all day, every day and walk away with a 15+ point performance from time to time. We also know Marcus Camby will grab plenty of rebounds and play a strong defense while occasionally cleaning up the garbage offensively and getting some buckets here and there. The sneaky addition to the Knicks bench was Brewer, who puts an emphasis on defense and may play himself into the Knicks starting line-up without Shumpert because of his shutdown abilities and Smith’s instant offense capabilities.

For the Raptors, if you aren’t going to have veterans with established roles, their bench is what you would want ideally. Anyone who gets into the game will be hungry to prove a point to management and assert themselves to get more playing time. However, that type of strategy could backfire, as some players may in turn try to do more than they should and do more damage than good. Until the Raptors bench loses some of the green that is on them and get more experience, you have to like the Knicks depth more than what Toronto can counter with.

Edge: New York

Final Verdict: Knicks with a significant edge over the Raptors

I say all of these things because today, more so than any other day before it, there seems to be some significant stress in the air surrounding almost all of the New York City-area sports teams.

Seriously, let’s think about this, one team at a time.

Starting with the team this site is dedicated to following, the New York Knicks. Simply put, this time frame is the calm before the storm kicks back up. There are so many other sports distractions taking the spotlight off the Knicks after a very hectic summer. Even with the impressive performance by Carmelo Anthony at the 2012 London Olympics, including an Olympic-record 37-point performance, this team still feels like multiple tomato juice baths away from coming close to washing off the Jeremy Lin stench left by his free agent exodus.

The amount of questions this team has to answer heading into the season are alarming. Concerns of this team wanting to improve the locker room morale by adding well-established veterans well past their primes aren’t going to vanish overnight. While there are those who think Jeremy Lin won’t live up to the massive expectations he now has in Houston, I think there are fewer that truly believe he’ll be any worse than the combination of Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd. Not to mention, we still have to see if J.R. Smith can step up and be a good fit at the two-guard, if Carmelo Anthony can build off the Olympics, if Tyson Chandler can be the anchor for another season, if Amar’e Stoudemire has anything at all left in the tank. The questions go on and on and on. And they’re concerning.

Then we turn to the New Jersey Brooklyn Nets. True Knicks fans aren’t at all concerned about them jumping the river and finding a comfortable spot in the city. However, their addition to the new market has to at least concern a few along the edges of the organization. Everybody loves the new and the exciting, and at least for one season, that’s going to be the Nets. By them simply existing in New York and not New Jersey adds an extra level of stress to the traditional area fan’s life, because now they’ll have to deal with Mike Francesca or Stephen A. Smith or someone else clamoring for fans to jump from one wagon to another.

Turn your attention for a second to baseball. Usually, this is a tale of the haves (Yankees) and the have-nots (Mets). However, in 2012, this is a story of the failing (Yankees, again) and the failed (Mets, shocker). The Yankees are currently deep in the heart of a late-season collapse that absolutely nobody that follows baseball closely could have predicted as recently as the All-Star break. Once upon a time, the Yankees had a 10-game lead in the East and seemed to be cruising to the best record in the American League. Slowly, the Yankees started to drop games left and right, while the Baltimore Orioles (yes, those Balitmore Orioles) and the Tampa Bay Rays, who almost predictably start their playoff runs in early August, charged to the top.

Now? Not only do the Yankees find themselves in a dead heat with the O’s, the Rays are only two back in the loss column, knocking on the door to the final Wild Card spot the Yankees currently hold. Even though most of the Yankee fans I know are still in the semi-denial “Oh, we’re just a little rusty, this is no big deal” phase of the fall, this has the potential to get really frightening and borderline embarrassing.

And then there are my beloved Mets. Outside of R.A. Dickey’s continued dominance (won #18 today, first pitcher in baseball to reach that peak) and his chance at a National League Cy Young, there aren’t many reasons for a non-die hard to be watching anymore. I mean, I’ll still watch with blind optimism. But, that’s what happens when you’re in love. You play tricks with your mind and convince yourself one thing is something completely different from what it really is. Maybe next year…

Flip the switch to the NFL, which as we stated is about to kick-off (pun intended) tonight in New York. The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will start things off against their NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. Now, to my deep sports knowledge, I believe this is the least talked about defending Super Bowl champion within the last decade. There is seemingly no pressure what so ever on this team entering this season, partly because this team overachieved last year and partly because there are much bigger story lines throughout the NFL (Peyton Manning’s return, anything Saints related, the ridiculous number of rookies starting at quarterback).

Actually, as far as the mindset of New York sports fans go, Giants fans have to feel the best out of any other fan base. I mean, what do they have to lose? They’ve enjoyed two Lombardi trophies in the last five years. Literally anything else is just a bonus right now. They’re all just strutting around the city with that smug look on their face like they just won the lottery…again. I hate it. But, I digress.

Speaking of bigger story linse in the NFL, there’s the mess that also plays in MetLife Stadium. Want to know why nobody talked about the Giants this off-season? Its because the Jets made all the headlines, none of them seemingly for the right reasons. There’s the fact that people talk more about the Jets new back-up quarterback, Tim Tebow, than their returning two-time AFC Championship Game starter, Mark Sanchez. Or the fact that the first team offense literally didn’t score one touchdown in the preseason. Or the growing tension between the Jets media-happy head coach and media-shy general manager. Or the fact that the Jets might just not be that good this year. Either way, Gang Green is one giant mess. The only good news for Jets fans is that more often than not, Jets fans are also Mets fans. Which means they’ve already been disappointed once this season. Which means they’re better prepared for this upcoming disappointment.

I think.

Oh, and we haven’t even talked about arguably the best team that currently calls New York City home. No, not the Islanders. Its the New York Rangers, who are flying high off their huge off-season trade that landed them Rick Nash to partner up with Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist.

Only problem is, this team may never see the ice of Madison Square Garden this year. The NHL is flirting with yet another lockout that could eliminate the 2012-13 season. Meaning, the best team in all of New York may not even play a competitive game this year.

Wow. How did such a huge sports-hungry city like New York get to this point? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Is this mostly just an over-exaggeration of a bunch of small problems manifesting into one giant headache? Could everything turn around for the positive in the span of one week?

Reality is, none of us will know until it happens. But, the swagger New York once had not even two months ago seems to be fading away faster than someone can say “quarterback controversy”.

Carmelo Anthony has started and came off the bench for Team USA in the exhibitions, but his best performance easily came yesterday against Spain. With Team USA struggling to find their rhythm in the first half, Coach K brought Anthony in off the bench, and he simply exploded. ‘Melo dropped in 23 of his team-high 27 points in the first half and righted the ship for the team heading into halftime. His dominant performance all but solidified his role on Team USA as the de facto sixth man, or occasional starter, depending on the opponent.

However, there are some important factors to remember when evaluating Carmelo’s performance on the international stage. For one, the international game is a completely different beast from the NBA. In all likelihood, Anthony will flex between playing small forward and power forward with the emphasis on international play moving away from dominant inside big men. For example, its not uncommon for Coach K to use Kevin Durant or LeBron James at the center position and not just get away with it, but dominate with that line-up.

Will there be scenarios next season when the Knicks play small and put ‘Melo into the power forward slot? Absolutely, especially if Amar’e Stoudemire finds himself hurt for any period of time. But, even with that being said, anything that happens at these Olympic Games for ‘Melo need to be taken with a grain of salt. The absolute best result that could come from London is Carmelo Anthony re-focusing his game mentally, as he did after the 2008 Beijing Games. That, more than anything else, is what Knicks fans should be most excited about.

As for Tyson Chandler, the Big Man in the Middle serves one purpose on Team USA: size. Especially against Spain’s towers of the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka. We saw the need for a healthy Chandler yesterday and how important he will be to this team. He’s the only true center on the team, and will be needed against Spain.

Chandler had to sit early in yesterday’s game after picking up two quick fouls, and Spain immediately responded by pounding the ball inside to Ibaka, who feasted on the smaller line-up Team USA was running against them. Chandler will need to stay out of foul trouble in order to protect the rim for his teammates. Coach K will never need him to score in bunches or be a major factor on offense outside of setting high picks.

Nevertheless, Tyson Chandler may be one of the most critical pieces to the hopeful gold medal Team USA has set their sights on. Either way, one thing is for sure: the two Knicks in London will be playing some of the most important roles on the team.

Well, there is one clear way to move past all the uncertainty, and that’s by forecasting. At this point in time, I think Knicks fans are split down the middle on the Jeremy Lin situation. Some are willing to move forward without the dynamic point guard, while others still believe matching the offer is the best course of action for the team. Me? Personally, I understand both sides of the story. I’m totally going to remain on the fence. You can convince me to choose a side, but until you do, I’ll let the pundits do what they do best, which is letting their opinions be known

For me, I’m more obsessed with trying to figure out how Mike Woodson is going to play the pieces he does have. Just what will his rotation look like moving forward in 2012-13?

Keep in mind, Iman Shumpert is likely to miss the beginning of the season after having knee surgery during the 2012 Playoffs. So, for the sake of this article, he will start the season on the end of the bench, and we will look at who will be in orange and blue come opening night.

The Starters - 

Point Guard – Jason Kidd – 2011-12 numbers: 6.2ppg, 5.5apg, 4.1rpg, 36.3 FG%, 28.7mpg (with Dallas Mavericks)

Kidd was brought on to be the stabilizing force in the Knicks rotation. He has played with a wide variety of players, and has historically been a winner in his career. Many believe Kidd will find the perfect balance between getting Carmelo Anthony his touches, while re-energizing Amar’e Stoudemire’s game inside. Add in the fact that Kidd is still a sharp-shooter from deep (35.9% from 3 last year), J-Kidd should be able to provide the defense and leadership while playing crunch time minutes for the Knicks.

Shooting Guard – J.R. Smith – 2011-12 numbers: 12.5ppg, 2.4apg, 3.9rpg, 40.7 FG%, 27.6mpg

Smith slides into a starting spot for the Knicks because of the injury that will sideline Shumpert at the beginning of the season. Smith’s going to be destined for the Sixth Man on this team, as he is the perfect Irrational-Confidence-Guy that can come off the bench and score in bunches. He’s a bit of a dead end as far as ball movement goes, but I think a full year with the team and practicing with the regulars, he should be able to find his niche easily.

Small Forward – Carmelo Anthony – 2011-12 numbers: 22.6ppg, 3.6apg, 6.3rpg, 43.0 FG%, 34.1mpg

This may be the make-or-break season for ‘Melo. The Nets are talking a big game in Brooklyn, and he’s already called the contract Jeremy Lin received from Houston “ridiculous”. At times, the media blamed a lot of the Knicks problems last season on Carmelo’s play. This will be his first true full-season in MSG, and he has a lot of proving wrong to do in order to restore the shine on his star.

Power Forward – Amar’e Stoudemire – 2011-12 numbers: 17.5ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.0bpg, 48.3 FG%, 32.8mpg

A lot of people have been critical of Amar’e's play last season. I’ve gone as far to say that if the Knicks still had their amnesty clause, there would have to be some serious consideration about using it on Stoudemire. He seemed worn out by playing D’Antoni minutes in the two season he’s been a Knick, and battled injury after injury last year. The best news for STAT, the Knicks have a lot more depth inside that will spell him minutes he doesn’t need to be on the floor. I’m very eager to see what STAT has to offer next season. He will be the X-Factor for determining how high the Knicks can climb.

Center – Tyson Chandler – 2011-12 numbers: 11.3ppg, 9.9rpg, 1.4bpg, 67.0 FG%, 33.2mpg (2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year)

Chandler was the anchor for the Knicks inside. He led the defensive renaissance the Knicks experienced after Mike D’Antoni was let go. He will be expected to do more of the same on defense next year, but will get more help from the players the Knicks have added this off-season. The team didn’t anticipate the things he did on offense last year, and will likely continue to work under the notion that Chandler is in town for key rebounds, blocked shots, disruption on defense and easy put back slams. Anything more would be, well, unfair.

Sixth Man – Raymond Felton – 2011-12 numbers: 11.4ppg, 6.5apg, 2.5rpg, 40.7 FG%, 31.8mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers)

The big question moving forward post-Lin will be which point guard starts for the Knicks. My guess is Kidd will get the starting assignments, but Felton will play more minutes. Felton can flex to play shooting guard alongside Kidd at times, and will head the second unit at the point. Felton averaged career-best numbers when he was in New York for half a season playing alongside Amar’e before being part of the Carmelo package. I don’t know if Felton will ever reach that high again, but I fully expect him to put up better numbers than he did last season, even if he sees a dip in playing time.

Bench – C Marcus Camby – 2011-12 numbers: 4.9ppg, 9.0rpg, 1.4bpg, 44.6 FG%, 22.9mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets)

Camby is going to give the Knicks something they haven’t had in a very long time, a true back-up big. Playing Jared Jeffries off the bench as their main big had put the Knicks at serious disadvantages in critical moments in big games. Having Camby gives the Knicks a huge security blanket if Tyson Chandler gets into foul trouble. While there is still a drop off defensively from Camby to Chandler, it isn’t as evident as it was last year from Chandler to Jeffries. Having a second 7-footer on the team is a huge addition.

