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

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.’”

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.

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

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.

The Knicks starting lineup tonight in Philadelphia will be as follows:

PG – Raymond Felton – 15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG

SG  – Jason Kidd – 8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG

SF – Iman Shumpert – 6.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG (Only played 3 games, 20 MIN a game)

PF – Carmelo Anthony – 29.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG

C – Tyson Chandler – 12.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG

Knicks nation is ecstatic to have Felton back in the lineup, as the Knicks were 20-8 with him in the starting lineup and 6-6 without him. It’s hard for any team to consistently win without their floor general playing, so Knicks fans weren’t panicking too much with the Knicks recent play.

It will be very interesting to see what Mike Woodson is going to do with his rotation. He basically has two point guards, a shooting guard, a small forward who can pay the stretch four, and a pure center in his starting lineup. I have no problem with this lineup, with two defensive players, one guard and one big man, on the court at the same time, along with offensive playmakers in Carmelo and Felton. Kidd is a do-it-all player so it’s hard to take him out of the lineup, as he started 35 out of the 36 games he’s played in.

J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni should still see their playing time when the starters need rest, along with a rejuvenated Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench. Woodson should try to get Amar’e and Felton on the court as much as possible since it’s no secret they feed well off each other. Felton and STAT haven’t played together in nearly two years, since the 2011 All-Stat break in February 2011. It will be very interesting to see if or when Woodson puts Stoudemire in the starting lineup with Felton since he has come alive in these last couple games.

If Amar’e finally gets his first start of the season, who will come off the bench? It will come down to either Shumpert or Kidd and it seems like Woodson loves Shumpert in the starting lineup, wasting no time putting him in there as soon as he was healthy to play. A bench of Jason Kidd, J.R Smith, Pablo Prigioni, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland, and a healthy Marcus Camby isn’t too bad.

As the Knicks starting getting to full strength, Mike Woodson will have to make big decisions on his lineup and rotation. We would all love to see everyone healthy from here on out so we can start seeing defining roles and minutes, along with continuity (thanks Clyde).

Felton is a big part of the Knicks present and hopefully future success, and Knicks fans couldn’t be happier to have him back.

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.

New York brings out the best in Felton. Back in 2010, Felton averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 assists in 54 games with the Knicks. With other teams, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. Felton does his best work in New York, and there are plenty of reasons why.

Something about New York brings out the best in Raymond Felton. Credit: Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks give Felton a chance to win. In 2010, he was surrounded by talented players. And he has even more talented players around him now. Felton has Carmelo Anthony, one of the most prolific scorers in the league, next to him. He has great pick-and-roll targets in Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. He has wing players like J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Steve Novak who can really shoot the ball. The Knicks are a point guard’s dream.

While teams are paying attention to his teammates, Felton can call his own number. He can drive to the basket or shoot from long range. Felton can score, and he will get more open looks this season than ever before.

Playing in New York is different than playing in Charlotte or Portland. Madison Square Garden is one of the greatest sports venues in the world. Some players can’t handle the pressure of playing in New York, but Felton thrives on it.

Felton loves playing in New York. You can see it on the court. Felton is in great shape. He is determined, focused and energetic. This is not the same player who underperformed with the Portland Trail Blazers last season. Felton is having fun again, and this may be his best season yet.

Edwin Torres was born in New York City. He has been a Knicks fan since the early 1980s. He has visited Madison Square Garden on many occasions to watch the Knicks and his favorite player, Patrick Ewing. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:
NBA – Statistics – Yahoo! Sports

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?

1. Miami Heat –

2. Philadelphia 76ers – Doug Collins will have the 76ers playing great basketball and winning ball games this year. With the addition of Andrew Bynum no one should sleep on Philadelphia.

3. Boston Celtics – The Celtics have to be up for out of respect for Doc Rivers. We learned last year to never count his team out and with Rajon Rondo as a veteran and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce still hungry for another ring. Don’t sleep on a Rivers’ team.

4. New York Knicks – This is finally Carmelo Anthony’s team and he is in the prime of his career. They added pieces he loves and he needs to have a championship run. If everything clicks for New York early in the season, the Knicks can be a top team in the East.

5. Indiana Pacers – The Pacers are one of the legit deep teams in the East. A lot of familiar faces will be back for Indiana as their young talent is coming up together. The Pacers are for real this year.

6. Chicago Bulls – They still have Tom Thibodeau as their coach who will not let this team fall off until Derrick Rose comes back. The Bulls won’t be an elite team without their leader but no way they skid too far until Rose comes back.

7. Brooklyn Nets – Deron Williams came back to the Nets to make a splash in Brooklyn. With Joe Johnson in the same backcourt as him, the Nets won’t be the laughing stock of the league anymore. A breath of fresh air is exactly what the Nets needed as they start a new life in Brooklyn.

8. Atlanta Hawks – Losing Johnson will sure hurt this team but Atlanta is still looking to compete in the East. They still have a great duo down low in Josh Smith and Al Horford. The Hawks didn’t completely sell all their pieces and will win games this year.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers – Kyrie Irving showed signs of superstardom in his rookie year but to be a true superstar in this league you have to win. There is a lot of raw young talent on this team and it will be Byron Scott’s job to bring it all together.

10. Milwaukee Bucks – How Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis will play together will be an interesting story all year long. Scott Skiles will need to get these two scorers to coexist and have the big trade pay off.

11. Detroit Pistons – Detroit is rebuilding and decided to go the big man route with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Brandon Knight will learn how to play point guard in this league with his first 82 game season. There’s a lot of talent in Detroit to like.

12. Toronto Raptors – The Raptors are in the toughest division in the league so it will be hard to compete. Big things are expected out of rookies Terrence Ross and last year’s No. 1 pick Jonas Valanciunas. DeMar DeRozan needs to pick up his game if the Raptors ever want to be relevant.

13. Washington Wizards – Washington’s starting five is filled with high draft picks with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Emeka Okafor. Nene is a great piece along with Trevor Ariza. The Wizards are loaded with young talent but that seems to be the problem year in and year out.

14. Charlotte Bobcats – It can only go up for the Bobcats sake. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will need to make an immediate impact to give this franchise hope in themselves.

15. Orlando Magic – The Magic got played by Dwight Howard and got the worst deal they could have gotten for him. Aaron Affialo isn’t going to carry your team. With Glen Davis as probably your best player, things aren’t looking good.

1. Los Angeles Lakers –

2. Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant is the best pure scorer in the universe. He isn’t even in his prime and he can average 30 points a game this season. Russell Westbrook is a freak athlete at the point guard position and maybe a summer with Team USA helped him become a better point guard. The Thunder are an elite team and will be one of the best all year.

3. Los Angeles Clippers – The second team in LA will be a force this season. Chris Paul is now in his prime has an awesome team around him. If Blake Griffin stays healthy, Paul will make him into an elite big man. The Clippers are no longer a laughing stock.

4. San Antonio Spurs – You would be foolish to count out the Spurs this year. Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the league and the Spurs will not let the Lakers and Thunder just run away with the West.

5. Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets are loaded with young talent at every position this season. If George Karl can get this team to play together and maximize their potential, the Nuggets will be a threat in the West.

6. Memphis Grizzlies – The Grizzlies will always be consistent and win games in the West. They have a great starting five that is very balanced. They have a scorer in Rudy Gay, defender in Tony Allen, floor general in Mike Conley, and two great post players in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Memphis is no joke.

7. Dallas Mavericks – Two years removed from their championship season, the Mavericks are a different team. They still have Dirk Nowitzki so they won’t be a pushover and he won’t have that championship hangover like last season. They have new faces in Darren Collison and o=O.J. Mayo in the backcourt that give them speed. The Mavs are different but are still good.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves – The Timberwolves are loaded with young, but inexperienced talent. Ricky Rubio showed when healthy he is a playmaker while Kevin Love is one of the league’s best players. With Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko added to the roster, this team will take the next step this season.

9. Sacramento Kings – Like the T’wolves, the Kings have a lot of young talent. That might have reached with their Jimmer  Fredette pick a year ago but they are still a very talented team. DeMarcus Cousins seems to be growing up and he and Thomas Robinson can be the next big dominant duo down low. Tyreke Evans will have to step it up if the Kings have playoff dreams.

10. Golden State Warriors – Do the Warriors get over the hump or are they still the Warriors? They finally have a solid nucleus of players in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee and Andrew Bogut. Can Mack Jackson really coach? The Warriors will have an interesting season.

11. Portland Trailblazers – Portland is a sleeper team this year. LaMarcus Aldridge is having himself quite a career up there in Portland and is heavily underrated. Damian Lillard is apparently the real deal at point guard. I still think this team will take a few years to compete.

12. Utah Jazz – The Jazz will be quiet this season. They lack star power and big playmakers. Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are great but can they put this Jazz team on their back? I don’t see it at all.

13. New Orleans Hornets – Rebuilding begins now in NOLA but it might be sooner rather than later when the Hornets play in some serious ball games. They got lucky with landing Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers. They still have Eric Gordon and when he is healthy, he is one of the best shooting guards in the league. The Hornets will grow together.

14. Phoenix Suns – The post-Steve Nash era begins now for the Suns, and it might be a little rough. Goran Dragic will have to show he can handle the starting role as point guard and Michael Beasley will finally have the main scorer title for the first time in his career. The Suns will not be the Suns of the past we are used to watching.

15. Houston Rockets – Sorry Jeremy, I had to do it to you. I can’t see the Rockets being very good this year. Linsanity will stop, Omir Asik is the most overpaid player in history, and I just feel bad for Kevin Martin. Sorry Houston, there is going to be a lot of problems this year.

1. Miami Heat
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Indiana Pacers
4. New York Knicks
5. Boston Celtics
6. Chicago Bulls
7. Brooklyn Nets
8. Cleveland Cavaliers

1^st Round

1. Miami Heat vs. 8. Cleveland Cavaliers

Oct 17, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) talks with guard Dion Waiters (3) during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

I’m not sure this will happen as the Cavs have a lot to do to become a playoff team but this will be one of most hyped up first round matchups in recent history. LeBron going back to Cleveland for a playoff matchup would be a great storyline. Kyrie Irving has the talent to lead his team to the playoffs but will it be enough to pull the historic upset over the former King of Cleveland? Would be amazing to see but I can’t see it happening.

