May 14, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) sits next to forward Amar

The Knicks really never made a push in this game and were consistently overmatched from start to finish. The Pacers outplayed and outworked them once again and the Knicks looked both lifeless most of the time. Carmelo Anthony had a good first half, but the Knicks still saw themselves down 15 at the break and were never able to recover. A combination of poor second half from Melo and an overall poor shooting performance by the team wasn’t enough to make it close against one of the league’s top defenses.

Raymond Felton

Felton recovered after a brutal Game 3 performance at Indiana where he went 1/8 from the field. He looked to be back on track tonight with a 7/16 performance, but most of his value came from three steals and two blocks while facilitating the ball. He was able to get to the basket multiple times off the pick and wasn’t short of effort.

Grade: B+

J.R. Smith

No one doubts his ability to put up points, but it has to be in an efficient manner for the Knicks to win. JR’s 19 points tonight was a little deceiving, as he hit a couple of garbage-time makes towards the end of the game. If you include those, he still comes away with 7/22 shooting and 3/10 from three. Many of his misses came at times where the Knicks desperately needed a bucket to propel them back into the game and cut the lead. Whether it was bad shot attempts or he was just off, what he brought tonight isn’t going to cut it and may mark one of his last games as a Knick.

Grade: C-

Carmelo Anthony

As mentioned, Melo looked sharp in the first half as he looked towards shooting 50% for the first game in these playoffs, but he tapered off in the second half and in effect, the team followed his lead. It seemed as though he was picking up fouls rather than playing solid defense on some plays and when the Knicks needed him most to make a big time second half push, he was nowhere to be found to carry them or get hot and start his own run.

Grade: C+

Tyson Chandler

May 14, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) guards Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Chandler finally showed up for the first time this series. With a few solid-to-very good games against Indiana during the regular season, there had to be some question of what was wrong with Chandler right now. After being embarrassed for the first three games by Roy Hibbert, he was able to grab double-digit boards for the first time and also posted a double-double with 12 points included. His 3 blocks and 7 offensive rebounds were encouraging as well, and he’ll need to carry this momentum into Game 5 if the Knicks want any chance of making this a series.

Grade: A-

Kenyon Martin

For the minutes he played tonight (28), he performed very poorly compared to how he has looked for the Knicks since getting him. His couples of blocks were a plus, but it’s not too much to ask for a few points out of him with a few more rebounds (5 tonight) as well.

Grade: D

Role Players

Most of the key players ate up all the minutes tonight and there wasn’t much left over for the reserves. A primary note is that Jason Kidd was held scoreless once again and he hasn’t been able to score a single point since Game 2 vs. Boston (3 points).  Shumpert wasn’t able to score a point in his 16 minutes and 6 shot attempts, but much can be attributed to a bothersome knee that was visible at multiple points of the game. The Knicks were clearly missing his perimeter defense and he will need to be at full strength for the Knicks in Game 5, especially if J.R. cant get it going. A major question that Mike Woodson should be facing is why it took so long to bring in Chris Copeland and Steve Novak, when it seemed like nothing else he was rolling out there was working. Copeland looked good in his 12 minutes and Novak was able to knock down a 3-pointer in his miniscule single minute on the floor, but all was too little, too late.

Grade: F

Apr 23, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) controls the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There’s not too much to knock the Knicks on in this one as they went on to beat the Celtics 87-71 to take a 2-0 series lead. There were different parts of the game that saw a new Knick step up and leave their mark on the game, either on the offensive or defensive end.

In the first half, good ball movement wasn’t really there but some timely shots kept them in the game. This game could go down as one of the Knicks’ best all season when you take into consideration their third quarter dominance and overall second-half defense, allowing the Celtics to put up only 23 total points in the half.

Carmelo Anthony

Great games have become the norm for Carmelo lately. Another game grinded out with 30+ points. He’s scoring from anywhere right now including the free throw line and doesn’t seem to be slowing down as he shoulders the load night after night. His rebounds and assists aren’t really up to par, but there’s little care about that, as there should be, as he continues to take over games with his scoring.

Grade: A+

Raymond Felton

Felton has really been coming on strong lately and he followed up his solid Game 1 effort with a very, very good Game 2 effort. Felton would probably be better off passing a little more (only two assists compared to his 15 shots), but it’s hard to take anything away from an 8-15 shooting night with 16 points and 7 rebounds, with no turnovers to boot.