Bench – F Steve Novak – 2011-12 numbers: 8.8ppg, 1.9rpg, 47.8 FG%, 47.2 3-pt%, 18.9mpg

Outside of Jeremy Lin, Novak was the biggest surprise the team had last season. He led the league in 3-pt percentage, and hit some critical shots from the corner when the team needed them most. There were games where he was just lights out and would put up 15-20 points off the bench almost exclusively from beyond the arc. He isn’t much of a defender, but has the flexibility to play both the 3 and 4. With players like Landry Fields and Jared Jeffries no longer with the team, Novak is likely to see some more minutes next year and play a bigger role in the offense.

Bench – G James White – 2011-12 numbers: spent the season in Europe

White was called one of the most athletic players in the Euro leagues last year and he will see some minutes early in the season, especially before Shumpert is healthy. We know he’s super athletic, but we’re not certain how his game will translate to the NBA. I don’t think anyone is expecting him to perform like Landry Fields did, or even Bill Walker in spurts last year. But, that’s not what the Knicks need. All they need is a player that provides significant depth to the bench and can hold his own defensively.

Bench – F/C Kurt Thomas – 2011-12 numbers: 3.0ppg, 3.5rpg, 0.6bpg, 46.5 FG%, 15.2mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers)

Thomas is here to stabilize the locker room and serve as a mentor to Amar’e Stoudemire. His role on the team will be seen more off the court than on it, but he is going to be very important to the coaching staff. I’m excited to have him back in town, and he’s another big body the Knicks have in case of injury.

Bench – PG Pablo Prigioni – 2011-12 numbers: played last season in Argentina

Prigioni is, uhm, a very old rookie. The Knicks front office clearly sees value in adding him to the end of the bench, and he is very experienced as far as leading an offense. I’m uncertain what he’s going to provide to the team, but its going to be worth watching.

Injured – G Iman Shumpert – 2011-12 numbers: 9.5ppg, 2.8apg, 3.2rpg, 40.1 FG%, 28.9mpg

Shumpert burst onto the scene towards the end of last season, playing critical end-of-game minutes. He’s proven to be a top class perimeter defender that can hold his own against some of the league’s best. The Knicks desperately needed his presence last year during the playoffs. Once they lost Shump, any hopes of them knocking off the Heat went out the window. He’s a huge part of the Knicks present and future, really the only young, controllable player the Knicks have on roster. He is going to get better the more he plays, and he should be in the starting rotation once he returns to health. How he continues to develop his game will determine a lot about the team.

There are a couple of important events that took place before I found out about the sign-and-trade. The first, the Mets lost. That’s all I’m going to say about it, because I said so. The second, we made a collective decision to go out to the bars after the shows to blow off some steam from work.

That’s what brought me to a bar in Savannah properly named “World of Beer”. Literally, this place has 500+ different types of beer and enough TVs to make your mind melt. The first one, naturally, was showing Mets highlights. Beer me. Next thing I know, I look up and the ESPN feed flashes “Developing Story: Felton to Knicks in sign-and-trade, Lin out”.

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?

The story shows the details of the sign-and-trade. Knicks send F Jared Jeffries and the Dan Gadzuric contract to Portland for Felton and F/C Kurt Thomas.

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?

Felton’s contract is likely going to be a three-year, $9-$10 million dollar contract. Coupling that with Jason Kidd’s similar contract, the Knicks had seemingly priced themselves out of the Jeremy Lin sweepstakes. The same player the team had said they would match an offer sheet of up to “$1 billion” and head coach Mike Woodson called his starting point guard going into the season as recently as Wednesday.

Whoa! I’m the same guy that wrote no more than 10 days ago about how the Knicks were prepared to match Lin’s offer sheet. The team officially received the paperwork from the Rockets, meaning they will have to make a decision by 11:59PM Tuesday. At this point in time, there are a lot of people saying they won’t match, but there is still skepticism among well-informed media members that the Knicks could still match.

Felton could, in theory, play some shooting guard for the Knicks if the team did elect to bring back Lin. But, the team must be concerned with the salary the Rockets slapped on the young point guard. The team is offering him more than $1 million for every start he made last year.

I will say this, though. Props to the Knicks for softening the blow of potentially losing Jeremy Lin with bringing back one of the all-time favorites. Age be damned, I challenge ANY Knicks fan to tell me their not excited to see ol’ reliable, Kurt Thomas, back in the orange and blue. We are much more prepared today than we ever were to finally compete for that 1999 title!

Joking aside, if Kurt Thomas can’t mentor Amar’e Stoudemire, nobody can. He’s the OG of the mid-range jumper. He defines getting the most out of his talent and abilities. He doesn’t have to play one minute on the court for this team to make a difference. The leadership he brings and the wealth of knowledge he has about this league is what is important here. Thomas and Jason Kidd are not only going to play roles on this team on the floor, they’re also going to be an extension of the coaching staff. I have never in my life been so excited for an 11th or 12th man on the roster.

Hard fact: the Knicks aren’t better today than they were yesterday. No player on the market had the type of ceiling and potential that Jeremy Lin brought to the point guard position. Playing at their highest levels, Raymond Felton will be a downgrade from Lin.

However, if the goal is to find a point guard that will better distribute the ball to the stars and shooters, Felton is probably better equipped than Lin. The team will look to get 8-10 assists a night from Felton, and any scoring he provides will be nice, but not anticipated. Felton may fit the puzzle a little better than Lin did, even if its a drop off in talent.

And, we got Kurt Thomas back. We’re so old that this could be fun…right?

There’s a pretty good reason we’ve lost Fields in the shuffle: nobody around the Knicks believe he’s a $20 million player at this point in his career.

In his brief two-year career, Fields has played in 148 games, starting in all of them except five. He’s averaged exactly 30 minutes a night. He’s put up 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists each night while playing the shooting guard position. After a surprising and stellar rookie season, Fields’ production dropped to 8.8 points, 4.2 reboudns and saw his shooting percentage drop from 49.7% to 46.0%. Not to mention, from the free throw line, he tumbled from a 76.9% in his rookie year all the way to 56.2% as a sophomore.

Every Knicks fan loved the intangibles Fields brought to the floor each night. He hustled, he grabbed important rebounds and he even had energetic sideline dunks that got fans out of their seats. However, of all the numbers I’ve listed above, do any signal to you that he’s worth $20 million over the next three seasons?

The reason the Raptors gave Fields this large of a contract was in part to keep the Knicks further out of the Steve Nash sweepstakes. Toronto believed that the Knicks best shot at snagging Nash, a player the Raptors front office circled at the top of their off-season agenda, was including Fields in a sign-and-trade offer to Phoenix. So, the Raptors brass offered Fields a “poison pill” contract that, if the Knicks matched, would be almost undesirable. That plan backfired in three crucial steps for Toronto.

The first, the Knicks came out almost immediately and said they wouldn’t match that offer. Second, the Knicks surprised a lot of people by showing their willingness to include promising guard Iman Shumpert in a sign-and-trade deal if it meant acquiring Nash. And, most importantly, the Suns eventually agreed to trade Nash to Los Angeles, making all of these efforts null and void. Yikes.

As for the Knicks, there has been a lot of talk recently that losing Fields hurts the Knicks depth off the bench. I don’t agree with that sentiment. Yes, obviously losing Fields doesn’t immediately make the Knicks bench any better than last season, that much is true. But, its important to remember that swingmen in the NBA are a dime a dozen. Every year, it seems at least one team finds a hybrid two-guard off the scrap heep that not only makes the team out of training camp, but then plays a strong role either off the bench or in the starting line-up. We’ve seen it with Willie Green in Atlanta, Gerald Green in New Jersey Brooklyn, or looking even further back to players like Shannon Brown, Jared Dudley, Lou Williams, or, you know, Landry Fields.

I’m not saying James White is going to be the next Landry Fields. I am, however, saying one is out there that the Knicks can find either on the waiver wire or at a veteran minimum. They exist.

So, let me ask you one very important question. Would you pay $20 million to a player you can replace with 1/20th the amount of money?

According to sources at ESPN, Camby is unwilling to play for the veteran minimum of $1.4 million, meaning that both the Knicks and the Heat will have to complete a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets in order to acquire the veteran center. Rockets officials are believed to be much more interested in a package the Knicks could put together via trade (using pieces along the lines of Toney Douglas, Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan) versus what the Heat could offer, giving the Knicks the slight edge of the competition.

The Knicks only have the mini Mid Level Exception to use in the free agent market, and both Kidd and Camby will command salaries that match that figure. They can acquire both, as stated above, if one player signs for the MLE, while the other is acquired via sign-and-trade.

As Kidd did earlier this week, Camby would fill a huge hole on the Knicks bench. With the injuries that have haunted Tyson Chandler throughout the majority of his career, it is important not only for the Knicks to sign a reliable back-up center, but someone that could slide into the starting line-up without losing much in terms of production. In 59 games last season, Camby averaged 4.9 points and 9.0 rebounds, splitting time between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets.

This would be a second tour of duty in New York for Camby, so you know he can handle the market and atmosphere. He was a huge part of the surprise strike-shortened Eastern Conference Championship team after he was brought in from the Toronto Raptors.

Camby would do everything the Knicks desperately need from their back-up big. They don’t need someone who has to command the ball on offense. Instead, they need someone who can guard any other team’s big with success and ahs the ability to be a force on the offensive and defensive boards. Camby has a lot of miles on his legs, but the Knicks will likely only look to him to play somewhere in the range of 20 minutes a night, depending on Chandler’s health and foul trouble.

With the additions of Jason Kidd and, potentially, Marcus Camby, the Knicks bench becomes much deeper than in years past. Add in the likely re-signings of J.R. Smith and Steve Novak, plus the eventual return of Iman Shumpert, and the Knicks will be able to run 9-10 deep with ease.

Camby and Kidd aren’t the young names that will excite fans and put more people into the Garden. But, they’re exactly what the Knicks need.

And that, above everything else, is most important for the Knicks this off-season.

The Knicks are reportedly ready to match the Rockets’ offer of four-years, $28.5 million that is heavily back-loaded for the final two seasons.

Well, that takes care of that. The move effectively puts a bow on much of what the Knicks were planning to do this off-season. They still have some wiggle room in terms of bringing back important pieces like J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. But, it makes lateral moves on the free agent market for players like O.J. Mayo and Marcus Camby very difficult, unless they’re willing to play at extreme discounts.

As we’ve said many times before, this is a move the Knicks had to make, in terms of matching any offer sheets for Lin. There weren’t any options that compared to Lin’s potential, even if you view him as raw and unproven. No other point guard available has the ability or ceiling to bring the Knicks to new heights competitively.

With this deal, however, if the Knicks ever want to try and acquire a player like a Chris Paul in next year’s off-season, it’ll have to be done creatively through a sign-and-trade that likely includes Jeremy Lin. If the Knicks feel that after next season, they need to improve from Lin-sanity, well, they’ll have to find a team that still believes in him.

They’re going to be locked in, just like they are for the Big Three of Amar’e, Melo and Chandler. These are the weapons the Knicks are going to go to war with. This is our Big Four.

Time for them to put up, or shut up.

After the Rockets shipped last year’s starting point guard Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for a draft pick, even more momentum seemed to be building towards the inevitable. Now, the predictable has happened.

ESPN is reporting that the Rockets and Lin have verbally agreed to a four-year, $30 million offer sheet that will be backloaded for the final two seasons.

It’s hard to say any of this is a surprise. I don’t have much more to add that I didn’t say yesterday, except for this:

As much money as that is, is there anybody on the market that could possibly provide the Knicks with the same kind of production that Lin can? Even at the elevated price the Knicks will be forced to pay if they choose to match, there isn’t a soul the Knicks could bring in, right now, that will provide the same type of potential. Even with Jason Kidd in the fold now, point guard is one of the clear weaknesses the Knicks, currently constructed, have. Lin would go a long way to fixing those flaws.

Is $30 million a lot of money to give to a player that has all but 25 starts next to his name? Absolutely. No question.

However, is $30 million of Jeremy Lin better than any million of a Raymond Felton or John Lucas III? If you even have to think about that scenario, you’re crazier than I thought.

The Knicks have to match. They really don’t have a choice in the matter.

So, let me get this straight. The Knicks have presumably lost Landry Fields to the Raptors, they’re on the verge of losing Jeremy Lin to the Rockets, and they completely lost the Steve Nash sweepstakes to the Lakers. I’m looking for the silver lining as a fan, but its hard to find one.

I can only look at this move from a Lakers perspective. My god, they’re loaded. Think about their two potential starting fives:

Nash, Bryant, Metta, Gasol, Bynum.