Heat over Cavaliers 4-1

2. Philadelphia 76es vs. 7. Brooklyn Nets

This Atlantic Division matchup would create a new rivalry in the NBA. Most New York fans hate Philadelphia with the Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers in town and this would just add more fuel to the fire. I see Philadelphia having a huge year but the Nets have Deron Williams. This would be a great series but I see the Nets pulling the upset in 7.

Nets over 76ers 4-3

3. Indiana Pacers vs. 6. Chicago Bulls

We have another divisional matchup in the first round with Central foes in the Pacers and Bulls. At this point in the season the Bulls will have Derrick Rose back hopefully at full health and no opponent wants to deal with that. I love the Pacers this year but if Derrick Rose is playing all out, I have to give it to the Bulls in a great seven-game series.

Bulls over Pacers 4-3

4. New York Knicks vs. 5. Boston Celtics

Our last divisional first round matchup gives us Boston against New York, a rematch from two years ago. It would be pretty interesting with two New York teams going up against Boston and Philadelphia. The Celtics should never be counted out in the playoffs but I think Carmelo Anthony will be on a mission to prove he is the man in New York. To be the man in New York you have to win in the playoffs, and Melo will do that for the first time in the Big Apple since Clinton was in office.

Knicks over Celtics 4-2

Eastern Conference Semis

Oct 18, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

1. Miami Heat vs. 4. New York Knicks

The Knicks get a shot of revenge and history when they square up against LeBron and the Heat in the second round. The stakes will be higher compared to last year, as Carmelo and the Knicks would be playing with confidence. My heart really wants to pick the Knicks here but the Heat are too good. I hope I’m wrong but it’s hard to predict the Heat losing four games to the Knicks in the playoffs.

Heat over Knicks 4-2

6. Chicago Bulls vs. 7. Brooklyn Nets

If you love elite point guards, this is the perfect playoff matchup for you. Derrick Rose against Deron Williams is a fantastic matchup with both players being two of the league’s best. I think the Bulls have all the momentum and talent on their side here. The Bulls have been here before and know how a close playoff series feels like. No one on the Nets roster has really felt the pressure of a big playoff stage and I think Rose and the Bulls take care of the Nets.

Bulls over Nets 4-1

Eastern Conference Finals

1. Miami Heat vs. 6. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls get their shot to finally make it back to the Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan when they once again go up against LeBron and the Heat. The Bulls getting over the hump with all that Rose has been through would be a Hollywood type story. I would love to see it happen but once again picking against the Heat is hard to do. This series goes seven but the Heat are the better team.

Heat over Bulls 4-3

2013 Eastern Conference Champions – Miami Heat 

The Southeast Division is arguably the worst division in basketball right now. Yes, the division contains the defending NBA champion Miami Heat, but other than the Heat, this division might not include another playoff team this upcoming season. In years past, the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks have been middle of the pack playoff teams, but with the departures of key players like Dwight Howard and Joe Johnson, those teams might be on the outside looking in now. The Washington Wizards on the other hand, have retooled big time and are looking for John Wall to take the next step and become an All-Star. And the other team in this division, the Bobcats, are just hoping to gain a little respect. With that being said, here are my Southeast Division predictions.

First Place- Miami Heat

Starters:

PG- Mario Chalmers

SG- Dwyane Wade

SF- LeBron James

PF- Udonis Haslem

C- Chris Bosh

The defending champion and two-time defending Easter Conference champions feature a starting lineup with three of the top 20 players in the NBA today and the hands down best basketball player in the world right now- LeBron James.  Nobody had a better 2012 than LeBron did. He took home a regular season MVP, his illustrious first ring along with a Finals MVP, and a gold medal in London. Now with all the pressure off his shoulders, we might see an even better James. Dwyane Wade was banged up all of last season but has recovered since successful offseason surgery, and Chris Bosh is all healed up as well. With the Big Three at full strength and Chalmers and Haslem doing the little things, Miami once again has one of the best starting lineups in the league.

Key Reserves: Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Rashard Lewis, Joel Anthony, Norris Cole.

The rich got richer this offseason. With the additions of sharpshooters Allen and Lewis, the Heat are an even better team than they were last year. With the ability of LeBron and Wade to drive and kick going to the basket, Allen and Lewis will be getting some very good looks from behind the arc.

Team MVP: LeBron James- No need to explain this.

The Heat will cruise to the division title and ultimately the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. And I don’t see any team stopping them from reaching a 3^rd consecutive NBA Finals either. This team is too good and with their recent additions, how could anyone pick against them

Second Place- Atlanta Hawks

Starters:

PG- Jeff Teague

SG- Lou Williams

SF- Anthony Morrow

PF- Josh Smith

C- Al Horford

The Hawks kind of fall into second place by default this year. I don’t think Washington will make a big enough step to get past Atlanta, although the Hawks will hurt from losing Johnson and Marvin Williams. I think the Atlanta can get back into the playoffs by grabbing a low seed, probably the No.  7 or 8 seed. Lou Williams will provide a spark in the starting lineup, moving from his sixth man role with the 76ers last season and having Horford healthy all year will definitely help them stay afloat. Another thing in their favor is playing in the same division as the Magic and Bobcats, the two weakest teams in the Eastern Conference.

Key Reserves: Devin Harris, Kyle Korver, Zaza Pachulia, DeShawn Stevenson, John Jenkins, Johan Petro.

The Hawks bench consists of many ex-Nets (Harris, Stevenson, Petro) and sharpshooters in Kyle Korver and rookie John Jenkins. The always-reliable Zaza Pachulia rounds out a unit that will provide some spark and see some big shots hit from guys like Korver and Harris. Look for Korver to see a lot of time at the small forward position when the Hawks go to their “big” lineup and put Anthony Morrow at the shooting guard spot.

Team MVP: Al Horford- Horford missed almost the whole season last year and the Hawks were never able to recover without him. With Horford, a top ten center, back at 100 percent, look for Atlanta to be right back in the mix to earn another playoff berth. His rebounding and scoring is key to Atlanta’s success, and with Johnson now out of the picture, look for the offense to flow through Horford this season.

Atlanta is a good enough team to make the playoffs, but nowhere near the 4-6 seed range they have been over the past few seasons. The Eastern Conference is too good now and the Hawks lost too much to be considered a viable threat.

Third Place: Washington Wizards

Starters:

PG- John Wall

SG- Bradley Beal

SF- Trevor Ariza

PF- Nene

C- Emeka Okafor

On paper, this team looks very dangerous. On the court, things could go south very quickly. Wall will miss at least the first month on the season due to injury and who knows how Beal will develop in his first go around through the league. Okafor is solid and so is Nene, but both often struggle to stay healthy. If this team can play up to it’s potential and avoid injury, I think they can shock the NBA and make it to the postseason. But if turmoil strikes, expect the Wizards to be in the same situation as they have been in the last couple of years.

Key Reserves: Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesley, Chris Singleton, Martell Webster, Trevor Booker.

There are few players I’m as excited to see play this year other than Vesley (Jonas Valanciunas being the other).  Vesley is supposedly a big time overseas talent and could be exactly the spark the Wizards need off the bench. As for the rest of the bench, Crawford can score at will, but his shot selection is questionable and he can bump heads with Wall as we saw last year.  Singleton is a big time defender but he is basically a poor man’s, less athletic Ariza. I don’t like the frontcourt help off the bench and I think Washington is in major trouble if one of their oft-injured starters up front goes down.

Team MVP: John Wall- The Wizards will go as far as Wall can take them. This is his third season in the league and it’s getting down to nitty-gritty time. Can Wall become a top-ten point guard or is he all flash? His love for the game has been questioned and so has his leadership, both big time red flags for any organization. The front office has surrounded him with enough talent this year than Wall should be able to get the Wizards near a playoff berth.

Washington is good and the potential for this team is scary. With that being said, I don’t trust Wall and I don’t trust the health of this team. Too many injuries and not enough leadership will once again lead the Wizards to an under .500 record with no playoff berth.

Fourth Place- Charlotte Bobcats

Starters:

PG- Kemba Walker

SG- Gerald Henderson

SF- Michael Kidd-Gilchrest

PF- Bismack Biyombo

C- Byron Mullens

The Bobcats are coming off one of the worst seasons in NBA history and are currently the joke of the league. That can all change this season when the Bobcats younger players finally come together and produce some wins. Walker is the leader of this team and should have a productive sophomore season. Look for rookie Kidd-Gilchrest to be a big time playmaker and big man Mullens to build on a good 2012 season. Much of Charlotte’s success will depend on how second-year power forward Biyombo plays. Last year was just a small sample size of what he can bring to this team. I expect him to be much improved and for this team to crawl out of the Southeast basement.

Key Reserves: Ramon Sessions, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Brendan Haywood, Reggie Williams.

The Bobcats quietly built a nice little bench over the offseason, with the prized possessions obviously being the backcourt duo of Sessions and Gordon. Both of these players are proven NBA players and could easily be starters. In Gordon’s case, he has thrived throughout his career coming off the pine, which answers the question of why Gerald Henderson is starting over him.

Team MVP: Ben Gordon- Gordon is coming from a bad situation in Detroit. He was signed to a big contract that he never lived up too and left on bad terms with the Pistons organization. As he arrives in Charlotte, this might be his last chance to save his career. The Bobcats are going to need help scoring the ball and that is exactly what Gordon will provide for them. If this team wants to avoid a last place finish, then Gordon will have to regain his old form.

The Bobcats can’t get much worse than last season, so obviously I think they will improve. I love Jordan’s pick of MKG, and I believe in Kemba Walker enough to put Charlotte ahead of Orlando in the standings. I think that if the young players develop enough and if Jordan can bring in a veteran, Charlotte can be dangerous in the future.