Grade: A-

J.R. Smith

It was a streaky game for the freshly announced Sixth Man of the Year, but he gave the Knicks a couple of boosts that were enough to change the complexion of the game and also finished a very respectable 7-15.  After entering early on when Iman Shumpert picked up a couple of quick fouls, Smith quickly hit his first few shots and sealed the first quarter with a long buzzer-beater from downtown.

Grade: A-

Tyson Chandler

Tyson has fell off dramatically offensively, but the Knicks don’t really look for his scoring anyway. His defensive presence has to be taken into account much more than any of the counting stats he’s been putting up, which is not much as he only put in 3 points with 5 boards tonight, but did have a +21 +/- differential while keeping Jeff Green and Kevin Garnett in check. Chandler also seems to be limited, seeing only 22 minutes and not rebounding as much as he used to, but with the emergence of Kenyon Martin and his recent injury issues, limiting him isn’t a bad thing.

Grade: B

Kenyon Martin

Apr 23, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass (30) is fouled by New York Knicks forward Kenyon Martin (3) in front of guard Jason Kidd (5) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The intensity Martin has brought so far has been extremely valuable to the Knicks. They probably wouldn’t be the second seed without him and he is looking to be the aggressive body in the frontcourt that the Knicks desperately needed when Amar’e Stoudemire went down again.  His 11 rebounds with four blocks tonight was his stamp on the game and it seemed like there was a stretch in the 4th quarter where he defensively single-handedly made it impossible for the Celtics to make up any kind of ground.

Grade: A

Role Players

Kenyon Martin is technically included in the group of Knicks “role players” as well, but the same can be said for most of the team right now outside of the big couple of scorers. Pablo Prigioni (started), Iman Shumpert (started), and Jason Kidd all saw around 20 minutes, but none get enough run or time with the ball in their hands to do much as per usual.  The plus side is that most don’t make mistakes and Kidd and Prigioni are smart, very good ball distributors that can be trusted.

Grade: B-

Apr 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) dunks the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (4) and Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

It’s almost hard to believe that a player with such talent and star power holds the worst individual postseason record at 17-38 over the past couple decades. Obviously, as a team game, it’s never all his fault and some bad luck with injury struck his teammates last season, but we still can expect more out of him than being the worst. It doesn’t help that the 1-2 punch the Knicks imagined with Amar’e Stoudemire and Melo has been a failure for a variety of reasons, but the Knicks record shows that they are better without Amar’e in the lineup anyway. This is clearly Melo’s team and there’s no Knick that even comes close to exuding the confidence most fans have in Melo with the ball in his hands.

The current pressure on Melo to lead the Knicks is only partially because of his poor postseason career and that pressure is solely personal for him. Knick fans couldn’t care less about his postseason failures all of those seasons in Denver and all that matters is how he leads this current team. This season is a much different story from last season as well.

Last season, although more was expected, a playoff loss was easier to cope with as the Knicks ran into a Miami Heat team that was dominant and really had no business losing to anyone in the NBA with the way they were playing.

This year, as it stands today, the Knicks boast their best winning percentage since the 1996-97 season and are on pace for their first Atlantic Division title since 1993-94.  Those accolades also bring immense pressure to the team to win in the playoffs, and a first round victory is almost required for this team.

If everything works out in the best way for Melo and the Knicks, the team will be a number two seed and division winner while having the NBA leading scorer as their star player. Even if it doesn’t, this is still a great Knick team that already hit the 50-win plateau. The mood of this team is a change from last year and the record shows that they are a top team. The pressure and expectations continue to rise with every win and most of that pressure will fall on directly Carmelo Anthony to break his bad playoff streak and do some adequate damage in the playoffs.

Mar 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

In what seems like an event that is a year or two overdue, Carmelo Anthony finally returned to Denver as a visiting player. The homecoming was not as he had planned.  Melo’s troublesome knee acted up, causing an early exit to a game where he never could get it going in a 3/12 shooting, three-turnover performance. Since the injury, his game looks flat, which is both a detriment to himself and the Knicks if he’s not himself. Tyson Chandler also went down early in this one, exiting with a knee injury of his own to add injury to the already depleted front line.

It’s hard to take any positives out of this game, in a night where the Knicks suffered their second consecutive embarrassing loss. The Nuggets fast-paced style allowed for more shots for the Knicks, boosting some individual numbers, but it should not fool anyone into thinking the Knicks were competitive. Denver ran the floor on them all night, even when the reserves were in, and the pace and finishing ability was way too much for the Knicks to keep up with. With the Nuggets daunting home record, a 22-point halftime lead, and no Melo or Chandler, this game was over very early into the night.

