The Knicks improved to 54-28 on the season, which gave the Knicks their most victories in a season since the 1996-97 season.

Apr. 17, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks shooting guard John Jenkins (12) dribbles the ball past New York Knicks small forward Iman Shumpert (21) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

It turned out to be a battle of the benches as the Hawks rested their starters as well. For the Knicks, the likes of: Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby all sat this one out.

That meant it was just another opportunity for Chris Copeland to shine, as the rookie led all scorers with 33 points, just one game after dropping 32 against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday.

The Knicks shot 42 percent from the floor and drained 37.5 percent of their attempts from behind the arc. The difference in this one though was the fact that they limited the Hawks to only 2-of-21 shooting on three-point attempts.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how the Knicks graded out to close the regular season.

Individual Grades

Pablo Prigioni (8 points, 3-of-3 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal)

Prigioni got off to a monster start and was on his way to putting up a monster line before spraining his ankle at the end of the first quarter. His status right now is unknown for Game 1 of the playoffs on Saturday, but even though he played only 11 minutes, he earns a high grade for his start. Grade: A

James White (20 points, 8-of-15 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals)

White got 43 minutes of playing time to show what he could do and he didn’t disappoint, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The impressive part was that he knocked down 3-of-6 attempts from behind the arc. He also grabbed some rebounds and moved the ball successfully. In addition, he was solid at the defense end of the floor. Even though it wasn’t against great competition, White was impressive. Grade: A

Iman Shumpert (18 points, 7-of-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals)

Shumpert had a great all-around game Wednesday night and was very efficient doing so. He was able to successfully break down the Hawks’ defense. He also thrived as the primary point guard once Prigioni went down. I think it is safe to say that Shump looks like a much different player right now than he did a couple of months ago. Grade: A

Chris Copeland (33 points, 14-of-29 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks)

Copeland shined once again and made his case for minutes in the postseason. He scored from all over the floor, getting to the basket, scoring inside and drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line eight times. He only attempted four three-pointers on the night which makes his all-around game even more impressive. He wasn’t very active on the glass, but it was a great performance nonetheless. Grade: A

Apr. 17, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Earl Barron (42) on the court against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Earl Barron (11 points, 5-of-14 shooting, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block)

Making his Knicks season debut, Barron owned the glass, grabbing eight rebounds, including six offensive boards. He was extremely active in the paint and found a way to get open in the lane a lot. He missed a lot of shots, but that probably should have been expected from a guy who hasn’t played a game in a very long time. Grade: A

Steve Novak (3 points, 1-of-8 shooting, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal)

Novak played 41 minutes and threw up a ton of bricks. He missed on 5-of-6 of his three-point attempts and didn’t do much to contribute in other areas. Not a pretty way to end the regular season for Novak. Grade: D

Quentin Richardson (5 points, 1-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, 1 assist)

Richardson showed some rust, but this also was expected after not playing a game since the preseason. After making his first shot of the night, Q went on to miss his next 10 attempts. He did show some aggressiveness on the glass though and grabbed 10 boards, five of them offensive. Grade: C

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The sheer volume of games played by each individual player will lead to more accumulated statistics, which is why now is the time for owners to start filling out their rosters with players whose teams have bulkier schedules for the remainder of the season.  Snagging these guys off waivers could be the key to winning your championship.  While this is especially important in head-to-head leagues, it is also important in rotisserie leagues as well as weekly leagues where rosters need to be set prior to the start of each week.

Below is a list of players that meet the aforementioned criteria.  As usual, all players are under 50 percent owned in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues and their remaining games per week are in parentheses.

Mar 3, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Atlanta Hawks point guard Devin Harris (34) drives against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Juan Barea (Timberwolves):  He’s been getting steady minutes (24.8) over the past 5 games and finding guys on the wire who are capable of providing assists isn’t always the easiest thing to come by.  To go along with his three assists per game in his last five, he’s also averaging 13 points and 1.8 threes.  (6.1% owned in ESPN, 11% owned in Yahoo!; remaining weekly schedule: 4,4,4,4,4,2)

Devin Harris (Hawks):  There were high hopes for both players when Atlanta landed Harris in the trade that sent former second overall draft pick Marvin Williams to Utah.  Although neither player has lived up to expectations, Harris has been picking it up a little as of late and has a favorable schedule down the stretch which could help fantasy owners.  Over the past 10 games he has averaged 11.7 points, which included a stretch where he had double-digit scoring in seven straight games, and his yearly averages of one steal and 1.2 3’s per game as well as his dual eligibility at PG and SG are nice bonuses.  (6.6% ESPN, 21% Yahoo!; remaining weekly schedule: 4,4,4,4,2,2)

Tony Allen (Grizzlies):  Known as a defensive stalwart, you would always be guaranteed a good amount of hustle stats from him on a nightly basis, but since Rudy Gay was sent packing he’s been given a larger role in the OFFENSIVE part of the Memphis’s offense.  In the month of March (five games) he’s averaged 11.4 points, 1.2 steals and 5.6 rebounds.  He won’t get you any three-pointers (he’s only made three on the year), which is disappointing for a shooting guard, but his free throw shooting (93 percent in March) may help alleviate that statistical deficiency.  (25.5% ESPN, 36% Yahoo!; remaining weekly schedule: 4,4,4,4,3,2)

Trevor Ariza (Wizards):  It took a while, but Ariza is finally starting to heat up in the Beltway.  He provides a rare, fantasy-friendly combination of points, rebounds, assists, steals and threes and is mired on a team always looking for guys to score.  Over the past 10 games he’s putting up averages of 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and a pair of three-pointers in 30.8 minutes, numbers that are very reminiscent of his 2009-10 breakout campaign in Houston.  Bradley Beal’s impending return from an ankle sprain may reduce his minutes slightly, but you can expect those averages to stay around the same level.  (31.8% ESPN, 48% Yahoo!; remaining weekly schedule: 4,4,4,4,3,2)

Others to keep an eye on with favorable schedule volume (under 50% owned):

Mario Chalmers (Miami: 4,4,4,3,4,2), Eric Maynor (Portland: 3,5,3,4,3,2), Iman Shumpert (Knicks: 4,4,4,4,4,2), Dorell Wright (76ers: 3,4,4,3,4,2), Avery Bradley (Celtics: 3,4,4,4,3,2), Brandan Wright (Mavericks: 4,4,3,4,3,2)

Teams to avoid: Clippers, Pistons, Kings (they only play 17 games each)

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Could the New York Knicks be that team this year to make a move that no one saw coming?

So far there have been plenty of Knicks trade rumors. Most center around second-year guard Iman Shumpert, but there have also been a few that involve the Knicks pursuing big men Jermaine O’Neal and Timofey Mozgov.

Feb 11, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) drives against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Hawks beat the Mavs 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

But could the Knicks come out the winners in the Josh Smith sweepstakes?

Count me as one that didn’t see this coming, but Hoopsworld’s Alex Kennedy has reported that the Knicks have indeed thrown themselves into the middle of the Smith talks.

The reported blockbuster would involve Smith coming to the Big Apple in exchange for Shumpert and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Kennedy notes that the Knicks have been tossing the Shumpert-Stoudemire package around the league in an attempt to land a big time player, with Smith apparently the Knicks first choice.

A move such as this would make sense for the Knicks as it makes them title contenders and Smith would likely want to re-sign with the Knicks in the offseason.

Parting with Stoudemire and Shumpert would be difficult, but adding a big time player makes the Knicks a serious threat.

However don’t get too excited.

It makes no sense for the Hawks to do a move like this.

Why would they give up their cap flexibility to take on Stoudemire’s massive contract, which has two years and $45,090,881 remaining?

Stoudemire has played very well since his return and a STAT-Al Horford frontcourt would be very good, but Hawks’ general manager Danny Ferry cleared up cap space to be  a  player in free agency. Bringing in a massive contract and an injury risk defeats that purpose.

STAT’s recent improved play could make him a trade target, but there is a ton of risk for any team to give up assets to acquire him, so it is still unlikely.

But while many expect the Knicks to be quiet during the trade deadline, they could ultimately end up making a lot of noise.

The Hawks haven’t received many good offers on Smith, so the Knicks could stand a chance.

However I wouldn’t hold my breath.

As much as I like Stoudemire, if some team were willing to part with a big time player to assume the final two years on his contract, well that would be a gift.

The last time I checked it isn’t Christmas.

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So far there has been no deals made, but that will certainly change.

Here’s a trip around The Association, examining the hottest rumors on this Wednesday afternoon.

 Josh Smith

Smith appears to be the biggest name that will be moved by Thursday’s deadline and according to TNT’s David Aldridge, The Bucks, Wizards, and Nets have been the most active in pursuing Smith.

League sources list Milwaukee, Washington, Brooklyn as most diligent on Josh Smith, but Danny Ferry keeping cards close to chest…

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) February 20, 2013

In addition, ESPN’s Chris Broussard reports that Smith likes the idea of playing with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, so it will be interesting to see if the Bucks can get a deal done without having to include either of their star guards.

So far, Hawks general manager Danny Ferry isn’t receiving any decent offers for J-Smoove, so it will be interesting to see how that changes between now and Thursday afternoon.

Boston Celtics

Kevin Garnett won’t waive his no-trade clause and to bring in a major piece it was felt that the Celtics would have to move Paul Pierce, which is doubtful. But Broussard notes that rival GMs insist Rajon Rondo is available.

Rival GMs insist Rondo’s available. Could they pry Josh away from ATL w/out giving up Pierce or KG? Jeff Green would be good fit in ATL

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) February 20, 2013

New York Knicks

Iman Shumpert’s name keeps coming up in rumors, most notably for Orlando’s J.J. Redick, but Knicks’ general manager is also targeting big men, most notably Phoenix’s Jermaine O’Neal and Denver’s Timofey Mozgov.

Feb 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon (10) in action against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Turner

ESPN has reported that the Philadelphia 76ers were shopping Turner, but according to  Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Sixers don’t currently have anything in the works involving the former No. 2 overall pick.

Marcin Gortat

According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been exploring a deal with the Suns that would send Marcin Gortat to Oklahoma City. In the proposed deal, the Suns would receive Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb, and a first-round pick from the Thunder.

Eric Gordon

Broussard noted earlier in the day that Gordon could be surprisingly dealt by the Hornets, although there has been nothing linking him to any particular team. However he is a player to keep an eye on in the next 24 hours.

Charlotte Bobcats

The ‘Cats have been shopping both Ben Gordon and  Gerald Henderson and according to Adrian Wojnarowski, and are looking for a first-round pick in return.

Dwight Howard

Despite Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak insisting that Howard won’t be dealt,  that won’t stop teams  from trying as CBS Sports Ken Berger notes that the Atlanta Hawks will be among the teams making  a strong  push for Howard.

Brooklyn Nets

It is going to take much more than Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks for the Nets to land Smith, but Berger notes that the Nets know that a Kris Humphries-for-Ben Gordon trade is still on the table, but are waiting to see what happens with Smith before returning to that avenue.

DeJuan Blair

Yahoo Sports’ Wojnarowski notes that the Spurs will likely deal Blair for the best final offer.

Keep checking back as I will update the latest rumors throughout the day.

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February 13, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) backs Orlando Magic guard-forward Arron Afflalo (4) down in the paint at Amway Center. The magic lost 108-77. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Griffith-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s a look at what is hot around The Association as we try and sort out every rumor on this Tuesday morning.

Josh Smith

Smith remains the biggest name on the block that could be dealt by Thursday and it appears that the Hawks want to move him sooner rather than later, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. But to who?

The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets keep being mentioned the most, but there are problems with both scenarios.

With Kevin Garnett not willing to waive his no-trade clause, the Celtics would have to move Paul Pierce in order to take on Smith’s contract. On the other hand, Brooklyn will have to get a third team involved. It should take much more than an offer of Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks to pull a talent like J-Smoove.

Ultimately Smith will get dealt, but I expect Atlanta general manager Danny Ferry to draw this out and wait for a surprise team that will come in and offer up the right package of young talent and picks.

J.J. Redick

The Magic say they are open to re-signing him, but sending him to New York for Iman Shumpert makes sense for both teams, as Hoopsworld’s Alex Kennedy reports. But that will take a third team involved as well. It’s no given that Redick will be in a Magic uniform after Thursday, but I will be mildly surprised if he is dealt.

The Magic and Knicks have discussed a J.J. Redick for Iman Shumpert trade. Other players (and maybe a third team) would have to be involved.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 19, 2013

Dwight Howard

It appears as if the Los Angeles Lakers will hold onto Howard and roll the dice in trying to sign him, which may backfire in a big way. There has been rumors about a Rajon Rondo for Howard swap, but those were quickly shot down by Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak.

Kevin Garnett

KG has said he won’t waive his no-trade clause, so a rumored deal to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan appears all but dead.

Feb 12, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz power forward Paul Millsap (24) grabs a rebound during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Utah Jazz

It is felt around the league that either Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson will be dealt as the Jazz can’t re-sign both, but every other day it appears that a different guy is going to be on the move. This will likely draw out until Thursday afternoon, but I expect Millsap to be dealt to one of a number of suitors.

 “I think they’ll trade one of them because they can’t keep both,” a rival GM tells Ian Thomsen of SI.com. ”But I’m never sure which one will go. One day I think it’s going to be Jefferson, and the next day it will be Millsap.”

J.J. Hickson

There is a lot of interest in the Blazers big man, but nothing currently cooking that would make you believe that he would be on the move. However things can change in the next couple of days so I would keep my eye on Hickson being shopped.

Carlos Boozer

Boozer has been mentioned in a deal with the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Andre Bargnani, but whether that materializes or not, some think Boozer could be on the move anyway.

One league source tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that he thinks Boozer is the player most likely to be moved by Thursday (Twitter link).

Andrea Bargnani

The Raptors would love to move the former No. 1 overall pick and while assuming Boozer’s salary may not be ideal, they will continue to shop Bargnani. He will be traded, but the Raptors could hold onto him and look for a better offer in the offseason.

Iman Shumpert

Shump’s name has popped up a lot recently, which despite Knicks head coach Mike Woodson telling the second-year guard last week that he wouldn’t  be dealt, it makes it seem like  the  Knicks are actively looking to move the Georgia Tech product. He has been linked to the Orlando Magic for Redick, the Minnesota Timberwolves for Luke Ridnour and the Phoenix Suns for Jared Dudley.

The Knicks are in win-now mode and Shumpert is the only way they can acquire a major piece to try and accomplish that.

Milwaukee Bucks

It is felt around the league that the Bucks will do something big and that likely means parting with point guard Brandon Jennings or even shooting guard Monta Ellis. Teams like Dallas could be hot after Jennings, as Milwaukee is a team to keep your eye on as Thursday’s deadline rapidly approaches.

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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.

But now that Howard has been shipped off to Hollywood and Joe Johnson taking his talents to Brooklyn this division has taken a hit. Today I will be analyzing how the New York Knicks will match up against their Southeast Division counterparts, the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams have been very talented the last couple of years but have fell short of expectations in the playoffs. Lets see how both teams that have been labeled as championship “pretenders” would fair against one another.

Point Guard:
Raymond Felton/Jason Kidd/Pablo Prigioni vs. Devin Harris/ Jeff Teague

Apr 22, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague (0) drives to the basket against New York Knicks point guard Baron Davis (85) and shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks point guards will certainly have their hands full when guarding both Devin Harris and Jeff Teague. Both are scoring point guards with the ability to score in bunches and relish the opportunity to beat their opponents off the dribble. Both Jason Kidd and Pablo and Prigioni will have trouble staying in front of either one of these speedster sand the Hawks would be wise taking advantage of this mismatch. While Felton should fair well against either one of these guards and would keep them honest on the other end of the floor.

The Knicks have the edge here because of the experience factor. Yes the Hawks have more firepower here but Devin Harris hasn’t been effective since his days on the New Jersey Nets and Jeff Teague still hasn’t been consistent despite the upside in his game. The Knicks’ floor generals should be able to out craft the young guns in Atlanta.

Advantage: Knicks

Shooting Guard:
Ronnie Brewer/Jr. Smith/ Iman Shumpert vs. Anthony Morrow/ Lou Williams/ John Jenkins

Currently the Knicks’ shooting guard rotation is looking rather thin with both Iman Shumpert and Jr. Smith rehabbing from surgery. No matter, Jr. Smith will be getting the start here and will give the Knicks great scoring versatility and willing defense at times.

Despite losing All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson, the Atlanta Hawks have added Lou Williams to fill in the scoring void–something he can certainly do. Anthony Morrow over the last year showed why he’s one of the best  three-point shooters in the game today with a career average of 42.6 percent from downtown. Rookie John Jenkins won’t see much time in this matchup especially with the sticky fingers and quick triggers from both Morrow and Williams here.

The Hawks have the advantage here simply because we don’t know how healthy either Shumpert and Brewer–two of the Knicks best perimeter defenders–will be when they come back which they will surely need against Morrow and Williams.

Advantage: Hawks

Small Forward:
Carmelo Anthony/ Steve Novak/ James White/ Chris Copeland vs. Deshwan Stevenson/ Kyle Korver

Not to be dramatic but Carmelo Anthony will simply demolish the Hawks here.

Anthony could easily for 30 to 40 points here because the Hawks don’t have anyone to stop him. Indeed Deshawn Stevenson has carved a career on the defensive end, but he cannot check Carmelo Anthony–then and now–especially now that he’s even getting schooling in the post with Hakeem Olajuwon now. Kyle Korver has always been a three-pointer shooter and nothing else so the Hawks will have to pray they can keep Anthony from dropping 50 points.

Advantage: Knicks

Power Forward:
Amar’e Stoudemire/ Kurt Thomas vs.Josh Smith/Jordan WIlliams/ Mike Scott

Jan 28, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks power forward Josh Smith (5) puts up a shot against New York Knicks small forward Shawne Williams (3) and power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) during the second half at Phillips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Knicks 111-102. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

I’ll probably get a ton of heat for this, but Josh Smith is a better player than Amar’e Stoudemire. Stoudemire is tremendous basketball player, an All-Star, a dominant pick and roll finisher but he doesn’t impact the game the way Josh Smith does.

Josh Smith plays on both ends of the floor. He can stuff a stat sheet like very few do in the league today but yet he isn’t a an All-Star. Indeed he had his maturity and coaching problems but he has come a long way and last year was an amazing year for the talented power forward.

The Hawks win here because Josh Smith can definitely guard Stoudemire with his freakish athleticism but I can’t say the same for Stoudemire even with his new found commitment to defense.

Advantage: Hawks

Center:
Tyson Chandler/Marcus Camby vs. Al Horford/Zaza Pachulia/Johan Petro

I really love this defensive tandem of Chandler and Camby because even with Camby’s age the Knicks don’t love much with their defensive intensity, rim protecting, and floor leadership.

Although Horford is more naturally a power forward, he has still been effective at this position and still have much room for improvement. Zaza Pachulia is an enforcer of sorts for the Hawks but he has lost his edge over the years.

The Knicks win here because of the mobility of Chandler will cancel out Horford’s perimeter game he uses to his advantage against most centers in the league today.

Advantage: Knicks

Coaching:
Mike Woodson vs. Larry Drew

Mike Woodson definitely has the edge here because he was the head coach that was replaced with Larry Drew. Woodson should be able to play to Hawks’ weaknesses sinced he has coached both Smith and Horford. This battle will come down to which style of play prevails. The Knicks would need to slow the tempo and play a half court game. While the Hawks would be most effective getting out and running and pushing the tempo any chance they get.

Advantage: Knicks

Prediction:

In a seven game series the Knicks should be able to go over the Hawks in 6 or 7 games. The Knicks after this offseason are a more complete and title ready team than the Hawks are now. I would only say seven games if the Hawks really utilize the scoring power of its backcourt and possibly speed up the tempo of these games.

Feb. 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard J. R. Smith (8) and New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (17) wait for the ball during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 104-97. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

1) The Hawks were dealt a huge blow early on in the season when Al Horford got hurt. How has this team managed to be so successful without him?

Well, “successful” is a word I’ll use loosely. Yes, they are 12-9 since Al Horford went down, but most of those wins came against teams with losing records. Since Horford went out, they are 9-1 against teams with losing records and only 3-8 against teams with winning records. But to get back to the question, Josh Smith has really carried this Atlanta Hawks team since Al Horford went down. That’s why it bothers me so much that he’s not an All-star, because if there is one Hawks player that deserves it, it’s Josh Smith. There aren’t many forwards in the East that are doing more than him right now.

2) With Joe Johnson apparently a no-go, which player do you expect to step up against the Knicks?

Josh Smith. He’s been the player that the Hawks have been asking to carry the load since Al Horford went down, and with Joe Johnson now out for the game too, you can bet that Josh Smith is feeling that he has to step up even more now. Will he step up and carry the entire team to a win? That’s up in the air. I can’t think of many games that Josh Smith has single-handedly carry the Hawks to a win. 

 If I had to choose another player that has a possibility of having a good game, it’s Jeff Teague. Teague has shown at times, when he’s playing aggressive, that he can be a pretty a good scorer. Also, I know Jeremy Lin is pretty quick himself, but Jeff Teague should be able to get by “Super Lin-tendo” pretty easily tonight. As you and your readers know, Jeremy Lin isn’t exactly a top tier defensive player.

3) What is the biggest key to tonight’s game for the Hawks?

Ball movement. The Hawks don’t have an active go-to player on the roster right now (since Joe Johnson is out). Josh Smith can be a good scorer, but he’s not someone that I can say is a go-to player. The team needs to take the offensive approach of a Denver Nuggets or San Antonio Spurs team tonight. Neither the Spurs or Nuggets have a go-to player, but they play well offensively because they move the ball around and get contribution from many different players. There isn’t a Kobe Bryant or a Kevin Durant or a Dirk Nowitzki on this team right now….the Hawks will really hurt themselves if they try to play an offense like they have a great scorer.

Read more from William over at SoaringDownSouth.com/ or follow him @WillSevidalSDS

Also check out my portion of the Q & A by clicking here.

Hottest Seats:

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Felton has done well scoring, but assisting? Not so much. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

From new Buckets writer, Joshua Sage, a post on how perhaps one of the reasons we lost to the Hawks was due to Raymond Felton.

The New York Knicks five game winning streak came to a halt yesterday at the hands of a troubled Atlanta Hawks team.  A Hawks team that looks like it’s in route to another disappointing playoff exit, but hey, at least Atlanta will be in the playoffs.

The Knicks trailed throughout the game, showed little defensive prowess, played selfishly on offense, and failed to win over their home crowd, which booed like they were getting payed for it.

New York once again lost the assist battle, only four times this season have the Knicks had more assists then their opponent. They were also out rebounded for the tenth time. So far this season, no Knick is averaging double figures in rebounds or assists.

The loss of David Lee has sorely affected the Knicks ability to keep opposing teams off the boards and muster up any second chance points. Another issue in NYC are the point guards, who look to just score, score, score. Ideally, Raymond Felton should be a quality veteran backup point guard, with a true floor general leading the starting five.

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Kobe bites his shirt! Does that mean he's worried the Lakers won't be on top this year? Nah, probably he just forgot to eat dinner. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

With the season beginning tonight, it’s time to rank how strong all the teams are at this point.  This isn’t who will be strongest at the end of the season or who will have the best regular season.  This measures how strong each team is right NOW.  If a team engaged in a seven game series today with any of the teams listed below them, I’m saying they’d win.  So yeah, injuries count big time.  And chemistry.  And like, how good they are.  It’s basically a highly complex formula that you mere mortals wouldn’t understand.  Either that or it’s all based on pure opinion.

1. Los Angeles Lakers — Even with the recovering Kobe shooting 28% this pre-season they’d still beat everyone.  Hell, he only shot 24% in Game 7 of Finals.

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When discussing coaches on the hot seat, consider Don Nelson's butt on fire. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In the first part, we looked at the coaches in good positions, but today we look at the ones in bad and ugly situations.  We went over those who were Bulletproof, 95% Bulletproof (aka Impervious), Pretty Safe and Fairly Safe.  Note that this is NOT about which coaches are good or bad, simply what the chances are that they get fired during the season.

Maybe Safe… Um, Maybe Not:

Jim O’Brien – Pacers: They’ve been mediocre for several years now and Bird hasn’t fired O’Brien yet.  Although the addition of new exciting young point guard Darren Collison gives hope for the future, there’s no reason to expect this team to be any better this season without a halfway decent power forward, so unless the team’s significantly worse than last year, O’Brien should make it through the season.

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With the Cavs having lost the unstoppable Delonte West (plus I think some other guy?), how bad will they be? You might be surprised by our take. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

We already examined how much teams improved/regressed during the off-season, but now we’ll talk about how they stack up against each other.  Meaning, we gave Orlando a zero for their summer and the Wizards a +2, but now we’re here to tell you that yes, of course Orlando is still gonna be far better.  For those who haven’t seen those posts on off-season grades, click the following links to see what we had to say about the Northwest, Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Pacific and Southwest Divisions.  Also, we’re only gonna be talking about the regular season here.  So even though we don’t think the Celts will be a top two team record-wise, it doesn’t mean we think they’re incapable of making it through the gauntlet again.  Lastly, some teams will be put in clusters ‘cuz they’ll likely end up with similar records and what does a victory or two here and there matter?

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Miami snagged this trio over the summer. I'd say that's a pretty good off-season, wouldn't you? But how good...? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In part III of this series, we’ll be looking at off-season moves of the teams that make up the Southeast Division: the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic & Washington Wizards. If you wanna check out the first two parts, we covered the Atlantic Division and the Central Division.  The upcoming parts will look at the Pacific Division, Southwest Division and Northwest Division.The rules, as previously stated:

1. Rather than a standard A through F grade or going for a scale of 1-10, we shall use a system that my friend Noriko loves: -5 through +5.  It helps differentiate things a bit more, ‘cuz like if a team gets a C-, it’s better than an F, but is it good?  With this scale, you can instead give the team a +1, which shows that they improved the team, but only marginally.  Or maybe they get a zero ‘cuz they didn’t hurt the team or help it.

2. These grades are not, I repeat, NOT, about how good teams will be.  It’s purely about how good their summer moves were.  For instance, the Sacramento Kings may get a higher grade than say the Orlando Magic, but that doesn’t mean I’m insane and think the Kings will be better than the Magic.  It simply means I like the Kings’ draft of DeMarcus Cousins more than the Magic’s signings of Quentin Richardson and Chris Duhon (although I haven’t fully examined those teams yet, so I dunno what grades they’ll get).

3. The grades are not just based on how good the players are, but also their contracts.  Joe Johnson is definitely a top 30 player, but with Atlanta giving him $120 million/6 yrs, the largest contract of anyone this summer, his signing turns into a negative.

4. Grades will be scaled based on what each team could have done.  Meaning the Lakers, a team over the salary cap, get major kudos for snagging Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff and bringing back Shannon Brown with their limited financial flexibility, but if say the Knicks, with all their cap space, had only made those moves, I’d pan ‘em.

5. Fit matters.  I like Kirk Hinrich a ton, and had he gone to the Pacers (a team that desperately needed a point guard before the Collison trade), I would’ve raved about the move.  However, Washington acquiring him is a bit odd considering they already have PGs in John Wall and Gilbert Arenas.

And now…

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New Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau got his defensive chops from one of the best coaches in the game: Jeff Van Gundy. Unfortunately, it seems he also co-opted Jeff's same clothing/grooming style. (source: Yardbarker.com)

There has been confirmation that both the New Jersey Nets and the Chicago Bulls have hired new coaches.  The Bulls have hired Celtic’s assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, widely acclaimed for his defensive schemes.  Many have argued that his addition was equally as key to turning the Celts into defensive juggernauts in 2008 as getting Kevin Garnett.  The Bulls were great stoppers just a few years ago under former coach Scott Skiles (who this year turned the Milwaukee Bucks from matador defenders into, um, what’s the opposite, brick wall defenders?).  While the Bulls’ whirl-a-gig center, Joakim Noah, has kept the team from slacking too much, the arrival of Thibodeu should catapult the team back to a spot as one of the top defensive squads.

Meanwhile, the Nets, after a 12-win season where the only thing they stopped was your team from playing a quality opponent, is already being brought back to life by their new 6’5″ Russian katrillionaire, Mikhail “Don’t Call Him Mikey P” Prokhorov.  It’s a nice coup for him to snag Avery Johnson, the coach with the highest winning percentage in NBA history.  He turned the Mavericks from the offense-only laughingstock 200s posse which included the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, into a solid defensive ball club.  And that was with a star player, Dirk Nowitizki, who due to his complete lack of D, almost legally changed his name to “Irk.”

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Don't let the open arms confuse you. If you say something David Stern doesn't like, he'll fine you. No, there's no truth to the rumor that The Beatles wrote "Back In The USSR" about him. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

First off, please, please, please don’t confuse me for a whiney Boston Celtics fan. I actually was excited for them two years ago when they got Kevin Garnett because I felt like KG and Paul Pierce were two guys who deserved a shot and I wanted to see what they could do. Then they both, particularly KG, turned into jerks. So now I’m staunchly anti-Celts. I hope they lose this series, and I’m psyched that the Magic won last night. But Orlando shouldn’t have been helped out so egregiously by the refs.

No, I’m not a conspiracy nut either who thinks the “League” told the refs to extend the series. I just think that the refs and the NBA honchos have let the power go to their heads. It’s insane how afraid the league is of dissention. For those who didn’t watch last night’s game, Kendrick Perkins, the one guy in the league who can do a decent job defending Dwight Howard solo, got two technicals and was tossed. The first happened when he was helping Paul Pierce up, but their grip slipped so his arm went back a bit into Orlando’s backup center Marcin Gortat. Gortat responded, slapping the ball away, and they got hit by double technicals. I understand that one. At the time, particularly from certain angles, it looked like Perk just maliciously elbowed Gortat on purpose. But upon video review, you can see it was more of an accident.

To read the rest of this, go to my original post on the main FanSided page.

Evaluating players before the draft is not easy, but at least you know who you are talking about. Predicting who is going to get picked when is harder. Everyone has their own ranking system, but the big question is whether a team is going to pick the best player available or pick the player who best addresses the team’s needs.

The other question is, what on earth was that GM thinking? The most recent “what was he thinking” award goes to the Minnesota Timberwolves, for using the 5th and 6th draft picks on point guards (Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio), followed by having one of them (Rubio) make noises that he would never play for the Wolves, and creating a situation where the other, Flynn, felt unsure of the team’s commitment to him, and for good reason.

So for me to say who will make which pick is guesswork, because every year there are inexplicable decisions made, and there are players drafted in the top 20 whose name you hear when he is selected, but then never again. Comparing mock drafts, I have seen players’ names move twenty spots or more.

Mostly, I’m seeing mocks that describe players, not why they will be picked or what the team is thinking. I already wrote about the players likely to be drafted in the first round, so instead, lets’ discuss what the team should do, not what they will do, because many teams have a weird tendency to pick the same type of player over and over regardless of the results. (Lakers trying to find a point guard, Bulls drafting post players, Houston drafting 3’s, Warriors drafting skilled bigs, etc.) Redundancy makes sense for some teams, but for others it’s stupid. I’ll take those case by case.
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Orlando's Matt Barnes gets a good sniff of Joe Johnson in their series: yeah, JJ stunk (source: Yardbarker.com)

I really love Manu Ginobili, and I would’ve loved to see what he could do as a Knick, but I gotta say I was kinda glad when he recently signed a 3-year deal to stay with the Spurs.  That meant he wouldn’t be available as a huge risk out there tempting the Knicks.  If you look at the players with the 30 Biggest Salaries from this past season, you can pretty much lump ‘em into two categories: the best of the best and the obscenely overpaid injured types.  There’s a serious danger that Manu will fall into Group B.   As exciting as it’d be to see how good he could be as a team’s focal point (rather than Tim Duncan and Tony Parker being the first two options), it’s a bad bet.

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Big summer franchise movies are assembled much like a NBA franchise team. You’ve got the executives who care more about the bottom line (“Let’s sign Allen Iverson — he’ll put butts in the seat” or “Let’s hire Scarlett Johansson — she’ll add sex appeal!”) rather than whether they create a high quality product. They hire the actors, or ball players. The thing is, it’s then up to the coach, or director, to make something out of this collection they were force fed, with their name being on the line. When a movie sucks, how often do you hear, “Man, that studio executive did an awful job?” And days after the Chicago Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was coach Vinny Del Negro who got the axe, not GM John Paxson.

For the rest, click here.

Would YOU want to live in Cleveland? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

1. Okay, everyone knows about this quote ‘cuz the Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah has been relentless in his digs at Cleveland. When given a chance to recant after Game #2, he offered this nugget (amongst others):

“I never heard anybody say I’m going to Cleveland on vacation.”

For the other two quotes, check out the end of the article here.

It doesn't matter if you hate Chicago's Derrick Rose. As a Knicks' fan you should root for him to expose Cleveland's Mo Williams so that a certain King will get frustrated and wanna leave the Cavs. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

It’s Fan Appreciation 101 to root for your team to win, but as anyone who’s taken higher classes in Team Supportation knows, that’s just the tip o’ the iceberg.  Sometimes you gotta see the larger picture, which may require you to hope your team actually loses for say a better draft position.  The Indiana Pacers finished the season playing some of their best ball, but that annoyed many true-blooded Indy fans since it destroyed their lottery chances.  Other times, you may root for your team to lose so that the owner finally wises up and sees it has to fire that crappy coach or GM (or both — hello Isiah Thomas and Mike Dunleavy Sr.).

Frequently, as a member of the faithful, you may even have to root for outcomes in games featuring other teams.  Say you’re battling for the 8th seed in the playoffs, then you gotta watch the games involving the other teams in the battle so you can root against them.  Or maybe you’re assured of being in the playoffs, but you know you match up against one team better than another.  Now you gotta cheer for the right teams to win and the wrong ones to lose all so that everything falls perfectly for your one true team.

However, with the Knicks’ eliminated from the playoffs long-ago, what’s a Knick fan to root for?  Things that will help us out in free agency.  I spent the last month of the regular season caring less about the Knicks’ wins/loss total than about the outcome of the Raptors/Bulls’ battle for the final playoff spot.  I figured that if the Raptors don’t make the playoffs, then surely Chris Bosh’s chances of remaining in Toronto drop rapidly.  Does this mean he’s a sure-fire Knick, or even that he’s my top choice?  No, but I like to improve my odds as much as possible.  Had the Pacers finished with the fifth worst record instead of the tenth, they still might not have won the lottery, but it wouldn’t have hurt.

Thus, for a true Knick fan, here are the things for which we should be rooting in order to increase our chances during the free agency period:

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Damn straight, Phil Jackson should be walking with his head down after some of his coaching choices! Right? ...Right? Um, maybe not. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Is there anyone in the NBA who gets criticized more than coaches?  It doesn’t matter who you are, how successful you are (or have been), or what players you have at your disposal — we can always find problems with you.  Earlier this year, Greg Popovitch was criticized for being unable to make his big off-season acquisition, Richard Jefferson, productive.  The other night, Phil Jackson, winner of more NBA titles than God himself, left himself open for target practice by choosing to draw up a play for Pau Gasol to attempt the game-tying three-point shot (Pau missed, which could cause the Lakers to lose home court advantage if they play the Magic in the Finals).

We, the fans and media, aren’t necessarily wrong in complaining about these points, but I think sometimes we not only expect too much, we also don’t always see (or know) the full picture.  For instance, maybe Phil was trying to make a point to Kobe about how the Black Mamba needed to give his body rest or it would cost the team (the previous possession Kobe missed two free throws that would’ve given the Lakers the lead).  If Kobe/Fisher/Artest/whoever hit a three for the tie, then maybe Kobe remains convinced that he can play through his injuries.  Sure, you can say this was a costly way to make a point (& I have no idea if Phil was trying to make this point), but if Kobe’s sitting out these two last games enables him to be healthy enough to lead the Lakers back to a championship, it’d be hard to argue with the results.

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Let's start a rumor that this Team USA moment (where Wade jealously catches LeBron and Kobe laughingly bond) caused a rift. As a defense mechanism, Wade will now pursue Amar'e, while LeBron's goes for Joe. Can't they see true love is right there next to them? --No, not Kobe! I'm talking about each other! (source: Yardbarker.com)

In an ESPN.com article, Mark Stein writes:

It is widely assumed that LeBron James and Chris Bosh are the two marquee free agents Dwyane Wade wants the Heat to pursue starting July 1.

The reality, though, is that Amare Stoudemire should be regarded as no less than an equal in this conversation.

Given all the options and potential outcomes of LeBron’s foray into free agency — and Bosh’s recent insistence during All-Star Weekend that he’s in no rush to relocate just to be regarded as someone else’s sidekick — Stoudemire would appear to be the most signable of the three.

One source close to the situation insisted this week that Wade and Stoudemire are closer than advertised as pals even though they haven’t played together on Team USA since 2004.

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Is it just me or have the Knicks looked a little different lately?

With the Knicks racking two wins in a row, rumors have really rapidly run rather rampantly.  Is it true that the players’ life-forms have been inhabited by aliens?  How else do you explain wins over a top team like Atlanta, ending Dallas’ 13 game winning streak in a blow-out, and not playing down to Philadelphia’s level last night and losing like we like to do?  We here at Buckets Over Broadway are not afraid to plunge into such hard-hitting journalistic investigations to uncover the truth for you.  Are these the same Knick players we’ve known all year?  Or are they hosts to a possibly hostile race of space creatures who’ve come to slowly yet surely destroy any sense of logic in our world, thus creating chaos, leaving us unable to know up from down, and easy pickings for interplanetary conquest?  At this point, either seems feasible.  Let’s compare what clues point towards being a Knick versus an Alien:

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Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks

As we discussed after the recent Knicks/Hawks game, JJ has a nice relationship with Coach Mike D’Antoni from their time together in Phoenix, plus the Knicks have somehow managed to look competitive this year in the three games he played against us.  When JJ was on those D’Antoni Suns teams, although he was huge for them, at the time he was considered to be at best their fourth most important player (after Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudamire & Shawn Marion).  Joe rightly felt he could be more, a centerpiece, and he wanted to be paid accordingly.  Having achieved all that with the Hawks, he now has reached the point most vets get to: the main thing he wants now is the chance to play for a championship.  He is even one of the few stars who has literally put his money where his mouth is and has stated he’d be willing to take a bunch less money to be on such a team.

Now don’t misunderstand: he knows he has a very good thing going with the Hawks and that they are a really, really good team.  He’s not gonna just leave them to play on a mid-level Knick team.  So ignore this quote in the NY Daily News:

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The title of this post isn’t a joke, as one would assume. The Knicks were up by 1 with the ball and about 20 seconds left, but they turned it over. The Hawks were now breaking down the court with the chance for a win. How did the Knicks stop them? Let’s look:

Wilson Chandler meets Josh Smith at the top of his dunk attempt and gets the block. Now, his physical ability is what allowed him to get the block, but Chandler used his basketball IQ to get himself in position to let his physical tools take over.

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After playing so well, Gallo felt like he was sitting on air. (source: yardbarker)

This year the Atlanta Hawks picked up former Knick Jamal Crawford, who is second on the team in scoring and is the likely winner of the Sixth Man Of The Year Award for the most valuable player off the bench.  In addition, their should-be-All-Star power forward, Josh Smith, aka JSmoove, has taken his game to the next level by no longer settling for hoisting up three-pointers, thus greatly improving his field goal percentage (& shot selection).  As a result, the Hawks have taken that next step to where they’re almost up there with the big boys in the league.  No one would likely pick them to beat Cleveland or Orlando in a seven game series, but they’re no longer the gimmes they used to be.  And if the Cavs or Magic came out with less than their A game, the Hawks could easily come out as victors. All of which makes it more amazing that the Knicks beat the Hawks yet again last night.  Particularly right after losing to one of the historically worst teams ever in the Nets.

To further highlight the difference, in the Nets game the Knicks made negative NBA history by attempting the most threes (18) without hitting one (aka 0).  Against the Hawks, the Knicks came out and went four-for-four from out deep to start the game.  Of course they didn’t keep up that insane pace, but they still finished off hitting 10 of 15, for a whopping 66.6%.  Teams would kill to shoot that well from two-point range, so to do that from beyond the arc is just downright amazing.  And don’t kid yourself into thinking that it has anything to do with the other team’s defense — the Nets are one of the worst teams at defending from the three-point line.

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[Donnie] Walsh may have found a taker for [Jared] Jeffries, and it also appears that the price he has to pay to get Jeffries off the books is Jordan Hill. The trade, as reported by Yahoo, would send Jeffries, Hill and either Al Harrington or Larry Hughes to Houston for Tracy McGrady, Brian Cook and Joey Dorsey. Draft picks would also exchange hands, in the Rockets’ favor.

With an estimated $53 million cap next summer, the Knicks would stand to have as much as $31.5 million with which to pursue free agents [if this trade goes through]. The cream of the crop — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — can each sign for $16.57 million, so the Knicks can almost afford two of them. They would still be about $1.7 million short of making a maximum offer to two of these players.

But they would have options. One scheme would be to sign one of these players for the full $16.57 million and then pursue a player on the next rung down, like Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, who might sign for slightly less.

[...] they would also enter the 2010-11 season with Curry as an ending contract, and therefore as a more valuable trade commodity.

While it’s tough to trade a young player like Jordan Hill before you can fully determine his potential, it’s probably worth it for the added flexibility this summer.  However, word was that the Knicks partly wanted to get rid of Al Harrington so they could free some time up at the power forward spot for Jordan.  Trading them both would likely mean that either Gallo or, yikes, newcomer Brian Cook would split time at the PF slot.  While losing Jordan would be a bummer, the draft picks that Larry Coon briefly mentions sound like we’d be giving up a lot according to Brian Cronin at KnickerBlogger.com who says the trade would also include:

(and here’s the kicker) the right to swap 2011 first round picks, an unprotected 2012 first round pick and possibly a 2010 second round pick.

Due to the Eddy Curry trade/signing, we already lost a draft pick that turned into LaMarcus Aldridge, plus we’re gonna lose this year’s pick (which after we tear the team apart should make us rack up even more losses & guarantee us a top 5 pick). Cronin goes on to say:

Morey deserves a lot of credit for driving an extremely hard bargain, knowing that the Knicks are so desperate for that cap room that they’d give him pretty much anything he wanted.

If the Knicks go out and sign Lebron James and another MAX player like Wade or Bosh (or hell, just Lebron James and other good free agents like David Lee and, I dunno, Marcus Camby), then this trade is clearly a winner. But what are the odds of the Knicks getting the top free agents out there?

The local sportswriters are showering Walsh with praise over the possible deal, suggesting he should get Executive of the Year if the trade goes through, but be sure to ignore those fellows.

I’m with him, partly ‘cuz honestly Jared Jeffries has played rather well this year.  His defense has been great, and his three-point shooting has steadily improved.  Yes, he’s not quite a $7 million player, but for one year?  Particularly for the Rockets who appreciate glue guys like their own Shane Battier.

Personally, like Cronin, I think it’s highly unlikely we get Wade or LeBron, who are really the only game-changers out there.  Maybe we get a Bosh or Joe Johnson or A’m'a’r'e Stoudamire, but they only improve your team a bit, they don’t turn it into a potential title contender.  However, what could help make the trade worth it is the one thing that neither of these articles mentions: maybe McGrady can still be a good player.  Both of those treat him just as an expiring contract to be gotten rid of, but maybe the guy still has something left in the tank.  I believe he’s still only like 30, so he ain’t dead yet.  Sure, he ain’t gonna be the T-Mac of a few years ago who lead the league in scoring & legitimately was thought of as being in the same category as Kobe Bryant.  But what if he’s still solid?  Maybe a collection of Bosh, Joe Johnson, TMac, Wilson Chandler & Danilo Gallinari could be dangerous.  Let’s see if we get a chance to find out.

Lee is averaging 20 points and 11.4 rebounds and becomes the Knicks’ first All-Star since Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell in 2001. Stern chose Lee over Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut, who is averaging 16.0 points and 10.2 rebounds and has helped lead the Bucks to within a game of a playoff spot in the East.

Many do think that Bogut could be the second best official “center” in the East (I use quotes ‘cuz like Chris Bosh wants to be called a power forward, much like Tim Duncan always has, but he should be considered a center).  However, Bogut started off the season slow and injured and has only come on recently.  Surely, David Lee’s consistent excellence (particularly in the face of such adversity as the Knicks have gone through) makes him a much easier choice.

I’m actually shocked that Atlanta’s Josh Smith wasn’t chosen (or even mentioned in that article).  The growth in Smith’s game (along with the addition of former Knick Jamal Crawford) has been widely heralded as the reason why the Hawks have made the jump from slightly above average to potential contender.  My guess is that since there are already two Hawks on the All-Star Team (which wrongly includes their center Al Horford), that’s part of the reason Smoove got the shaft.  Plus, Stern loves the major market of New York, so the potential of getting all those fans interested seems like a pretty strong pull too.  And again, that major market is another huge plus in Lee’s favor over Milwaukee’s Bogut.  Anyway, one thing’s for certain: initial reports that Stern only chose Lee because they have the same first name have proven to be false.

Congrats, big guy.

David Lee: "Excuse me, Bosh, if you won't let me into the All-Star game with you, will you at least let me go by 'cuz, well, I'm trying to hold it in, but I gotta piss."

David Lee found out shortly before the game that he was not one of the players chosen by the coaches to be an All-Star this year.  He was bummed, but as he realized, it seemed that the coaches only chose players from teams that are .500 or better.  The Knicks ain’t.  The odd thing was that the Hawks’ center, Al Horford, was chosen.  Horford’s been good, but not as good as David Lee, and not even as good as his own teammate, Josh Smith, who was snubbed too.  So it was kinda odd.  The other unexpected choice for me was Chicago’s Derrick Rose, ‘cuz as I stated yesterday, the dude didn’t seem to realize the season started in October.  He only came out to play in January.  And while his resurgence has brought the Bulls back into respectability, I think he hasn’t been consistent long enough this season.  Sure, he came into the season recovering from injuries & that’s why he started out slow, but I still think Josh Smith should be on the team, followed by Lee.

But onto to the game.  First, I actually attended this one in flesh.  I probably haven’t seen a game at the Garden in like 7 or 8 years, so that was pretty darn cool.  There is a magical quality to the place that seems to be missing from other arenas.  I even walked around to the front before going in so I could get the full spectacle.  One thing I’d forgotten was the excitement of going up those escalators.  It’s a slow build of tension, floor after floor, waiting to burst out onto your level.  In LA, at most you go one flight, and the escalators are open so you can see everything, so there’s no build in excitement.  I dunno, maybe it was just nostalgia, but the anticipation everyone’s feeling as they’re going up, waiting for their turn to go off, seemed like a palpable thing to me.  That said, after the game, waiting forever to get down those escalators was darn painful.  Dunno if something happened last night after the game, or if it’s always a 20-minute journey to get downstairs.

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Not so fast, Sparky.  One slight difference between the rules for the coaches’ voting and the fans’ voting is big.  The coaches are allowed to vote for a player in a different position than the one they play if they think that person can play that spot.  Meaning, Chris Bosh may like to call himself a power forward, but he (like many others such as Tim Duncan) should really play center.  Thus, Bosh is the guy most likely to get that backup center spot.  Meaning David Lee’s chances boil down to the two Wild Card spots.  But to determine who he’ll be going up against, we kinda gotta figure out who’ll be left after the 2 guard & fwd spots are filled.

Top Eastern forwards: Josh Smith, Paul Pierce, Gerald Wallace.  Even though Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala & Antawn Jamison have had solid statistical years, they’ve all seemed pretty ineffective in bringing about wins on their teams, and most of ‘em have had better years in the past.  Leaving it down to Smith, Pierce & Wallace.  Honestly, I think they all deserve to go, and rather than pick specifics, we’ll say two get the forward spots and one gets one of the Wild Card spots.  That leaves one possible wild card spot remaining for Lee.

Top Eastern guards vying for the last spots: Joe Johnson, Rajon Rondo, Stephen Jackson, maybe Derrick Rose or Jamal Crawford.  Joe’s a definite.  Derrick Rose’s last few games have been great, and more importantly it seems like he’s hit his groove so we should expect the same going forward.  Unfortunately for him the voters had already sent their votes in and he came out sucking not swinging at the beginning of the season.  Crawford’s been great off the bench, but I think the fact that he’s on the bench will mean he won’t get a spot.  Meaning we’re down to Rondo & Stephen Jackson.  I honestly haven’t actually visually seen (as opposed to emotionally seeing?) either of them that much this season.  Some pundits have said Rondo has to make it.  Others have left him off their list.  In terms of Stephen Jackson, some people feel the Bobcats don’t deserve to have two All-Stars so you need to choose between him and Gerald Wallace.  I’ve got no idea.  One of ‘em will take that second guard spot.  The question is: will the other one take the last remaining Wild Card spot away from David Lee?  Honestly, I don’t know.  Guess I’ll have to wait these next few hours.

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“If a player fouls out in a game, can they keep on playing?”  Had you asked me that question before this past Friday, I’d've called you a moron for asking it.  Duh, if they get 6 fouls and foul out, clearly they can’t stay in the game anymore.  Seems that’s not true.  Apparently there’s a little clause that perhaps has never actually been invoked before.  The Golden State Warriors have had more injuries this year than a Yao Ming family reunion.  As a result, they went into Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with only 8 players (the minimum allowed under NBA rules).  Within a few minutes Anthony “Don’t Call Me Rob” Morrow tweaked his knee, adding him to the infirm group that included Ronny Turiaf, CJ Watson, Kelenna Azabuike, Vladamir Radmanovic, plus some others that I’m blanking on.

Fine, the Warriors still had two subs.  Unfortunately, D-League call-up, Chris Hunter then fouled out in just 11 minutes.  No worries.  The Warriors pull within 3 with less than a minute left.  And Andris Biedrins fouls out.  Okay, less than a minute to go, no subs.  However, to get the clock to stop running, the Warriors purposely foul the Bucks twice.  And both times it’s rookie Stephen Curry who does it.  The last time there’s only four seconds left.  But it’s his sixth foul, which’d leave the Warriors with just four players.  What happens then?  Do you play four on five?  No, apparently the last guy who fouled out (in this case Curry) gets to come back in!  However, the other team gets a technical free throw in addition to the foul shots they were already getting.

Sad Post-Script #1: Due to the NBA’s minimum requirement of 8 players, for Monday’s game against Chicago the Warriors called up some dude named Anthony Tolliver from the D-League for a 10-day contract.  Did he feel alone being the new guy from the minors?  No, the whole 3-person bench was D-League call-ups.  Tolliver even lucked out and got to start the second half.  That’s when his luck dried out.  He injured his knee and had to leave the game.

Sad Post-Script # 2:  Despite playing against a team with a bench of D-Leaguers, Chicago still lost that Monday game.  By nearly 20 points.

Sad Post-Script #3: Which D-Leaguer got the least minutes on the team?  Answer: None.  Pathetic NBA “regular” Devean George, who started the first half, only played 6 minutes.

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According to NewsOK (apparently that’s the name of an Oklahoma newspaper, although isn’t that kinda like naming your paper NewsFineWhatever?):

Hawks forward Joe Smith, who has written 400 to 500 songs, released his first CD, a 19-track debut entitled “The Beginning,” last season when he was with the Thunder. Smith, whose music name is Joe Beast, hopes to release his second rap CD before the NBA All-Star break.

Really?  400 to 500 songs?  And Joe Beast?  I thought the era of bball players trying to become rappers was over.  With him spending that much time writing songs, it’s no wonder that the former #1 pick has never amounted to anything more than a role player.

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (a former baller at Harvard) at a recent NCAA convention pretty much said the NBA’s policy of basically “forcing” kids to go to one year of college before they can enter the pros, well, that it sucks donkey meat.  It’s not that he wants everyone to be able to go to the NBA straight outta high school, it’s that he feels like the one-and-done players aren’t getting the true value of the educational experience.  One possible solution is allowing high school players to make the jump straight to the pros, but if they do decide to go to college they then have to stay for two years.  For more info, check out this New York Times’ article, as well as TrueHoop’s exclusive interview with Arne “Don’t Call Me Tim” Duncan.
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Who’s the best player in the NBA?  Dwight Howard’s answer may surprise you:

I tell my friends all the time if I had to chose between LeBron, Kobe and Carmelo, I’m gonna choose Carmelo.

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Would Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson like to also be a General Manager someday so he can control what players his team has?

“I have no interest in that. I don’t want to have to deal with agents. I don’t want to have to lie.”

Wait a sec, doesn’t the General Manager hire and fire the coach?  In other words, the Lakers’ GM is Phil’s boss.  Forget about the fact that Phil makes $10 mill a year or that he’s won 10 championships, who wouldn’t want his job just so you could publicly call your boss a big ol’ liar?
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Nate Robinson painting.  And yes, I want it if it’s painted on velvet.

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In a recent post, I showed the Pacers & Knicks beating each other up and lamented that those days are gone.  However, it wasn’t all roses and glory for those Pacers.  Sadly, back then people felt they had to keep their homosexuality secret.  It’s time to come out of the closet.  C’mon Mark Jackson, you’re better’n that!

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Yao Ming in an Esquire interview on forcing himself to dunk:

When I was young, [in China] we were taught not to dunk. We were taught not to stand out from the rest of the team. It’s different now. The young guys in China are new age. They want to show their stuff. But I am old-school. It was a big adjustment when I first came here to play at a camp. The coaches told me to dunk, but I would lay the ball in. Finally, the coaches made everyone else on my team run laps when I didn’t dunk. I didn’t want my teammates to be punished because of me. That’s how I learned to dunk.

Pretty smart that in order to get him to “stand out from the rest of the team,” they used his desire to be part of the team.

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Lastly, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs and his lovely wife, actress Eva Longoria-Parker (of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”) do an amazing job of recreating “Summer Loving” from that Olivia Newton-John classic, “Grease.”  Between this and Joe Smith’s 500 songs, how much free time do these guys have on their hands?

Of the four guys (including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson) generating the most drooling out of the potentially NBA landscape-altering free agent class of 2010, Bosh is losing ranking as the most likely to disappoint.

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