Fifth Place- Orlando Magic

Starters:

PG: Jameer Nelson

SG: Arron Afflalo

SF: Hedo Turkoglu

PF: Glen Davis

C: Nikola Vucevic

The Magic had a terrible offseason, losing all-world center Dwight Howard and getting basically nothing in return. They also fired their coach, Stan Van Gundy, and were unable to get rid of Hedo Turkoglu’s ridiculous contract. The backcourt will be solid with Nelson and Afflalo but the frontcourt is arguably the worst in the NBA. Hedo, Big Baby and Nikola Vucevic don’t exactly strike fear in opponents’ eyes. Look for Orlando to get outrebounded almost every game and have trouble winning games down the stretch without a star to go to.

Key Reserves: Al Harrington, JJ Redick, Andrew Nicholson, Gustavo Ayon, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Quentin Richardson, Kyle O’Quinn.

Not exactly household names jumping off the page, other than Harrington and Redick. The youngsters will surely have growing pains early but I certainly expect ex-Johnny Harkless to eventually mold into a nice scorer off the bench.  Ayon might be a name to remember moving forward and we know Harrington has the ability to hit big shots.

Team MVP: Arron Afflalo- Afflalo was the key return for Orlando in the Howard deal, but this is a bad spot for him. He is expected to fill some big shoes and it is virtually impossible for him to do so. Fans will unfairly expect him to be a star on this team while in retrospect; he is just a role player. If Orlando wants to stay out of the basement and not finish behind Charlotte, Afflalo will need to step up his game.

Orlando lost a top-five player in Howard and didn’t get much in return. Without him and the loss of Ryan Anderson, I don’t see Orlando making it out of last place. This team doesn’t have enough talent right now to compete and their bench is too unproven. Their frontcourt is a joke and if one of their starting guards gets injured, things will turn ugly in a hurry.

From the time Mike Woodson took over for Mike D’Antoni a season ago and with an offseason filled with additions to make the Knicks a better defensive team, many people expected the Knicks to be a defensive juggernaut from day one of training camp.

Mar 30, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks power forward Josh Smith (5) drives to the basket against New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and center Tyson Chandler (6) during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 100-90. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

But that hasn’t been the case. Not at least through five preseason games.

So far, the Knicks team defense looks below average at best.

The Knicks have looked flat on defense a lot — not guarding the pick-and-roll well — and it shows in the box score. They allow plenty of room to shoot threes, and the opposition has made them for the most part. They have also allowed a ton of fastbreak points. The lackluster attitude also shows up in the offensive rebounding margin.

Looking at the Raptors game in particular, Amar’e Stoudemire really struggled staying with center Jonas Valanciunas, and that opened up second-chance opportunities for the Raptors. When Stoudemire does return, he must be better defensively or teams will exploit this and the Knicks can’t afford to allow teams second and third opportunities.

Then there’s fourth quarter execution. The Knicks have routinely broken down when trying to make stops in the fourth quarter, not getting back on defense quick enough and slipping behind the pick-and-roll, which is another issue altogether. This team is built to get stops late in games, but they seem to get lazier on the defensive end as the game goes.

The pick-and-roll defense and defensive rotations are very bad. The Sixers finished the first half Monday night shooting 59.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from downtown. The Knicks slip a little too much on screens and sometimes get too reactive watching the ball. They are still sorely missing team chemistry and need that to execute strong team defense. You also can notice the difference when Iman Shumpert doesn’t play.

That brings me to whether or not to be concerned about the Knicks defense.

Injuries have played a huge role in that. I already mentioned Shumpert, but the likes of J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby, Ronnie Brewer, Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace and others have also been out of the lineup for most of the preseason, so it has been difficult to establish chemistry.

Everyone talked about how important a full training camp would be in establishing chemistry on the offensive end, but it is more important to establish it on the defensive end and that’s where it has shown.

However  that’s no excuse for the lack of effort we’ve seen at times.

That’s a little bit disturbing, but I will wait until the regular season before coming close to pressing the panic button.

The facts are that until this team gets healthy, we really don’t know what to make of this Knicks team at both ends of the floor.

However the plan was to assemble this team with veterans and make this team very good defensively. I know Woodson feels that young players don’t win championships, but old players don’t stay with younger and more athletic ones on the defensive end of the floor.

It is something that could turn into a problem and it would be almost foolish to not pay attention to the current effort defensively.

The one thing for certain is that if the Knicks plan on contending, they must get much better on the defensive end of the floor.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

To begin with, the GM’s around the association don’t think the Knicks will win the Atlantic Division, but instead have them penciled in for second place.

Here’s how the voting panned out:

Boston — 66.7 percent
Brooklyn and New York — 13.3 percent
Philadelphia — 6.7 percent

Oct 22, 2012; Syracuse, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts during the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

Carmelo Anthony was also a popular topic among the NBA GM’s as he showed up as one of the more respected players in the league. With that being said, here’s a look at where Anthony ranks according to the league GM’s. They think ‘Melo could have an MVP-type season, which will be big for the Knicks in 2013.

1. Who will win the 2012-13 MVP?

LeBron James – 66.7 percent
Kevin Durant – 30.0 percent
Carmelo Anthony — 3.3 percent

2. Which player is the best at getting his own shot?

Kobe Bryant – 40.0 percent
Kevin Durant — 30.0 percent
LeBron James — 16.7 percent
Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade – 6.7 percent

3. Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?

Kevin Durant — 46.7 percent
Kobe Bryant — 40.0 percent
Carmelo Anthony — 6.7 percent

In addition to Anthony, some other Knicks were recognized by the league GM’s. That list includes: Tyson Chandler who finished third (10 percent of the votes) for best interior defender; Steve Novak finished third (6.7 percent) for best pure shooter; and Jason Kidd finished fourth (10.3 percent), along with Steve Nash, for the category “active player who will make the best head coach someday.”

Finally, the Knicks decision to let Jeremy Lin leave as a free agent was recognized as one of the most surprising offseason moves.

What was the most surprising move of the offseason?

Steve Nash to the Lakers — 39.3 percent
Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum/Andre Iguodala trade — 17.9 percent
Knicks not matching Jeremy Lin offer — 14.3 percent
Ray Allen to Miami, Joe Johnson to Brooklyn — 10.7 percent

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

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.

April 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby (29) against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Well that period has long passed and the 38 year old is no closer to returning to the floor than he was initially after suffering the injury.

Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson admitted he isn’t sure if he will be back next week and make the Knicks upcoming three-game road trip to Montreal-Albany-Syracuse.

“I can’t say he’s getting close,’’ Woodson said to the New York Post’s Marc Berman. “He’s feeling better – put it that way. I’ll talk to (trainer) Roger (Hinds) and the training staff and see if there’s a chance of him coming back next week. I don’t know yet.’’

Camby was signed to be the backup to Tyson Chandler at center and he not being on the floor is not a good sign, not only in terms of chemistry, but also in terms of Camby being ready for the regular season opener November 1 at Brooklyn.

With Rasheed Wallace also not practicing right now, the Knicks are a suddenly thin team up front.

Camby’s first stint as a Knick was marred by injury, hopefully the second time around won’t have similar results.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

It also is the home to the leagues two best players- LeBron James and Kevin Durant. These two guys can each play all five positions and are the premier players in the sport today. With LeBron and Durant at the top, the rest of the top small forward position players have a lot of catching up to do. The first two players are no surprise but how about the next eight? Here are the Top 10 small forwards heading into the 2013 NBA season.

May 17, 2012; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Caron Butler (5) shoots during the first half in game two of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

10. Caron Butler- Los Angeles Clippers

Caron Butler comes in at No. 10 on the list. Butler hasn’t been healthy enough to make a jump into the 5-9 range but he is a damn good player when he gets on the court. He does the little things and has always been a leader, showing the world his toughness by playing with a broken hand in last year’s postseason. Playing with Chris Paul can boost your stats and I like Caron to take a nice step forward if he can stay healthy.

9. Gerald Wallace- Brooklyn Nets

Gerald Wallace is a do everything type of guy. He doesn’t do one particular thing great but he does everything well. He can score, rebound, pass, defend and block shots. He is known as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league and is often near the top of the league in steals. He isn’t the same All-Star type quality player he was with Charlotte, but Wallace doesn’t have to be the go-to-guy on a Nets team that features players such as Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.

8. Luol Deng- Chicago Bulls

Luol will have to be the man in Chicago until MVP Derrick Rose returns from injury after the All-Star break. Deng has always been second fiddle but now he’ll get a chance to shine while Rose is sidelined. He has always struggled staying healthy but has shown up to camp at 100 percent for the first time in a long time. Look for Deng’s numbers to spike this year as he sees more shots with D-Rose out.

7. Danny Granger- Indiana Pacers

Granger is considered the “star” of the Pacers, even though his numbers aren’t “star” quality. He is still an above average player though and has come into his own as the leader of an Indiana team that will be near the top of the Eastern Conference this year. Granger’s three-point shot has steadily improved and he is a solid defender. His scoring production should increase this year as well.

6. Rudy Gay- Memphis Grizzlies

Gay leads the upstart Memphis Grizzlies who have proven to be a tough playoff team the past couple of seasons. When healthy, Gay is an athletic wing who can score, rebound and defend. His three-point shot can be inconsistent at time but make no mistake about it, Gay is the Grizzlies go to guy down the stretch and has proven he can hit clutch shots late in games. He was highly touted coming out of Connecticut and  is finally proving his superstar quality.

Oct 13, 2012; Hartford, CT, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) dribbles the ball against New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

5. Paul Pierce- Boston Celtics

Despite being 34 years old, the Truth is still one of the best, most clutch fourth quarter players in the game today. Despite not being the player he once was, everybody knows that Pierce will still take the big shots in the fourth quarter for Boston and be one of the key pieces in determining whether the Celtics can stay in the upper class of the Eastern Conference.

4. Andre Iguodala- Denver Nuggets

Iggy has turned into quite the ball player. Once just considered a freak athlete, he has polished his game and turned himself into a viable offensive threat. He is one of the premier defensive stoppers in the league today and showed the world that he can now shoot the rock during the Olympic games in London. I think his first season away from Philadelphia will be a huge success. This team and their style of play fits Iguodala’s game perfectly. He is a guy who likes to run and play a high volume game, just like teammate Ty Lawson.

