Nevertheless, the Knicks and the Bobcats completed a game. With New York resting Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton, and Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin still inactive, the young, spry, mostly healthy Bobcats took advantage of a short-handed squad simply playing out the minutes. The Knicks only played seven players (more on that below), and from the get-go, their lack of offense, inability to stop Charlotte’s penetration, and general lack of motivation wasn’t enough to carry them to win number 54 on the season or a sweep of their season series with Charlotte.

Here’s a look at the individual performances with player report cards:

Chris Copeland – 47 minutes, 32 points, 12-25 FG, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Without any other consistent shot-creators, Copeland’s hands got extra sticky tonight on his way to a new career-high in points. Copeland did his work in a variety of ways – inside on post-ups, off the dribble from all ranges, and deep (4-8 from beyond the arc). It still remains a mystery how much spin Cope will get in the playoffs (it probably depends on the health of New York’s other big men), but he’s filled in ably in recent games, and his scoring touch has been pleasant revelation this season.

Final Grade: A-

Steve Novak – 41 minutes, 17 points, 6-9 FG, 5-7 3FG, 7 rebounds

Novak’s well-groomed touch tonight helped erase a generally disheartening inability to stop any one of the Bobcats that came at him on defense. First it was John McRoberts and Gerald Henderson blowing by him to the rim, then it was Kemba Walker teasing him on some dribble-dribble-stepbacks that he’s oh-so-smooth at, and even getting posted up by Bismack Biyombo. But hey – 7 rebounds!

Final Grade: B

James White – 43 minutes, 15 points, 5-9 FG, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Arguably the prettiest stat line of the night, and I’m guessing a career-high in minutes, cheers to James White looking like a competent basketball player! White’s baskets all seemed kind of difficult to come by, but when they did, there were nice. A side-step into a dunk in transition, a turn-around jumper on the baseline… very nice, James.

Final Grade: B

Iman Shumpert – 42 minutes, 14 points, 5-16 FG, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 TOs

With Felton sitting out and Pablo Prigioni starting at point guard, Shumpert saw a lot more time on the ball. At times, this led to some scintillating dribble drives – a double-crossover into a layup and another Dr. J-esque reverse come to mind – and other times it led to bad shots and ineffective kick-outs. It was a little disappointing not to see Shump take on a larger role as a scorer and passer given the Knicks’ short-handedness, but he, too, was in coast mode, knowing the game meant next to nothing, and he needs to conserve himself for the playoffs.

Final Grade: C+

Pablo Prigioni – 42 minutes, 9 points, 3-9 FG, 8 assists, 1 steal

Prigioni probably preferred to not play 42 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back – his body language kinda reflected it, to be honest – but here we are. Prigs struggled to stay in front of any Bobcat he switched onto, couldn’t much find the range on his jumper, and was even more hesistant than usual to bust into the paint for some dribble penetration. As the game wore on, however, he threw some lovely dimes, and once again I was left thinking about what it’d be like if he came to the NBA five years ago.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 21 minutes, 6 points, 2-8 FG, 2 rebounds, 6 assists

A+ for his 30-foot banker to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter. The rest of his game was a bit listless, but if not for the Knicks’ dwindling available bodies, Kidd probably wouldn’t have played, either.

Final Grade: C

Rasheed Wallace – 4 minutes, 2 points, 1-3 FG

Rasheed Wallace was an assumed goner for the season, then all of the sudden, he popped up yesterday, and tonight he played… for almost four minutes. ‘Sheed hopped off the bench, promptly hit a deep turn-around jumper, and returned to the bench minutes later after air-balling a three-pointer, and getting blocked at the rim. He didn’t return because of a sore foot (the one he had operated on this year), and evidently didn’t speak to media. When we’ll see ‘Sheed again remains a mystery, but as Knicks fans, we can all cherish those first ten seconds tonight.

Final Grade: B-

Please excuse the general brevity and disinterest. Today’s events took the fun away from what could’ve been a relaxing, meaningless blowout, and it was a bit hard to get too into this game. I have friends and acquaintances in Boston, and thankfully, they’re all OK, but my heart goes out to anyone and everyone affected by the explosions today. These events serve to remind how lucky we are for our general safety and how quickly things can change in life. I wish everyone the best out there.

The Knicks end their regular season Wednesday night back in New York against Atlanta.

With the NCAA Tournament in the books, it’s time to start spending even more time focusing on the 2013 NBA Draft.

Some guys helped their causes with strong tournament performances, while some guys hurt their stock in a big way with poor performances on the game’s biggest stage.

Things have changed a great deal since my last mock, so without any time, let’s take a look at my 2013 NBA Mock Draft: Post NCAA Tournament edition.

As a note, the draft order is after games played on April 10.

1. Charlotte Bobcats
Player Name: Nerlens Noel
Position, School: PF, Kentucky

The Bobcats have a couple nice young pieces in place with Kemba Walker and Michael-Kidd Gilchrist. Now it’s time to address the need for a productive big man. Noel is an excellent shot-blocker who should develop a better than average offensive game. Knee injury or not, Noel has the makings of a dominant NBA big man. Noel has more upside than anyone in the draft and should develop into a very good shot blocker and rebounder.

Mar 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Marcus Smart (33) brings the ball up the court against the Baylor Bears in the second half during the second round of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center. Oklahoma State defeated Baylor 74-72. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

2. Orlando Magic
Player Name: Marcus Smart
Position, School: PG, Oklahoma State

Smart makes perfect sense for the Magic here as they can target their floor general of the future. He may be more of a scorer than a pure passer, but he is a winner and a leader and can impact this Magic offense from the guard position, something they need badly. He needs to work on his jumper but he is a playmaker and is a beast defensively.

3. Phoenix Suns
Player Name: Ben McLemore
Position, School: SG, Kansas

McLemore’s less than spectacular NCAA Tournament drops him from the top spot for the first time this season. But he’s still only 20 years old and has excellent potential as a pure shooter, something the Suns desperately need as they have made only 32 percent of their three-point attempts on the season.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers
Player Name: Otto Porter
Position, School: SF, Georgetown

The Cavs have their backcourt for the future set with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters and also have some nice frontcourt players in Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller and Anderson Varejao. What Cleveland needs is a productive 3 and Porter could be the perfect fit. He can do it all at both ends of the court and is a future NBA star.