Or, Nash, Bryant, Hedo, Gasol, Howard.

Both of those line-ups are just unfair. The rich get richer, for sure.

As for the Knicks, yeah. I joked with a buddy on Facebook earlier today that we should start preparing ourselves for the second-coming of the Raymond Felton Era. Now? That’s looking like a best-case scenario. Best case! How did this all happen? The team is down to Jason Kidd and/or Felton. They’re going to have to sign both if they lose Jeremy Lin to the Rockets.

I hate to be that pessimistic Knicks fan, but I’m getting that sinking feeling in my gut that this is going in the absolute wrong direction. I need a pick-me-up. And his name isn’t James White.

According to a report by The New York Post, the Houston Rockets are prepared to offer free agent point guard Jeremy Lin a four-year, $30 million contract. The reported deal would pay Lin an annual salary of $5 million for the first two seasons, then escalate to $10 million for the final two years of the contract.

It is believed that the maximum offer the Knicks can counter with to Jeremy Lin is a four-year, $24.5 million contract.

In 35 games last year with the Knicks, Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists, going from end of the bench afterthought to rising star point guard inserted into the starting line-up. Lin was actually under team control of the Rockets last season before the team was forced to cut him due to having too many active players on their roster after their botched attempt of acquiring Pau Gasol from the Lakers in the Chris Paul three-team deal.

First things first, wow. This is a kick to the gut. A lot of people in the media and around the team have figured they will be able to re-sign Lin and that it won’t be that big of a deal or difficult. Then, something like this happens and it reminds us all how unpredictable the NBA free agency process can all be.

Even though I truly believe the Knicks need to re-sign Lin and allow him to continue his development with this nucleus, $40 million is a lot of money to give a player that has only started 25 games in his career. That’s a lot of eggs to put into the “Lin is a lock to be this productive” basket.

This situation is very different from the Landry Fields contract offer from Toronto. There is no conceivable scenario where the Knicks view Fields as a $20 million player over the next three years. That’s not to say Fields won’t be a very good player during that time period. He very well could, and should, be. He’s a rebounding two-guard with the ability to score 10-15 points a night, both very valuable skills, especially if his role isn’t as a starter. However, nobody sees that as being enough to justify the kind of money the Raptors threw at him. And, the only reason Fields got that kind of money was a plan by the Toronto front office to limit the Knicks ability to acquire Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade.

With Lin, its a completely different animal. I wouldn’t go so far to say the Knicks need to re-sign Jeremy Lin, especially if they acquire Nash. But, if they don’t acquire Nash, then the Knicks are in possibly a worse situation than last year. It will force this team to throw more money at Raymond Felton that they’re probably uncomfortable with, but he’ll be the last reasonable free agent point guard that can start left on the market. Andre Miller re-upped in Denver. If they lose Lin to the Rockets and Nash to another team, they’re in serious trouble. Enough trouble that they could finish next year worse than the 7th seed they got this season.

I’m not positive the Knicks have the flexibility to lock up Lin for the same figures the Rockets are offering, but they might have to swallow this vicious poison pill, just to make sure they have someone starting for them at the point guard position.

According to multiple sources, the Knicks and Suns have continued their discussions about a possible sign-and-trade between the two teams that would land Nash in the Big Apple, while sending guard Iman Shumpert, among others, to Phoenix. As part of the deal, Nash would likely sign a three-year, $25 million contract.

Yesterday on Knicks Radio, we talked about how the team might be feeling the heat both from the fans, media and opposing teams to make a splashy move for the sake of making one. The Hawks, Nets and Celtics have all made significant additions to their teams, while the Knicks have mostly stood silent.

This would be a huge move for the team, but its worth talking about in the terms of why they shouldn’t do it. You cannot find a Knicks fan that doesn’t love Iman Shumpert and his potential. He blossomed last year as a strong two-guard who has the ability to play the point. His defense was critical to the team’s late season success after Mike D’Antoni vacated the building. It is also important to note that he will miss the beginning portion of the season, recovering from knee surgery.

There really isn’t any possible way for the Knicks to swing a deal without including Shumpert, who is their youngest and most promising player. But, bringing in Nash, even for just three years, coupled with re-signing (hopefully) Jeremy Lin could be something that puts this team over the top and brings them back on the same level with the other powerhouse teams in the East.

It will also make the Knicks incredibly thin. Along with Shumpert, the team will have to trade able bodies like Toney Douglas, Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan. Do any of those players signal a significant loss? No. But, they do take away from the depth this team has, or lacks. The Knicks will be forced to fill out the majority of their bench with veteran minimum contracts, which could be a dangerous proposition.

Long story short, if it costs the team trading Shumpert in order to get a star and former MVP like Steve Nash, I don’t think a lot of Knicks fans will cry foul. But, they will grimace.

Its going to be like ripping off a band-aid. Just do it quickly. We’ll all feel better immediately after.

First and foremost, there is nothing wrong with what the Raptors are doing. Are they purposely making it difficult for the Knicks to match the offer and be competitive on the current free agent market? Absolutely. But, they’re also taking a chance that the Knicks don’t match and get stuck with the contract themselves, which is clearly a risk they’re willing to take.

Looking at this contract from the perspective of an NBA fan, this move is sheer brilliance by the Raptors. The only logical way the Knicks were going to acquire Steve Nash would have been through a sign-and-trade. The Phoenix Suns, according to sources, have stated that any sign-and-trade would have to include Fields as the focal point in what they receive in compensation.

Now, the Raptors have locked Fields into a contract that wouldn’t be ideal for Phoenix or the Knicks, which eliminates most scenarios in which the Knicks and Suns would be able to agree on a package in trade. This move could take the Knicks completely out of the Nash sweepstakes, which only improve the Raptors chances of signing the free agent point guard, who they offered a three-year, $36 million contract earlier in the week. The cap space is there for Toronto, especially if they amnesty Jose Calderon, to make both of these moves.

As for the Knicks in all of this, what a crushing blow. If they match the offer, they’re even more limited on the free agent front as far as salary cap flexibility. If they don’t match the offer, their bench becomes even more depleted, and the need to re-sign all of J.R. Smith, Steve Novak and Jeremy Lin exponentially increase.

The Raptors know perfectly well they’re drastically overpaying for Landry Fields. However, their big catch isn’t the Fields contract. They’ve figured out a way to not only force the Knicks hand, but to eliminate a competitor in the Steve Nash sweepstakes. Its a genius play, really is.

With all that being said, I don’t see how the Knicks match this offer. Its a gross overpay for a player the team views as a back-up wing man that isn’t even the first player off the bench. The team has three days to make a decision, and I just don’t know how the team could put this type of money into a player like Fields. Its the hard truth.

Either way, the Raptors have seriously opened some eyes with this move.

First, its nice that the Knicks are intrigued by Brandon Bass. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Bass burst onto the scene last season playing the sixth man role for the Celtics down the stretch, and had some of his best performances of his career for Boston in the playoffs. He’s a big man that can hit open 18-foot jumpers and battle bigger bodies underneath for rebounds.

However, there’s a very good reason that he chose to opt out of his contract in Boston. That reason is he’s due for a raise. And a big one. Judging the NBA free agent market, the same one in which Roy Hibbert was offered a maximum contract offer sheet by the Portland Trail Blazers, players are going to get overpaid in some instances. Brandon Bass is bound to be one of those players. He can do better than the highest offer the Knicks could give him (probably somewhere around the $5 million range). I fully expect some time to pony up and wow Bass with a four-year, $35-38 million offer. The Knicks, wisely, should not even think of Bass in those terms.

So, intrigue is nice, but it doesn’t pay the bills. Brandon Bass is a fun name to think about and imagine in a Knicks uniform, but it won’t happen. Sorry to be the Debbie Downer.

Now, as for Rashard Lewis, this is a name I’m completely on board with entertaining. Lewis was due a ridiculous $23 million+ by the New Orleans Hornets, who acquired him in the Emeka Okafor trade before the NBA Draft. The Hornets had two options with Lewis, either keep him on the books as a valuable trade asset with the NBA’s highest expiring contract. Or, as they chose, buy out Lewis for $2 million and cut him loose before you have to start paying him big boy dollars.

Its been a very long time since Lewis had a meaningful NBA moment. He only played in 28 games last year, averaging 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and playing in only 26 minutes a night. He’s on the wrong side of 30, and its rather clear that, at this point in his career, his best basketball is behind him.

Even with all that said, Lewis is only going to get the veteran minimum from whichever team he decides to sign with. He’s a perfect example of a promising low-risk, high-reward type player. Maybe Lewis will be rejuvenated by playing with a contender and seeing somewhere around 15 minutes a night. He can still score when he is on his game (like his 20-point performance against the Magic last season).

If the Knicks do decide to bring aboard Lewis, its important to view him in the role he should be playing. The Knicks aren’t looking for him to be the All-Star he was with Seattle or Orlando. Instead, he’d be a hybrid 3-4 the Knicks would bring in off the bench after guys like J.R. Smith or Steve Novak. He’d be a second-unit player, and a complimentary part to the Knicks bench.

With so many whole the Knicks do need to fill with the little salary cap flexibility they do have (back-up point guard), finding a cheap player on the wing who can record important minutes off the bench, Rashard Lewis would be a great investment.

Of the two names, Lewis is the one us Knicks fans should take more seriously.

The decision means the arbitrator’s ruling to grant Bird Rights to those four players will stand, and that the players and their agents can proceed accordingly.

Obviously, this is huge news for the Knicks, as we have covered extensively already. It means the Knicks can go over the salary cap to keep both Lin and Novak next season, and maintain their full Mid Level Exception for an additional player. The flexibilty the Knicks now have moving forward is critical to how the team will be built next season.

For more information on the Bird Rights rulings, and what they mean to the Knicks off-season plans, click here.

Nobody expected to snag a future All-Star with that pick. There weren’t flashy names flying around the Knicks rumor mill. There wasn’t even much hope that the Knicks could trade up for anybody or acquire a second draft pick, much like they did last year.

The names that flew around our collective minds were the likes of Kim English, Scott Machado, Darius Johnson-Odom, William Buford, Quincy Acy.

Once the draft started, and names began flying off the board, the picture appeared to become clearer for the Knicks. The first round went without a flurry of trades, and no presence from the Knicks, besides their name appearing next to a Houston Rockets pick (from New York).

Into the second round, names began to fall that many didn’t anticipate. Even then, Acy came off the board at 39. English soon followed at 44. But, two names a lot of Knicks fans had eye-balled, Johnson-Odom and Machado, continued to fall. When both names were passed over at #47, there seemed to be some rejoicing for the New York fans. “We’re going to get one of the two we really wanted! How did this happen?!”

And then, something completely different transpired. The names we expected to hear from Adam Silver wasn’t the name that was read.

Kostas Papanikolaou, Greece.

Wait, what? Who? Why? Really? No…

That was the initial reaction. Look, I get it. The Knicks didn’t see any immediate rotational pieces with that selection. The took a player they can stash in Europe for two years before even entertaining the idea of bringing him to the states. It could turn out to be a fantastic selection by the Knicks, as Papanikolaou could develop into a lottery pick-potential type player by the time he’s NBA ready.

However, we’re also surrounded by the names of past European failures by the Knicks, names like Fred Weis and Macej Lampe. We’ve been down this road before. It is uncomfortable, bumpy and winding. You’re also asking for patience from Knicks fans, an often fleeting trait we all lack.

The good news, Machado, somehow, went undrafted. If the Knicks really saw any value in him at all, there is plenty of time to bring him into training camp and compete for a roster spot.

But, still. Its hard to feel disappointed when your favorite team only owns one draft pick, and it comes after 47 players had been picked.

Yet, if its so hard to feel disappointed in that scenario, why do I feel the way I do?

So, the remaining question is, what is a fair level of expectation to put on whoever the Knicks draft 48th overall?

Its easy to get wrapped up in the potential and hype every player has entering the draft. I’m sure plenty of fans are hoping the Knicks discover the next Monta Ellis or Dejuan Blair, both players that fell to the second round who have made a huge impact with their respective teams. Or, some fans may even be thinking the Knicks will find another hidden gem in the later round like they did with Landry Fields, who went from a relative unknown to a regular in the New York line-up.

A lot of scouts and insiders have painted this incoming draft class as one of the deepest in recent memory. However, don’t expect much of that impact talent to reach the Knicks patiently (or impatiently) waiting at 48th. Any player the Knicks are likely to bring in at their scheduled slot will not fill any immediate needs for this team as far as their 2012-13 gameplan is concerned.

What I mean by that is, say, for example, the Knicks are to draft Scott Machado, poing guard out of Iona. Bringing in Machado, who could one day very easily be a better-than-average back-up point guard who sees 20+ minutes a night, won’t exclude the Knicks from looking at players like Jason Kidd or Raymond Felton to fill an immediate gap with their Mid Level Exception. Machado, regardless of how much he impresses scouts or people in the organization, would not and should not be trusted with back-up duties as a green rookie. Jeremy Lin isn’t experienced enough himself for the Knicks to take a chance like that.