3. Carmelo Anthony- New York Knicks

The time is now for Carmelo. His draft partners (LeBron,Darko,Bosh,Wade) all now have rings, leaving him as the lone top five pick of the 2003 draft who hasn’t won the big trophy yet. Carmelo is a top five offensive player in this league, no doubt about it. He can shoot from the outside, drive to the basket, post up smaller players, and he finally looks to be in good shape.

The knock on him has always been his defensive skills. ‘Melo is a bad defensive player who has no interest in buckling down and making a big stop when he needs too. The other problem with ‘Melo is how he co-exists with teammate Amar’e Stoudemire. The two have yet to click and if it doesn’t happen this year, one of them might be on their way out of New York.

2. Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City Thunder

Never before has the league seen a player as unique as Kevin Durant. The 6″10 small forward is virtually unguardable. He can take it inside or light it up from behind the arc. His length makes it impossible to block his shot and he is arguably the most clutch player in the game right now.

Durant is already a three-time scoring champion and is only 24 years old. He will make a run at Kareem’s scoring record if he remains healthy and he just might break it. KD has taken the once laughable Oklahoma City Thunder and turned them into a powerhouse that game up just short in their first NBA Finals appearance. Don’t be mistaken though, it shouldn’t be long before Durant gets his first ring.

1. LeBron James- Miami Heat

No surprise here. LeBron James is not only the best small forward in the game, but he is unquestionably the best player in the game today. Period. The three-time MVP and now NBA champion might go down as one of the top five players to ever play the game. He can do it all and then some- score, rebound, pass, and defend. He is the ultimate total package. Hate him or love him, there is no denying his greatness. A player like LeBron hardly ever comes around, so cherish the time we have to watch him play the game.

March 6, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard Kevin Martin (12) looks to make a pass during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

10) Kevin Martin, Houston Rockets -  “The Forgotten One,” last year he was a little banged up but he is a weapon on the offensive side of the ball. He’s played for the Kings and now the Rockets in his career and has never gotten credit for his talents. If the Rockets make the playoffs this year, he will have a big say in it.

9) Eric Gordon, New Orleans Hornets - Gordon barely saw the floor last year and in his brief career has had hard times staying healthy. When healthy he has shown flashes of superstar ability. He just signed a huge max contract with the Hornets this off-season, and if he can stay healthy we will finally be able to see if he live up to the hype.

8) Monta Ellis, Milwaukee Bucks- Probably one of the best pure scores in the league. He is in his true prime right now however, I wonder if he will turn all his talent into wins for his team. He is the key to the Bucks success this season I feel.

7) Paul George, Indiana Pacers - The youngster of this group, George is only 22 years old and still a very raw talent. In his second year last year he made huge strides so I’m expected a lot from him this year. He is physically and athletically freakish; if he puts it all together, watch out for the Pacers.

6) Andre Iguodala, Denver Nuggets -  He was traded from the 76ers to the Nuggets in the blockbuster deal involving Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum and he flies under the radar when it comes to that deal. The Nuggets have a similar identity to his former team, the 76ers. He is a great fit in Denver and I feel he will have a huge year under George Karl. He averaged 12 PPG, 6 APG, 6 RPG last season which was good but I expect even more scoring out of him this season to go along with his lockdown defense.

5) Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets - With a change of scenery for Johnson, Atlanta to Brooklyn, I expect him to have an excellent year. With Deron Williams running the point Johnson should benefit tremendously. His success could determine the success of the Nets as a whole. Expect to see his PPG rise from 18.8 to 21 or 22 PPG with the help of Williams.

4) James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder - Harden has been the best sixth man in the league since he was drafted. He’s only 23 years old but I think his experience with Team USA should benefit him this year. He’s part of the core of the Thunder, and his disappearing act in the playoffs should make him hungry for this next season.

October 15, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) sits on the bench in the second half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

3) Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs- Manu is Such an impact player and can do so many things when he’s healthy, but that has been his problem. His age and durability hurt his ranking but if can stay healthy he is one of the deadliest offensive threats in the game.

2) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat - Wade is coming off of a championship season with the Miami Heat and offseason knee surgery. Even on one knee this past postseason, Wade was a huge part of the Heat’s championship run. He enters this season fully healthy and should be his normal 24 PPG, 5 APG and 5 RPG from last season.

1) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers- I mean come on, did you expect any different? Even at 39 and with 16 years under his belt, he is still Kobe. Last season, The Black Mamba, averaged a staggering 28 PPG, 5 APG and 5 RPG. As for this season, with the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, we should expect Kobe to be his typical great self.

There’s a good bit of debate right now concerning who will lock down the New York Knicks final roster spot heading into the 2012-13 season.

If the Knicks decide to keep Rasheed Wallace, which is all but certain, that leaves one sport up for grabs with Chris Copeland, John Shurna and Mychel Thompson currently the leading candidates.

July 17, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks player Chris Copeland (14) in the first half of the game against the Denver Nuggets at Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

With that being said, right now Copeland could have that spot locked up.

While preseason numbers don’t normally mean a whole heck of a lot, Copeland’s performance Saturday night against Boston, in which he scored 21 points in 19 minutes might have been enough to earn the training camp invitee a spot on the regular season roster.

Copeland impressed the coaching staff during Vegas summer league with his inside-out game and toughness and showed some skill on pick-and-rolls with Pablo Prigioni and Jason Kidd. He also showed the knack to absorb contact and drawing fouls.

He can play and defend multiple positions, which gives Copeland some added value, especially since both the Knicks’ frontcourt and backcourt are currently stretched thin because of injuries.

However the Knicks will get healthy, which means they will likely keep the one of the three that can offer up the most throughout the course of a season, although whoever they keep won’t see a ton of minutes.

That means despite  Copeland’s heroics on Saturday, Thompson could still have the edge, especially since J.R. Smith and James White are the only capable healthy shooting guards at the moment. He has the ability to shoot the three, create some offense and defend, which are needs from the perimeter and he has some NBA experience under his belt from last season in Cleveland. Thompson showed some offensive ability against Boston and also grabbed six rebounds and stayed defensively with the Celtics quicker guards.

You can also make the case for Shurna, who can stroke it from downtown even though he has struggled through two preseason games. Shurna is athletic, can rebound and fill the lane in transition.

That’s what makes this battle for the final roster spot a very interesting one.

All three guys add something positive to this team.

Despite Copeland’s heroics Saturday night, he hasn’t locked anything up just yet, although he may have taken a big step in coming close to doing so.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The aging Boston Celtics are hoping to stay on top of the division and make a final chase at the NBA title while the New York Knicks attempt to continue their ascent up the Eastern Conference standings. The Brooklyn Nets made some big splash signings in honor of their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Also the Philadelphia 76ers made a big move as well trading for Andrew Bynum, hoping he could take the Sixers to the next level. The Toronto Raptors are a team with no identity and will most likely be the basement dweller in this highly competitive division. Now here are my predictions.

June 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers talks to Paul Pierce (34) and Rajon Rondo (9) against the Miami Heat during the third quarter in game seven of the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

First Place: Boston Celtics

Starters:

PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Kevin Garnett

After last year how could this aging Celtics team have anything left in the tank? Both Garnett and Pierce are getting up there in age so how will they be able to even repeat their success of last year? It’s quite simple actually, the young backcourt tandem of Rondo and Bradley. When Ray Allen was hobbled last season Bradley stepped up and put the NBA on notice, he’s ready to be a contributor to the Celtics. Before he was injured in the playoffs, he made the old Celtics look like a team poised to ruin the NBA title dreams of the Miami Heat. I think that Bradley takes an even bigger step then he took last year and becomes a big threat in the Atlantic Division.

Rondo is a huge reason why the Celtics will stay atop the Atlantic. He’s one of the elite point guards in the NBA. It’s no longer the big three in Boston, it’s now Rondo’s team and if he goes so will the Celtics. Don’t get me wrong, Garnett and Pierce are both a HUGE part of this team but due to their advanced age and judging by how head coach Doc Rivers managed their minutes last year, I don’t see them as the stars of the team. However, KG is still the heart and soul of this team and is still a huge presence on the floor and his health will be a huge factor in the Celtics title hopes. Also, Pierce is still a legit scoring threat and one of the most clutch players in the game. This season could be the last shot for the core of this team to win another NBA title, but I still view them as one of the few that can challenge the Heat from winning back-to-back titles.

Key Bench players: Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, and Jared Sullinger.

All of these players are new editions to the Celtics roster (Green didn’t play last season). I love the signing of Jason Terry because he is a lethal scoring threat off the bench and provides a go-to option for the second unit. Green can do a little of everything and is extremely versatile on the defensive end. However, he’s coming off major heart surgery that required him to miss all of last season. He should be eased back into things but expect him to have a major role when the season is in full swing. Both Lee and Sullinger provide the depth, along with Green and Terry, which the older Celtics need.  Sullinger is an interesting player off the bench for the Celtics but I think he will take on a similar role that Glen “Big Baby” Davis occupied during his tenure in Boston.

Team MVP: Rajon Rondo

Rondo is in his prime as a basketball player and this season should be the season he truly takes over the Celtics. He’s one of the best ball handlers and passers in the NBA today, however in order to become an elite player he needs to become a consistent offensive threat and this season should be the season for him. If Rondo takes it to the next level this season he should carry this team to an Atlantic Division title and deep into the playoffs.

This is it for the core players of the Boston Celtics. All of the teams below them that they have beat up on for the last few years are now becoming big threats to their Atlantic Division title of “Head Honcho.” It’s now or never for this team to get it done and win another title. If they don’t succeed expect some big changes in Beantown because this team may be headed for an overhaul next season.

Second Place: New York Knicks

Starters:

PG: Raymond Felton
SG: J.R Smith
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Amar’e Stoudemire
C: Tyson Chandler

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony at media day at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks have made major changes each of the last three offseasons with the hopes of becoming an elite NBA team. They have made the playoffs the last two seasons and finally relevant again in the NBA. However, the Knicks exited the playoffs in the first round the last two seasons. This season they made a change at point guard, bringing in Felton who was with the Knicks two years ago and put up quality numbers. Head coach Mike Woodson hopes to get similar production out of Felton this season. J.R. Smith was re-signed this off-season after opting out of his two year deal with the Knicks. He’s starting at shooting guard for the time being with Iman Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer coming back from knee injuries. Smith is a streaky shooter, but if he catches fire can carry an offense for long stretches of a game.