5. Detroit Pistons 
Player Name: Shabazz Muhammad
Position, School: SF, UCLA

It’s hard to pass on Victor Oladipo here, but the Pistons get no production from the small forward spot and have to address the need. Shabazz Muhammad is a reach here, but he fills an immediate need and has upside. While Muhammad has been a slight disappointment as a freshman, he’s tough, knows how to score and brings a strong motor to the table.

Mar 24, 2013; Dayton, OH, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Victor Oladipo (4) high fives a fan as he leaves the court after the win over the Temple Owls during the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

6. New Orleans Hornets
Player Name: Victor Oladipo
Position, School: SG, Indiana

The Hornets have good young players at every position right now and while they could use a slight upgrade at small forward right now, it’s too tempting to take Oladipo here.  He is an elite defender, an explosive athlete and a rapidly improving offensive player who will fit in great on Monty Williams’ team. I’m making this pick under the assumption that New Orleans moves Eric Gordon in the offseason, something I expect them to do.

7. Sacramento Kings
Player Name: Trey Burke
Position, School: PG, Michigan

Burke’s stock continues to rise after leading Michigan to the title game and he will find a home in Sacramento (or Seattle).He is  a bit undersized, but his toughness, all-around game, mistake-free basketball and winning attitude should be a great fit with the dysfunctional Kings. He’s a no-risk pick at No. 7.

8. Washington Wizards
Player Name: Anthony Bennett
Position, School: PF, UNLV

The Wizards have their backcourt for the future in John Wall and Bradley Beal, so here is an opportunity to add a power forward that can complement those guys. Bennett has an NBA body and can score from anywhere on the floor. The Wizards should be thrilled to get him this late.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves 
Player Name: C.J. McCollum
Position, School: PG/SG, Lehigh

This is probably a reach, but I like McCollum a lot and think he’s a great fit in Minnesota. I don’t view McCollum as a point guard in the NBA but think he could be very good off the ball. The Timberwolves are still searching for an answer at shooting guard and have shot only 30 percent from behind the arc on the season.  McCollum is a guy who can really knock down the long-range shot, connecting on 51 percent on his three-point attempts.  He will be this year’s Damian Lillard.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto)
Player Name: Alex Len
Position, School: C, Maryland

The Thunder need to find a long-term replacement for James Harden and an eventual replacement for Kendrick Perkins.  With that being said, they can’t pass on Len here as he has a decent offensive game and can rebound and block shots. Len has a ton of upside and the Thunder can bring him along slowly.

The past couple of weeks have seen a lot of movement as some guys have struggled while some players have improved their draft stock in a big way.

With that being said, the Charlotte Bobcats are now on the clock (as a note, draft order is based on the standings as of March 7).

1. Charlotte Bobcats
Player Name: Ben McLemore
Position, School: SG, Kansas

The Kansas freshman has everything that you look for in a shooting guard- size, athleticism and defensive ability, not to mention he is a lights out shooter, currently hitting 42.5 percent of his three-point shots.

Feb 27, 2013; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Marcus Smart (33) during the game against TCU Horned Frogs at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Oklahoma State Cowboys won 64-47. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

His 36-point performance against West Virginia showed that he can score in any fashion, from behind the arc or off the dribble. The Bobcats need some scoring punch and  with McLemore they continue to stockpile great young talent.

2. Orlando Magic
Player Name: Marcus Smart
Position, School: PG, Oklahoma State

Smart makes perfect sense for the Magic here as they can target their floor general of the future. He may be more of a scorer than a pure passer, but he is a winner and a leader and can impact this Magic offense from the guard position, something they need badly.

3. Washington Wizards
Player Name: Nerlens Noel
Position, School: PF, Kentucky

The Wizards have their backcourt set with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Now it is time to address the frontcourt. Noel is an excellent shot-blocker who should develop a better than average offensive game. Knee injury or not, Noel has the makings of a dominant NBA big man.

4. Sacramento Kings
Player Name: Otto Porter
Position, School: SF, Georgetown

Porter doesn’t put up lottery-type numbers on a slow Georgetown team, but he has great handle for his size and is a prototypical NBA wing. He really can do it all offensively as 33-point outburst at the Carrier Dome, followed up with a game-winning bucket on a drive to the hole to knock off Connecticut in overtime. Add to that the fact that Porter went for 28 against Rutgers after that and it is safe to say that Porter is showing off both his shooting stroke and his ability to attack the basket.

5. New Orleans Hornets
Player Name: Shabazz Muhammad
Position, School: SF, UCLA

After landing both Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers in last year’s draft, the Hornets can add another big part of their future in the heralded Muhammad. He can score from anywhere on the floor and will complement the Hornets good young core rather nicely.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers
Player Name: Anthony Bennett
Position, School: SF/PF, UNLV

Bennett is the complete package offensively and would fit in rather nicely with an up and coming Cavs team. Bennett’s foot speed is typically too quick for 4s and his strength and power can overwhelm 3s. He is an explosive athlete that keeps rising up draft boards. Adding  Bennett to the likes of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson and Cleveland looks to have a tremendous young core for the future.

7. Phoenix Suns
Player Name: Cody Zeller
Position, School: C, Indiana

The Suns need help all over the floor and can add another talented big body in Zeller, who has the size and athleticism, plus a very nice mid-range game. Zeller’s stock may be slipping at the moment, but you can’t pass up on his level of all-around talent.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves
Player Name: Victor Oladipo
Position, School: SG, Indiana

Oladipo has become a complete guard and one of the better half-court finishers in the nation. He’s a great fit for a Wolves team that needs a legit shooting guard badly. He may not be the best shooter in the world,  but Oladipo is a lockdown defender and offensive slasher and attacker, who should fit in nicely with Ricky Rubio’s playmaking skills.

9. Detroit Pistons
Player Name: James Michael McAdoo
Position, School: PF, North Carolina

McAdoo could be the best athlete in the draft and adding him to a frontcourt that already features Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond improves the Pistons. McAdoo is more of a 4, but can also play the 3 where mid-range, both facing up and back to the basket, and attacking the rim with either hand. He has a ton of upside and could be a good fit in Detroit.

10. Philadelphia 76ers
Player Name: Alex Len
Position, School: C, Maryland

Len has shown the tools to be an elite threat on both offense and defense, but hasn’t been able to put the complete package together consistently. With Andrew Bynum’s future up in the air, the Sixers need a legitimate big man to man the interior.

March 6, 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) drives during the 1st half in the game against Purdue at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

11. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto)
Player Name: Trey Burke
Position, School: PG, Michigan

Here is a case of just not allowing a talent like Burke to fall any further. He has incredible court vision and intelligence and has the ability to score the ball as well. Here’s a case where the Thunder can add to  their bench by taking the best available player.

12. Dallas Mavericks
Player Name: Willie Cauley-Stein
Position, School: PF/C, Kentucky

With Dallas likely striking out again on Dwight Howard this summer, it makes sense to add size with potential impact here. Cauley-Stein has some work to do on the offensive end of the floor but he is a package of size, speed and athleticism.

13. Charlotte Bobcats (via Portland)
Player Name: Mason Plumlee
Position, School: PF, Duke

Plumlee is a very athletic, skilled inside scorer who is also a great rebounder. The Bobcats can use some production in the paint so this pick makes sense. His numbers are starting to drop off a  bit, but Plumlee is a seven-footer with the ability to create in the post.

14. Phoenix Suns (via Los Angeles Lakers)
Player Name: C.J. McCollum
Position, School:  SG, Lehigh

The Suns need some more production from the perimeter and McCollum can fill it up. Although he will not play in his conference tournament McCollum should be available to participate in pre-draft workouts. McCollum was second in the nation in scoring before breaking his foot in early January.

15. Milwaukee Bucks
Player Name: Glenn Robinson III
Position, School: SF, Michigan

Glenn Robinson played for the Bucks and now they have the opportunity to draft his son, who would help a great deal at the small forward spot. He has size and athleticism and can finish at the rim along with being a good spot up shooter. He’s averaging in double figures and shooting 56 percent from the floor and would immediately become the Bucks top wing player.

Of course the opposite is true as well, as some trades just don’t work out.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Baron Davis (85) reacts on the court against the Miami Heat during the first half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Every deadline there are a few head scratchers that make you wonder exactly what one of the teams was thinking.

Here’s a look at some deals that backfired in a big way.

5. 2005- New Orleans Hornets trade Baron Davis to Golden State for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis

Davis had some injury risks at the time, but he was by far the most talented player involved in this deal and the Hornets got nothing for him. Davis went on that season to lead the Warriors to an upset over the Dallas Mavericks in the first-round of the playoffs in what turned out to be one of the more exciting playoff series’ of all time.

4. 2011- Boston Celtics trade Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and a future first-round pick 

Danny Ainge has been known to roll the dice, but he crapped out on this one. It’s not that Perkins was a great player in Boston, but he was a vital part of a championship team that Ainge dismantled. Looking back, the Celtics are still trying to replace Perkins size and toughness. While Green is a nice player, this didn’t work out well for Boston. Perkins made it to the finals with the Thunder last season, while neither Green nor Krstic were playing in the league.

3. 2011- Charlotte Bobcats trade  Gerald Wallace to Portland for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, and two first-round picks

One of Michael Jordan’s plenty of mistakes in Charlotte as the Bobcats got nothing for Wallace, as Przybilla, Cunningham, and Marks is a very weak return for at the time the best player in franchise history. Take this deal one step further and realize that the Blazers were able to turn Wallace into Damian Lillard and you realize how very little MJ got for a player of Wallace’s caliber.

Feb 15, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Team Shaq guard Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives against Team Chuck during the first half of the rising stars challenge during the 2013 NBA All-Star weekend at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

2. 2011- Los Angeles Clippers trade Baron Davis and a first round pick to Cleveland for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon

The Clippers are accustomed to making bad moves, but this has to be near the top of the list. They were so anxious to get Davis’ contract off the books that they included what turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick in the deal. That pick turned out to be Kyrie Irving. The sad part is that the amnesty clause was being discussed at that time as possibly being included in the new CBA, which is exactly what the Cavs did with Davis. To their credit, the Clippers did rebound by acquiring Chris Paul, but that didn’t excuse the fact that this was an awful deal,

1. 2003- Milwaukee Bucks trade Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, Flip Murray and a first-round pick to Seattle for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason

The Bucks dumped perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history to avoid the luxury tax to acquire an aging Payton and a decent player in Mason. Allen is a future Hall of Famer, while Payton played exactly 28 games in a Bucks uniform before leaving as a free agent that summer.

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Dec 5, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) gets congratulations from his teammates as he scores the winning basket with 3.9 seconds left during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Knicks win 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Through much of the game, the Knicks and the Bobcats wrestled back and forth in a seesaw affair. However, with six minutes left to go, the Knicks found themselves down by eight, unable to stop a feisty Bobcats team led by the uber-quick Kemba Walker and his band of rascals. For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony had gone mysteriously cold; J.R. Smith was unable to throw a rock into the ocean; the defense looked ill-equipped to make enough stops to get back into the game.

But at that six-minute mark, like we’d seen in the win in San Antonio, the Knicks just flipped the switch. Their defense tightened, forcing the Bobcats east and west around the perimeter, unable to get a good look. The Knicks forced five turnovers in those final six minutes. On offense, with Anthony back in the locker room treating a lacerated finger, Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler ran the pick-and-roll to perfection, parting the Bobcats’ defense and getting to the rim to get easy baskets.

On the final play – after a timeout following a weird sequence where the Knicks forced a turnover and  J.R. Smith pulled the ball back on a two-on-one fastbreak with just seconds remaining – the Knicks inbounded the ball to Smith. Smith darted to his left towards the baseline, did his signature step-back jumper, faded away, and swooshed the 18-footer at the buzzer to win the game. Like that, the Knicks started the getaway cars, escaping Charlotte with a 13-4 record and sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

Some individual report cards, starting with the man of the hour:

J.R. Smith – 31 minutes, 13 points, 6-16 FG, 1-9 3FG, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers

Smith came into the game trying to forget a dreadful 1-11 shooting performance against the Phoenix Suns this past Sunday. If that game’s off-target marksmanship was triggered by a night out on the town the Saturday beforehand – as Smith has suggested he’s wont to do – then his game tonight looked like he was going out during commercial breaks. Though Smith shot the ball better than 9%, and his looks were generally clean – a variety of looks off the dribble and catch-and-shoots – nothing would fall for him.

To Smith’s credit, his defense rarely waned, and his perimeter defense in that fourth quarter was noticeably stellar. Likewise, his four assists show his willingness to move the ball an off night. A crucial, basket-saving block on an open, rolling Bismack Biyombo in the fourth, and of course, a game-winning, step-back, fade-away 18-footer… well, those help heal the earlier wounds.

Final Grade: B-

Tyson Chandler – 35 minutes, 18 points, 8-10 FG, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Though Chandler’s production slowed down after a stellar first quarter in which he nearly notched a double-double, he was nonetheless vital every minute he was on the floor. Though he didn’t have much success stopping the Bobcats’ speedy, slithery guards at the basket, he generally made mincemeat of the Bobcats’ big men, allowing just 12 combined points on 6-17 shooting from Brendan Haywood, Bismack Biyombo, and Byron Mullens. Though the Knicks were out-rebounded 50-36 (!), Chandler had half of those boards and it’s doubtful New York would have ever had a possession without Tyson’s dominance. On offense, too, Chandler was crucial late in the game, sucking in the Bobcats’ defense with hard rolls to the basket and some forceful finishes, including a few alley-oops and a nice little back-to-the-basket baby hook.

After a few scary weeks where Tyson just didn’t look like his court-roaming monstrous self, he seems to be a full health and energy once again, making a living in the paint on both ends of the floor. The Knicks absolutely do not win this game without a lovely 18-17 performance from Chandler.

Final Grade: A+

Carmelo Anthony – 38 minutes, 23 points, 8-22 FG, 3-7 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Anthony began the game firing on all cylinders, connecting on his first three three-pointers and finding success shimmying off the dribble and finishing around the basket or otherwise drawing fouls. Facing the slower-moving, 7-foot (not seven-footed) Byron Mullens, one would have expected Anthony to begin the game in attack mode, and he responded. Though his typical rebounding prowess was absent (he just didn’t seem to be around the basket much), he made up for it with some truly beautiful dishing out of double teams. When the Bobcats sent an extra defender, Anthony did a wonderful job moving the ball on a variety of kick-outs, swing, and skip passes to find open teammates.

‘Twas a tale of two halves, though, for ‘Melo. In the second half, Anthony rimmed out his other four three-pointers, and in general was only 1-11, while failing to get to the free throw line at all. As we’ve seen, the right combination of these things – along with a surging opponent – tends to make ‘Melo a little grumpy, and there was a noticeable let-up in energy and effort from him after halftime. When he finally got untracked, defending with vigor in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and after hitting a running bank shot, he got injured. ‘Melo chased down a loose ball and dove into the Knicks bench to save it. Much to chagrin of Clyde Frazier who insists Anthony is too important for such reckless play, ‘Melo left the game with a laceration on his finger, which required six stitches. His status is up in the air for tomorrow night’s game.

Despite a less-than-lovely second half and a somewhat unnecessary injury, that wonderful first half kept the Knicks in the game to begin with.

Final Grade: B+

Raymond Felton – 36 minutes, 17 points, 7-19 FG, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 0 TOs

Playing in front of his family and a supportive crowd in his former stomping grounds, Felton took the floor with a flipper of a left-hand bundled in protective padding. Felton refused to miss a homecoming because of the bruised bone in his hand, so he took the floor, hoping to play through the pain. In the first half, the results were not good. Raymond looked tentative off the dribble and on defense, and though he shoots righty, the left hand is needed to guide the ball going up on a shot, and Felton just couldn’t bury many of his looks. Felton resorted to dishing to his teammates with some success, but in general the early returns were lacking.

So, what did he do? Felton came out in the second half with his injured left hand unwrapped and had himself a ballgame. To open the third quarter, Felton sank two three-pointers, dished to Chandler on an alley-oop, picked up a loose ball and fed Ronnie Brewer for a fastbreak layup. Felton was borderline heroic to close the game as well, harassing Kemba Walker (who’d been torching Felton all game) and denying him the ball on a critical inbounds play. On the other end, as mentioned, Felton mastered the pick-and-roll when it mattered most, assisting on a Novak three and Chandler dunk, scoring on a floater and driving layup. All the while, his adorable three-year old son slept, missing his dad’s prideful, inspiring play.

Final Grade: B+

Steve Novak – 26 minutes, 9 points, 3-8 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Novak continues a tear of games in which he’s shot (if I heard Mike Breen correctly) 17-31 from downtown, not including tonight’s performance. Novak missed a big, open corner three down the stretch, but had previously hit a big one off the elbow on the aforementioned kick-out from Felton. Tonight wasn’t one of those noticeable explosions from Steve, but each of those treys were important. Otherwise, he was pretty quiet, getting burned on a number of plays by the more fleet-footed Bobcats, and not taking a single attempt from inside the arc. Novak started the second half, continuing a trend of Woodson’s.

Side note: I love watching the Knicks swing the ball back and forth in a desperate attempt to get Novak open. This almost always results in him getting the ball, but not being open enough, passing it, and then getting it right back.

Final Grade: C

Ronnie Brewer – 18 minutes, 9 points, 3-8 FG, 2-5 3FG, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Never has someone looked so precarious possessing the ball on offense as Ronnie Brewer. Wait, I just remembered Jared Jeffries. Besides Jared Jeffries, never has someone looked so precarious possessing the ball on offense as Ronnie Brewer. Yet for the fear that runs through me when Brewer tries to run a fastbreak, or when his elbow plunges out on his awkward shooting release, it’s been effective. 40% shooting from beyond the arc for Brewer (though five attempts is a bit too many). Five rebounds (second most on the team) and some handy defensive work and Brewer played himself a typical game. At times, Woodson’s penchant for playing Smith over Brewer – especially when Smith is off-target – can be maddening, but by some miracle it worked tonight.

Next time out, more smart, lovely cuts, less threes, Ronnie.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 25 minutes, 7 points, 2-3 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 0 TOs

Jason Kidd returned to action after missing some games due to back spasms, and didn’t miss a beat. The game just feels so safe in Kidd’s hands. He drilled two three-pointers (though he missed his biggest attempt late in the game) and generally kept the offense moving. On defense, Kidd gets his mittens on everything, and 3 blocks (!!!) has to be league-leading among guards. Like the comfort you feel relaxing at home, Kidd just brings a much safer, confident feeling to the game

Final Grade: B

Rasheed Wallace – 13 minutes, 2 points, 1-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Rasheed Wallace didn’t bark at any refs tonight, he didn’t get ejected, nor did he do much of anything, really. ‘Sheed saw limited action in the second half, but his first half play didn’t warrant it except to give Chandler a breather. Wallace’s refusal to roll to the basket after picks instead of popping out to the three-point line is aggravating. The one time he did roll to the basket, he got an open layup. Believe it or not, though, 3 rebounds ties him for third most on the Knicks tonight.

Final Grade: C-

Pablo Prigioni – 12 minutes, 2 points, 1-1 FG, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 0 TOs

Pablo hardly saw action in the second half, too, but he generally looked like his Pablo-y Priggly self in the first half. Some noticeably nice entry feeds and dishes on the pick-and-roll, and a lovely Clyde-like theft from Ramon Sessions off the dribble for Prigioni. On a second night of a back-to-back with Felton and Kidd both mending injuries, one has to expect he’ll see more minutes tomorrow night.

Final Grade: C

Final Grade for Reaction to Game-Winner : A+

Kurt Thomas – 5 minutes, 0 points, 0-0 FG, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

Kurt Thomas started and then he sat. He threw a nice pass from the elbow to a cutting ‘Melo.

That’s it for tonight. A scrappy, exhilarating win made this a happier, kinder, sillier report card. The Knicks now sit alone in first place in the Eastern Conference, and will go to Miami to face the second place Heat tomorrow night.

When: Wednesday, December 5th at 7:00 P.M. EST

Where: Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina

Watch: MSG, NBA League Pass

Betting Line: New York Knicks (-7.5)

Knicks’ Key Injuries (Per CBS Sports): Out=Iman Shumpurt (knee) Amar’e Stoudemire (knee), Marcus Camby (foot) Probable – Raymond Felton (hand) Jason Kidd (back)

Bobcats’ Key Injuries: Out- Tyrus Thomas (calf)

When the Knicks Have the Ball: Knicks’ Offense- 102.9 PPG (4th in NBA) Bobcats’ Defense: 101.6 (26th in the NBA)

Dec 3, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) signals to his team during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Time Warner Cable Arena. Portland wins in overtime 118-112. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

When the Bobcats Have the Ball : Bobcats’ Offense: 96.0 PPG (19th in NBA) Knicks’ Defense: 94.7 PPG (8th in NBA)

Key Matchup: Kemba Walker vs. Knicks’ Point Guards

The Charlotte Bobcats already have the same amount of wins as they did the entire season last year and December just started. At 7-9 I’m not saying they are printing out their playoff tickets but they are a better team than last year, but they should be no match with the 12-4 New York Knicks.

Kemba Walker has progressed and starting to figure out the NBA game. It’s foolish to say a player isn’t good after a small body of work. Kemba is leading the Bobcats in points, assists, and steals. I don’t think the Bobcats will give the Knicks fits but Kemba can have a big game tonight vs. his hometown team.

With Jason Kidd coming back look for Carmelo Anthony to slip back into the 4 spot where he will go up against the mighty Byron Mullens. I don’t care about his stats; Anthony should have a field day against him. Under Mike D’Antoni the Knicks fell asleep against the Cats last year. Don’t expect that under Mike Woodson on two days rest. Knicks win big tonight.

Prediction: Knicks 112, Bobcats 90

Some rookies have showed up to play and some vets have shown us their age.

Here is a look at my fantasy basketball outlook for the coming week with players you should target in free agency and some players that you may have to give up on.  (The players listed are those who are still readily available in the free agent pools of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues)

Nikola Vucevic (C/F- Magic):  Hardly given a chance to play last year in Philly, he is taking advantage of the lack of size on Orlando’s roster.  One of the pieces of the trade that sent Dwight Howard to LA, he has averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and a steal through three games.

While getting only 16 minutes in the first game he has come back with games of 37 and 42 minutes.  With Orlando clearly rebuilding and not having many options, he is someone that will garner a lot of minutes, even in blowout losses.  The only knock here is that he has only attempted seven free throws in those three games.   He’s going quickly on the waiver wire.  Don’t’ wait any longer to get him.  (40% owned in ESPN, 52% owned Yahoo!)

November 7, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Ramon Sessions (7) looks to shoot as he is defended by Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat (4) during the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Suns win 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE

Ramon Sessions (G- Bobcats):  Sessions has ALWAYS had the talent of a true point guard, but until his trade to the LA last season, has never really been given the opportunity to play the position full time.  Stuck in timeshares with guys like Luke Ridnour and Kyrie Irving, he truly excelled when given the reigns to the Lakers offense.  He is showing improvement in his 3-point game and is a player who likes to take it to the hole which subsequently led to his 4.4 FT attempts per game last year.  With Gerald Henderson out for at least 2-4 weeks, Sessions will get more minutes and could slide into the shooting guard position while Kemba Walker is on the floor.  Not bad if you can get SG eligibility out of him, too.  (42% ESPN, 32% Yahoo!)

Kevin Seraphin (C/F- Wizards):  Only 22-years old, Seraphin has room for improvement, but this 22-year old from French Guiana is already rising up the free agency hit list.  Many aspects of his game are still very raw, but finding center help in fantasy basketball leagues is always vital to any teams’ success.  With Nene seemingly always nursing an injury (this time it’s plantar fasciitis) and Emeka Okafor looking every bit his age, Seraphin will log heavy minutes on a team not shy to play it’s youth.

Last year, from March 15^th on, he averaged 14 ppg which also included a stretch of 16 consecutive games in double-digits.  This is a guy that when given the minutes he produces.  Because he started the year injured and D.C. has only played one game he has been overlooked by fantasy owners.  Get this guy now before it’s too late.  (13% ESPN, 24% Yahoo!)

Other guys to get bullish on: 

Jarrett Jack (G- Warriors):  Brandon Rush ACL injury makes him a full rotation player.  Will be a good source of assists, 3’s, steals and FT’s.  (26% ESPN, 41% Yahoo!)

Gerald Green (G/F- Pacers):  This guy’s got hops.  With Danny Granger officially sidelined up to 3 months, he will be called upon to fill a big hole in that lineup.  (1.9% ESPN, 12% Yahoo!)

Marcus Morris (F- Rockets):  The twin brother of the Suns’ Markieff, this rookie is averaging 12 points and 5 boards a game in 20 minutes.  A thin bench will get him playing time (0.1% ESPN, 2% Yahoo!)

Al-Farouq Aminu (F- Hornets):  With No. 1 pick Anthony Davis sidelined, he has stepped up his game, dropping 13.3 points a game to go along with 7 rebounds.  He has gotten 2 steals in each game as well.  He should stay in the starting lineup when Davis comes back with Ryan Anderson moving back to a sixth man role.  (68% ESPN, 48% Yahoo!)

Trending Up:  Nate Robinson, Dorell Wright, J.J. Reddick, E’Twaun Moore, J.J. Hickson, J.J. Barea, Larry Sanders, Danny Green

Rookies on the Rise:  Marcus Morris (see above), Kyle Singler, Jonas Valanciunas, Harrison Barnes, Jae Crowder

Stock Is Falling:  MarShon Brooks, Lamar Odom, Nene, Andrew Bogut, Wilson Chandler, Samuel Dalembert, Ben Gordon, Elton Brand, Derrick Favors, Bradley Beal

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.

April 16, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern at press conference announcing ownership to Tom Benson and the awarding of the 2014 All Star game to the city of New Orleans at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Surprisingly, Stern denied it (we had all been expecting him to fess up to a rigged lottery, after all).

Stern replied, “I have two answers to that. I’ll give you the easy one: no. And a statement: shame on you for asking.” Stern, evidently (somewhat reasonably) offended by the question, continued, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” Rome and Stern debated the topic, with Rome pointing to the large number of people that believe the lottery is fixed, while Stern defended the league, essentially saying they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I think if [the number one pick] had gone to Michael Jordan [and the Charlotte Bobcats]… people would have said, ‘Oh, David’s taking care of his friend Michael’”, Stern argued. “If it had gone to Brooklyn, which is going into Barclay Center, it would’ve been fair to speculate, I suppose, that we want to take Brooklyn off of the mat. So there was no winning.”

Stern makes a point that an argument could always be made that the lottery is fixed no matter who wins. However, this year, the Bobcats were by far the worst team in the NBA, and people were expecting them to receive the number one pick. Instead, when it went to New Orleans, a team that lost its superstar in Chris Paul this year, and had just been bought from the league. The year before, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the worst record in the league, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were awarded the number one pick, the year after they were snubbed by LeBron James.

Of course, there have been other theories that the draft has been fixed, but there also have been other years where the team that won the number one pick wasn’t all that surprisingly.

Stern said the idea is brought up as a cheap trick for media outlets to get an audience, and said Rome has made a living out of it. Rome took offense to the statement, and the interview ended shortly after with an awkward exchange of goodbyes.

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Anthony Davis waves to the crowd after cutting down a piece of the net after the finals of the 2012 NCAA men

That was the case Wednesday night when the New Orleans Hornets stole the No. 1 overall pick away from the Charlotte bobcats and won the right to draft Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis.

The Hornets moved up from the fourth spot, where they had a 13.7 percent chance, to earn the pick.

You have to feel bad for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats as 2012 has been a season of one loss after another and this was no exception. The Bobcats fall to the No. 2 pick, but they no longer are in position to land the game-changer they need in Davis.

For the Hornets, they have a new owner in Tom Benson and things have started out good in the Benson era as they land a new superstar.

No other team moved up in the draft, but the Hornets weren’t the only winners as Portland and Golden State have the No. 6 and No. 7 picks respectively so each team gets to keep that pick instead of losing it to Brooklyn and Utah.

Complete Draft Order

1. New Orleans Hornets

2. Charlotte Bobcats

3. Washington Wizards

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Sacramento Kings

6. Portland Trail Blazers (via Brooklyn Nets)

7. Golden State Warriors

8. Toronto Raptors

9. Detroit Pistons

10. New Orleans Hornets (via Minnesota Timberwolves)

11. Portland Trail Blazers

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Phoenix Suns

14. Houston Rockets

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. Houston Rockets (via New York Knicks)

17. Dallas Mavericks

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Utah Jazz)

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers)

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Lakers)

25. Memphis Grizzlies

26. Indiana Pacers

27. Miami Heat

28. Oklahoma City Thunder

29. Chicago Bulls

30. Golden State Warriors (via San Antonio Spurs) 

Second Round

31. Charlotte Bobcats

32. Washington Wizards

33. Cleveland Cavaliers

34. Cleveland Cavaliers (via New Orleans Hornets)

35. Golden State Warriors (via Brooklyn Nets)

36. Sacramento Kings

37. Toronto Raptors

38. Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks)

39. Detroit Pistons

40. Portland Trail Blazers (via Houston Rockets)

41. Portland Trail Blazers

42. Milwaukee Bucks

43. Atlanta Hawks (via Phoenix Suns)

44. Detroit Pistons (via Houston Rockets)

45. Philadelphia 76ers

46. Washington Wizards (via Dallas Mavericks)

47. Utah Jazz

48. New York Knicks

49. Orlando Magic

50. Denver Nuggets

51. Boston Celtics

52. Golden State Warriors (via New Jersey Nets)

53. Los Angeles Clippers

54. Philadelphia 76ers (via Memphis Grizzlies) 

55. Dallas Mavericks (via Los Angeles Lakers)

56. Toronto Raptors

57. New Jersey Nets (via Miami Heat)

58. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City Thunder)

59. San Antonio Spurs

60. Los Angeles Lakers (via Chicago Bulls) 

Jan. 2, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing during the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Ewing has interviewed for the head coaching position with the Charlotte Bobcats but it’s doubtful he will be considered for the now open Orlando job.

Back after he interviewed in Charlotte, sources close to the situation said that Ewing had a real good chance to land the job, which is good news for Ewing.

What’s bad is that more teams aren’t calling as Ewing himself feels he’s ready to be an NBA head coach after spending nearly the last decade as an NBA assistant. For some reason, though, Ewing has drawn very little interest around the league and absolutely none from the Knicks.  Whatever the hang-up may be, Ewing spent this season broadcasting his interest in a head-coaching position, and hopefully he lands the job in Charlotte.

Had you told me 20 years ago that one day Ewing would be working for Michael Jordan, I wouldn’t have believed you.

But if Ewing doesn’t land the Bobcats gig, it isn’t the worst thing in the world. While I know he wants to be a head coach, going to work for Jordan, who’s shown no ability as an executive , except the ability to run the Bobcats into the ground wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Then there’s the fact that the Bobcats roster is stripped of talent.

Possibly landing Kentucky’s Anthony Davis could be attractive, as could rookies Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, but other than that the cupboard is bare in Charlotte. That would be the purest definition of one working his way up from the bottom.

However in today’s age of the NBA, coaches aren’t given a long period of time  to make an impact. The NBA is a win now type of league, so taking the Charlotte job could be very risky for Ewing.

Yet if he doesn’t take it, will Ewing ever get the opportunity?

It’s not a good sign that teams haven’t show interest over the years, so who knows what the future holds.

All I know is that Ewing was a leader on the court and is a leader off the court. I can’t speak for what type of X’s and O’s guy he is but if I’m a general manager looking for a leader , I don’t think I could go wrong by hiring Ewing.

Hopefully one day Ewing will get the opportunity he’s been waiting for.

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

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

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

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

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

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

If Melo shoot less will the Knicks win more?

success with Carmelo Anthony only taking 7 shots.

It is no secret that the Knicks have been unable to get their team together since acquiring Melo last season; at this point, as I have argued before, it is pretty obvious that the nature of Anthony’s game—the fact that the Knicks don’t have a point guard compounds this fact—is such that the ball stops when it gets to him which completely negates what made the Knicks a good team last season prior to his arrival in NYC.

Last night against the Bobcats, Anthony deferred his game. Instead of taking a ton of shots and needlessly pounding the ball into the ground, he shared the ball and got others involved. When the Knicks share the ball—which, needless to say, isn’t often—they actually have a fairly balanced offensive attack.  Guys like Bill Walker, Landry field and Toney Douglas are competent offensive players that can stick open looks; Landry Fields in particular, is a player that thrives in an offense that moves the ball frequently.

More importantly, moving the ball and playing the screen and roll opens up (more…)

Hottest Seats:

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Raymond Felton hurt his back last night, but that wasn't gonna stop him from gutting out a win against his former team. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Last night, your New York Knickerbockers defeated Raymond Felton’s former team, the Charlotte Bobcats, 110-107, giving us a four-game winning streak and more.  It moved us into sole possession of the seventh seed in the East (with a full game lead over the eighth and just one behind being tied for fifth).  It left us just one game below .500.  And should we win tonight’s rematch against the Bobcats, we would have our longest winning streak in nearly five years.  Perhaps even more important, taking the rematch would also give us the season series against the Cats since we only play them three times.  Since they’re one of the teams who we’ll be fighting for the final playoff spots, that tie-breaker could end up being crucial.  But before we jump ahead to thoughts of April, let’s stay in November for a moment and discuss last night’s ART (The Awful, The Remarkable and The Terrific).

The Awful

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Can the multi-talented Anthony Randolph help bring the Knicks back to the playoffs? Read Knick season previews from lots and lots and lots and lots of places. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

With training camp two weeks away and no new bball news, lots of folks have written previews/predictions for how the Knicks’ll do in the upcoming 2010-11 season.  Here are some of ‘em and a couple other things:

Kurt Helin at ProBasketballTalk predicts 38 wins and here’s one of the things he said:

More likely the Knicks will: Be the most fun Knicks team to watch in years, however will take some time to gel. They may well get off to slow start. They won’t play great defense. There will be flashes of what Randolph can do, Stoudemire will throw down over people, Gallinari should take a step forward. There are pieces here and they are going to be entertaining to watch.

But how to fit all the pieces together will take time. Look for some D’Antoni to throw out wild lineups for a while, trying to find what works. Can a Felton/Toney Douglas backcourt work? Traditional positions will be out the window as Stoudemire may get some run at the five and the three, all with the goal of just finding lineups that work. By the end of the season, if they are healthy, expect the Knicks to be playing better.

As I wrote yesterday when talking about D’Antoni, he hasn’t shown himself to be a tinker during the season unless things are really awful (like they were last year when after a year and a half he finally conceded that Chris Duhon shouldn’t be a starting point guard).  D’Antoni’s decent teams tend to start out pretty smooth from the get-go and continue on at that pace with very little tinkering.

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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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Anthony Randolph is thrilled to be out of Don Nelson's doghouse in Golden State, with a chance to finally explode in the Big Apple (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The proposed sign-and-trade that Chase wrote about (David Lee to the Golden State Warriors for Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf) has been finalized. As I wrote in the comments section of that post, I’m not thrilled with the move. While Randolph (the heart of this trade) has otherworldly potential, he does play the same position of power forward as our big new signee, Amar’e Stoudemire. For potential to blossom, a player needs minutes like a flower needs water. Sure we could possibly move Amar’e over to center for a bit, but Amar’e has said many times in the past that he prefers to not play that position. Personally, I think we should’ve kept David Lee to make up for Amar’e rebounding deficiencies, ‘cuz it ain’t like Randolph is known for doing the dirty work or the little things. Plus Lee is a known commodity that could be used in a trade. If Randolph doesn’t develop, then we gave away a home-grown All-Star for nuthin’.

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In fact, LeBron’s decision can conceivably help us eliminate another team that outperformed us: the Charlotte Bobcats. Since LeBron didn’t take our money, we can now address one of our weaknesses (point guard) by going after the Bobcats’ Ray Felton. Should we get him, we not only improve ourselves, we weaken Charlotte. That would leave only 6 definite playoff teams (Boston, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and Milwaukee). With us being perhaps the only team in the bottom half of the east to improve, we would be one of the favorites to land one of the remaining two spots.

Sure, it’s a huge drop to go from LeBron making us potential contenders to being happy just to make the playoffs, but hey, let’s not kid ourselves, we haven’t even made it to the second season in a long time.

Baby steps.

Then next off-season we add a Tony Parker or Carmelo Anthony and can jump to being a top four team in the east.

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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You may not be able to tell from the looks on the Raptors' bench, but Toronto won the game. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Toronto annihilated the Knicks last night 131-113 (if we were playing Mastermind we’d say at least the Knicks’ score got all the same correct #s as Toronto, but just in the wrong order).  In the first half, the Raptors shot 70%.  No, not from the free-throw line, but from the field where you’re supposedly allowed to play defense.  The Canadian fans were excited, so why the depressed looks on the bench?  While Toronto needed this final win to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed, they also needed something else: the Chicago Bulls to lose their simultaneous game against the Charlotte Bobcats.  The Bulls didn’t play their part, instead winning and thus hanging onto their last-minute theft of that final playoff spot.

More depressing to the people of Toronto is that perhaps this helped further the death knell of Raptors’ all-time-scoring-and-rebounding-leader Chris Bosh’s stay north of the border.  The man is on record as having said he wants to be surrounded by enough talent to make his team a contender.  It’s pretty clear that Toronto ain’t nowhere near that.

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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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With a few of them likely to sit out this summer so they don’t injure themselves before they get a new contract (in other words the guys the Knicks would chase after: LeBron, Wade, Bosh, plus A’mare Stoudamire who made the pool too), it does provide some openings.  Not to mention that say a banged up Kobe might need to take the summer off to get his body healthy again.  Of course, included in those free agents-to-be are none other than David Lee, so he himself might have to bow out.  Oh, and another thing in Lee’s favor is that once again the Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni will be one of the assistant coaches on the USA team.  It’s always nice having someone on the inside to help plead your case.

Anyway, the remaining invitees include the Denver Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups, LA Lakers’ Lamar Odom, plus a who’s-who of all the young and upcoming players in the NBA according to ESPN: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (pretty much a lock to make the final roster since he almost made it last time and he’s only gotten better), Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose,

Minnesota‘s Al Jefferson and Kevin Love; Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo of Memphis; Philadelphia‘s Andre Iguodala; Boston‘s Kendrick Perkins; Indiana‘s Danny Granger; New York‘s David Lee; New Jersey center Brook Lopez; Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook; Portland‘s LaMarcus Aldridge; Charlotte‘s Gerald Wallace; and Clippers guard Eric Gordon.

The Americans will choose a group from the roster to take part in their minicamp in Las Vegas in July. They are expected to play an exhibition game in New York before heading to Turkey for the world championships, which they haven’t won since 1994.

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.

The NBA announced Nate Robinson will be in this year’s slam-dunk contest, defending his title. Actually, although this is just a fun little side-show, Nate has a chance to make history. He’s already won the contest twice (as have many other players), but no one has ever won it THREE times. Who’d've thunk the Knicks would have a chance at historical greatness this year? Yeah, yeah, so they might not even make it to the playoffs, but if Krypto-Nate wins, ain’t nobody able to take that away from us. …Okay, okay, so nobody would even want to take such a frivolous award away, but we’ll take what we can get.

The dunk contest will have one new part to it this year. And no, it’s not that LeBron will participate (even though he promised he would last year). Hold on a sec, there’s an article about him being a scaredy-cat… right here.  If only he was like Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly in the “Back To The Future…s” so that if we called him chicken, he’d have to compete to prove he wasn’t yeller (that’s “yellow” in cowboy-speak, in honor of the third “Back” being set in the Wild West — man, this is a long, dumb tangent).  Oh yeah, so the new component is that so far only three players are in the dunk contest (Nate, Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats, and Shannon Brown of the Lakers).  However, during halftime of the rookie/sophomore game, two players (Eric Gordon of the Clippers and DeMar DeRozen of the Toronto Raptors) will have a dunk-off to see who gets the final spot.  Yeah, it’s nothing too exciting.

Y’know, I just had an idea.  If they really wanted to do something like that, they should have dunk-offs between every team, now, leading up to the All-Star game.  It’d be pretty fun if during halftime of the regular season games now, each of the two teams submitted one player and they have a dunk-off.  Whoever wins goes onto the next level.  Think of how much fun and drama that would create!  Highlights on Sports Center every night as we get closer and closer to All-Star weekend, winnowing out the weak from the strong.  Then fans would come into the All-Star Weekend with favorites who they’ve been watching.  Like as someone who lives in LA, all the Laker games are shown on tv, so I’ve seen them a bunch.  And Shannon Brown is a phenomenal athlete who’s had some crazy dunks.  But for the rest of the world, they don’t know Shannon Brown from James Brown.  However if they got to watch him compete in dunks week after week, he’d get a huge following and people would turn on the dunk contest just to see how their boy Shannon’s doing.

Man, I sure can babble.  This was just supposed to be a two-sentence thing, followed by video highlights to get you psyched up.  Well, let’s get to that now.  A couple of my faves in this mix, beside the dunks from the contests, include the 5’8″ Nate blocking 7’6″ Yao Ming, him crossing-over Jose Calderon so badly that Calderon literally ends up on his butt, and another move where he steps back, totally freezing Steve Blake, then zooms right past him.

Enjoy.