Even players with above-average scoring ability right now won’t keep the Knicks from other options on the free agent market. The best expectation to have on a second round pick this season is to have almost no expectations for them until 2013-14, when they’re one year wiser and have spent a full season in practice and in training sessions to prepare them for the beast that is the NBA season.

So, while I would personally love to see the Knicks selected Darius Johnson-Odm (how awesome would it be if Gus Johnson was still doing Knicks games? D! J! OHHHHHH!!!), I don’t expect him, or Machado, or a Kim English, or a William Buford to make a huge splash for the team next year. That would be unrealistic of me, or anyone.

Instead, let’s hope the Knicks select the right talent, and hope that player can make an impact one day, if not today.

In a rather unlikely ruling, an arbitrator ruled in favor of Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson, giving all four players early Bird Rights to their respective teams after a hearing between the Player’s Association and the league.

For the Knicks, this decision was monumental. It allows the Knicks to sign Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak and Landry Fields to a maximum $5 million-per-year contract, all while perserving the team’s $3 million-per-year Mid Level Exception. If the league had ruled against the Bird Rights, the Knicks would not have been able to go over their salary cap to keep all three, leaving at least one player on the outside of their off-season plans looking in, and likely eliminating their Mid Level Exception all together.

Now, however, the Knicks have the ability to not only keep their young core together, they can add a veteran for above the league minimum ($1.4 million) and sure up the team’s depth.

While public perception views how the decision enables the team new flexibility with their efforts to re-sign Jeremy Lin, this ruling all but saves Steve Novak’s job in New York. If the team was put in a position where they had to choose between these three players, Novak was going to be the odd man out.

The Knicks picked Novak up off waivers before the start of the shortened 2011-12 season at a salary of $854k. He easily outperformed that contract, averaging career-highs in minutes (18.9) and points (8.8) playing exclusively off the New York bench. A career43.6% shooter from three-point land, Novak posted an NBA-best 47.2% last season, hitting several crucial baskets along the way.

The hard truth about Novak is that he is worth more than the vet minimum, but not as much as the $5 million ceiling he has. Instead, he was a player that could get near the Mid Level, a luxury the Knicks weren’t going to have before today due to the funds that would have to tie up in a Lin contract. Novak was likely going to walk as a free agent, right until the arbitrator released his surprise ruling.

Look, Steve Novak and his championship belt will not be the Knicks sixth man next season. Novak is a top eight rotational player with one elite skill (drilling 3s). He’s a very valuable piece, and a necessary piece for any team that dreams of making deep runs in the playoffs. He does give away a bit on defense, which is why it becomes hard to play him in certain crunch time situations. However, he is a player that thrived under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and definietly morphed into a fan favorite over time. The team will still have holes they need to fill when or if they bring back Novak, but having him as a viable option again makes their off-season plans a little bit more clear.

Now, the question becomes…what do the Knicks do with the Mid Level Exception?

That decision could determine the type of success the team has next year.

The now-famous words LeBron James used when asked how it feels to finally be the champion. Words commonly used when someone isn’t so much excited about winning or achieving something extraordinary, but when the pressure is finally off your shoulders and the overwhelming feeling of relief washes over.

The only moment I can compare LeBron’s words to is the moment when the game was no longer in doubt in 1994 when the San Francisco 49ers were well on the way to crushing the San Diego Chargers, and teammates jokingly ripped the proverbial monkey off of Steve Young’s back. But, even then, Young seemed overly jovial and excited. LeBron, in contrast, was relieved.

All of last year, after “The Decision” and the backlash it generated, James seemed confused and baffled that people hated him. He went from generally loved and adored by an entire country to despised in the matter of a half-hour ESPN special. In the 24-hour news cycle and the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately environment we live in, it doesn’t take long to become hated. LeBron found out the hard way, and he didn’t know how to react.

Look, he had to go through the School of Hard Knocks. Even when James wasn’t winning and seizing the big moments on the court, he was still filling up the stat sheet like few before him. However, he needed the adversity in order to truly become great.

Its corny and cliche, but everything happens for a reason, and sports are no different. Does James eventually win a ring if he didn’t go through the 2010-11 hate cycle and fail in the Finals to the Dallas Mavericks? Maybe, maybe not.

Has LeBron avenged himself? That’s up for him to decide. Will the country like him any more today than they did yesterday? Not until he brings home another gold medal in London.

Does it all matter to LeBron? Not anymore. And that’s why the world should be fearful of what he can accomplish. He isn’t doing it for us anymore.

He’s doing it in spite of us.

In a conference call on Monday, free agent point guard Jason Kidd said that, though his preference is to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks, he also would consider signing with three different teams: the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and the Knicks.

Kidd said his willingness to be a Knick is due to how “fun” it would be to play with promising young point guard Jeremy Lin, who the Knicks have made their main priority this off-season to re-sign.

While its nice to hear players wanting to play in the Big Apple, would signing Kidd be a help to the Knicks goal of returning to a constant, winning formula?

In this scenario, I don’t think there is a reason not to give a serious run at Jason Kidd on the open market. Last year in Dallas, he started every one of the 48 games he played last season and was effective, even with a reduced role due to age (he’s 39). He averaged a career-low 5.5 assists in a career-low 28.7 minutes a night.

However, his value would be tremendous in everything he would do off the court and in the training room with Jeremy Lin. He would almost be a player-coach, being able to teach Lin the finer nuances to being a productive NBA point guard. There’s a reason why Kidd has started all but 13 of the 1,315 games over his 19-year career.

There’s also the likeliness that Kidd will play the 2012-13 season for the veteran’s minimum. Its imperative the Knicks find not just cheap, but useful pieces to fill out their bench and built a productive roster. Kidd would go a long way to answering some of the Knicks key off-season questions (back-up point guard, mentor for Lin).

And though he is a shadow of what he used to be offensively, he’s still a great distributor. Kidd’s unique ability to always find the open man in the offensive set is remarkable. He can also hit an open three when he has the opportunity.

So, the only obstacle keeping the Knicks from a full-fledged pursuit of Kidd is his initial desire to re-sign in Dallas. Should the Mavericks move in a different direction and not re-up with the veteran point, the Knicks should absolutely move to the front of the Knicks off-season agenda.

For Knicks fans, the London Olympics will mark the return for two of their biggest stars to competitive basketball, and both will serve big roles on Team USA. However, the player serving the more important role on the team will be Tyson Chandler.

With Dwight Howard missing the Games due to back surgery, Chandler gets the promotion from back-up center to a starting role, likely alongside the likes of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

We’ve talked before here at Buckets how Chandler fits perfectly into that starting five because he won’t command a high volume of touches offensively, all while effectively protecting the rim, grabbing offensive rebounds and shutting down the lane on the defensive end.

Barring a major rash of injuries striking Team USA, they will walk into the Opening Ceremonies in August as the heavy favorites to take home another gold medal. But, the road isn’t going to be as easy as casual basketball fans may think. No team should scare the United States more than Spain.

Look, as basketball fans, we’re missing out by not having a healthy Ricky Rubio available in these Olympics. As an 18-year old, he guided a strong Spain squad through the games on the way to a medal, and proved to be the hardest test the Redeem Team had to face on their way to gold.

This time around, it won’t be the back court play of Spain that should have USA fans worried. Its the dynamic inside options the team is going to run out. A lot of people are familiar with the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, who can provide scoring inside along with strong defense. In 2012, Team USA will have to account for the newest addition to Spain’s roster, Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka. Throw in Ibaka with the inside-outside offensive game of Pau and the gritty rebounding and low-block scoring of Marc, there is significant reason to be concerned.

The pressure is going to be on Chandler to provide enough presence inside on the defensive end to not only neutralize the threats on the block from Spain, but keep them off the glass as well. Of course, he won’t be doing it alone, but without a healthy Dwight Howard on the roster, the pressure squarely falls on his shoulders.

Another key to how successful this Team USA squad can be doesn’t fall on a Knicks relation, but on the health of Kevin Love and who Coach K chooses to pick as a back-up center, with options like Roy Hibbert and Anthony Davis.

Right now, the first line of defense for Team USA sits with Tyson Chandler. If you want to pull out any story lines from the Olympics heading into next season, they should start with how well can Chandler hold on the international stage. His success there could dictate just how well the Knicks can play next season.

Could Delfino be a Sixth Man in NY?

SF Carlos Delfino (2011-12 salary: $3.5 million)

Delfino is an interesting player on the free agent market. The Milwaukee Bucks used him last year in a sixth man role, where he did more than hold his own. Delfino averaged 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists a night in roughly 29 minutes of action. His first two years in Milwaukee, he actually averaged better than 11.0 points a night while shifting between the starting rotation and the bench.

Delfino would be an interesting option for the Knicks to consider, especially if J.R. Smith doesn’t re-up with his player option. He can provide an offensive spark, while not commanding a high volume of touches, and more than hold his own on defense (averaged 1.5 steals last season for Milwaukee). The one deterring factor would be price. Delfino is likely to at least equal his 2012 value on the free agent market this season.

Could Flynn return to MSG?

PG Jonny Flynn (2011-12 salary: $3.4 million)

The former Syracuse Orange star has had some huge moments already in Madison Square Garden, just none as a professional. Once the sixth overall draft pick (immediately following the selection of Ricky Rubio), the star has faded on Flynn so badly that he was rather lost on the Portland Trail Blazers bench last season, and has already played for three different organizations under his original rookie contract.

There is virtually no chance of Flynn coming remotely close to matching last year’s salary figure after a year in which he averaged just 4.5 points and 3.3 assists. However, as a buy-low option, I’m completely intrigued by his skills. A return back to New York could be just what the doctor ordered, especially considering the expectations wouls be as low as they have been in a long time. There’s also his performance in the last game of the season when he put up 18 points and 11 assists against a Utah Jazz team that was fighting for a playoff berth. If you can buy into Flynn as a back-up point option that has started in the past, why wouldn’t you roll the dice on him?

Could the Knicks look to add size?

C Aaron Gray (2011-12 salary: $2.5 million)

One thing the Knicks did not have coming down the stretch last season was a true back-up big man. They often used Jared Jeffries or Steve Novak at the four and five on their second unit, and the team found themselves undersized at pivotal moments in games.

Aaron Gray would be a nice fit on the Knicks bench that could see some minutes and give Tyson Chandler a breather. Gray will never be a scoring threat underneath, but he can guard the rim reasonably well and grab some much-needed rebounds when Chandler or Stoudemire isn’t on the floor. He averaged 5.7 rebounds a game, while only seeing 16.6 minutes of action each night. His 48-minute average would be a remarkable 16.6 boards a night, with an equally encouraging 4.9 offensive rebounds per 48 minutes. If Gray would settle for equal or less than his salary last year, he’s another name the Knicks should give a lot of consideration.

Is Stevenson's defense worth the money?

SG DeShawn Stevenson (2011-12 salaray: $2.5 million)

Deemed as “LeBron’s kryptonite” after his strong defensive performance against King James in the 2011 NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks, Stevenson’s play went pretty much unnoticed with a disappointing New Jersey Nets squad. Last year, Stevenson offered nothing offensively, averaging just 2.9 points on 28.5% shooting from the field. However, he can still bring the effort on the defensive end, and should obviously be rejuvenated by playing on a competitive team with the spotlight the Knicks will command next season.

He’s another guy like Flynn that didn’t play to his salaray last season, so he could be another buy-low option to fill the 8th or 9th rotation spot on the bench. If used correctly, Stevenson is still a useful piece, and will be cheaper than other defensive stoppers on the free agent market, like Delonte West.

What would Howard bring to NY?

SF Josh Howard (2011-12 salary: $2.15 million)

Once a budding star with the Dallas Mavericks, Howard has become a good option for teams to look at on their bench over the last few seasons. Playing around 23 minutes a night in Utah last season, Howard brought in 8.7 points, 3.7 assists and 1.2 assists. There isn’t anything Howard does to seperate himself from the field anymore, but considering his price value and the quality of play he can bring to the court each night, he’s worth a look. He shouldn’t be one of the first options the Knicks consider in the off-season, but if their other plans fall through, he’s better than most fall back options.

How much will Lucas get in free agency?

PG John Lucas III (2011-12 salaray: $900k)

Of all the players listed before him, Lucas is the only on this list that has absolutely earned himself a raise heading into next season. How much that raise will be will determine if the Knicks consider him off their bench. With Derrick Rose missing so much time to injury last season, the Bulls had to play C.J. Watson and Lucas more than they were probably prepared for, but both players proved their real value in the unexpected playing time.

Lucas flashed a strong ability to score, but never wowed anybody with his distribution skills. Should Lucas fall into the Knicks price range, he’s a good piece a a back-up point guard/potential swingman. However, how other teams evaluate Lucas and what they offer him may determine the Knicks course of action.

Are the Knicks better off without J.R. Smith?

One of the more intriguing story lines for the New York Knicks this offseason outside of the Jeremy Lin front revolves around the looming decision for sixth man J.R. Smith.

Smith was a mid-season addition by the Knicks when he escaped his stay playing in the Chinese Basketball League. He holds a player option for the 2012-13 season worth just over $2 million and, while he has hinted towards testing the free agent market via Twitter, nobody knows for certain what his decision will inevitably be.

When he did arrive to New York, Smith played almost exclusively off the bench (in his 35 games with the Knicks, only once did he appear in the starting line-up). However, Smith played roughly 27 minutes a night and was often on the court during crunch time situations with Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire.

On the season, he averaged 12.5 points (4th on the team), 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals. However, his 40.7% from the field was his lowest shooting percentage since the 2005-06 season he spent in New Orleans, and his 34.7% from beyond the arc was the second-worst of his career.

Though the decision is out of the hands of the front office, one question is worth asking: are the Knicks better off without J.R. Smith next season?

When looking at the free agent market, are there better options than Smith that will cost the same or less? With the team looking to maximize production out of their dollars, this is an important question to ask.

With his performance down the stretch for the Los Angeles Clippers, it appears Nick Young is going to take up the majority of some team’s Mid-Level Exception, putting him probably out of the Knicks price range for the position their looking to fill. Neither DeShawn Stevenson or Delonte West would fill the scoring need off the bench the Knicks would be seeking, and, at this point in their careers, are more along the lines of a veteran role player/defensive stopper as opposed to sixth man.

The likely options within the Knicks price range fall along the lines of Randy Foye and Marco Belinelli. The most expensive I can see the Knicks going on the free agent market would be for a player like Leandro Barbosa, who has the ability to start for the Knicks and push Landry Fields into a sixth man role. If you wanted to get creative, Philadelphia restricted free agent Jodie Meeks could be an option, though anything inexpensive would likely be matched by the 76ers. And there’s the question of how much you believe in the strong play from New Jersey swing-man Gerald Green at the end of last season.

Of the players listed, I would probably rank Smith ahead of them all with the exception of Barbosa. But, again, in my opinion, I don’t see a scenario in which Barbosa takes less than the full Mid-Level Exception, which is something J.R. Smith is scheduled to do next season.

I also believe some team is going to be more willing to take a chance and overspend on both Gerald Green or Randy Foye, who both could start for second division teams and be seen as a slight improvement. The market is going to price them out of the Knicks comfort range.

Should the Knicks consider Marco Belinelli?

I am, however, intrigued by the possibilities of Marco Belinelli. Last season, the 26-year old Italian averaged 11.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He has experience both starting and playing off the bench, and can play the point in a pinch. Maybe more importantly, he made $3.37 million, a step above what Smith made ($2.23 million). The positives to Belinelli over J.R. Smith is he doesn’t command the attention offensively that Smith seemingly craves, all while having the ability to score at will and net 20+ points on any given night. He was a %37.7 shooter from 3, and 41.7% from the field, similar averages to Smith.

Should Smith decide against picking up his player option, Belinelli should be considered as a free agent option, even if he requires a bit of a raise in the process.

The second and third options needed to be considered if the Knicks are to move on without J.R. Smith revolve around who is currently on the roster and who the Knicks could possibly draft. Both of these scenarios we’ve covered extensively so far. As much as we all love Steve Novak, he isn’t a true sixth man, and his defensive liabilities can hurt the Knicks in crunch time situations (even if he’s 3-point shooting is beyond lethal). Iman Shumpert will miss the majority of next season, if not all of it, so he isn’t really an option. I covered Kim English and his draft potential last week, and while he has the potential to grow into a prototypical sixth man, he won’t be at that point in time for the Knicks next season.

So, are the Knicks better off without J.R. Smith? They could be, with the potential of someone fitting the Knicks’ style of play being available on the free agent market. Smith is a player who commands the ball on offense, even in games in which he may not have his shooting touch. Preferably, the Knicks need a scorer off the bench, but someone with the wherewithal to defer when needed.

Is that player Marco Belinelli? Or can J.R. Smith refine his game? These are important question the Knicks front office need to investigate in order to put a better product on the court.

Is J.R. Smith a better pure scorer than Belinelli? Yes.

But, is that what the New York Knicks need with the line-up they currently have? Not necessarily.

Is English's scoring touch what the Knicks need in the second round?

We’ve covered two point guards that could make an impact as a back-up for the Knicks as a second round draft pick. One with experience playing in MSG (Scoop Jardine) and one with New York ties and a mean ability to create opportunity (Scott Machado). Now, its time to look at one of the most prolific scoring points in this year’s draft crop, Missouri’s Kim English.

Missouri’s last impression is unfair considering all the good the team accomplished throughout the regular season. I mean, they were the Big 12 Champions, lest we forget. However, its the crushing loss to 15-seed Norfolk State in the first, er, second round of the NCAA Tournament that destroyed their hard work and a ton of brackets.

What Missouri did throughout the regular season was remarkable considering they played almost exclusively with a four-guard starting line-up. English, along with Marcus Denmon, Phil and Max Pressley created a dynamic starting line-up that few teams were able to keep up with in a fast-paced offensive attack. When you include sixth man Michael Dixon, the Tigers were an incredible team to watch on a nightly basis, which made them easy picks to do well in the NCAA Tournament.

On the season, English’s best attributes were on the offensive end. He averaged 14.5 points, with a remarkable 52.1% from the field and an even more impressive 45.9% from beyond the arc. His defense was better than average, bringing in over a steal a game, but English was never the main distributor on offense, averaging only 1.6 a night for a team that dished out over 16 a night.

While I admire everything English can do for a team on offense and love that he played against some of the best competition the game had to offer (including going head-to-head with potential lottery pick Tyshawn Taylor numerous times), I can’t bring myself to seeing him as a fit for the Knicks, especially if Machado is available before him.

The problem mainly for English is he’s really not a point guard, but more of a combo-guard in the form of Iman Shumpert. He would be a luxury for the Knicks if they took him instead of someone that would fill a hole. In the draft, the Knicks should focus on one of three aspects: a back-up point guard with the potential to one day start, a defensive-minded block player or a combo guard with an emphasis on defense.

English is no bum when it comes to one-on-one defending, but Missouri did play almost strictly a zone coverage because of their lack of size inside, forcing teams to move the ball around the wing in order to create scoring opportunities. His best asset (scoring at will) isn’t something the Knicks are really short of. English would likely play with the second unit if he played at all, and his opportunities would be limited especially if J.R. Smith re-ups with the team in the off-season.

You can talk me into English fitting on the Knicks if Smith walks, but that’s the only scenario I truly see him working into the Knicks master plan. Would I be upset if the Knicks went with English at 48th overall? Absolutely not. I think he did more than enough at Missouri to prove he can be a scorer and a contributor in the NBA.

However, that late in the draft, it isn’t about taking the best player, but taking the best option that fills a need. Right now, Kim English wouldn’t fill a need for the Knicks the way they are currently constructed.

Will Machado be available for the Knicks at #48?

Earlier, we took a closer look at a potential option for the Knicks at pick #48 with a rundown of Syracuse point guard Scoop Jardine. Jardine has a history playing big games in Madison Square Garden already with the Orange, so Knicks fans should be very familiar with his abilities and what he can do against elite competition.

One option that may have flown under the radar, at least on the national level, is the play of another New York collegiate point guard: Iona’s Scott Machado. According to NBADraft.net’s 2012 Mock Draft, Machado is slated to go 60th overall, or the final pick of the draft, to the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’ve already covered the options present for the Knicks depending on all the different situations involving Jeremy Lin and his Bird Rights. With or without having to use the Mid-Level Exception on Lin, the Knicks don’t have any reliable back-ups at the point, and the team might be best off using their lone 2012 draft pick on back-court depth.

A Queens native, Machado averaged a remarkable 9.9 assist-per-game as the leader of the surprising Iona Gaels squad that lost to BYU in the First Four. He also averaged 1.6 steals, 13.6 points on 49.5% shooting from the field, 40% from 3-pt land. Though Machado spent the majority of his season playing inferior competition in the MAAC, he had some of his best performances against out of conference foes, including a 14 point, 11 assist effort against Purdue on opening night.

More importantly, he was the maestro to the nation’s highest scoring offense. Everything Iona wanted to accomplish on the offensive end of the floor started with, and sometimes ended with, Machado. He would draw the focus of the defense to him, allowing him to dish it inside to players like Mike Glover or along the wings to Jemel Jenkins or Sean Armand. The Gaels also led the nation in assist-per-game, with more than 50% of that responsibility coming from whatever Machado gave them each night.

As far as pure point guards go, Machado is one of the best available. He has the experience you would want at a back-up point guard position, having spent four full seasons playing ball in New Rochelle. His game also emphasizes getting his teammates involved and playing strong defense, which would both flow perfectly into how the Knicks run their offense through their stars and set-up shooters.

For me, Machado would be a dream come true at 48th. Though some might think he’s too small (he’s listed at 6’1″, 180 pounds) to withstand a full NBA season, he’s exactly what a team like the Knicks would want as their back-up point guard. He’s a Rajon Rondo-lite with a more polished jump shot than Rondo had when he came out of Kentucky. Would I be concerned about him playing at a smaller school? No, mostly due to the rules forcing future players to spend at least a year in college creating more depth in the college game.

If you haven’t heard a lot about Machado at this point in the process, you will soon. He can be a starter in this league with the right coaching and game plan. Hopefully, those coincide with a second round draft selection from the New York Knicks.

Who replaces Shumpert in the short-term?

On Draft Night 2011, there were very few New York Knicks fans overjoyed by the first round selection of Georgia Tech combo-guard Iman Shumpert. A lot of people, myself included, believed there was better talent still on the board in that situation.

Funny things tend to happen over time, and Iman Shumpert not only became a fan favorite for his style of play and bravado, but he began to grow into one of the league’s best shutdown defenders along the wing. Now, however, the team will likely be without Shumpert until the All-Star weekend, if not longer, after he blew out his ACL during Game 1 in Miami.

Needless to say, with the increased emphasis the Knicks have put on defensive pressure, his absence is going to be felt. It leaves the team with a massive crater not only on their bench, but possibily in their starting line-up, and drastically undermanned against high-powered teams like the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics.

So, how do the Knicks go about replacing Iman Shumpert?

First, we as Knicks fans need to consider the type of financial opportunities that are present for the Knicks on the open market. Right now, the Knicks have their full Mid-Level Exception in play, with the status of that being up in the air depending on the Bird Rights rulings in the cases of Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak. Second, one needs to consider who will already be on the Knicks roster moving forward. No doubt Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler will be here. Same can be said about Amar’e Stoudemire. Landry Fields is a restricted free agent who will likely be brought back. Lin and Novak are both likely to return (at least that’s what the team is saying publicly). Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan are both under contract and also likely to remain Knicks. Toney Douglas is under contract, but his stay is a little more tenuous. That’s nine players ranging from probable to most likely being Knicks, leaving space for three more active players and six roster spots total.

The Knicks would probably like to bring back Jared Jeffries, being able to provide strong defense from the bench, and he, like anyone else, will cost money. J.R. Smith holds a player option going into next season, but its anyone’s guess as to what he’s really thinking, and if he declines the option, he could probably command more money on the open market. All this being said, let’s forecast the Knicks having a full Mid-Level in play to sign either a starting two-guard or back-up (depending on your evaluation of Landry Fields, that’s what the Knicks will be looking for).

Unlike the point guard market, the names that flood the field for potential fillers at the two-guard are vast. If the Knicks wanted to bring in a veteran defensive force, both Delonte West and DeShawn Stevenson will be available this season. Randy Foye is another name to watch as well, having finished strong with the Clippers towards the end of last season. Atlanta Hawks unrestriced free agent Willie Green could provide the most offense in short spurts out of the bunch, but he is more or less a J.R. Smith-lite. If New York wanted to be really adventurous and take a risk, restricted free agent Courtney Lee could be a very intriguing option, especially at the Mid-Level price range. Names like Marco Belinelli, Carlos Delfino, Nick Young and Leandro Barbosa will be out there, too, but may fall out of the Knicks price range or future plans.

Personally, I’m a believer in Courtney Lee, but he might be just out of the Knicks reach in terms of dollars and cents. He’s a guy that can be deadly from long range and play an aggressive defense, averaging over a steal per game in his career. Next for me on the list would probably be either Barbosa or DeShawn Stevenson, depending on what need I’m trying to fill. This is just my opinion, but I think someone could talk Leandro Barbosa into a one or two-year contract at the Mid-Level price to play for a contender like the Knicks in a starting role. He could thrive playing third fiddle to Anthony and Stoudemire, and has the experience of playing with Amar’e before. As for Stevenson, he’d be my choice if the team wanted to move forward with Fields starting and waiting on Shumpert to get healthy. He won a ring with the Mavericks last year and has a history of being a thorn in LeBron’s side. He had a miserable year in New Jersey last year, but he won’t command much financially and would be a low-risk, high-reward type play.

Missing Shumpert is a blow to the Knicks next season, but it isn’t crippling. There will be options moving forward in the 2012-13 season, and I’m interested to see the direction the front office chooses to go in.

Are these two players the Knicks only options at point guard this off-season?

There was a lot of buzz on Twitter today suggesting that Steve Nash doesn’t have much interest in playing in New York, eliminating him as an option for the Knicks in 2012-13. You can ask five different insiders and likely get five different responses about Nash’s short list of destinations, but if the Twitter-verse has this one right, it doesn’t look like Steve Nash will be playing home games at Madison Square Garden any time soon.

With that in mind, it’s important to ask: is it Jeremy Lin or bust for the New York Knicks at point guard?

Remember, as it stands today, Toney Douglas is the only player healthy on the Knicks roster with significant time spent playing the point. Mike Bibby will likely not be re-signed in free agency, while it still appears Baron Davis’s career is over after his devastating knee injury suffered in the playoffs. Iman Shumpert could be a starting point guard one day, but he is likely to miss at least the beginning of the season after he tore his ACL in Game 1 against the Heat.

Another important factor into the Knicks manuverability this off-season involves if they’ll have their full Mid-Level exception or not. A hearing is still upcoming in regards to Jeremy Lin’s Bird Rights, which could play a pivotal factor in regards to the Knicks ability to offer a free agent a full Mid-Level or only a portion of it. Again, keep in mind, thanks to new rules under this CBA, regardless of what is decided in the Bird Rights hearing, the Knicks will be able to go over the salary cap to lock up players who they picked up off waivers, which, in this case, is Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak.

Let’s assume the Knicks do, indeed, get their full Mid-Level through Lin’s Bird Rights hearings. The names in the free agency market are very slim in terms of players that would be willing to play at that salary slot. For starters, Deron Williams will get a max-contract from someone this off-season (even money is on Dallas), so he is not even close to being an option.

The options the Knicks would be looking at include a return engagement with Raymond Felton, the possiblity of Andre Miller (though he may get a contract worth more than the Mid from, say, Chicago, who will be looking for a stop-gap starter for Derrick Rose), or Kirk Hinrich. I didn’t include Goran Dragic in that group because the buzz around the league is Houston not only plans on locking him up long-term, but for an average salary above the Mid-Level exception.

Of the three true possibilities listed in Felton, Miller and Hinrich, none are exceptionally better than Jeremy Lin, or better at all for that matter. After those guys, the Knicks would be looking at the bargin bin of the Jonny Flynn’s and John Lucas’s, which would be a significant drop and should only be considered as back-up type players.

Considering the uncertainty of the Knicks true salary cap situation, the unlikelihood of a Steve Nash taking less money to play in New York, a first round draft pick this year or a wealth of options on the free agent market, its time for Knicks fans to begin to understand that the situation laying in front of them is that Jeremy Lin isn’t only the best option to play the point, he may be the only option.

New York has been saying all the right things since the season ended in regards to Lin and his future, even though his agent continues to remind us that nothing is for certain. However, the Knicks may have to understand that Lin is in the position of power in their negotiations. The market is pretty dry.

One year ago, if you were to tell me that Jeremy Lin would be the most important player the Knicks could sign in free agency, I would’ve called you crazy.

Now, it would seem crazy if the Knicks didn’t bring him back, and quickly.

Mike Woodson is nearing a deal to make him the Knicks full-time head coach.

According to Ian Begley over at ESPN New York, the Knicks are moving closer and closer to removing the interim tag from Mike Woodson’s title and making him the full time coach.

Woodson was wildly popular when he replaced Mike D’Antoni, winning over stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire with his coaching style. He guided the Knicks to an 18-6 record to finish off the regular season, boosting the team to the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference before falling 4 games to 1 against the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

There is no Knick fan in this realm that is at all unhappy with the team bringing back Woodson. I’ve written about this before, and its worth mentioning briefly again to keep fans grounded.

My original point on Woodson was how much of his success is directly linked to his coaching and how much of the team’s success was due to anyone coaching this team not named Mike D’Antoni?

It is clear that the defense played with a different level of vigor under Woodson, and the offensive had more rhythm and flow once the Seven Seconds Or Less offense was eliminated. But, again, I don’t think anyone can judge how much was Woodson and how much was the removal of D’Antoni. I referred to it as the “Jerry Manuel Theory”, hearkening back to when Manuel replaced Willie Randolph mid-season for the New York Mets and brought the team within a win of the playoffs, then failing as a manager the next two seasons.

With all that said, do I think there was a better option for this team on the coaching market? Outside of Phil Jackson, who I believe is retired for good, no. Stan Van Gundy wouldn’t have made sense because, while he is a great coach, his personality is too big for a James Dolan organization. Jeff Van Gundy and Dolan clashed often, and Stan Van has more diva qualities than his brother. It would’ve been a recipe for disaster, but definitely entertaining.

The Knicks couldn’t have done better than Mike Woodson, but nobody should be going out and crowning the Knicks as champions. They have the talent to be a Top-5 Eastern Conference team. It seems that they now have stability at the head coaching position and someone in place their players enjoy playing for, which boosts team chemistry.

However, the danger is that Mike Woodson will now be working with expectations for the first time. Knicks fans would’ve taken anything he had to offer at the end of last season and in the playoffs. Now, we know what we saw and we know what we want.

That, more than anything else, is the most dangerous label Woodson will now have next to his name.

Chandler wants to re-define his offensive game next year.

Earlier this week, New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler met with members of the media and talked about his off-season goals heading into next season. According to a report on ESPN New York, one of those goals is to condition himself to become more of a “threat” on the offensive end of the floor.

Off the bat, the knee-jerk reaction to that comment was that Chandler was demanding for more attention and looks from the inside. However, that isn’t what Chandler is saying at all. Instead, what Chandler is saying is when he touches the ball this season, he wants to be more versatile in the rhythm of the offense.

The key quote pulled from Jared Zwerling’s article was:

“I want to come back in better condition and I want to be more of a force on the block,” [Chandler] said. “I want to be able to pass better out of pick-and-rolls. I just want to become more of a threat. Myself and Amare, we really have to become a threat on the block. I mean, we have the pieces here and we have to get better. … I’ve got to come back a better player next year.”

To me, that right there is the crux of what Tyson wants. He isn’t suggesting that he wants to be able to take 10-15 shots a game or become the focal point of the offense down low. Instead, what he’s saying is he wants to expand his game and be better conditioned to fit the current Knicks offensive scheme.

Chandler did a fantastic job last season both on offense and defense, winning the Defensive Player of the Year and shooting an astronomical 67.9% from the field. I think it would be foolish for anyone to expect Chandler to replicate that type of effectiveness from the field, but should he expand his game where he needs to be watched at all times on the block would be huge for the Knicks moving forward. Anyone that can take eyes off of Carmelo Anthony and allow him more freedom to move around the court is huge.

Again, nobody should take these comments as Tyson Chandler demanding enough attention on offense where he will average 20 points and 15 rebounds. Instead, this is Chandler saying all the right things, once again, and vowing to better condition himself for a regular 81-game season and become more polished on the block.

Will it actually work out that way? Only time will tell. But, this is a great example of a Knicks star saying all the right things heading into a choatic and confusing off-season.

Injuries have already devastated not just Team USA, but their chief rival, Team Spain. USA has already lost presumed starting center Dwight Howard, presumed starting point guard Derrick Rose, veteran leadership from Chauncey Billups and maybe Kevin Love, who is still dealing with issues surrounding a concussion.

As far as Knicks who will appear on Team USA, there are only two options, and both appear to be locks. The first and most obvious choice becomes Tyson Chandler. Chandler played very well for the 2010 World Championship team alongside the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Rose and Love.

With Howard out, Chandler becomes the starting center on this team without much competition. He’s also the most obvious candidate to clog the middle because he isn’t going to command any offensive possessions away from any of the likely starters (as of today, the starting line-up is likely to be Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant at guard, Kevin Durant and LeBron James at forward and Chandler). So much of the offense is going to flow through the other four that whoever plays center only needs to be on the court to make it hard for the opponents to score. And with the likelihood of going up against the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka for Team Spain (I still have no idea how Ibaka is Spanish…), Chandler’s presence on the team is even more important.

Actually, the most fascinating story line surrounding Team USA is who backs up Chandler? Howard is out, and Chandler was scheduled to be his primary back-up and likely the only other true center on the team. Now, the team is down to just Chandler. I like the team when they run a small second unit with Kevin Love at the 5, but that becomes hard to imagine when its your only option. The one name you need to watch: Anthony Davis. That’s right! We’re calling in The Brow! He’s a logical second unit, defensive stopper to play behind Tyson. Think about it. You want to see it. Just wait…

Joining Chandler on Team USA will be Carmelo Anthony. 2008 seems like a long time ago, and many people forget that on that gold medal team, ‘Melo was the team MVP. He played out of his mind on that squad and really re-established himself as a NBA superstar with his performance. This time around, however, he’s been lapped by both Durant and LeBron in the starting line-up, but he will be the focal point of the second unit.

He’s also added a new wrinkle to Coach K’s potential game-plan. We’ve seen how effective Carmelo plays out of the four position, being much too athletic for traditional power forwards in the low blocks, so I can certainly see a second-unit line-up looking something like Deron Williams and Dwayne Wade at the guards, either James Harden or Andre Iguodala at the 3, Anthony at the 4 and Kevin Love/Anthony Davis at the 5. That’s a very good second unit. And its a second unit that will allow Anthony to be the focus of the offensive attack, which, again, is ‘Melo’s desire.

As for the rest of the Knicks, there is nobody that will sniff the national team. Amar’e Stoudemire wasn’t allowed to play on the ’08 team because of his knees and the risk of injury, which clearly hasn’t gone away, so he will never see international action. Iman Shumpert could be a piece for Team USA further down the road, specifically the 2014 World Championships squad as a defensive stopper and force off the bench (think Iguodala). Jeremy Lin has a lot more to do to crack the upper echelon of American point guards, so to even consider him as an international team option moving forward is way premature.

There are always two international events that get me up in the morning. The soccer World Cup and Olympic Basketball. With the team Coach K will have at his disposal, I’m extremely excited to see just how high this team can rise.

And, for Knicks fans, we have reasons to root. Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony will play major roles. Its nice to have relevant players again, isn’t it?

Time to hand out some grades for the '11-12 Knicks

We’ve had some time to settle down from the Miami series and look back on the season that was. For better or for worse, 2011-12 was an entertaining season for the New York Knicks. The number of identities this team took on feel like something out of Nyjer Morgan’s imagination.

What we’re going to try and do is grade what each player brought to the team this season in regards to the expectations surrounding that player entering the year. For example, since the expectations for a Mike Bibby are completely different for a Carmelo Anthony, if Bibby gets a higher grade than ‘Melo, I’m not saying Bibby was/is a better player. All I would be saying is that Mike Bibby was expected to be a spare part, while Carmelo was the face of the team that under-performed at some points.

OK. Let’s get into this.

Head of the Class - 

Tyson Chandler – A+

- There is no question that from the start of the season to the end, Chandler was the most consistent and balanced Knick on the court. He brought defense to a team that has been dearth of effort on that end of the court since Mike D’Antoni took over, as evident by his Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Plus, the combination of Chandler and Mike Woodson did the impossible: they made Carmelo Anthony hustle. Not to mention, Chandler had an insane field goal possession.

“A” Students - 

Iman Shumpert  - A

Very few Knicks fans actually liked the selection of Shumpert in last year’s first round, and I include myself in that field. However, he certainly out-performed any expectations that were placed on him, and he’s shown that he has the potential to become an elite talent in this league. He broke the starting line-up in his rookie season, and will be, at the worst, a Tony Allen-type player in his career. That’s not a bad floor to have.

Jeremy Lin – A-

The only reason Lin is graded a step lower than Shumpert is simply because he played less games. We know what we all saw from Lin-sanity, but we’re still a little cautious as to just how real that all was. With that being said, unless the Knicks decide to go in a different direction, Jeremy Lin should be their starting point guard next season, and he’ll be a good one, too.

“B” Street -

Steve Novak – B+

What else is there to say about Steve Novak at this point? He led the NBA in 3-pt % and was an absolute force from beyond the arc. The Knicks picked him off the waiver wire scrap heep, so the fact that he made such an impact on the team is why he gets this high of a grade.

Jared Jeffries – B-

I mean, what were we really expecting from Jeffries this year? Energy off the bench, taking a ton of charges and playing strong defense. Check, check and check. At this point, we know what Jared Jeffries is capable of doing and what’s unrealistic to expect. He’s a nice piece to have on the bench, and he proved that yet again this season.