The fate of the team rests on the core of the Knicks team, Melo, Stat and Chandler. Melo looked great in the Summer Olympics and the Knicks are hoping he can build off his performance in the games. He is the main guy on offense and towards the end of the season found his offensive groove. However, he needs to find it sooner or else it will be another up and down season for the Knicks. Now for Stat, this could be his last season with the Knicks. His play last season was awful and there is no better way to put it. It could just be him and Melo can’t both play together and succeed. If Stat can get back to the form he had before Melo arrived the Knicks will be hard to stop, if not, look for Stat to be dealt at the deadline. Tyson Chandler is the reigning defensive POY and is the heart of this Knicks defense. Look for the overall team defense with a full training camp and preseason under coach Mike Woodson.

Key Bench players: Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, Marcus Camby, Ronnie Brewer, and Steve Novak

The Knicks got exactly what they were looking for this off-season, quality depth at each position. Jason Kidd isn’t what he used to be but he will have the ability to make this second unit better offensively and is a leader on and off the court. Shumpert and Brewer are athletic twos who are coming off injuries. Look for them to play big minutes upon return because of their great defense. Marcus Camby is in his second go-round with the Knicks and will provide a huge help to Chandler. He’s still a fierce defender, shot blocker and rebounder off the bench. Steve Novak is back, he led the league in three-point percentage last season and he will continue to make it rain coming off the bench.

Team MVP: Carmelo Anthony
This is Carmelo’s 10th season in the league and he has only been out of the first round once. It is his time to take his game and team to another level. He needs to have an NBA MVP type season to help carry the Knicks to that elite level in order for the Knicks to compete for an NBA title. Melo is one of the top 10 players in the game; he is too talented to not be able to get his team past the first round. Expect a huge year out of Melo.

The time is now for the Knicks to take the leap from playoff team to championship contender. First things first they have to finally get past the top dog Celtics. There’s no excuse for the Knicks if they don’t take it to the next level, they simply have too much talent, depth and experience to not get it done. If the Knicks play to the best of their abilities, expect them to overtake the Celtics and make an appearance in the conference finals against the Heat.

Third Place: Philadelphia 76ers

Starters:

PG: Jrue Holliday
SG: Jason Richardson
SF: Evan Turner
PF: Spencer Hawes
C: Andrew Bynum

The starting lineup looks a lot different compared to last year. The 76ers parted ways with Elton Brand, Louis Williams and traded away Mr. Everything Andre Iguodala, in order to get Andrew Bynum. They have a whole new identity now with Bynum in the middle. Last season they used a bunch of good role players to reach the playoffs and advanced into the second round, taking down the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls in the process.

May 18, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum (17) controls the ball against the defense of Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the first half of game three of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Losing Iguodala could have a huge impact because he does everything well and was the leader of this team. Also losing Williams was pretty big as well, he was the sixth man coming off the bench but was the leading scorer on their team. Now they have a legitimate superstar in Bynum along with two very good, young role players in Holliday and Turner. With opposing teams focusing on Bynum I think they both will benefit.  Richardson should be able to get open looks with opposing teams double-teaming Bynum in the low post.

Key Bench Players: Thaddeus Young, Nick Young, Kwame Brown and Dorell Wright

The bench took a serious hit losing Williams due to the fact he was a proven scorer. However, they did a good job replacing him with another good scorer in Nick Young. They also added sharpshooter Dorell Wright, who struggled last season in a starting role. If he can return to his form of two seasons ago this bench becomes significantly better. Thaddeus Young is their sixth man and one of the better players on their team. He fits in at the small or power forward and does a lot of intangible things to make the team better.

Team MVP: Andrew Bynum
Bynum is no question the star of this 76ers team. Last season was his best season as pro, averaging 20.5 PPG and 11.5 RPG and those monster stats were all under the shadow of Pau Gasol. Throughout his career Bynum has been labeled as a guy with a low motor and a clown. I look for him to have a bigger year than last year and stepping up as the star and leader of a young talented Sixer team.

As I mentioned before the 76ers were a good team last season, defeating the Bulls and advancing to the second round. However, they are a new team this season and with the addition of Bynum they are a serious threat in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. This team is young and talented, but I think it will take some time getting used to each other. They are built for the long haul and while I think they will contend this season, they will probably be much better next season and will be a team to be wrecking with for years to come.

Fourth Place: Brooklyn Nets

Starters:

PG: Deron Williams
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Gerald Wallace
PF: Kris Humphries
C: Brook Lopez

The Nets have moved from New Jersey to a $1 billon new arena in Brooklyn, New York. With the change of scenery for the Nets they also made some big changes with the starting five. They were considered to be the front-runners in the Howard sweepstakes from the moment he wanted out of Orlando. However, the Nets went a different route in order to keep star point guard Deron Williams; they traded for shooting guard Joe Johnson and re-signed Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries. By doing that, they eliminated themselves from Howard contention. They also re-signed Brook Lopez to a 4 year $56 million deal.

Apr 14, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Boston Celtics at the Prudential Center. The Celtics won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

I believe the Nets did an incredibly smart thing by not trading for Howard, what they would have given up would have decreased there depth even more. Instead of adding one superstar they managed to add a star in Johnson, keep a top three point guard in Williams and re-sign quality front court players Humphries, Wallace and Lopez. The starting five is one of the best in the entire league. With Williams still running the point he should be able to help the rest of the starting five together.

Key Bench Players: MarShon Brooks, Reggie Evans, and C.J. Watson

This is the thing holding the Nets back from being a legitimate championship contender. They simply have no depth, which will put a tremendous burden on the starting five. Brooks is a quality scorer off the bench but has his times where he can’t hit the broad side of a barn. Reggie Evans provides experience and toughness on the interior but provides absolutely nothing for the Nets on offense off the bench. Watson did a nice job filling in for Derek Rose throughout last year and will be a solid option off the bench. He’s good enough to give Williams much needed rest so he will remain fresh throughout the season.

Team MVP: Brook Lopez

Lopez was the most talked about player on the Nets last season, but for the wrong reasons. He was frequently brought up in the trade rumors for Howard. However, the Nets decided to stick with Lopez re-signing him to a big max contract. He is a lot better for the Nets then Howard simply because he is a legitimate offensive weapon. He is the key to the Nets playoff hopes. He was injured just about all of last season but prior to that he averaged 17.6 PPG and 7.5 RPG throughout his career. I expect Lopez to take a big step in his progression as a player this season with all of the talent around him. He should become a 20/10 player this season and lead the Nets to the playoffs.

The Nets spent a lot of money with the move to Brooklyn and to bring in quality talent in order to become a contender immediately. However, their lack of depth will probably be their Achilles heel. They have one of the elite starting five’s in the NBA and have a superstar in Deron Williams leading the way.

The Nets could possibly win the Atlantic Division but the starting five will have to mesh quickly and they will be racking up a lot of minutes along the way. If they are able to be a top team in the Atlantic and Eastern Conference, I see fatigue slowing them down towards the end of the year leading to this fourth place finish. They should still make the playoffs but like I said, fatigue for the starting five should hinder their ability to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Fifth place: Toronto Raptors

Starters:

PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Landry Fields
SF: DeMar Derozan
PF: Andrea Bargnani
C: Jonas Valanciunas

The Toronto Raptors are an extremely young team this season, with an average age of their starters of 23.8 years old. Although they are young they are not inexperienced. However, there are a lot of new faces in this Raptors starting lineup so it’s hard to see what their identity is.

Feb 28, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry (7) posts up Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon (8) during the third quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US Presswire

Trading for Lowry was big for the future and while Fields didn’t have a great sophomore season with the Knicks, shooting 26 percent from 3-point range and averaging 8.8 PPG. He’s still a decent 2-guard who still needs time to grow as an NBA starter and Toronto has faith in him, signing him to a 3 year $20 million deal.

DeMar DeRozan is a former lottery pick of the Raptors and has struggled to find his identity as a player in the NBA. He’s only 23 years old but has been in the league for several years, the Raptors are hoping DeRozan can take his offensive game to the next level, especially on the perimeter. Bargnani is a former No.1 overall pick of the Raptors who missed more than half of the games last season and is struggling to live up to the No. 1 pick status. Valanciunas is the baby of the group, only 20 years old. He’s seven footer out of Lithuania. He was drafted in last year’s draft and has decided to come over to the U.S. this season. It’ll be interesting to see how the big man transitions from overseas to the NBA this season, but he has the skill set and size to become a threat for the Raptors.

Key Bench Players: Terrance Ross, Jose Calderon, and Linas Kleiza

The Raptors don’t have a lot of depth. Terrance Ross is their latest lottery pick, selected eighth in the 2012 draft. He’s a lethal three-point shooter but some consider him being selected No. 8 a reach for the Raptors. He should provide instant offense for the Raptors off the bench if he can knock down three’s. Calderon is their best option off the bench; he was the starting point guard last season. He could be a starter on a few NBA teams and expect him to see a lot of minutes this season even though he won’t be starting. Kleiza is a good player coming off the bench, averaging about 10 PPG for the Raptors over the last two seasons.

Team MVP: Andrea Bargnani

Last season Bargnani looked good in the time he was able to stay on the court, which wasn’t often (missed 35 of 66 games). If he can stay healthy this season he is the key to the Raptors success. The Raptors are a young team in need of a superstar and Bargnani has the skills to be that star. If Bargnani can stay healthy I predict he has a monster year because he is a mismatch for opposing teams.

The Raptors aren’t rebuilding but they are at the same time. They have some proven NBA talents who could help them have a good year and possibly push for the eighth seed in the Easter Conference. However, they do have some young players who will need time to develop before they can be serious contributors. There is a small possibility for them to be a surprise playoff team but I don’t see it just yet especially with how good of a division they play in. They will be the basement dwellers of the Atlantic Division this season and will be on track for yet another lottery pick.

