One of the Knicks’ feel good stories of last year was NBA journeyman Steve Novak’s breakout year. He was deadly from three, hitting basically half his shots, shooting a league leading .472 from three-point land. The Knicks committed to Novak as their sharp shooter when they inked him for another four years at $15 million. The question now is will Novak continue his success and be a threat from beyond the arc or will he just be added to the long list of Knicks busts.

The previous five league leaders in three-point field goal percentage have all had decent years their follow up year. Let’s take a look:

2010-2011: Matt Bonner .457 ; 2011-2012: 15^th .420

2009-2010: Kyle Korver .536 (NBA record); 2010-2011: 17^th .415

2008-2009: Anthony Morrow .467; 2009-2010: 5^th .456

2007-2008: Jason Kapono .483; 2008-2009: 12^th .428

2006-2007 Jason Kapono .514;  2007-2008 1^st .483

All league leaders production dropped a tad, but still were very effective and a threat with the ball when standing behind the three point line. I don’t think Novak will finish first again but do think he will hit his threes on a consistent basis, which is all the Knicks are asking for. We saw in the Miami series when a defense plays him hard off the ball it is very hard for him to find an open look. I don’t think defenses will focus much of their time on him night in and night out when you have to worry about other players who can score at any moment.

If the Knicks can get Novak to shoot over 45 percent this year from three and have him score 9-13 points game for them, he will be doing exactly what he is getting paid to do. All three-point specialists are asked to do one thing and that is to make it rain. They aren’t asking him to make the all-defense team, even though any defense out of him would be nice. We are not asking him to get five assists a game.

We just want Steve to spot up in the corner or set up at the top of the key and shoot the hell out of the ball. I think he will repeat his success this upcoming season. He finally has job security and clearly loves playing for New York. All he has to do is shoot and not many like him in the NBA can light up the charts like him.

Get the championship belt ready New York. Novakaine is about to make it rain once again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recently, Anthony sat down with SI.com’s Zach Lowe to speak on a number of issues, the lockout among them. But the most interesting sequence came when the two began to banter about defense:

SI.com: You know that Nuggets coach George Karl called you out about your commitment to defense.

Anthony: Once I left.

SI.com: Yeah. But he’s not the only one. Other people have questioned whether you have really bought in on defense. Is that fair?

Anthony: I was in Denver playing for George Karl for six-and-a-half years, and anything he asked of me, I did. If it was “go out and average two more rebounds per game,” I did it. It was “play harder on defense,” I did it. If it was “go out and score 40 points,” I did it. For him to come back after I left and say something like that, considering how sensitive everything was at the time, it was very strategic.

SI.com: But do you think the criticisms of your defense have merit? Is there one thing on that end you worked to improve on in the offseason?

Anthony: Look, defense is about energy and focus at the end of the day. I can’t see any team or any coach just coming out and saying, “Oh, we’re just gonna come out and run every play at Melo.” I never saw that before. I think [Karl] was being strategic in what he did and what he said. In Denver, we weren’t always known for being a defensive team, but that’s because we were running up and down the court. Like I said, I take it for what it’s worth. I store it in the back of my mind.

The whole piece should be digested by every Knicks fan, but that snippet really stands out. I don’t know what to make of it: Is he being ignorant, not “man” enough to stand up and acknowledge his obvious deficiencies? Or is what he’s saying correct, and have the nation’s perceptions taken on a life of their own? Either way, I appreciate the honesty. Give it a read.

“I’m not going to lie, I really didn’t understand how big New York was until I played there,” Williams told HOOPSWORLD. “Even in my hometown, I can’t walk around anywhere anymore. The Knicks are like America’s team, just like the Cowboys. I love the Knicks’ fans. They’re the greatest fans in America. They support the team so much and I’m on Twitter interacting with all of the fans. I just love it. I can’t wait to be back.”

 

Twitter: @BucketsOverBway

Most of the clothes looked understated, comfortable and sporty. Stoudemire stuck with the message about the clothing.

“You want to go to any sporting event, any basketball game, any courtside seating, you need this apparel,” he said.

Of the logo — a heart and a basketball intertwined— designed by a graffiti artist but chosen by Stoudemire, Roy said, “The basketball is him and the heart is me, but actually his name means love.”

Here’s the New York Times piece.