Individual grades don’t seem fitting for a performance like this and as I said, positives were hard to come by and also to validate because of how the whole complexion of the game changed, but there are a couple of minor pluses for the Knicks.

Iman Shumpert was a bright spot in putting up a season-high 20 points on 8-10 shooting (4-5 from three). It was only the third time this season that he scored in double digits and a confidence boost for Shump would be huge, as he hasn’t really been able to get it going outside of the first quarter of play this season. With Melo out against the Blazers on a tough road back-to-back, the Knicks would be served well by an increase in offensive production from their young guard.

J.R. Smith was able to post a 15-5-8 line in the loss on 5-12 shooting (3-5 from three). Nothing too out of the ordinary for him, but it’s good to see him bounce back so quickly from the dreadful game he had at Golden State, which saw a poor performance followed by an ejection. He will undoubtedly be relied on heavily with Melo out against Portland, so he will need to be at least somewhat efficient for the Knicks to have a chance.

Mar 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kenyon Martin (3) battles for the loose ball against Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kenyon Martin’s four blocked shots and two steals in just over 20 minutes is maybe the biggest positive to come out of this one. K-Mart stayed aggressive all game, which is something the Knicks have been lacking all season from the big men. With Amar’e out for the time being, you don’t expect K-Mart to come near replacing his offense, but the hustle and defensive capability is something the Knicks can benefit greatly from as long as he stays on the court.

On a whole, the Knicks still get a failing grade on this one and they played some of the most uninspiring basketball seen all season. The Knicks have been nothing more than around a .500 team for the past couple months and that’s a big enough sample size to take it for what it is. They will need both health and major improvements to a team that was so promising early on in order to get back to that status.

Raymond Felton

The shooting wasn’t really there tonight, but his 10 assists led the Knicks as he proved to be a valuable contributor tonight. He was an important factor in the Knicks comeback from the early deficit and was able to move the ball once Carmelo went down.

Grade: B

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) makes a three-point basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Kidd

Kidd is showing signs of life again after being in a terrible shooting slump that cost him a starting spot. He’s getting the stroke back from downtown, going 3-5 tonight, and also added 8 boards and 3 steals to his line. The Knicks are a much better team when the outside shots are falling, something the team on a whole will have to do more consistently.

Grade: B+

J.R. Smith

At points in the game, Smith looked like he started to shift towards driving the lane rather than taking ridiculous outside shots, which was working for him on layups and getting to the free throw line. At many other points, it was the same old J.R. who saw his pretty poor shooting continue with a 6-17 night (1-7 from 3PT).  His 18-7-7 line was good and overall he did a solid job filling for Carmelo Anthony for the bulk of this game, but his perimeter shot selection has been absolutely terrible and will probably cost the Knicks a few points in some games.

Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo wasn’t looking too great with a 1-5 start from the field, but Carmelo gets the benefit of the doubt that his knee issues put a damper his performance until he had to leave the game.

Grade: N/A

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Amar’e Stoudemire

Much of the talk about Amar’e playing much better without Carmelo on the floor will probably be revisited, but his performance was encouraging nonetheless, regardless of who else was playing.  He was 10-15 shooting for 22 points and was looking very active in both creating his own shots and finishing easy looks. Amar’e reached the 30 minute mark for the first time since returning and once Mike Woodson is willing to use him to that extent nightly (compared to the 22 MPG average this season), it would be no surprise to see the big man perform at a high level once again.

Grade: A

Tyson Chandler

Chandler was efficient tonight and his defensive presence was felt more than his modest 8-point, 9-rebound night. Though Marreese Speights started hot, the frontcourt for the Cavs quieted a bit in the second half as the Knicks started to make their run, with Chandler being a big part of that.

Grade: B

Role Players

Steve Novak was on tonight, hitting 4-7 3-pointers, which is a major plus because when he’s a valuable contributor of any sort on a given night, the Knicks generally have more success. Even though Amar’e and J.R. aren’t really role players since starters like Shumpert and White logged far less minutes, they can be included again as part of the Knicks great bench performance in this case. With Carmelo going down in the middle of a pretty big deficit, everyone needed to add something and the Knicks looked great without him, moving the ball well and getting plenty of good opportunities. The defensive effort on a whole was much, much better in the second half as well.

Grade: A

GUARDS

Stars:

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard Chris Paul (3) of the Los Angeles Clippers holds the game MVP trophy after the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. West won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

1. Chris Paul – UTA@LAC – $7,800

Expect a big bounce back game from Paul after an unimpressive performance last time out against the Spurs. Utah really doesn’t have anyone to guard him and I’d expect a big game for a solid price for such a star.