Oct 09, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) dribbles the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at the United Center. Chicago defeats Memphis 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

10. Joakim Noah Chicago Bulls - Noah is a one of hardest workers in basketball. The former national champion brings so much energy to the Bulls, especially on the defensive end. Every season he is getting better around the basket, but he is most valuable for his tenacious rebounding and ability to create second chance points. Although Noah is unconventional, he has turn into a good pro.

9. Al Jefferson Utah Jazz- Being in Minnesota and now Utah the last five seasons, Jefferson isn’t as well known as the other big names but he should be. Jefferson is a flat out stud and has averaged 19.6 points over the course of the last five seasons and has averaged nine rebounds per game since he entered the league in 2004 with the Celtics. He is a consistent as it gets at the center position and should be more recognized in the league.

8.  Al Horford Atlanta Hawks- Many forgot how good Horford really is when his season was lost when he tore his pectoral muscle early in 2012. This man can do it all. He has an array of low-post moves and a beautiful mid-range game to go along with being a good passer and playing solid defense. Not to mention his rebounding prowess, averaging 9.4 for his career. Horford is the ideal center you want on your team. He can score in so many ways, spreads the floor out for his teammates and blocks shots on the defensive end. Surprisingly Horford played in three playoff games last year, not at 100 percent and averaged 15.3 points.

7. Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies - Marc is known as Pau’s little brother but that is quickly starting to change. Granted, Pau is more of a power forward, but Marc is much more physical and willing to bang in the paint than his brother. But banging and scoring tough points in the paint isn’t all that Gasol can do. He has a nice little mid-range jumper that keeps getting better and is no slouch on the other side of the floor either, blocking 1.9 shots per game in 2012. Very similar to his older brother, Gasol is an extremely good passer too, logging 3.1 assists a game.

6. Roy Hibbert Indiana Pacers - Hibbert made his first All Star game in 2012 and it was well deserved. He was a workhorse for his Pacer team, logging 30 minutes per game. Hibbert is listed as 7’2” and uses every bit of it, rebounding, defending, and blocking shots. The ex-Hoyas offensive game keeps getting better too, averaging almost 13 points per game last season. The 25 year old is a force to be reckoned with and has become a star.

April 24, 2012; Oklahoma City OK, USA; Sacramento Kings power forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) shoots a free throw during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

5. DeMarcus Cousins Sacramento Kings - Cousins is just what you want physically out of your center. He’s seven foot tall, 270 pounds, strong and physical. The former Kentucky Wildcat had a monster 2012 season, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game and even shot 70 percent from the free-throw line. There’s just one problem…he’s a head case. Cousins was second in the league with 12 technical fouls and is known as somewhat of a cry baby and complainer. He is a competitor though and you want that on your team, but he needs to get his head on straight. He even got his coach fired last season. Cousins has the ability though to be one of the best centers in the league.

4.  Tyson Chandler New York Knicks- Chandler can’t do what the other big men can do, and that is score. But there is more to basketball than putting the ball in the basket. Chandler is so important to this Knicks team and was instrumental in the Mavericks championship run two years ago. He is a smart player, a leader, and biggest of all, he is one of, if not the best defensive players in the NBA. He does it all on the defense, by communicating, playing tough, defending the ball and swatting shots. Chandler was awarded for his defensive play by being named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. He even shot 70 percent from the field last season.

2. Andrew Bynum Philadelphia 76ers - This guy is getting better every day, as he should. Bynum is undoubtedly the second best center in the game, right behind Dwight Howard. Last season, Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks a game. Those elite numbers should be even better in 12-13 with the four team blockbuster trade that sent him to Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala to Denver, and our number one ranked center, Dwight Howard to L.A. Bynum should prosper in Philly, he will be the focal point of their offense and is not in the shadow of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Bynum has two major flaws that are keeping him back from being the best center in the league, his physical health and his mental health. He has yet to play a full season and takes himself out of games literally by suspensions and mentally by checking out of games. If Bynum can get his head straight, at only 24, he can be just as good as or better than Dwight Howard.

1. Dwight Howard Los Angeles Lakers- Not much of a surprise here. Howard has basically man-handled all big men since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2004. Most say he is the last of a dying breed of “true” centers. Howard is simply a physical specimen. With his athleticism and strength he can absolutely dominate a game with low-post scoring, rebounding and shot blocking. Howard can definitely improve with his back to the basket and needs a ton of work on his free-throw shooting. Despite that, he is still the best big man the NBA has to offer. Howard, who led the Magic to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, joins the semi-new look Lakers along with Steve Nash. He is recovering from back surgery but when he returns he will shine in purple and gold with the future Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant and Nash.

The likes of Amar’e Stoudemire (knee), Iman Shumpert (knee), Marcus Camby (calf), Chris Smith (knee), Rasheed Wallace (conditioning) and Ronnie Brewer were out of the Knicks lineup, while stars such as John Wall (knee) and Nene (foot) and Trevor Booker (hamstring) were among those sitting out for the Wizards.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

But when the ball was thrown up, it didn’t really matter because it was good to see the new look Knicks on the court against another team. With all the hype surrounding the Knicks coming in, they opened some eyes with a blazing hot start en route to a 108-101 win.

New York shot 70 percent from the floor and knocked down 6-of-8 three-point shots- including a 3-for-3 start for Steve Novak- and opened up a 38-21 lead after one, behind 12 points from Carmelo Anthony.

But that all changed quickly in the second quarter as the Wizards’ bench dominated the Knicks’ bench, scoring the first 22 points of the quarter to take a 43-39 lead. The Knicks didn’t scorer their first points of the quarter until 4:20 left when Novak knocked down a three. Before it was all said and done, Washington outscored the Knicks 35-15 in the quarter. Rookie Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 12 points off the bench to give the Wizards a 56-53 halftime lead.

The Knicks’ starters and regular rotation guys came out in third quarter and had similar success to what they had in the first and outscored the Wizards 29-24 in the third quarter to take an 82-80 lead.

Things stayed relatively tight in the fourth until Novak broke it open with a couple more bombs from behind the arc. Novak finished with a team-highs of 32 minutes played and 21 points, knocking down all seven of his attempts from behind the arc.

In addition to Novak, four other Knicks scored in double figures: J.R. Smith (20), Anthony (17), Pablo Prigioni (14) and Tyson Chandler (13).

On the night the Knicks shot 47.4 percent from the floor (34-for-72) and a whopping 54.5 (18-of-33) percent from long-range.

However they were outrebounded 45-32 and turned the ball over 15 times. They did dish out 26 assists on the night with Raymond Felton leading the team with eight and Smith recording six.

Jordan Crawford led the Wizards in scoring with 17 and the rookie Beal was one of three other Washington players in double-figures with 15.

The Knicks next preseason game is Saturday against the Boston Celtics.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Naturally he wasn’t ready to go when the Knicks decided to take a gamble on him so head coach Mike Woodson is forced to bring Wallace along very slow so far through camp.

Wallace still hasn’t practiced with his new teammates and won’t make the trip Thursday for the Knicks first preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

‘Sheed has participated in some full-court drills, but isn’t sure when he’ll actually practice and play, saying the decision was all up to Woodson.

“He’ll give me an idea of when he wants me out there,” Wallace said. ”If it’s mid-November, then it’s mid-November. Or if it’s December, then it’s December. It’s on him, not me.”

Woodson says Wallace is being evaluated on a day-to-day basis and is being held out of action because Wallace is still in conditioning mode. It’s already been eight days of camp for Wallace and he has yet to scrimmage with his new teammates.

Knowing Wallace’s history, this comes as no surprise, nor is it anything to panic about.

But with practically a brand new roster and some guys banged up already, it would have been nice if ‘Sheed were in some type of condition coming in so he could at least get to know some of his new teammates tendencies, just in case Wallace is forced to play a bigger role than originally planned, which very well could be a possibility.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The Knicks made some changes this offseason and along with getting older comes the threat of aging bodies breaking down.

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard Chris Smith speaks to the media at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

If any team can’t afford a plethora of injuries it’s the Knicks and so far through camp the news hasn’t been good. Stoudemire has had some minor ankle problems, Marcus Camby is currently shelved and Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer are recovering from offseason surgery. In addition, James White has a sore right hamstring and Rasheed Wallace is not fit to play, according to head coach Mike Woodson.

You can add one more name to the walking wounded as rookie point guard Chris Smith will be out three to six months as he will have surgery on his left patella tendon Thursday.

Smith wouldn’t have played a major role with the Knicks this season, but he did have an outside shot to make the team and according to ESPN’s Jared Zwerling, J.R.’s younger brother felt he was a lock to make the team, mostly because of his defense, which Woodson loves.

All this shows is how quickly a deep team on paper can become thin very quickly.

In addition to Smith, Shumpert, Brewer and Camby, Wallace and White won’t be available for the Knicks preseason opener on Thursday, meaning six of the 20 players in camp are already on the shelf before even the first exhibition game. Injuries are something that can make or break the Knicks this season.

With all of the injuries, shooting guard Mychel Thompson, and stretch fours John Shurna and Chris Copeland will have an opportunity to make a good first impression against the Wizards.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Apr. 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Its understandable Smith feels this way, especially since he’s the only healthy shooting guard in camp at the moment with Iman Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer currently sidelined with injuries.

However, all indications seem to point to Smith not being granted that wish.

Head coach Mike Woodson practically shot down the idea and told Smith as much. Woodson added (per the New York Post):

“I kind of like J.R. where he is in terms of coming off the bench, but he could start, too, you never know,’’ Woodson said. “Everybody can’t start. I’ve got a nice mixture of guys in that starting unit from an offensive standpoint. I have to have some offense coming off the bench as well.”

That’s something I agree with Woodson on. Smith adds some needing scoring punch off the bench, which is something the Knicks currently don’t have. In addition, if Smith has a big year coming off the Knicks’ bench for a full season, he has the talent to put up a big year, if he plays under control. If he does, there’s no reason not to think that Smith could be among the handful of guys in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

It’s not always about who starts, but more importantly about who finishes.

Smith will play a ton of minutes this season for this team and for the Knicks to have any success; they will need him to be good.

He can’t allow his role on the team to become a distraction.

It’s all about winning and I think Smith gets that message louder than anything else.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton speaks to the media at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Winner-Raymond Felton: Felton was brought back for his second stint in the Big Apple and was handed the starting job before camp really got underway. In addition he seems to have won over all of his teammates in a short time as everyone has had nothing but positive things to say about him.