Twitter: @BucketsOverBway

The Knicks were dissected on ESPN.com’s 5 for 5 recently. The questions touched on several recurring issues: The possibility of CP3/Dwight Howard helping form another Big 3, Mike D’antoni’s footing, and the Carmelo trade. But one of the questions stood out, “Fact or Fiction: Landry Fields is a legitimate starter for a contender.” It was the only question to have a unanimous response, with all five answering participants saying “fact”.

The way this question was worded is a bit tricky. Landry Fields might be a legitimate starter for a contender, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he fits with the New York Knicks. After Carmelo Anthony came on board, Fields wasn’t the same player—he was a turtle sulking back into his shell whenever Anthony held the ball, which was a lot.

Devin Kharpertian, Nets Are Scorching: Fact. He’s not a top starter, but Fields is exactly the kind of player you’d want next to a Big Three — a guy who knocks down 3s, picks up hustle points, grabs rebounds and doesn’t shy from big moments.

Fields can knock down 3′s, but he only made one per game last year. Forget about the 39% he shot for the season, one a game is one a game. This isn’t entirely his fault, but in order for Fields to gain the trust of new teammates like Carmelo and Chauncey, he’ll need to attack whenever the opportunity presents itself. He didn’t do that.

As for not shying from big moments, Landy Fields was a hologram for the last month of the season, and a ghost in the playoffs. So, yea…I’d say he shied away from the biggest moment.

Can Fields start for a contender? Sure. Would the Knicks be in a better place if they included Fields in the Carmelo trade instead of Gallo or Wilson Chandler? Looking at it today, most likely.

Twitter: @BucketsOverBway

Admit it, you’ve never seen Iman Shumpert play organized basketball. Since coming out of nowhere on draft night, he’s been everywhere, and to be honest it’s a little exciting. A few days ago, Shumpert gave an interview with HoopsHype and among the many interesting things he says, this is the most delightful.

Iman Shumpert: I really admire Jason Kidd. He’s the first player I’ve ever seen dominate a game without having to score as much as everybody else. Seeing him finally get the championship just confirms that I just need to make sure I work my game to get better every day.

It’s more likely I get struck by two separate bolts of lightning, one in each eyeball, as I write this, than Shumpert to have even 60% the career Jason Kidd has had, but his mentality here is wonderful. Kidd is the perfect role model for any human being who hopes to play a capable point guard, and for Shumpert to say he’d rather be like the defending champ than, say, John Wall or Derrick Rose—two fantastic scorers—is beyond great news.

Twitter: @BucketsOverBway

Should Toney be looking over his shoulder?

With the selection of Iman Shumpert the Knicks have cast some doubt on the future of their resident backup point guard and perimeter stopper, Toney Douglas.  Despite two solid seasons in which he showed future starter potential, Douglas has been maligned for the dubious and rather burdensome reputation of “he’s just not a point guard.”  Assist and turnover numbers be damned; Toney jacks up the occasional 28-footer, therefore he’s just not a point guard.  Never mind that Chauncey Billups does the exact same thing, and often not as well.

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Shelden Williams with daughter Lailaa, who you have to assume is about 20 years away from making Cheryl Miller look like...well, Shelden Williams.

2009-10 was Shelden Williams’ best season as a pro; he shot 52.1% from the field, led all power forwards in free throw attempts per field goal attempt, and cashed in those freebies at his highest ever rate.  He then hit the open market last summer and parlayed that success into…$915,852.  The veteran minimum.  And nary an eyelash was batted.

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Plan for next season: Fewer injuries, more nappy.

I always thought the art of towel-waving should stay in school where it belonged.  NBA players didn’t need that faux enthusiasm you see in high school, where the bench players’ job is to cheer on the starters and pretend to be thrilled that someone else is getting the buckets and snatching up the top shelf cheerleaders.  I thought the pros were here to do a job, not watch delighted as someone else does it for them.  But man, doesn’t it make Ronny Turiaf’s $4.3M player option an easier pill to swallow knowing we get another year of the most likeable Frenchman since…probably ever?

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Also unlike Willie Beamon, Jeffries failed comprehensively when the spotlight unexpectedly shone on him.  It was sad to watch, in part because we all can relate to failure in a situation for which we’re completely unprepared – the feeling of wanting to protest the whole thing even as it’s happening, because how can I be judged for failing at something I haven’t been trained to do?  Thing is, our failures usually don’t play out on national television.

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Jerome Jordan: Not dead, just in Serbia.