Average “C”s

Carmelo Anthony – C+

OK, time to explain why ‘Melo falls this low. We really went through three different levels of Anthony this season. Out of the gates, he was a flat-out F, playing terrible basketball, looking stagnant on offense and not seeming to give a crap either way. Then, after D’Antoni’s ouster, he played like an MVP, tearing up offensively and playing defense with more vigor. Once we got to the playoffs, it looked like he was trying too hard and his game suffered because of it. Carmelo Anthony was a big reason why the Knicks got to the #7 seed, positively and negatively. He’s also a big reason why they only won one playoff game. This year, he gets a grade a little above average because of the expectations, which only grow after this season.

Baron Davis – C

Remember the time we all thought once Baron Davis got healthy from his initial back problem, he was going to save our season? Oops. Baron Davis didn’t have an impactful year, but he also held his own when he was in the line-up. Unfortunately for Boom Dizzle, it looks like his career is over after that brutal knee injury in Game 4.

J.R. Smith – C

Smith is an interesting case. He absolutely became the Knicks Irrational Confidence Guy off the bench, and there were games he absolutely dominated in that role. However, there were just as many games where Smith was jacking up way too many 3s without getting teammates involved. He was like Al Harrington on steroids when it came to getting the ball on the wing and putting up a shot. I’d like to see Smith return next year because he can be a real valuable sixth man, but it has to be at the right price.

Josh Harrellson – C

This isn’t a knock on Jorts. Instead, he look real good when he did play. But, he didn’t play nearly enough to surpass all expectations this year. He has a solid future moving forward in New York.

“D” List Celebrities 

Landry Fields – D+

Fields was not a complete disappointment, but he definitely regressed in his second season. He showed flashes of Rookie Fields, but Sophomore Fields just didn’t seem to play the game the same way. He didn’t rebound as well, nor score with as much consistency. Maybe it was just a sophomore slump, maybe it was something more. We won’t know until next season which is the real Landry.

Amar’e Stoudemire – D

The amount of times I merely shook my head at a Stoudemire stat line was too many. He was not remotely close to the same player the Knicks gave a max contract to in the off-season of 2010. This all could have been a result of trying to play so many games in a short period of time, or this could be a sign that ‘Melo and STAT will never work. Trust me, this is one of the biggest questions circling around the Knicks front office this off-season.

Mike Bibby – D

He played a couple of games. He didn’t play them really well. That’s Mike Bibby.

Fail

Toney Douglas – F

And a capital F. Toney went from potential starting point guard and strong sixth man to 13th man on the bench. How? We may never know. When he did play this season, he didn’t play well at all. So, its not like the demotion was unjust. I guess we all should be thanking Douglas a little, though. Without him playing so poorly, Mike D’Antoni would’ve never thought to insert Jeremy Lin into the line-up. So, there’s that.

In-com-plete

Jerome Jordan

Was I supposed to be able to judge what this guy can do in the long-term based off his very limited exposure this season?

Dan Gadzuric

Wait…he was on the team????

Is it time for a reunion in New York between Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire?

It didn’t take long at all after the New York Knicks season finished in Miami last night for star forward Amar’e Stoudemire to start clamoring to bring in his former teammate in Phoenix, soon-to-be free agent point guard Steve Nash.

According to The New York Daily News, Amar’e said, “Everyone knows that Steve loves New York and that New York loves Steve. I love Steve. It would be great to have him here next year.”

Clearly, one of the Knicks biggest weaknesses against the Miami Heat in this year’s first round was their play from the point. However, they played without Jeremy Lin for the entire series, got a little bit more than a half out of Iman Shumpert before he went down with a torn ACL, saw Baron Davis’s career end with his bevvy of knee injuries and were forced to start Mike Bibby in a critical Game 5. So, yeah, the Knicks had issues.

But, just one day after the season ended, its a little premature for any of us to start talking about what the Knicks need to do, or should do for that matter, in order to improve this off-season. There are a ton of questions that need answering.

And maybe the first one that needs to be addressed: is Amar’e Stoudemire an active part of the Knicks future? Is there a team out there that would take the remaining three years on his contract, along with his uninsured knees, so the Knicks would have more financial flexibility? With that said, I fully expect STAT to stay here in New York and be ready to contribute in a more normal, non-condensed 66 game season. I think that many games in so few days really took its toll on Amar’e. He’s better than how he played this year, and we’ll see that next year.

After answering that question, remember Lin-sanity? And how Knicks fans wanted to give him a max contract after his incredible seven-game win streak once he was inserted into the starting line-up? Well, the team needs to figure out his value, and if he’s worth the money that will be necessary to lock him up as their starting point guard.

Then the team will need to figure out what to do about key reserves like J.R. Smith and Steve Novak, who are both in line for raises after their strong 2012 campaigns. In that regard, I see Novak sticking around far more likely than Smith, who signed for the mini-mid level exception after escaping China in February.

Look, the Knicks aren’t going to have a ton of money to play around with, so any free agent decision they do make needs to be the correct one. This team also lacks a first-round draft pick this year, which means they won’t be able to build bench depth with cheap rookie contracts like they were able to do last year with Iman Shumpert.

Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire will play next year with max contracts. Tyson Chandler’s contract is above the mid-level exception. Iman Shumpert will be able to play on his rookie contract, and I believe Landry Fields will be on his rookie contract option years as well. Throw in Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan, and right now that’s all the Knicks have locked into their 2012-13 campaign. There are a lot of questions swirling around the make-up of this team heading into next year. Oh, and they still don’t have a coach locked up either.

Would Steve Nash be a great addition? Absolutely. Is it much to early to speculate about his arrival. Definitely.

Woodson then clarified his statements to say, again, he would love to be the Knicks coach after this season, but nothing is set in stone. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire both reiterated their desire for the Knicks to keep Woodson as the coach, which is the strongest support any future coach will ever need in New York.

There is growing support throughout New York and amongst Knicks fans that the team should move quickly to re-sign Woodson and keep him as the coach on a permanent basis moving forward. The numbers speak for themselves when you consider what Woodson inherited after Mike D’Antoni resigned. The Knicks went 18-6 under the former Atlanta Hawks coach, and locked up the 7th-seed in the Eastern Conference after living on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Furthermore, the defense played a much stronger defense once Woodson took the reigns, and Carmelo Anthony thrived once out of the Seven Seconds of Less offense. Top to bottom, the Knicks were a tremendously better team under Woodson than D’Antoni, and nobody is going to argue that.

Keeping all of that in mind, allow me to introduce to readers of Buckets Over Broadway what I like to call “The Jerry Manuel Theory”.

If you read this site regularly, by now I’m sure you have discovered my first true love in the sporting world resides in Queens with the New York Mets. My love for them runs about as deep as the love I have for my own family, because a lot of my memories growing up as a kid and with my dad come from the times we spent at Shea Stadium. Back in 2008, the Mets fired then-manager Willie Randolph, who was about eight months removed from the devastating 2007 collapse that saw the Mets lose out on a playoff spot and a second consecutive National League East crown on the final day of the season (ugh). To this day, its still one of the strangest firings in sports history. The Mets finished a twi-night double header against the Texas Rangers at Shea (my buddy Dan and I sat through both games, nearly falling asleep in the second from baseball overload), and the team immediately boarded a flight to Los Angeles for an inter-league series with the Angels. When the team landed at 3am eastern time, Omar Minaya landed in LA and announced that Randolph, who traveled with the team, would no longer manage the Mets.

WARNING: The Jerry Manuel Theory applies here.

At the time of the manager move, the Mets were 33-34, Carlos Delgado was playing terrible baseball, nobody was pitching and it seemed that the team was headed nowhere and fast. Minaya promoted bench coach Jerry Manuel. Manuel was a former American League Manager of the Year with the Chicago White Sox, and was a well respected baseball mind who many said kept a loose clubhouse, in stark contrast from Wille Randolph’s business-like mentality. From that time, I remember turning to my dad and saying that the Mets needed to play .600 baseball in order to win 90 games and get to the playoffs.

Once Willie left, something just happened to the Mets. Delgado exploded, with many pointing towards the apparent rift he had with Randolph that was holding him back. The Mets played incredible baseball in the second half of the season, which featured a 10-game winning streak and coming, again, within one game of a playoff appearence. After the season, the team removed the interim tag from his title and signed him to a two-year contract.

The similarities between Woodson/D’Antoni and Manuel/Randolph to me don’t just stop there. Both coaches had polar opposite mind-sets, and both Woodson and Manuel were generally liked among the fanbases, so much so that fans put aside their inherent desire for proven, championship-caliber managers/coaches like Bobby Valentine or Phil Jackson. Each fan base would talk about the names, say its nice to imagine, but acknowledged that the way the interim’s did, they deserved another chance.

Needless to say, the next two years for Manuel were nothing like his first 2/3 of a season. 2009 wasn’t completely Manuel’s fault, considering how many injuries the Mets suffered. But, 2010 was such a brutal mismanagement by both Manuel and Omar Minaya that it can’t be understated how poorly they planned the Mets for the future.

To me, the reason why Mets fans rallied behind Jerry Manuel in 2008 was because he wasn’t Willie Randolph. He was our rebound manager. Anybody could’ve been better than Willie because Willie was awful. We needed to break up with him, and we, as a fan base, were ready to shack up with anyone and everyone. In fact, the Mets probably could’ve put any manager in Manuel’s 2008 shoes and they would’ve done better. Once the honeymoon ended in 2009, Mets fans looked at each other and now didn’t know how to get out of a mistake relationship. Like any rebound after a series girlfriend that you had remarkable highs and devastating lows with (Randolph), the first girlfriend after should never be your next long-term option.

That’s the reason I’m skeptical about Mike Woodson staying with the Knicks beyond this season. Personally, I thought the Knicks missed their real opportunity last off-season when Rick Adelman was available. Now, Adelman is entrenched in Minnesota and not going anywhere with that young nucleus. If at the end of the season and Knicks management sits back, evaluates all of their options and comes to terms that Woodson is the best coach moving forward, then no Knicks fan will complain. He’s earned our respect.

But, Knicks fans need to be cautious. The last thing I would want as a fan is to see the Manuel Theory in play once again. I’m not emotionally prepared for that.

What could Jeremy Lin have meant to the Knicks against the Heat?

When any series goes wrong in any sport, the mind becomes flooded with so many “what if” questions that it becomes hard to keep track of them all.

One of the first “what ifs” we’re all going to have to embrace has been staring us in the face with those new glasses he’s been sporting on the bench: What if Jeremy Lin had been healthy?

To me, this is such a fascinating question because there are so many different variables that go into what Jeremy Lin returning to the line-up could’ve meant. Remember, though it feels like centuries ago, the Knicks came into the playoffs on fire. Carmelo Anthony was playing out of his mind and had New Yorkers feeling like the world was good again. Amar’e was returning into the fold to add another wrinkle to the offensive attack. Shumpert firmly entrenched himself into the starting line-up as a defensive stopper. Even Baron Davis was showing signs of life.

So, what if Jeremy Lin was healthy?

It would be completely unfair to judge Lin’s experience against the Heat off of one game during the height of Lin-sanity when the Knicks went down to Miami and, gulp, got extinguished. When the Knicks were hot during Lin-sanity, there was nobody more valuable to New York. During the Knicks treading water period pre-All Star break, Lin was still a very effective offense player that averaged around 16 points and 7 assists, but turning the ball over a bit. Even during the D’Antoni team tank job that forced him to re-sign, Lin was still competent.

When Woodson took over, Lin actually seemed to have better control of the ball on offense. His turnover ratio became more controlled. He was still able to find his teammates, and still commanded attention from opposing defenses. Teams couldn’t only plan for Anthony, they needed to compensate for what Lin.

So, again, I ask: what if Jeremy Lin had been healthy for this series?

Does Lin provide an immediate spark to the offense? Of course. Is Mike Woodson more capable of finding enough touches for Carmelo, Amar’e and Lin in comparison to Mike D’Antoni? Absolutely. Does a healthy Lin allow the Knicks with more flexibility on their bench, allowing Fields, Davis, Novak and Smith to form literally an entire second wave all while allowing the starters some valuable rest? Naturally.

But, even then, it brings the Knicks closer to the Heat, but I don’t think it tops Miami. Blood is in the water and Miami is tasting it. For the first time in their tumultuous two-plus years together, this seems to be the first time they’re playing with an edge. They’re not timid anymore. They’re playing with a serious mean streak. The way they’re functioning right now, I don’t know if there’s a fully healthy team that can shut them down.

There will come a day where it’ll need to be decided exactly how valuable Jeremy Lin is to the Knicks in terms of dollars, cents and years. In fact, with the Knicks one more loss away from the off-season, that question is fast approaching reality.

Over the first three games of this series, the Knicks have had more problems then just play from the point or balls falling in the bucket. ‘Melo has disappeared. Amar’e never seemingly returned. Shump blew out his knee. J.R. Smith has built at least three additional stories to the new World Trade Center building with his awful bricks. Novak has disappeared. Baron Davis has remained to be Baron Davis.

Could the Knicks have competed better with the Heat with a healthy Jeremy Lin? There is no question.

However, should the Knicks have been competitive, Lin or no Lin, with the Heat from the start? Yes. No question.

And that, more than anything else that could’ve, should’ve, might’ve, probably would’ve happened had Lin played is why this question is truly irrelevant. The Knicks dead panned. They dropped the ball, sort of speak.

So, in hindsight, maybe the better “what if” question should have simply been:

What if the Knicks just played better basketball?

Did the marriage between 'Melo and STAT ever have a chance?

I specifically waited until after Game 2 to write this post. I wanted to view the relationship one more time on such a large stage before passing what I would believe is a final judgement.

Then, Game 2 happened. Amar’e was non-existent. He punched a fire extinguisher. We all know the story by now.

In my mind, the question has thoroughly been answered. However, I think the question was answered a long time ago, and most fans didn’t recognize that it was. In fact, I’d go so far to say that the question was unfair to ask.

Why was the question unfair to ask?

Because Amar’e Stoudemire may be finished.

I’m not overreacting. I’m really not. Look, when the Knicks signed Amar’e to the massive five-year, $100 million contract, the team couldn’t get insurance on his knees. His knees were never going to magically get better, especially if nobody thought he would last long enough where they would guarantee the Knicks contract on him.

Once Amar’e took the court as a Knick, Mike D’Antoni began to ride him. All of it came to a head in December of ’10, when the Knicks were riding hot, fans were chanting MVP for Stoudemire each time he got fouled, and New York became a basketball city once again. By all means, it was a great month for Amar’e in New York, probably the best month he’ll ever enjoy here.

In 13 games, Amar’e put up 29.8ppg, 9.7rpg, 2.7bpg, shot 53.6% from the field, 80.6% from the line, and was the center piece of the Knicks offense, taking over 22 shots a night.

But, you know what else Amar’e averaged? 39.5 minutes a night.

Since December of 2010, its all been downhill, even pre-’Melo. He dipped to 25.7 in January on 45.6% shooting in January, then 24.3 in February and March. Former Saints defensive coordinator is now famous for the phrase “If you hit the head, you kill the body”, but for basketball purposes, if the legs go on you, everything else will suffer. That’s seems to be the case for Amar’e. He’s half the player he was when he first came to New York, and its because Mike D’Antoni ran him into the ground at the beginning of the 2010-11 season.

So, getting back to my original point, its not that the Carmelo Anthony-Amar’e Stoudemire marriage will never work. Its that we were unfair to put such high expectations on it when Amar’e is simply not the player he used to be. He isn’t the All-Star he used to be, or offensive force. Its not that ‘Melo is being selfish on the offensive end and not getting Amar’e involved. Its that Amar’e can’t be as involved because he can’t do the things he used to.

Amar’e could still be a useful piece for the Knicks moving forward. However, Mike Woodson may need to take a page out of the Memphis Grizzlies playbook. Maybe the best use for Amar’e is as a sixth man, allowing ‘Melo to roam freely on the court as the dominant force he is, and allow Tyson Chandler to control the paint without an extra body getting in his way. Carmelo, in his head, felt like he needed Amar’e to be involved in the offense early on this season, then realized he doesn’t have the skill set to be that involved, and made a move in a different direction. However, we as fans weren’t as quick to pick up on it, and that may be our fault.

It’s not that the Carmelo-Amar’e marriage didn’t work. It’s that it didn’t have a chance in the first place. And that’s on us.

And, Mike D’Antoni.

Will getting Novak into the offensive flow propel the team forward?

I promise, this isn’t a redundant post connected to my bromance for the one Steve Novak.

No. Instead, after having a few days to digest that brutal Game 1 in Miami, one thing has become very clear to me:

Steve Novak needs to be more involved in the Knicks offense.

In no situation should J.R. Smith be jacking up 17 shots from the field. It’s hard to take his team-leading 17 points seriously when he was 7-17 from the field, and 3-8 from 3-point land. That is beyond ineffective. Even worse, it takes the entire team out of any offensive flow, which the team couldn’t establish in the second half for a variety of reasons.

Novak? He was 2-for-2, both from downtown. Small sample, yes. But, there is a more important theme to that. The key to the Knicks beating the Heat tonight and getting back into this series is being productive from distance, because the Heat’s defensive weakness is guarding the perimeter.

The Knicks are in a very deep hole. They have to find a way to replace Iman Shumpert’s versatility, and they have to get Carmelo Anthony going if they want to be remotely competitive in Miami. Those are clearly the first two needs.

But, again, if the game plan is to kill Miami from deep and take a bunch of 3′s, why is the NBA’s most efficient 3-point shooter only getting two shots?

Novak needs to get more looks, so much so that its at the point where the team should be looking for him on the floor. I’ve ran this number before, so I apologize if you’ve seen it before. In Knicks wins, Novak cashes in over 10 points per game. In losses, it drops off to around 6. Novak needs the ball. He spreads the floor, forces a defender away from the rim, which allows ‘Melo more room to do what he does best.

If Smith is going to put up 15+ shots from the floor tonight and if Novak gets lost in the shuffle once again, this team will not be productive. They will likely fall in Game 2 and go back to New York down two games to none.

We are at that point where we realize Steve Novak is critical to the Knicks’ success. Bromances aside, my first priority as a fan is to see my team win, regardless of who is doing the heavy lifting. Hell, if Mike Bibby needs to score 20 points, I don’t care. I want wins. I want to Beat the Heat.

Right now, the clear and obvious way to give the Knicks the ability to knock off the heat is feeding the Novak fire.

Get the ball…to Novak!

A couple of weeks ago, I mapped out how it would be better for the Knicks, match-up wise, for them to face the Miami Heat in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. I stick by those comments 110%. With the way the Knicks are playing right now (Melo’s otherworldly tenacity on offense, dependent on the 3-ball), it makes perfect sense to go up against the Heat, who struggle with perimeter defense from time to time.

In order for the Knicks to make sure they match up with Miami, they must win tonight in Charlotte, or hope the 76ers lose in Detroit. I’m not going to go on a rant about this being a trap game, because its not. I mean, its the Charlotte Bobcats. They’re 7-58. They’re in the midst of a 22 game losing streak. A loss tonight will give them the worst single-season winning percentage in league history. 

Oh, and they’re owned by Michael Jordan. Hilarious.

In all likelihood, the Knicks will get a comfortable first half lead against the lowly Bobcats, then rest Tyson, Melo and Amar’e in the second half. I’d expect Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to be the leaders in the second half, getting them more minutes so that they’re ready for the post-season. And, of course, I anticipate some big 3s from the immortal Steve Novak.

We’ll get into excruciating detail of the Knicks playoff opponents once they officially have one (so, tomorrow, for instance). For now, just know that the Knicks need a win tonight, because if you’re a die-hard like me, you want LeBron. You want the Knicks up 3-2 with Game Six at the Garden.

And you want to make LeBron cry Adam Morrison style. Its all I’m thinking about…

‘Melo went off for 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assist. He dominated segments of this game that no other player on the Knicks have ever been able to do for quite some time. Add in the Knicks being one three-point field goal shy of setting a franchise record, and nobody on the planet was going to deny the Knicks of a win.

As a team, the Knicks were 19-32 from beyond the arc, a remarkable 59.4% (!!!!) clip. In the first half, J.R. Smith provided the Knicks with extra punch. He hit nearly everything he launched, propelling the Knicks to a half-time lead of 19. He was on fire.

But, he wasn’t the closer at the end. NBA columnist Bill Simmons loves to talk about each team having an “Irrational Confidence Guy” that comes off the bench, is a deadly sharp-shooter and feels that he can conquer the world by himself.  Probably the best example of an ICG is the Mavericks’ Jason Terry, who can come off the bench, play starters minutes and dominate a game from long stretches.

On paper, J.R. Smith seems to fit the bill. An athletic wing player with the ability to hit from distance and slash to the rim to get an easy two.

Negative, ghost rider. While all that is true about J.R. Smith, he is not the Knicks go-to guy when a clutch shot is needed from beyond the arc. And its not even close.

That, my friends, is Steve Novak’s job.

Everything about Novak’s game screams Irrational Confidence Guy. He didn’t just provide the Knicks with 25 points off the bench last night, but he put the game to bed in the 4th quarter. The Celtics got it within 6, and Novak hit a 3. Then, Rondo answered, getting the Celtics within 7,but Novak was having none of that, hit another 3, and got it back to double digits.

Novak was 8-for-10 from beyond the arc last night. On the year, Novak is an NBA-best 47.2% shooter from beyond the arc. An interesting note: in wins this season, Novak averages 10.6ppg, while in losses, he drops to 6.4ppg.

With the way the Knicks crunch time line-up works now, I’m not sure there is a way you can keep Novak off the court in a close game with under 3 minutes to play. He’s too deadly from 3-pt range to keep him sitting on the bench. By no means is Novak strong on the defensive end. However, his offensive value is so high right now that he needs to be on the court.

An argument can be made that, in the loss to the Heat, what the Knicks were missing most was more looks from Novak. Novak did get 22 minutes of action, but seemed to be lost in the flow of the Knicks offense. Some of the credit has to go to the Heat for making sure a body was always in the area, but it did seem, watching it live, Novak got lost in the shuffle.

Last night, there was no losing Novak on the court. He had the hot hand. And when he gets the hot hand, he takes the pressure and focus off of everyone else. Earlier this year, had I said any of this, people would’ve jumped on my back for just being one of the biggest, most unreasonable Novak fans in the world. Now, however, it is absolutely real. Steve Novak has morphed into the Knicks ICG.

And, he might just be the key to a Knicks run in the playoffs…

Everything started late Saturday afternoon, when my beloved Mets took Game 2 from the Phillies in Philly, and won their first road series against those bums for the first time since 2010 (Yes, shut up, I know its April. But I take my victories when I can. So back off!). This year, the Mets are quickly turning into a really fun team to watch. It’s always awesome entering a season with no expectations and soaking in when the team does well. Such a relief. Anyway…

After that, the puck dropped for Game 2 of the Rangers/Senators series at The Garden. As someone who has grown to love the New York Rangers over the last few years, I can say without hesitation that there is no sports environment more exciting and thrilling than Rangers fans, at home, in the playoffs.

For starters, in my opinion, there is no sport better than professional hockey to watch live. In my life, I have seen about 250 Mets games (seriously), 10 Knicks games, 4 Giants/Jets games, 2 Rangers games and 1 Canadiens/Senators game in Montreal (I was in Montreal, felt like the right thing to do). If you take an average game of the three sports, as in no thrilling finish, just your lock, stock and barrel victory for the home team, no game is more exciting from beginning to end then a hockey game.

That, and the Blueshirts faithful are nuts. They’re emotionally involved in the game from pre-game warm-ups until the final horn. Its incredible.

OK, where am I going with this, I know you’re asking. Even though the Rangers dropped a tightly contested Game 2 to the Senators (still pissed), that momentum from the night before at Madison Square Garden carried over to Knicks/Heat.

And that was huge. I’ve said it before, there is no arena in sports that serves a bigger home-court advantage than a lively Madison Square Garden. Did the Knicks eventually fall to the Heat? Yes. But, that wasn’t because the Heat really outplayed the Knicks. In fact, it was pretty amazing the game was so close considering Carmelo Anthony (42) and J.R. Smith (16) were the only players in double figures.

After a strong first quarter, the Heat looked rattled throughout the rest of the game. I’ll admit, I was unable to watch the final minutes. I had to walk away to do some things before heading to work while the score was 75-73 Knicks. But, from what I saw, with that crowd, if the Knicks were able to take just one game in Miami should these teams meet in the playoffs, I think they could take the series.

It comes off as cliche and tacky, but in New York, us, we, the fans, we make such a huge difference. We bring The Garden to life, giving it a heart beat and cranking up the atmosphere to unbelievable levels. Madison Square Garden becomes the X-Factor, particularly against the Heat, considering of all the concerns surrounding them when the pressure is on.

Sure, the Knicks lost. But, if fans aren’t considerably more upbeat with the outlook of facing the Heat in the playoffs after Sunday’s game, they need to reconsider.

The Garden could haunt the Heat in a Game Six environment.

Should Knicks fans be nervous about tonight's Wizards game?

After a much needed day off for the New York Knicks, the team returns to Madison Square Garden to battle with the Washington Wizards with only eight games left in the regular season.

While many fans were on edge with the sloppy but huge win for the team in Milwaukee, this particular match-up should be of concern for Knicks fans. Why?

Because everything about tonight’s match-up screams trap game.  (more…)