Loser Marcus Camby: Just a week into camp and Camby is already hurt, costing him about 10 days of action and a handful of preseason games.

Winner- Carmelo Anthony: If they hand out awards for saying all of the right things, then ‘Melo is already an MVP candidate. He’s sounding like a leader and a guy prepared to do all of the right things to win.

Loser- Pablo Prigioni: He was going to be the third point guard anyways, but with all of the talk of how well the team is with Felton and Jason Kidd at the point, Prigioni has become the forgotten man.

Winner- J.R. Smith: Smith wants to start and has the opportunity to make his case as really to only healthy 2-guard on the roster.

Loser- Ronnie Brewer: With an all new roster, the Knicks need all of their parts in training camp and that includes Brewer who was brought in to be the starting shooting guard. Because of offseason knee surgery, Brewer is well behind his teammates already.

Winner- John Shurna: If there is a guy that could be a surprise to make the roster, it very well could be Shurna. His play has opened up plenty of eyes so far. As an undrafted rookie with a non-guaranteed deal, all he can do is let his play do the talking for him and that’s what Shurna has done.

Loser- Knicks’ Depth: On paper this is supposed to be a very deep team, but who knows with the rash of aging veterans on this team. I already mentioned the injuries to Camby and Brewer. In addition, Amar’e Stoudemie and Chris Smith have been banged up and Rasheed Wallace has to work himself into shape. All of the sudden, the Knicks don’t look so deep if injuries become a problem.

Winner- Mike Woodson: Woodson got the veteran team that he wanted and his message has been received loud and clear as the first word out of every Knicks’ players mouth is defense. He’s trying to change the culture and he appears off to a very good start.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) and Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) on the court during the first half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

It could be a while longer before head coach Mike Woodson makes a decision on his starting lineup, especially with Ronnie Brewer not yet practicing after knee surgery.

With all of that going on, J.R. Smith made his opinion on the matter felt, telling ESPN’s Jared Zwerling:

“I would prefer to start. I would rather be a starter,” he said. “My goal was to come in here and be a starter, and play with those other four guys on the floor. It is frustrating after a while that people see me as a sixth man, sixth man, sixth man, when you believe you’re a starter. But at the same time, you have to understand this is a team game and you have to put individual goals aside.”

Smith has entered five of his seven NBA seasons knowing that he would be the first guy off the bench, but looks like he wants to shed the label of sixth man.

The Knicks don’t have much perimeter shooting, so from that stand point it would make sense for Smith to start. But he’s also a guy who dominates the ball and they already have a guy like that in the starting lineup in Carmelo Anthony.

Then there is the fact that Smith is a very inconsistent offensive player and his bad shot selection will often take the Knicks’ starters out of their rhythm.

But most importantly there is the fact that if Smith is named the starter, his scoring off the bench will need to be replaced. Bringing a scorer such as Smith off the bench is a luxury. He gives the team a spark and I for one like him in that role. The Knicks don’t necessarily need Smith’s scoring in their starting lineup, but they really need it off the bench.

Brewer was signed because he is a lockdown perimeter defender, something the Knicks need with Iman Shumpert out of the lineup. Smith isn’t nearly as capable of a defender. That and that alone is a big reason why Smith has more value coming off the bench.

I do like the fact that Smith wants a bigger role, but by starting him, Woodson probably weakens the team as a whole.

However Smith still has some time in training camp to continue to make his case. If he lets his play do the talking for him, then he just might be in the starting lineup opening night.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

But while Stern should be given credit for recognizing and attempting to deal with the problem, when he stepped in to do something about it, he did exactly what every NBA defender has done as of late – Stern flopped.

He not only flopped, he did it in a big way.

On the surface Stern will have you think that he’s doing something about the flopping problem that’s running rampant in the NBA, but his new rules, what New York Knicks’ fans should dub the LeBron James Rule, do very little to address the problem of flopping in the NBA.

The league announced on Wednesday a new anti-flopping policy that starts with a warning and steps up to some major money. During the regular season, the steps will be warning for the first violation, $5,000 fine for the second, $10,000 fine for third, $15,000 fine for the fourth and $30,000 fine for the fifth violation.

The NBA Players’ Association is not happy with the ruling, nor should they be. But while both sides argue about the potential of losing money, they should realize that Stern missed the boat altogether when it comes to taking flopping out of the game.

The current rules do nothing to prevent flopping during game action. With the average NBA salary at close to $2 million and more and more superstars making in the $15-$20 million range, does Stern really think a $10k or even a $30k fine is going to get the message across?

No, the LeBron James Rule is completely flawed.

Stern had the opportunity to step in and really do something to clean the game up and he’s the one who flopped.

The NHL has a rule for embellishing and the NBA could have done so as well.

There’s still nothing in the game to prevent guys from flopping. Do you really think that with the game on the line that players won’t still flop to get calls? They won’t be worried about fines one bit.

Instead, Stern could have taken the opportunity to really do something to take flopping out of the game.

How about awarding free throws to the other team? How about awarding a personal foul every time a defender flops? How about allowing the officiating crew to check the monitor to determine whether or not a defender flops and calling the foul accordingly?

Those are more proactive solutions to get rid of the flopping problem in the NBA. Hitting someone with a $10k fine may sound like a lot, but it’s not and Stern is still allowing flopping to impact the direct results of games, which is a problem.

Whether the players want to admit it or not, flopping is a problem in the  NBA, especially when you have stars such as James, Manu Ginobili, Anderson Varejao and others that spend more time impersonating actors than they do playing basketball.

No, the LeBron James Rule is a waste of time as it will accomplish nothing to clean up the NBA product.

At the end of the day, Stern had the chance to step up and do something, but instead of playing good defense and making a point, he flopped just like everyone else.

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra during the post game press conference after winning the NBA championship in game five of the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

10. Erik Spoelstra – Miami Heat: Love him or hate him he still has to coach his way to a NBA championship. A lot of talented teams have been formed for years now and only a few have actually succeeded. A common component in all these championship teams is extremely good coaching. He might have the best players in the universe on his team but you can’t say Spoelstra didn’t push the right buttons at the right time. It also takes leadership and coaching skill to manage star’s egos and handle the media questioning your every move.

9. Byron Scott – Cleveland Cavaliers: The 2008 NBA Coach of the Year is in the middle of a rebuilding process in Cleveland. He was a great coach with New Jersey during the golden years and is a big part of Chris Paul’s early success in New Orleans. Scott has a lot of young talent with the Cavs and will be able to put his fingerprints all over this team. Kyrie Irving is a superstar in the making and has the perfect coach to learn from.

8. Rick Carlisle – Dallas Mavericks: There wasn’t a better coach in the league in 2011 than Mr. Carlisle. The mastermind behind the Mavericks championship run and stopping the train known as LeBron James in the NBA Finals is one of the league’s best. He has only missed the playoffs once in his 10-year career but his window might be championship window is closing, if not closed already, in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki is up there in age now and there were very little monumental offseason moves made, Carlisle will have to coach his butt off for the Mavs to succeed this year.

7. Frank Vogel – Indiana Pacers: The Pacers are on a franchise on the rise. Young emerging players like Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, and Paul George are great corner pieces. They had a 2-1 lead on the Heat and were in prime position to pull a huge upset when Chris Bosh went down but couldn’t close the deal. Frank Vogel is behind all of this as the Pacers will be favorites in the Central Division with Derrick Rose hurt. Vogel is the youngest coach but also one of the smartest and knows how to push his young players.

6. Scott Brooks – Oklahoma City Thunder: Brooks’ young Thunder team has only improved under his watch. Granted he has the best young nucleus the league has seen in a while, in 4 years in a row his teams have progressed: missing playoffs, first round exit, conference finals exit, and then last year’s Finals loss. He will have many opportunities to lead his team to Finals glory with the players he has. He will have to make the right rotations and press the right buttons if he wants to get past the Lakers.

May 26, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins reacts on the side line during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

5. Doug Collins – Philadelphia 76ers: Doug Collins is doing a fantastic job in Philadelphia. His team had its ups and downs last year but finished strong in a close series loss to Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Now with Andrew Bynum, Collins has another piece to work with. Losing their leader in Andre Iguodala could be tough but Bynum is a dominant center. Collins will work to  mold this young but very talented team into a great team in the East. He is a tough coach who gets the best out his players.

4. George Karl – Denver Nuggets: With over 1000 wins his career and an inspiration to us all, George Karl sets the bar for coaching. Karl is a cancer survivor, but he wouldn’t let cancer be an excuse for losing a few steps in his coaching. Karl’s Nuggets are consistent and are a legit contender this year in the Western Conference. Karl will keep on putting his team in the right position to win, no doubt about it.

3. Tom Thibodeau – Chicago Bulls: Coach Thibodeau is a defensive mastermind. He has coached the Bulls to the best record in the Eastern Conference two years straight now but hasn’t been able to go over the hump just yet. No Derrick Rose will hurt a lot, as would any team losing their superstar and MVP. He also lost a lot of his bench that he worked so well last year. Thibodeau is a great coach but he will be tested this year. He also has the most raspy voice in the league.

2. Doc Rivers – Boston Celtics: Doc knows what he is working with and knows exactly how to use it perfectly. Kevin Garnett aging? Paul Pierce hurt? Ray Allen not the same? No problem last year for Doc as he had his Celtics one win away from another NBA Finals appearance. His frontcourt got younger this year through the draft and he has molded Rajon Rondo into one of the best point guards in the league. Rivers is a player’s coach who has done a masterful job in Boston.

1. Gregg Popovich – San Antonio Spurs: The reigning Coach of the Year is a basketball genius.  Coach Pop runs a smooth system and always seems to have his players at the right spot at the right time. He has a master at getting the best out of his role players. He has no problem handling stars, as they seem to have no ego what so ever. He has brainwashed the Spurs into a team first attitude and that’s all a coach can ask for. Greg Popovich should never be undermined and you would be a fool to ever count out the Spurs when he is calling the shots. Plus he has a pretty sweet beard.