Looks like the big debate heading into the draft is whether the Knicks should go big or small.  It all makes a man wonder if we’re due any immediate help from Jerome Jordan, Knicks draftee in 2010 who shipped himself off to Serbian club KK Hemofarm, which sounds like a place that runs grotesque experiments on livestock.

How’s the big man doing?  Well, there were some growing pains – as with most Jamaicans who move to Serbia – but Jordan’s minutes grew steadily throughout the year and he ended up with a pretty solid showing.  With the season nearly at an end, here are the numbers: 15 minutes per game over 50 games; 8 PPG; 3.6 RPG; .7 BPG; 71% FG(!); 69% FT; 1.1 turnovers per game; and a foul every 5.5 minutes.  Best I can tell there are a lot of dunks going into that 71% FG.

So, dunking, fouling and pedestrian rebounding?  Who’s ready for the Jamaican Mozgov?

Derrick Brown wants you to know that ball isn't who he is, just what he does.

I took this afternoon to pore over the footage of Derrick Brown’s Knicks career.  I watched it backwards and forewards.  I studied his every move like the Zapruder film.  No subtle twitch went unnoticed.  It took about ten minutes.

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(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

This news kinda came out of left field, but at least it partially explains what was up with Toney during those last few playoff games. He played scared defense and was abnormally gun shy on a few golden opportunities, most likely because it hurt to lift his arm. This from Frank Isola:

According to the club, Douglas had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shooting arm. Team physician Dr. Answorth Allen performed the operation.

Douglas’ recovery time is expected to be 12 to 16 weeks, and the injury also raises concerns about how much of an impact it could have on his future. The Florida State product averaged 10.6 points this season, his second in the NBA.

I found out recently that Jared Jeffries is moving out of his 11th Avenue Manhattan apartment.  A friend’s parent, who apparently also once collected the mid-level exception  so as to be in the price range, was shown his apartment and even met the man himself – he was relaxing on his couch watching a movie on his laptop.  Plausible explanations for the move, ranked in descending order of probability, include: a) Jared’s done with the Knicks, b) he’s moving into nicer digs after signing a nine-year deal for the mid-level exception, c) he’s just sick of 11th Avenue, or even d) OMG u guyz he knows there will be a lockout and is GingTFO.  Frankly, all of these seem reasonable.  Do with this information what you will.

We learned about this article a couple weeks ago and apologize for just getting around to putting it up. If you’re down about the Knicks and need to refresh your head before Friday night’s Game 3, make sure you give this well written, informative article by Hardwood Hype’s Emile Avanessian a thorough read—whether you’re too young to have witnessed Bernard King’s greatness or are left wondering where scorers like him have gone.

Heading into their playoff series against the Celtics, it can be argued that the Knicks are overmatched at every single position but small forward—and even there, Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony is no cake walk. But the one player able to bring a significant advantage for New York happens to come off the bench. He has the type of dynamic range that can change a game’s momentum, and if the Knicks are lucky, swing a series. The man I’m talking about, of course, is Toney Douglas.

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Courtesy of Ian Begley:

“I’m back healthy finally man,” Billups said on Monday. “I’m healthy and I’m feeling good. I’m feeling a lot more comfortable with the offense and the sets and personnel. I’m getting to know some of these guys’ different tendencies…. It’s finally starting to come together.”

From Frank Isola:

Mike D’Antoni believes that Carmelo Anthony should be “knocking on that door” of posting a triple double every night and admitted that the offense should run through the All-Star forward.

Anthony had what D’Antoni considered his best all-around game since joining the Knicks when he had 39 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in Monday’s overtime win against Orlando.

“Yeah, I thought he got after it and rebounded well,” D’Antoni said Wednesday. “He should nightly be getting close to a triple double. The ball should be going through him a lot, and he should be knocking on that door.”

I’m not sure what to think of this, if anything at all. Carmelo is a great scorer—it’s difficult to name three in the world who are better—and one of the better rebounders at his position when he wants to be, so I’m not sure why people look to extract even more from his already outstanding abilities.  Carmelo isn’t LeBron, he doesn’t look to pass first and he shouldn’t start doing it now. (Why would you want him to?) It’d be absolutely wonderful if he managed to average a triple double, but the Knicks don’t need it. Let Carmelo focus on defense and not taking any plays off; that should be enough to make The Trade a beneficial one.

Wow. Two Shelden Williams posts in one week?!?!

In case you missed it in Will’s preview, coming off his surprisingly effective performance defending Dwight Howard two nights ago, it’s looking like Mr. Landlord Williams will get the Knicks first crack at Brook Lopez against New Jersey tonight. If he manages to go two for two in giving the East’s two most offensively talented big men (apologies to a sober JaVale McGee) extended headaches, who knows how far he can take us. The sky’s the limit when Shelden Williams is your starting center.

From Chris Sheridan:

Shelden Williams starts at C tonight for Knicks vs. Nets. Ronny Turiaf (ankle) is out. Shawne Williams (back spasms) is doubtful.

Some Love For Shelden (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

There were several reasons why the Knicks squeaked by Orlando last night: A few fortunate refereeing decisions (see Dwight Howard’s sixth foul and the Carmelo/Jason Richardson action movie tussle), the absolutely monstrous second half by Anthony, and functioning grit of Shelden Williams. Wait, hold up. What two words did my fingers just type? Shelden Williams? That’s right, Candace’s man, The Shelden Williams.

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The team says center Ronny Turiaf is doubtful with a strained right ankle.

The injury forced Turiaf to miss Saturday night’s 114-106 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Mike D’Antoni, who started Shawne Williams in place of Turiaf against Charlotte, was not ready to announce his starting lineup on Monday morning. D’Antoni noted that all 15 of his players are healthy, so maybe that’s a good sign for Turiaf.

Hate to place yet another obstacle in the Knicks’ road to ending their losing streak, but if Ronny can’t go tonight expect Dwight Howard to turn MSG into his personal slaughterhouse once again.

In other Knicks news, I also want to point out an interesting Renaldo Balkman interview that was posted today by Dime Magazine. If you forgot Balkman was on the team, you aren’t alone. Since coming aboard, Balkman’s played 18 minutes. He was a pretty good defensive player, last I checked; maybe it’s time to let the guy loose, give him some minutes, and see what happens. Sometimes when you’re near rock bottom, a semi-drastic move like this one couldn’t make the situation any worse than it already is.

Give it a read immediately, and let us know what you think.

While you’re at it, this sort of gives angry Knick fans some context.

In a sad coincidence, Rip Hamilton will be out tonight as well, as he deals with the passing of his own grandfather.

Amar’e Stoudemire’s 16th technical foul was rescinded Friday by the NBA league office, making him eligible to play Sunday for the New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers. Stoudemire and Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood were given double technicals when they became entanged in the first half of the Knicks’ loss to the Mavericks Thursday night. Both technicals have been rescinded — something Stoudemire predicted would happen after he spoke to referee Bennett Salvatore during the game.

Jeffries was cheered (usually, he produces only groans) for the hustle plays he kept making, on the glass and on the baselines as he sailed into the stands to keep balls alive. There may finally be a semi-permanent place for him now that he is back, and Tuesday night’s game demonstrated that there is always a place, even on a high-octane team playing unusually efficient offense, for a guy who can make a difference without producing a single point.

So get used to seeing Jeffries out there.

The job is his to lose, and he won’t lose it if his hustle plays continue to outnumber his shot attempts.

I like this a lot. Jeffries is a thin guy, and having him guard opposing centers in one on one situations is a heavy mismatch, but the incredible hustle and energy he brings on the defensive end has been very noticeable over the last two games. This also frees up Amar’e from playing the five, risking early foul trouble in the process. Despite his visible weakness on the offensive end, having Jeffries play with Carmelo and Stoudemire when the Knicks have possession is important; he’s great at tipping balls out and keeping scoring opportunities alive for others. Ronny Turiaf can now move into his more natural role of big, energetic body off the bench. Smart move by D’Antoni.

Walker and Turiaf both have sore left knees.  Josh Smith appears to be a go tonight for the Hawks.

Carmelo Anthony agreed to walk through Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ $37,500-a-month townhouse at 24 Thompson St., after Ilgauskas, who plays for the Miami Heat, pitched it to Melo during a recent Knicks’ victory. The five-bedroom townhouse, represented by Josh Fields of Spire Group, is 5,000 square feet and has hoopster-friendly 15-foot ceilings

I really like this story for some reason. Maybe it’s the inside, behind the scenes conversation we’re privy to, or just the genuine helpful nature Ilgauskas, a player we don’t hear to much from these days, puts on display. (Yes, I realize he’s in a position to profit, but who cares. It’s a win win for everybody.) Maybe it’s the funny fact that a player who averages 17.2 minutes per game will collect rent from one of the league’s biggest superstars. And doesn’t the thought of a 7’3″ Zydrunas Ilgauskas strolling down 5th Avenue with a silk scarf hanging off his neck and an ashy cigarette dangling from his lip make you chuckle?

Knicks claim F Derrick Brown off waivers from CHA. D’Antoni likes his talent, Felton highly recommended.

More information on who exactly Derrick Brown is, and what he can do to help, later on today.

UPDATE: Quick scouting report and highlight reel courtesy of Knicks Tweets.

Corey Brewer, we hardly knew thee.  It looks like the Knicks are planning on buying out the former Timberwolf/Gator’s contract, opening up a roster spot for Jared Jeffries. The move is sorta surprising. In order to clear space for Jeffries, we expected a buyout to come, but the fact that it’s an athletic swingman who adds some length on the defensive end is a little curious.  Meanwhile, Shelden Williams and Renaldo Balkman are, so far, staying put. The news comes via ESPN’s Marc Stein:

The Knicks and Brewer are closing in on a buyout agreement that will make the former Minnesota swingman a free agent, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com.

Because Brewer will be officially released before March 1, he’s eligible to play in the playoffs with another team.

Sources say Boston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Dallas are among the teams with the most interest in Brewer, who joined the Knicks only last week as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal.

The Celtics had previously tried to acquire Brewer from Minnesota before the Anthony trade went through.

A week ago he was idly sitting on Denver’s bench, a healthy scratch in over 70 percent of Nuggets’ games this season. A stiff combo guard standing a shade over 6’1″ isn’t how you’d typically draw up a lengthy career, but that’s exactly what he’s managed. At a ripe 35-years-old and on his fifth team in 11 years, seven days ago Anthony Carter found himself as a throw in piece in one of the league’s most discussed trades in years.  Up to that point, his season high in production was a six points in 16 minutes losing effort to New Orleans. Days after dust settled on the Carmelo trade, speculation surrounded what the Knicks would do with some of the other pieces. Some assumed Carter would be bought out, likely ending his career. Instead, in one of the Knicks most confidence boosting wins in years, his presence was slightly significant.

When Anthony Carter was inserted into last night’s game, I figured the Knicks were following suit with their small lineup strategy, but to have it come as soon as it did was a little strange. Sure, Carter is a player on a new team and therefore should be allotted the proper floor time to prove himself—have his own little tryout—but against Miami? In Miami? On national television? It was all a little tough to comprehend. To say he made an offensive impact would be fibbing just a bit—Carter scored four points on six shots—but defensively he was a pest, sharing Dwyane Wade duty with the much larger Bill Walker. (Wade went on to shoot 5-15 from the field for a grant total of 12 points.) Can we expect this from him regularly? The odds say there’s no chance, but if Carter can bother opposing two guards and solely place his focus on the defensive end, he should be able to help a team still grappling with the fundamentals of stopping an opponent.

In short, as long as he doesn’t do this, the minutes could continue to come:

And so the obsession continues. This barely qualifies as NBA news, but does qualify as interesting. Timofey Mozgov got married in Vegas!

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Speaking of awards, New Yorkers should be ashamed because the second round of All-Star votes have been tallied, and other cities are clearly voting more for their players than we’ve been doing. We may be chanting MVP every time Amar’e Stoudmire shoots free throws, but not enough of us have been voting to make him an All-Star starter.  He’s currently third in Eastern Conference Forwards, with only the top two getting the nod.  He has 637,486 votes, behind understandably LeBron James (969,459) but unforgivably also about 75,000 behind Boston’s Kevin Garnett (712,555).

Perhaps even more disappointing is the showing for Raymond Felton, who while he may not be one of the two best guards in the East, he definitely should be far higher than his current 8th place.  Sure, fine, let Dwayne Wade, Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose be head and shoulders above the rest up top.  However, it’s shameful that he’s behind Ray Allen (having only an average year), John Wall (injured for large chunks of the season already), Gilbert Arenas (having a mediocre season as a bench player for both Washington and now Orlando) and Brandon Jennings (also injured, but shooting an awful percentage and his team the Milwaukee Bucks has a worse record than the Knicks).

So get out there and vote!  Yes, it ain’t as important as voting in our governmental elections, but the good thing is that you can vote again every day!  Let’s get Amar’e starting and give Felty a great showing.

After the Cleveland game where I got another DNP – Coach’s decision, I have read – yet another time – that Mozgov is losing is losing the trust of the coach.

I’ll say this: on my part there’s no panic!

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The New York Knickerbockers beat the Toronto Raptors last night, winning their sixth straight game and 11 out of their last 12, but it took Amar’e Stoudemire once again performing like an MVP, and Raymond Felton’s clinching three-pointer bouncing off the rim five times (plus once off the backboard) before falling in.  With our record at 14-9, it’s the best we’ve been since 2001.  And tonight we have one last easy game (against Washington, who also might likely be playing without John Wall, perhaps their best player).  Then the true test begins when we finally start playing teams with winning records.
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See how Amar'e received the ball here in a position where he could easily get past his own guy, forcing the little guy to either foul or tickle him in the armpit? Earlier in the year he never got the rock like that. No wonder he wasn't laughing and smiling until now. (Source: AP)

While many of us were thrilled that the Knicks beat the New Orleans Hornets Friday night because they were the first team with a winning record we’d gone up against in a while, stat-heads likely were just as impressed (if not more so) with our commanding 116-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors because of the huge point differential.  In the world of advanced statistical analysis, one surprising revelation has been that a better indicator of team success is not whether you defeat good teams, but rather by how many points you outscore your opponent.

One of the leaders of basketball’s new statistical revolution is ESPN’s John Hollinger.  As of today, he gives the Knicks a phenomenal 87.7% chance of making it to the playoffs.  His worst case scenario, meaning rock bottom awful, is that we only win 29 games this year.  In other words, even if everything goes to hell from here on out, we’d at least still match last season’s total.  What’s the best case?  60 wins.  That seems incredibly unlikely, which all the more makes you realize that it’s equally incredibly unlikely that we only equal our ’09-’10 results.  Meanwhile, Amar’e Stoudemire’s former team, the Phoenix Suns, is listed as having only a 56.5% playoff chance and with a maximum win total of 58 games.  Although in all fairness, that’s because there are so many more good teams in the West that it’s harder to predict with certainty.  It’s not that hard to imagine teams like Portland, Houston, Memphis or Golden State going on a run and getting into the playoff picture.  Yet even the most fertile imagination and most fervent local fan probably has trouble seeing a future where Detroit, Philadelphia or New Jersey can be amongst the top 8 Eastsiders this season.

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We've been waiting for CP3 or a point guard for the future to arrive, but Raymond Felton keeps showing that we may already have one. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Writer Joshua Greenberg had this to say after last night when Raymond Felton led the New York Knicks to victory over Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets:

Raymond Felton has severely outplayed CP3. Whether it was just an off game for the All-Star PG or he had the same stomach bug as David West, he has gotten beat by Ray Ray. Felton played with some serious heart on both ends of the court and seems to have finally figured out how to play for Coach D. The best part about his effort tonight was, indeed, the effort.

There has been a lot of build up about the game in NOLA due to the potential of Paul coming to NY, the past ACC rivalry, and the fact that they were drafted in the same year. Helping his game tonight was the stellar play of Amar’e who forced defenders to sag down in effort to contain him. Felton took advantage, nailing clutch three after clutch three against the Hornets. He also allowed Shawne Williams to fill up the stat sheet by setting him up for open treys. Watching the heady PG go against Paul tonight will silence a lot of critics who thought he just wasn’t the answer for the future or even this season. You gotta love his effort on both ends of the court and his “don’t eff with me” demeanor. For the first time in a long time, the Knicks seem to have leader in the backcourt. Now, if he can consistently figure out how to make that tough pick and roll pass we might be headed for greatness.

…or at least a playoff birth.

See you in Canada.

LeBron James showed up strong last night, but will he ever truly be able to recover what he lost? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In a game that many (including myself) thought would cause LeBron James to melt like the Wicked Witch Of The West meeting a bucket o’ water, the man came through impressively, silencing his critics.  Well, silencing some.  Perhaps how silenced people are has to do with how injured they were, or what exactly about his “Decision” upset them.  There are four main reasons why people were angry, and me, I fall into the fourth category.  They are:

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Tonight the deposed king returns to Cleveland for the first time, and man, if you think the Knicks get savaged by ESPN/non-NY outlets, he has been getting it hard.  Wanna build up your anger to a froth before the game?  Check out these bits:

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Why are we using a picture of Shawne Williams as a Memphis Tiger? Because before Sunday he'd never played on the court in a Knicks jersey. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

One of the oddest things about the New York Knicks’ double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday was that it also featured both coaches using double rotation strategies: getting everyone a shot initially, only to end up with a short leash.  By the end of the first quarter, Detroit coach John Kuester had already gone ten players deep.  For the Knicks, Mike D’Antoni went nine-deep in the first half, which might not seem like he went too deep into his bench, until you see who he played.

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The Knicks need to get a second star. ...Or do they already have him? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

New Buckets writer Joshua Sage talks about how the key to the Knicks winning a championship is having two studs, and how to make that happen:

Jordan & Pippen.

Shaq & Kobe.

Robinson & Duncan.

The perception amongst the media, fans, NBA GM’s and players, the unwritten rule, is that a title team needs two stars to carry the team to victory. All three duos listed above have all won multiple titles, so maybe they’re right. To that end, teams around the league have paired players together in an attempt to create that dynamic for themselves.

Deron Williams & Al Jefferson in Utah.

Carlos Boozer & Derrick Rose in Chicago.

Dwayne Wade & LeBron James in Miami.

These are the modern day duos meant to carry their teams to a championship. The first for the Jazz, the seventh for the Bulls and the second for the Heat. But who the hell cares about them, lets talk about the Knicks!

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Tony Parker won't be walking through that door to save us. Then again, with Dwight Howard not coming tonight, hopefully we can avoid feeling we need to be saved. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Rumors of dissatisfaction and Big Apple longing have made New Yorkers constantly hoping to land Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, but at the end of last season we were all fantasizing about snagging a different star: Tony Parker.  Apparently the San Antonio Spurs’ All-Star point guard was now expendable because backup George Hill had performed admirably.  Plus with TP married to glamorous actress Eva Longoria, clearly she’d prefer he move to Manhattan.  We here at Buckets even posted about a rumored potential trade of Tony for David Lee.  However, after CP3′s toast at ‘Melo’s wedding that they’d team up with Amar’e Stoudemire to form their own Big Three on the Knicks, Mr. Parker-Longoria slipped from many people’s minds.

Rest assured that Knick president Donnie Walsh hadn’t forgotten about the former Finals MVP.  Thus he, like any seriously knowledgable Knick fan, was distressed to hear that Tony signed a multi-year extension with the Spurs over the weekend.  While Chris Paul might be better, Parker’s contract ended this year, making him a serious possibility for us to snag.  Players who receive max contracts, like LeBron and Amar’e, they can be tough to lure as the NBA’s rules allow their home team to offer them more money.  However, with players like Tony Parker who aren’t quite at that level, we could’ve potentially offered a more lucrative contract than San Antonio (he signed for four years at only about $50 million).  That meant he was the easiest, most realistic top baller we could’ve gotten.

With Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aging, wouldn’t it have made sense for him to at least wait until the off-season to see what options were available?  Well, due to injuries, the last three years Parker missed 13, 10 and 26 games.  So part of the reason he likely signed the deal was to be safe in case anything serious happened to him this year.  The other big concern of course is that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be signed, which means that there’s a chance he might not be able to get as good a deal once the new CBA is in place.  I still think he should’ve held off, because again, with him not getting a max contract, it seems like it’s pretty likely he could’ve signed just as lucrative a deal.  Bottom line: cross him off the list.  Sure we can still trade for him, but now there’s nothing about him that makes that more conceivable than any other trade we might make.

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In other news, asbestos fell from the ceiling in Madison Square Garden so tonight’s game against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic has been cancelled.  You’re probably bummed about that if you had tickets to tonight’s game (or if you have any Knick or Magic player on your fantasy squad and put them in your line-up).  However, honestly, I think it might be good for us.  I keep harping on the difficulty of our first five games.  If you agree with my power ranking, then Orlando would be the third top five team we played in a row (after having played Boston & Portland over the week).  In other words, even if we are significantly better than last year, it would be quite an upset or coup to beat Orlando.  But most people look only at win-loss record rather than difficulty of schedule, and a third loss in a row would throw fans and journalists into a further panic of are-we-just-as-bad-as-we-were-last-year.  Instead now we have a far more winnable game against the Chicago Bulls, followed by two games we should win against Washington and Philadelphia.  Yes, we will have to play that Orlando game eventually, but it’s better to have it later in the year where a loss won’t cause any early season panic to erupt.

Who's the Knicks' starting 2-guard? Landry. Landry who? Landry Fields, the rook above from Stanford. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

As many of y’all have probably already heard, second-round draft pick, rookie Landy Fields, has surprisingly won the starting shooting guard spot for opening night.  It had seemed like Wilson Chandler had it wrapped up (particularly with potential best SG fit Kelenna Azubuike still recovering from injury), with Toney Douglas’ inspired play having possibly given him a shot.  So it was quite a shock that Landry, who did have good preseason and summer league performances, came out on top.  A couple of brief thoughts on it:

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Patrick Ewing Jr has not had the same post-Georgetown success that his dad had. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The Knicks, needing to cut their roster down to the league-mandated 15 players, chose to cut Patrick Ewing Jr.  This is the second time in three years that we’ve sent our former franchise player’s son packing.  Supposedly Poppa Patrick even tried to put in a good word and convince management to keep his boy on our squad.  Instead, we opted to keep Shawne Williams.

A couple of facts:

-The 15th player pretty much never plays.  Maybe if it’s a blow-out or if there’s a bizarre set of circumstances like last year in Golden State where every single player got injured, but otherwise forget it.

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Gallinari, like everyone on the Knicks not named Stoudemire, has vacilated between inconsistent and awful. (Yardbarker.com)

While Amar’e Stoudemire has been a Master of Consistent Brilliance during the preseason, his fellow Knicks have been Apprentices at the Temple Of Inconsistency & Mediocrity.  As Buckets’ reader Brendan pointed out in his comments: will anyone else step up?  To have any hope at making the playoffs, let alone securing more than 35 wins, we need at least one more guy to produce regularly at a solid level.

The possibilities for the other rock to lean on have been flawed in both different and similar ways.  Point guard Raymond Felton was supposed to be our other huge upgrade partly because he simply wasn’t Chris Duhon.  While Felton has had a few games with decent assist totals, his shooting has in fact been consistently Duhonesque.  Yup, poor shooting and inconsistent assist numbers hasn’t inspired the Garden Faithful with hope.

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Ray Felton's been coming along slowly. With only one preseason game left, will he be ready when the season starts next week? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

As hard as it is to glean anything from preseason games, it’s even harder when we sit most of our starters, like in last night’s 118-91 pummeling by the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers.  Coach Mike D’Antoni decided to give Amar’e Stoudemire, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari the night off.  Throw in the fact that Kelenna Azubuike is still recovering from injury, and it’s quite possible that we had four of our five eventual starters sitting.  How come those particular guys didn’t play?  My guess is because they’re the three guys who’ve had tons of experience playing in D’Antoni’s system so Coach wanted to give the other players more “real” game time to run it.

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New whispers of Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks... for the 17th time. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Sorry things have been sparse here lately but I’ve been traveling, and now it looks like it’s possible a certain Carmelo Anthony also could travel to the Knicks.  A few weeks ago, it seemed like his trade to the Nets was a sure thing.  Even after that fell through, many journalistic idiots (like say, me) propagated the unfounded rumor that the Denver Nuggets were bitter with the Knicks and refusing to listen to us.  But it turned out, shockingly, that they weren’t running a business worth hundreds of millions of dollars as though they were spiteful five-year olds who when they get mad cover their ears and won’t listen.  They just weren’t enamored with the options we offered them.  According to ESPN.com, things have now changed:

The offers the Knicks have proposed have always centered around packages including Anthony Randolph, the expiring contract of Eddy Curry and a first-round draft pick they would acquire from a third team, and New York has softened its stance on including forward Danilo Gallinari in a trade.

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Anthony Randolph, still figuring out the game of basketball, apparently didn't know that you're not supposed to lift up the other guy and carry him to the basket. Talk about embarrassing. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Sorry this didn’t come out earlier, but here are my belated thoughts on Knicks-Celts pre-season game #1 (they play again on Sunday in the neutral territory of Hartford, Connecticut):

-Many questioned whether Amar’e Stoudemire was worth the $100 million contract, and so far he’s been a man amongst boys.  He had another insane evening where he shot nearly 70% from the field, plus he got to the free throw line an impressive 15 times.  In just 27 minutes.  However, again the rebounds were anemic at just 5.  But he did also get 2 blocks, so at least he’s looking to protect the basket a bit more than he has the last couple of years.  Warning, most of the rest of this post is negative after this.

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