2. Ty Lawson – DEN@CHA – $8,100

Lawson is still on fire and should continue against Charlotte tonight. Over his last five games, he has put up over 40 FDP four times and the lone time he didn’t, it was an impressive 36.

3. Brandon Jennings – ATL@MIL – $7,800

The top six or so PGs on the board tonight are all pretty good options in my opinion, but I’ll take Jennings to cap off the group of 3 I’m mentioning. He has averaged a very healthy 20+ shot attempts per game over his last five games and I don’t see any reason why he would stop shooting. Even if he misses well over half of them, he should still have the chance to rack up FDP.

Values:

4. Brad Beal – HOU@WAS – $5,300

Beal is probably the best play on the board tonight when you consider his price and offensive capability. Beal has returned to the starting lineup with a bang and and also has two straight 30+ FDP in his last two. I see him as a great take for the price at this point.

5. Arron Afflalo – CLE@ORL – $5,800

The Magic squad is pretty depleted right now, with Jameer Nelson sidelined and J.J. Redick shipped to Boston. Afflalo is essentially their most proven option right now on offense and is coming off a 38 FDP night against a tough Memphis defense. I expect him to rack up minutes again tonight and definitely get his opportunities. He’s a good bet at $5,800.

FORWARDS

Stars:

1.  LeBron James – MIA@PHI – $9,900

LeBron is always the most reliable player on the board and even though his price reflects that, you won’t ever really want to miss out on him.

2.  Blake Griffin – UTA@LAC – $8,700

The power forward position looks shaky at best tonight. In my opinion, it’s probably going to be worth spending a little bit extra. There are guys who can perform in the $6-8K range, but none are incredibly reliable besides David West, who is playing on a back-to-back. Griffin has shown success against Utah in the past and will should have another strong performance.

3.  Josh Smith – ATL@MIL – $9,200

Smith is definitely a little bit pricy, but as I said, PF looks pretty shallow and it could be worth reaching up for him. He’s had a stretch of games where he hasn’t disappointed, even though you’d have liked to see slightly more out of him in his past two games, he still almost reached 30 FDP effortlessly.

Feb 04, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Maurice Harkless (21) during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers defeated the Magic 78-61. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Value:

4.  Mo Harkless – ORL@CLE – $4,700

Another case of the Magic being depleted, Harkless should definitely continue to get his opportunities tonight. He has averaged over 15 shot attempts over his past three games, something you usually won’t see out of guys priced this low. Harkless definitely should be worth the value and I see 20 FDP as his floor with these minutes.

5.  Martell Webster – HOU@WAS – $4,700

I like Harkless a little bit more out of the $4,700 guys, but Webster is not a bad option either. He has had a solid couple of games and as long as the minutes are there again, he should have no problem compiling some stats at home against Houston.

CENTERS

Star:

1. Al Horford – ATL@MIL – $8,100

Horford has averaged a ridiculous 42 FDP over his past four games. Larry Sanders presence in the lineup makes this a little bit tougher a match-up than it could have been a week or two ago, but it’s never a bad idea to play the hot hand like Horford.

Value:

2. Emeka Okafor – HOU@WAS – $5,900

Okafor has averaged nearly 27 FDP per game over his past four, which is good enough for me at this price. He’s always a scare for a dud game mixed in between a stretch of good 0nes, but he’s always a decent cheaper option to put up mid-20s.

GUARDS

Stars:

Feb 12, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

1. Russell Westbrook – HOU@OKC – $8,700

A minimum of 30 FDP is what I would peg Westbrook at for tonight against a fast-paced Rocket team. While 30 probably isn’t worth his high price tag, he should have opportunity to post a handful more than that with how high scoring this game should be.

2. Stephen Curry – PHO@GS – $8,400

Curry has posted 39 and 36 FDP in his past two games in losing efforts. He’s on a back to back, but I’d look for him to keep rolling as the Warriors are at home looking to break a five game losing streak.

3. Dwyane Wade – MIA@ATL – $9,000

It’s tough not to put Harden here, but Wade has been just as hot and gets an easier defensive draw tonight. Wade has averaged a healthy 37.6 FDP over his past ten, a trend that I would expect to continue at Atlanta tonight.

Values:

4. Gerald Henderson – DET@CHA – $4,600

After posting 36 FDP at Orlando last night, I’ll be rolling with Henderson again for this price. There are rumors of him being on the trade block and once you combine that with his recent stretch of games, he should continue to get his opportunities tonight and should provide great value.

5. Ricky Rubio – PHI@MIN – $5,800

He’s finally getting big minutes after returning from injury and has put together a stretch of impressive games, including a near triple double. He can perform like a top PG and is very hard to not take at this price.

FORWARDS

Stars:

Feb 12, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) dribbles against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

1.  LeBron James – MIA@ATL – $9,700

LeBron is both the best and hottest player in the game and you’d be hard-pressed not to take him any time he’s on the board. I wouldn’t expect less than 40 FDP.

2.  Rudy Gay – MEM@WAS – $8,100

Gay saw a $600 price increase from yesterday, but I still like him at that price. He’s still shooting a ridiculous amount and I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt he will continue to do so, especially with his former team in town tonight, although Tony Allen poses some threat as a defensive match-up.

3.  Dirk Nowitzki – ORL@DAL – $7,100

Dirk has been relatively consistent lately and gets a solid draw coming out of the break with the Magic tonight. He should be fresh and produce up to par for his price tag.

Value:

4.  Andrew Nicholson – ORL@DAL – $4,200

Another solid option for the minutes he gets, Nicholson gets a pretty good match-up tonight. He’s hard to fully count on still, but for the price, he’s one of the cheap guys that will get his chances to compile some stats.

5.  Jeff Green – BOS@ATL – $4,600

Coming off a 28 FDP performance last night at Denver, Green is one of the best producers in this price range. He has seen both an increase in minutes and opportunities over his past handful of games and should continue to get run with the short-handed Celtics.

CENTERS

Star:

1. Greg Monroe – DET@CHA – $8,400

He had his first disappointing game in a while last night, but has been an absolute beast of late otherwise. Expect a big bounce back game for Monroe against this Bobcats front-court.

Value:

2. Spencer Hawes – PHI@MIN – $5,700

Out of the $6,000 and below guys at center, Hawes has been getting the most consistent minutes. He’ll most likely be good for 20 FDP or more just with the amount of run he will get, which isn’t bad if you’re trying to go cheaper at center, but it’s probably worthwhile to stretch out a few hundred more to get Omer Asik.

GUARDS

Stars:

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) during the 2013 NBA all star skills challenge at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

1. Tony Parker – SA@SAC – $8,500

The Kings simply aren’t very good at covering opposing point guards and Parker has been on one of the best hot streaks in the NBA.  His price has finally caught up to his value of late as he has nine straight games of 30+ FDP, but there really isn’t a more reliable PG option out there.

2. Ty Lawson – BOS@DEN – $7,900

I like Lawson as a slightly cheaper alternative to the top two PGs (Parker/Curry) if you can use the saved money to your liking at another position. Lawson’s averaging a robust 34.6 FDP over his past games and while he gets the toughest matchup draw out of the three listed with Avery Bradley, he already showed success against Boston once this year and it’s hard to not play the hot hand.

3. Mike Conley – MEM@DET – $6,100

When you get into this price range of guards, there’s seemingly more inconsistency than there is at the forward or center position. Out of the middle-of-the-pack PGs, I like Conley to perform at Detroit, where there isn’t much perimeter defense.

Values:

4. Gerald Henderson – CHA@ORL – $4,600

Henderson has been getting consistent minutes of late and for his low price, can be a solid 20+ FDP contributor against a weak Orlando team.

5. Jason Terry – BOS@DEN – $4,400

Terry has been getting a few more looks once Rondo went down. He probably won’t do anything crazy, but should be a solid filler if need be against a Denver team that will be pushing the pace at the Pepsi Center.
FORWARDS

Stars:

Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Toronto Raptors small forward Rudy Gay (22) dunks against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

1.  Rudy Gay – TOR@WAS – $7,500

Gay is still well worth his price tag, especially in this match-up. In his 7 games as the star of the Raptors, he’s averaging over 20 shot attempts a game. He’s shooting at a very low clip lately, but with this amount of opportunities and no FanDuel penalty for misses, he’s the best forward play of the day.

2.  Kevin Garnett – BOS@DEN – $7,700

Garnett has been hot, scoring 28 or more FDP in each of his past five games as he is relied on for an increased role without Rondo. Look for him to continue his streak of solid games against a Denver team that he dominated with 53 FDP his last time out, albeit in 3OT.

3.  Paul Millsap  – GS@UTA – $7,200

Millsap is in line to have a solid game against the Warriors, who continue to struggle on the road. With the trade deadline quickly approaching and with the Jazz rumored to potentially move Millsap or Jefferson, it wouldn’t be a shock to see increased minutes to showcase him more as well.

Value:

4.  Jason Thompson – SA@SAC – $4,900

While Duncan is back, it’s tough to gauge how many minutes Pop will give him in the second half as the Spurs are already looking towards the playoffs. The Spurs have been letting up ample points to big men of late and Thompson’s averaging 28.8 FDP over his past five.

5.  Andrew Nicholson – CHA@ORL – $4,200

Nicholson is relatively inconsistent and unproven, but he’s probably the best of the bottom power forwards for the price. He’s averaging slightly over 20 FDP over his last five games and the matchup really doesn’t get any better than going up against the Bobcats bigs.

CENTERS

Star:

1. Nikola Vucevic – CHA@ORL – $7,600

There are a few good centers who should have success in this slate of games such as Monroe and Jefferson, but Vucevic should be right up there. Much like Nicholson, a lot has to do with the matchup against the Bobcats, but Vucevic is much more capable of feasting in scoring and boarding in this one. Feel free to ignore his last game, which was off of his norms, because of an absolute blowout at the hands of the Hawks.

Value:

2. Samuel Dalembert – MIL@BKN – $5,600

Although no longer considered a steal as his price jumped due to a good string of recent games, he should continue to be productive for his price as long as Larry Sanders is out.

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) goes up for a shot as Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) and point guard Chauncey Billups (1) defend during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Raymond Felton

It was a solid overall game for Felton, who hit half of his 18 shots for 20 points, also adding 5 assists and 2 steals. Even though he performed well, the 18 shots is a few too many for Felton to be taking nightly as he’s not getting Amar’e Stoudemire (9 shots) or Tyson Chandler (3 shots) involved enough. Nonetheless, those things are able to be fixed and any time you can shoot efficiently with a handful assists from the point, it’s hard to discount the effort.

Grade: B+

Jason Kidd

Kidd was not on his game in this one. With the 33 and change minutes in which he was on the floor, he recorded just one assist while knocking down only 1 shot out of his 4 attempts as well.  It’s going to be tougher for him to be totally facilitating the offense with Felton and Shumpert now back, but with those type of minutes, he needs to show some more consistently. He wasn’t able to get much going and his 3 steals is the only thing keeping him from an F.

Grade: D

J.R. Smith

Smith’s poor shooting was probably the biggest detriment to the Knicks in this game. Going just 1-9 from the field with a -18 differential in the game, the hole he created with his misses were just too much to overcome. It’s not a terrible thing for J.R. to shoot only 9 times since he’s under 40% FG on the season in his 15 attempts per game, but when he can only muster together one make out of those, it becomes a terrible thing.

Grade: F

Carmelo Anthony

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to pass around Los Angeles Clippers small forward Grant Hill (33) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony was classic Carmelo Anthony, dropping 40+ points for the 5^th time this season in a game where he personally couldn’t have done much more. He was extremely efficient, hitting 14-26 FG and 9-9 FT for 42 points including 5-11 from down town and also added on 8 boards. Unfortunately, his effort came without a reward, as it wasn’t enough to make up for the majority of the Knicks subpar performance.

Grade: A

Amar’e Stoudemire

Amar’e was basically a non-factor in this one and wasn’t very impressive in his minutes. His -19 differential was even worse than that of J.R. Smith, and Stat didn’t do much to make up for his 3 turnovers and lack of interior presence. He was all right in the shots he took, going 4-9, but he never seemed like he was having any impact on the game and needs to find a way to get more involved.

Grade: C-

Tyson Chandler

Although he didn’t do much offensively, it wasn’t wholly his fault that the opportunities weren’t there for him as he went 3-3 for just 6 points.  It’s discouraging that he never even got to the free throw line as you’d like to see him become more of an aggressive offensive threat in the paint.  He joined Blake Griffin as the only other player in the game to get double digit rebounds (11) which is a plus, but again, the lack of offensive balance for the Knicks is still an issue.

Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert

Shumpert was another Knick that was basically a non-factor this game. He only played a hair over 20 minutes and didn’t do anything in that time really, shooting just 1-4 and producing basically nothing else in terms of offensive or defensive stats. Jamal Crawford went off for 27 points as well as the Knicks continue to get burned by guards, something they absolutely need to improve on.

Grade: D

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) goes up for a shot against the New York Knicks during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Role Players

The Knicks bench was sadly highlighted by the combined 15 points from Smith and Stoudemire, while the rest of the bench barely saw any game action and were ghosts on the court when they did. There were only 26 total points scored from everyone besides Anthony and Felton along with very minimal contribution in any other facets, which is just unacceptable. As a team, the Knicks looked horrible and the Clippers were just too much for Felton and Anthony to conquer all on their own over a full game.

Grade: F

May 19, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers power forward Kenyon Martin (2) fouls San Antonio Spurs point guard Gary Neal (14) during the first half of game three of the Western Conference semi finals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

In early January, SI reported that there was a link between the Knicks and free-agent Kenyon Martin.  This is one of those minor moves that can provide a major upgrade to the Knicks. With so much uncertainty still surrounding injured big men Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby, the Knicks could afford to give an interior presence such as K-Mart a chance to get back into the NBA.

There is also a level of uncertainty about Martin as he hasn’t played this season in addition to reported attitude issues, but I don’t think either would pose a problem. Martin saw a slight decline last year, but still proved to be a valuable defender and I don’t think most people would doubt that he has the ability to perform on the same level as Wallace and Camby. The fit in New York extends beyond replacing injured Knicks too, as Martin should easily be able to gel with a strong core of veterans, including some of his ex-Nuggets teammates in Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, and the aforementioned Camby.  The marriage between the team and K-Mart may be a little further off than it should be, as Martin is reportedly seeking more than the veteran’s minimum, so there will have to be some sacrifices for this to become a reality.

So long as Wallace is out, the Knicks can also give a look to their undrafted rookie Henry Sims. Currently on the Erie Bayhawks, the Knicks D-League affiliate, Sims is nearly averaging 17 ppg and 9 rpg with over a block a game as well. He has also been coming

Jan 29, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Marreese Speights (15) grabs a rebound in the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

on strong of late, recording four straight double-double performances. If there were ever a time to see what Sims could bring to the table, it would be now. Compared to all the oft-injured and older bodies the Knicks currently are rotating in the front court, it would be a nice change of pace to see the 6’10”, fresh-legged 22-year-old get a shot to provide reliable minutes.

The Knicks should also look at some potential trade opportunities. Marreese Speights, who was recently traded from Memphis to Cleveland, is a solid target that would make sense.  Speights has a player option of $4.5MM for next season; an option that the Cavs would be best served not risking him declining after the season since they aren’t contenders this year. It would be ideal for them to get some value this year for him if they have an indication that he wont pick up the option, since his part in their rebuilding process isn’t guaranteed. Speights would serve the Knicks well as a 6’10” rebounder and shot blocker, who in his 4 games in Cleveland has also showed some offensive ability with 14 ppg. There would have to be a little creativity with the cap, but it could be a worthwhile idea if the Knicks could make it work and Cleveland is willing.

Jason Kidd

Kidd wasn’t very impressive in the Knicks win, but still contributed by chipping in a few steals, a couple leading to baskets, and 12 points on 5-10 shooting (2-7 3PT).  Most of the issue with Kidd tonight comes with allowing his counterpart, Rajon Rondo, to record his 27^th career triple double with a healthy line of 23-10-11 on 10-19 from the field. While Kidd did look better in some of the zone defense eventually used, Rondo wasn’t given much trouble last night by him or the Knicks.

Grade: C

Iman Shumpert 

It wasn’t too bad of a game for Shumpert, who like Amar’e, is still proving his health on the court. He knocked down 2-4 from three-point range and looked like he was able to move. Per usual, he was good on the defensive end. It was a little hard to keep track of specific defensive matchups as the Knicks were switching and adjusting during the game, but he also played a role in Paul Pierce only scoring 3 points in the second half.

Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony

Jan 24, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) pumps his fist after defeating the Boston Celtics 98-86 at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

There was much talk about the ‘Melo-KG drama that spawned in the last bout between the two teams. With the two brushing off the incident, it’s hard to believe that Carmelo truly was reserved about it because after all, he did have to serve a suspension for his antics following that game. Regardless of it being a big deal or not, it’s obvious that the Knicks needed a big game from Carmelo to win, wherever his inspiration came from, to get a long overdue win in Boston. Most importantly, Carmelo responded and took over the game, leading all scorers with 28 and adding 9 rebounds as well. He only shot 11-28, but started to warm up after a little while and was a consistent factor all game.

Grade: A-

Amar’e Stoudemire

In only 20 minutes, Amar’e had his best output of his young season thus far, putting up 15 points (4-7 FG) and 9 boards. He also contributed by getting to the line, hitting 7 of 8 free throws, and with a surprising 2 blocks. He did get into a little foul trouble, but this is still an inspiring performance from him that the Knicks hope will project well over more minutes as he gets healthier.

Grade: B+

Tyson Chandler

Chandler didn’t really do much of anything on the offensive end, but he didn’t get much opportunity, going only 1-2 from the field and 3-3 from the line. Defensively, Chandler was a presence, pulling down 8 boards, blocking 2 shots and picking up a steal. It would be nice to see Chandler more active on the offensive glass and with so many Knick misses tonight, it’s a little surprising he didn’t have any more points off of second chances.

Grade: B-

J.R. Smith

Jan 24, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks guard/forward J.R. Smith (8) reacts to making a three point basket during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden. The New York Knicks won 89-86. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t too pretty of a night for Smith at all in a game when a handful of his shots drew the “that’s a bad shot” reaction before the ball even left his hands. Shooting 3-16 from the field and 1-6 from three-point range is almost enough to wipe out any good that you can do, but not tonight. Smith played formidable D and most importantly, with 1:11 remaining in the game, hit his sole 3-pointer, putting the Knicks up 5.  It’s hard to ignore a very poor overall performance, but Smith left his fingerprints on this game in a positive light when it was all said and done, giving him a rightful grade boost.

Grade: C+

Role Players 

Most of the role players were nonexistent this game and there were only 10 points scored by others than were listed above (Prigioni with 6 and White with 4).  Kurt Thomas and Ronnie Brewer only had to come out of their warmups briefly as they were fillers for a minute or two at the end of a couple quarters. Prigioni was pretty productive with 4 assists as well in only 16 minutes, leading to a +8 in +/-, but either lack of minutes, lack of shots, or a combination of both led to a pretty quiet night from the Knicks role players.

Grade: C

Dec 6, 2012; Miami FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) is fouled by New York Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace (36) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Knicks won 112-92. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Who would have thought that injuries to a pair of 38-year-old role players would be a primary cause to slowing down the New York Knicks, who came out of the gate as one of the NBA’s elite? It’s undeniable that the injury to Raymond Felton has had a huge impact as well, but the interior toughness and depth that was vacated when Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby were sidelined has yet to be adequately filled in their absence.

Wallace, who didn’t play last season and was a part-time player the previous season, isn’t going to be able to log major minutes and solve everything, but his body inside and threat to shoot while spacing the floor (over one 3PTM per game this year) has been missed.  With the minutes he can hold up with, averaging about 14 over 20 games, he has been a productive rebounder with just over four per game in addition to 0.8 blocks, making a nice complement inside. The return of Amar’e Stoudemire is a big addition, but only nine games in, it remains to be seen how he performs fresh off an injury on a drastically different Knicks team than he remembers playing for last season.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks center Marcus Camby (23) defends Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) shot during the second half at Amway Center. New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Camby’s second stint with the Knicks has been a far different one than his first one over 10 years ago, but he still has been a valuable asset, even while only seeing about 10 mpg.  As recently as last season Camby averaged nine boards and 1.4 blocks a game in just over 20 mpg for Portland and Houston. More importantly, Camby is the best shot blocker on the Knicks, averaging 0.8 this season in those limited minutes and 2.4 per game for his career.

Tyson Chandler has proven his defensive value and has last season’s Defensive Player of the Year award to show for it, but his shot blocking ability doesn’t coincide with his defensive reputation and is lacking (1.0 blocks per game in 30+ mpg this year). What was brought to the court by Camby, a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year himself, shouldn’t be overlooked.

The Knicks may be thinking about how they can overcome the Heat in a playoff series, winning just a lone playoff game against them least season, but this lack of interior presence will prove to be a problem against more than just the Heat. Teams like the Bulls with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson inside will only get stronger with the return of Derrick Rose and the Knicks are already 0-3 vs. Chicago.

They don’t even need to look further than their own division for proof that they need to get tougher inside, allowing Kevin Garnett to put up 19 and 10 in their last meeting with the Celtics and getting embarrassed on the glass in Monday’s game vs. the Nets as they were outrebounded 52-37.

Between Chandler, Stoudemire, Wallace, and Camby, the Knicks had a good mix of options going for the 4 and 5 position in addition to Carmelo Anthony’s ability to play the 4. All of those players have different dimensions to their game and as a unit, have shown success this year. If they all prove to be healthy, the Knicks could have something that works but with age a factor for Wallace and Camby, that “if” becomes far less likely and it’s harder to rely on them to seamlessly bounce back from injury and slide back into the rotation.

The Knicks are still in the process of getting fully healthy at multiple positions, but as it stands right now, they will need more stability inside to ensure their credibility as a title threat this year and should explore all options for reinforcement before the trade deadline rolls around.