Mar 24, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Detroit Pistons forward/center Jason Maxiell (54) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

The game previously had been designated for international play, but the site wasn’t immediately disclosed.

The O2 arena in London will host its seventh NBA game — including four exhibitions — since 2007. That’s the same O2 Arena when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler recently won gold medals and the same city in which Anthony hit an amazing 10 three-pointers in a game.

NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement.

“London was the epicenter of global sports this summer, and the Olympics were a tremendous showcase for basketball,” NBA commissioner David Stern said in a released statement. “Playing our third regular-season game in the city in three years and having historic franchises like the Knicks and Pistons serve as our ambassadors provide extraordinary opportunities to further the game’s growth and development in the UK and throughout Europe.”

The Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets last played a pair of regular-season games at the same venue in March 2011, but the NBA skipped London on its preseason tour this year.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Head coach Mike Woodson wanted more experienced players and he sure got them, but while the Knicks look like they have depth on paper, what they’ve actually done is make a team like the San Antonio Spurs look young.

In the process the Knicks have become the oldest team in NBA history.

By adding the likes of Jason Kidd (age 39), Kurt Thomas (39), Marcus Camby (38), Argentinian “rookie” Pablo Prigioni (35) and Rasheed Wallace (38) the Knicks not only have four of the six oldest players in the league, but have an average age of 32 years and 240 days old—the oldest team in NBA history by far.

In addition, the Knicks had an average age of 27 years and 300 days old just a season ago, meaning they have added close to five years of age per player. No team in history has added close to that much age from one year to the next.

While the Knicks have experience on paper, there have to be plenty of concerns of whether or not this experiment of adding one veteran after another will work.

Just looking at their competitors in the Atlantic Division, the Celtics can bring athletes such as Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jason Terry and Jared Sullinger off the bench.  The Sixers can throw the ultra-athletic Thaddeus Young and Nick Young off the pine. The Nets and Raptors also have younger and more athletic benches that could give the Knicks problems.

It’s nice to add veterans with pedigrees, but at what cost?

This Knicks team will be short on athleticism and that could come back to bite them.

There’s also the concern of endurance and if their old legs will hold up through the course of an 82-game season plus a payoff run.

Right now, the Knicks overall age gives them far more questions than answers.

This is a franchise looking to make history after so many down seasons. It looks like they already have.

LaSalle Thompson has long been rumored to be a favorite to land one of the assistant jobs and that became reality on Tuesday. Thompson played in the NBA for 15 seasons and was a teammate of Woodson’s in Sacramento.

In addition, former Penn State head coach Jerry Dunn will join Woodson’s staff.

Dunn was 117-121 in eight years at Penn State, resigning in 2003. He most recently was the associate head coach at Michigan from 2007-’09.

Both Thompson and Dunn replace the highly regarded Kenny Atkinson, who quit to join the Atlanta Hawks staff.

They join the likes of Chris Ford as a coaching consultant and Dave Hopla, who was hired as a shooting coach.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Miami shot the ball better than their opponents and was a huge reason why they won. Miami shot 46 percent from the field and 34 percent from three point range during the playoffs. In comparison, opponents shot 43 percent from the field and 30 percent from three against the Heat. It seemed like it was a different hero every night. Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier all had their nights to shine. They of course have LeBron and Wade to rely on but with the additions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, their shooting advantage may have gotten only stronger.

Shooting can either carry a hot team or be the downfall of them. Take James Harden for example. Harden shot 49 percent from the field and an amazing 60 percent from three in the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs. Harden cooled down and couldn’t get it going shooting 37 percent from the field and a horrible 31 percent from three. Harden is one of the reasons why the Thunder fell flat to the Heat in the Finals.

So do the New York Knicks have enough consistent shooting in order for them to contend?

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak speaks to the media at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

A year ago, the Knicks ranked 21st in the NBA in three-point shooting, only knocking down 33.6 percent of their attempts and that was with the NBA’s leader in three-point shooting as Steve Novak knocked down 47.2 percent of his long-range attempts.

History shows it’s hard to repeat this success but Novak shouldn’t fall off the planet and will hit his shots. Many things can be said about J.R. Smith but one of them has to be is his love to shoot the ball. When Smith is hot, he is on fire. When he can’t buy a shot he will continuously shoot until he fixes it, which can kill a team in a close playoff series.

None of the guys the Knicks have on their roster from last season or any of the guys they brought in are considered good shooters other than Novak as no one wearing a Knicks’ jersey this season other than Novak can lay claim to knocking down 35 percent or better of the attempts from behind the arc. But while that’s true, the Knicks should be fine shooting the basketball.

Carmelo Anthony will be the Knicks’ best and most consistent shooter. No one is worried about Melo, as other players need to step up and consistently shoot all year and especially in the playoffs. Jason Kidd can hit an open shot with the best of them but Kidd isn’t in a position to create his own shot off the dribble anymore. Felton is a known for his point guard and driving skills. Shumpert has shown he can hit the three, so if he can get a consistent shot going, that is one less thing the Knicks have to worry about from Shump.

The Knicks don’t have any Ray Allen’s, Mike Miller’s, Kyle Korver’s, or deadly shooters on their team. This team will have to figure out scoring options if they want to contend in the East. Carmelo can’t do it all. These shooters have the potential but just have to become consistent. Carmelo will handle the clutch part.

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.

Mar 6, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd (2) drives in the seocnd half against New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) at American Airlines Center. The Mavs beat the Knicks 95-85. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

While Felton was assumed to be the starter when he was acquired via a sign-and-trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, Woodson did good to come out early and en any speculation that Jason Kidd would get the nod as the starter.

“I think he’s had opportunities over the years to run teams and he’s done a great job at it,” Woodson said (per ESPN’s Ian Begley). “At the end of the day, it’s still about the team. I don’t think anybody else on this team is going to care who starts, but Raymond will probably be our starter.”

Woodson is hoping that Felton can return to the form he showed in 2010-11 with the Knicks, when he averaged 17 points and nine assists before being dealt to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade.

While Felton has been named the Knicks starter, Kidd will still have a big role with the team and backing up Felton is just fine with the future Hall of Famer.

“Ray can run the show as well as anybody,” the 39-year-old Kidd said. “(My job is) to support Ray and help him with things I see and, when I go in, to get the lead or keep the lead. That’s as easy as it can be.”

While Felton is the starter, that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be the closer, as Kidd could be used to finish games, something he said over the summer that was very important to him.

There’s also the option that Woodson could elect to play both Kidd and Felton at the same time. They would be a bit undersized, but it would give the Knicks a pair of playmaking guards who can handle the ball and would create matchup problems against a lot of teams.

Felton is a guy that enters the 2012-13 season with a lot to prove and he’s been given the early opportunity to do so.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Head coach Mike Woodson has made it known how he feels about the situation, stating that young players don’t win championships and ultimately that’s the goal in the Big Apple.

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony speaks to the media at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

However, along with the roster turnover, Woodson has been sending a message to the new-look Knicks and judging b media day, that message has been received loud and clear by every player now donning the orange and blue.

Every single Knicks’ player that spoke at Monday’s media day made it perfectly clear what this team is about- defense, defense, and more defense.

When talking about Knicks’ basketball, the word defense was a funny punch line the past few years, but we got a small glimpse of how this team could play good defense during the final 24 games of 2012, once Woodson was named interim coach.

Now, that’s all that anyone wants to talk about.

The Knicks had a couple defensive studs last season inn Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert, but they went out and added veterans like Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace (his signing should be official in the next couple of days) and Raymond Felton. The reason being is that veterans know what it takes to win.

It may be an overused cliché, but defense wins championships and this Knicks team has bought into that mentality, especially Carmelo Anthony, whose effort at the defensive end of the floor has always come into question.

Anthony told Tony Williams of NJ.com that he is done scoring 30 points per game. Anthony admitted he “can score 30 points anytime I want” and added with a wry smile that he’s “done trying to score 30. Everybody knows I can do it. … So if I have to sacrifice (scoring) I’ll do it.”

In addition Anthony added that winning is the only thing that matters anymore.

“At the end of the day all that matters is winning. Everybody knows I can score. Now it’s about trusting teammates,” Anthony said. “It (Olympics) put everything in perspective. The principle of trusting guys.”

Of course actions speak much louder than words, but you have to like the way it seems that every single player is buying into playing 48 minutes of defense on a nightly basis.

The only way this Knicks team gets out of the first round of the playoffs, much less contend for a championship s if they really become a great defensive team.

All the pieces are in place to do so form the coach on down to the role players.

Woodson has sent the message, one that the Knicks have received loud and clear.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Feb 12, 2011; Newark, NJ, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) brings the ball up court during the first half against the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

To think this isn’t a make or break year as far as Felton’s career goes would be severely underestimating what is expected of Felton in his second go around in a Knicks uniform.

Felton is coming off an abysmal season in Portland in which he averaged only 11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game, while shooting only 40 percent from the floor and 30 percent from behind the arc.

It not only was a bad season for Felton statistically, but was one in which his conditioning and commitment was called into question.

Monday, Felton stepped up and admitted to being out of shape last season.

“I want to get it out there — I came into Portland out of shape,” Felton said. “Being in a lockout year, I just got really relaxed, got complacent, didn’t work as hard because I didn’t think we were to have a season. I’m going to go ahead and say that — I was out of shape when we first went there. I played myself into shape towards the second half of the season.”

That was a big question mark when the Knicks decided to bring Felton back and let fan-favorite Jeremy Lin to walk.

Early on, all signs look good in terms of Felton being in great shape.

The North Carolina product has been one of several Knicks’ players that showed up a couple of weeks early to get himself ready for training camp and according to multiple sources at the training facility, Felton is in solid shape and motivated for his second act in a Knicks uniform.

“He looks great,” one observer said (per ESPN’s Ian Begley). “He looks like 2010 Ray.”

If Felton plays anything like the 2010 version that averaged 17 points and nine assists for the Knicks in 54 games before being dealt to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade, then the Knicks have exactly what they need in a point guard.

During the course of the early part of the season, Felton will be forced to answer many questions about replacing Lin; however he shouldn’t have to answer many more about being in shape as it looks like he’s showing the commitment to winning in New York.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook