After a tight first quarter, New York broke the game open in the second and opened up a comfy advantage with a 13-0 run. The Cavs never sniffed the lead after that and led by 20 at one point in the fourth quarter.

Apr 12, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is fouled by Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Alonzo Gee (33) while attempting a three-point basket in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks were once again playing short handed and had to go small by starting Chris Copeland at center, but it didn’t matter as both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith were outstanding.

New York shot 51 percent from the floor and 36 percent from behind the arc and limited the Cavs to only 43 percent shooting on the night. Despite being very small, the Knics held their own on the glass, only being outebounded 46-44 on the night. The only negative was that the ball didn’t move tht much as the Knicks had only 15 assists on 40 made shots.

With that being said, let’s tke a look at how each Knicks player graded out in Friday night’s win.

Individual Grades

Pablo Prigioni (3 points, 1-of-2 shooting, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block)

Prigioni played 35 minutes and while he scored only three points, he was very effective moving the ball and on the defensive end of the floor. The Knicks are 14-1 with Prigioni as the starting point guard and he did the little things to help the team win once again.  Grade: B

Raymond Felton (7 points, 3-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block)

Felton wasn’t as aggressive as he stepped back and let Smith and Anthony carry the load. He did contribute a bit in other areas, grabbing four boards nd dishing out four dimes, but Felton has not had back-to-back games with more than 10 points in the month of April. Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert (8 points, 3-of-11 shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block)

Why was Shump on the floor for 36 minutes in what amounted to a petty meaningless game? He shot the ball poorly, but made up for it by being a beast on the glass. Of his 11 boards, three of them came at the offesive end. He also dished out a few assists and played pretty solid defensively. Grade: B+

Carmelo Anthony (31 points, 12-of-24 shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals)

While  ’Melo is busy trying to win the scoring title, what has gotten into him in terms of rebounding? Anthony had another aggressive day on the glass and  grabbed 14 boards (seven offensive) and had a pretty dominant night, even though he sat the entire fourth quarter again. Grade: A

Chris Copeland (12 points, 5-of-9  shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals)

It’s not good when your starting center grabs one rebound, but give Copeland credit for competing hard, playing well out of position. He scored 12 points, but provided energy and finished with a plus-17 rating, which says alot about his performnce. Grade: B+

Solomon Jones (0 points, 0-of-0 shooting, 1 rebound)

In his Knicks debut, Jones played 12 minutes, grabbed a rebound and turned the ball over twice. He didn’t attempt a shot, but Jones isn’t here to score the ball. However this isn’t China and I’d like to see more from him in terms of rebounding and playing defense. However I will cut him a break with his grade since it was his first game. Grade: C-

Steve Novak (3 points, 1 -of-7 shooting, 1 rebound,1 steal, 1 block)

Novak struggled from the field, going just 1-of-7 in 25 minutes. Otherwise he didn’t do much to contribute to the win. Grade: D

Jason Kidd (6 points, 2-of-3  shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist)

Kidd knocked down a couple of threes and grabbed four rebounds, finishing with a plus-15 rating, the third best on the team. It was a typical Kidd-like performance as he impacted the game without necessarily putting up big numbers. Grade: B

James White (0 points, 0-of-0 shooting)

White only played five minutes and somehow finished with a minus-nine rating. But mst of that was a result of the Cavs cutting the deficit during garbage time so I won’t penalize him too much. Grade: C-

J.R. Smith (31 points, 13-of-16 shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block)

Simply outstanding. Just when you thought the old J.R. was returning after a rough night on Thursday, Smith turned in an extremely efficient performance, which included making his last 12 shot attempts. Grade: A+

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.

Raymond Felton

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

Grade: B

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

Jason Kidd

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

Grade: B+

J.R. Smith

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

Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony

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

Grade: N/A

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

Amar’e Stoudemire

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

Grade: A

Tyson Chandler

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

Grade: B

Role Players

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

Grade: A

With that being said, let’s not waste any time and see exactly who comes from winners and who comes home losers from All-Star Weekend in Houston.

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

Winner- Chris Paul

CP3 won the All-Star Game MVP while leading the Western Conference to victor, so that’s good enough for me. In addition his numbers of 20 points and 15 assists made this all about Los Angeles, except everyone should be talking Clippers and not Lakers. Just an outstanding and unselfish performance from Paul.

Loser-LeBron James

It’s hard to call the best player on the planet a loser, but for the second consecutive All-Star Weekend, that’s exactly what James was. He is the first person you think of after the dunk contest flops, especially after his yearly promises that he will enter the contest. Then he starts the game with some rim shaking dunks that beg the question of why he can’t do the same on Saturday’s. We know his fragile ego couldn’t take losing a dunk contest, but all things considered, he’s the guy that people want to see. To make his weekend worse, he was shut down offensively in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and scored only one fourth quarter point in almost seven minutes of action, going 0-for-4 from the floor with a turnover.

Winner- Kyrie Irving

The second-year point guard had the platform for his coming out party and took advantage of it. Irving excelled in the Rising Stars Challenge, won the three-point shootout and showed on Sunday that he belonged with the NBA’s best. That’s a very productive weekend.

Loser- Brandon Knight

More than anything that the talented Knight has done of the floor in his brief time in the NBA, Knight is now know the most for getting his ankles broke by Irving on Friday night. I give Knight a ton of credit for refusing to back down to Irving and continuing to challenge him, but he will be on the wrong end of a bad highlight for months to come.

Winner- First Time All-Star’s

It’s always good to see guys make the All-Star team for the first time and this year we saw seven first timers, including the New York Knicks Tyson Chandler, who made it for the first time after 12 years in the league. Guys like Chandler, Irving, Paul George, James Harden and others showed that they belong on the big stage.

Loser- Dunk Contest

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) dunks during the 2013 NBA All-Star slam dunk contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Something has to be done to fix this. It highlights All-Star Saturday night and it flopped once again. The stars need to participate. That’s something the league needs to fix, but the rules need tweaked also. I didn’t like the East vs. West thing this year, but you simply can’t miss a dunk six times and then be given a 50 for it on chance number seven. We have seen this go on for too long. Jeremy Evans and Terrence Ross were decent in the finals, but the rest of the contest left a lot to be desired.

Winner- Kenneth Faried

Faried dropped 40 Friday night, tying a record and bringing home MVP honors. “The Manimal” also showed why he is one of the top up-and-coming young big men in the NBA today.

Loser- James White

“Flight” was grounded on Saturday night a White found out that All-Star Weekend is a much bigger stage than he was used to. He came into the dunk contest with a lot of hype but severely disappointed. The announcers said it best when they commented that “This isn’t You Tube.”

Winner- Kevin Durant

KD did what KD does and simply drops a game-high 30 points in 31 minutes of action in leading the West to victory. In a game of the best in the world, Durant stepped up and made a statement for the second consecutive year.

Loser- Chris Bosh

Bosh made only 3-of-9 shots on the night, but was embarrassed not once but twice when Western Conference point guards Paul and Tony Parker dribbled between HIS legs. It’s a shame that Bosh got stuck guarding these quick guards on the perimeter in the All-Star Game, where there wasn’t much screening going on, but once he was isolated, he was embarrassed.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Shumpert, who had an outstanding rookie season a year ago, was passed over for the game then and because he has been injured for most of the 2012-13 campaign, he had very little chance of making it this year.

The rookies are headlined by Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, while the sophomore team features Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving.

The rest of the eligible players to be drafted by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal look like this:

Jan. 26, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) brings the ball up the court during the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Freshman

Lillard

Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats

Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

Alexey Shved, Minnesota Timberwolves

Tyler Zeller, Cleveland Cavaliers

Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets

Sophomores

Irving

Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons

Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets

Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Nikola Vucevic (C, Orlando Magic)

Kemba Walker (PG, Charlotte Bobcats)

Tristan Thompson (PF, Cleveland Cavaliers)

Being the oldest team in the NBA, only Shumpert had a chance to make the game for the Knicks, who were represented a year ago by both Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin, who both are no longer with the franchise.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The latest one has the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers on the verge of completing the first trade of the season.

Jan 19, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Wayne Ellington (3) with the ball during the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The deal breaks down like this:  Memphis will send Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a protected first-round draft pick in 2015 to Cleveland in exchange for Jon Leuer, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Cleveland has the cap room to assume Ellington’s expiring $2 million contract, as well as Speights $4.2 million expiring contract. Selby and the pick are likely just sweeteners for the Cavs taking on the additional money for this season.

As for Memphis, this looks like mostly a money deal as the Grizzlies will move further below the tax line, which is big as the deal saves them about $6 million. Although now the Grizzlies will be below the roster minimum so they will have to add a player or two.

In addition to Leuer, the Grizzlies will get a couple of trade exceptions worth the amount of Speights’ and Ellington’s salaries- $4,200,000 and $2,083,042 respectively.

The Grizzlies have been rumored in a ton of deals during the past month that mostly centered around Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph, but it looks like Memphis will keep their two stars for now.

They were able to save money by dealing Speights, who had a reduced role this season after playing well last year when Randolph was injured.

All three guys should get more of an opportunity in Cleveland this season, but the trade doesn’t hurt the Cavs long-term plans as both Speights and Ellington will come off their books next season.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Jan 9, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks power forward John Henson (31) talks with coach Jim Boylan during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The Bucks beat the Bulls 104-96. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

“In 2013 I RESOLVE to avoid any players mired in a coach’s rotation carousel”:  Messing with players who play for teams where the coach likes to tinker with lineups and minutes is about as frustrating as it can get for a fantasy owner.  The No. 1 culprit for these scenarios was former Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles.  For weeks on end we would pull out our hair while struggling to understand why $40 million man Ersan Ilyasova was losing minutes to guys like Marquis Daniels and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (say that five times fast!).

Last week, to the delight of the fantasy world, Skiles was exiled from the Badger State and assistant coach Jim Boylan was handed the reins on an interim basis.  Boylan vowed that he would immediately put Ilyasova into the starting lineup, which he did, but this switch hasn’t necessarily paid dividends for owners yet.  While he IS seeing much more consistent minutes (26, 27, 27, 26) in the four games under Boylan, they are not light years more than the 23.2 he was already averaging for the season.

Skiles always seemed to have a player “in his doghouse”.  This usually meant he’d either get a DNP-CD or very limited and erratic minutes, which would wreak havoc on fantasy owners, especially ones who had to set weekly lineups ahead of time.  Coach Boylan has obviously not gone this route, but the point remains that Milwaukee is a team that is deep in the forward and center positions and the “hot-hand approach” may be used at any given time.  The only players that are safe are Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, both guards.  Their last game on Sunday against Toronto is a perfect example of Boylan’s distribution of minutes, excluding Jennings and Ellis:

Mike Dunleavy:               30 minutes                L. R. Mbah a Moute:       18 minutes

Larry Sanders:                 28 minutes                Beno Udrih:                       16 minutes

Ersan Ilyasova:               26 minutes                Marquis Daniels:              14 minutes

John Henson:                   22 minutes                Samuel Dalembert:         yet another DNP-CD

Epke Udoh:                       20 minutes

You can see how a rotation like this saps any heavy minute potential from any of these players.  A great example of this is rookie John Henson’s recent production/minutes.  Having not played much of the season, the North Carolina product burst into the scene right after the New Year, tallying either double digit rebounds or double digit points in four consecutive games.  The final game of that run, versus Phoenix, was Boylan’s first game as the head coach.  He logged only 5 first half minutes and only ended up playing 19 total, but still managed a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.  This kind of production in limited minutes would almost ALWAYS guarantee a boost in playing time, but he actually received one minute LESS the next time out vs. Chicago, which produced a rather tepid five point, six rebound line.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners the Bucks are 3-1 under their new coach, and as long as they are winning games this nightmare should continue for the unforeseen future.  My adage towards certain coaches’ rotational fickleness also deserves monitoring in regards to any fantasy players in the Keith Smart Sacramento debacle as well as the new developments in the Hawks’ backcourt and the inconsistent minutes Tom Thibodeau is handing out to his guards.  So whatever you have to do, avoid these kinds of situations like the plague, unless you plan on making the same New Year’s Resolution in 2014!

Jan 12, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) reacts during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

“In 2013 I RESOLVE to keep in mind that this is Fantasy, not ‘real life’”:  The All-Star break is right around the corner, marking the unofficial midway point of the NBA season, and just because a team is up by 10 games in their division it doesn’t mean that all their players are worth owning in fantasy.   Around this time teams are getting a better idea of whether they will be playoff contenders or pretenders.  Teams like the Bobcats, Wizards, Cavs, Hornets, Suns and Kings, among others, have all but punched their ticket to this summer’s Draft Lottery.  While these teams may want to just give up now, they are in fact required to play all 82 games of their schedule, which means lots of garbage time for the stars on these teams as well as opportunities to showcase trade bait and give their young talent some extra run.

On the other side of the spectrum are players on teams that ARE going to the playoffs, but will most likely have reduced minutes in the stretch run in order to save their strength for when it matters.  Swapping players like this could help you win your league.  The top players I’d try to acquire from the aforementioned “lottery” teams would be the Cavs’ Kyrie Irving, the Bobcats’ Kemba Walker and the Wizards’ John Wall.  The key with making trades or picking up free agents that are on these teams is making sure that they are in fact staying put and won’t be traded to a contender, which would most likely result in lost minutes and production.  Those three players aren’t going anywhere and are still very young, meaning that the heavy minutes they are logging will not budge and may actually increase.

Wall’s situation is a little harder to gauge because he just made his season debut, but once his minutes limit is lifted he should be back to his normal career average of 37 minutes per game.  Since these guys are on bad teams and have relatively no national media exposure they may be easier to land in a trade than a higher profile player on a top-tier team.  If you have faith in Wall’s knee holding up he may be the guy to snag immediately before he goes on a tear and an owner will have a larger asking price.

Now as far as the players you might want to dangle, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki are guys that come to mind.  They are still big names and may intrigue a rookie owner enough to part ways with a younger guy.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are guys that you will most likely find on the waiver wire that could either see a huge bump in minutes if a team that is out of contention trades one of their stars or if they themselves are traded to a contender and will assume a lesser role in that particular offense.  Some players will also be impacted when injured players come back to action.

Here is my list of such player that you may find on the waiver wire, and as always all players are owned in less than 60% of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, respectively:

Dec. 23, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe (12) handles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Clippers defeated the Suns 103-77. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Players with speculative minutes increase:

Ed Davis-PF/C, Raptors: An imminent Bargnani trade will make his already expanded role much larger (21% ESPN, 30% Yahoo!)

Amir Johnson-PF/C, Raptors: see Davis, Ed. (22% ESPN, 32% Yahoo!)

Jae Crowder-F, Mavericks: Trading Marion, Vinsanity not out of the question (0.4% ESPN, 1% Yahoo!)

Markieff Morris-F, Suns: Dudley and Beasley could be on their way out (0.6% ESPN, 4% Yahoo!)

Gerald Henderson-SG/SF, Bobcats: Ben Gordon’s almost a lock to be traded (32% ESPN, 33% Yahoo!)

Eric Bledsoe-PG, Clippers: Though LA has vowed not to trade him, if he is sent to a bottom feeder his Per 36 Minute stats of 16.8 points, 5.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals will make him a must own player(4% ESPN, 13% Yahoo!)

Thomas Robinson-PF, Kings: Everything in Sac-Town is tumultuous right now, but a DeMarcus Cousins trade still remains likely. T-Rob, as well as Jason Thompson, would be the main benefactors (6.5% ESPN, 21% Yahoo!)

Players with speculative minutes decrease:

C.J. Miles-SG/SF, Cavs: 30 min/gm over last 16 will decrease a bunch if traded (14% ESPN, 19% Yahoo!)

Anyone on the Spurs not named Duncan, Parker or Ginobili: an already crowded bench will only get more crowded if they make any trades for the playoff run

Ayon, McRoberts, Nicholson-Big men, Magic: Big Baby’s return spells the end of their recently increased minutes (avg 3% ESPN, avg 0.3% Yahoo!)

Harrison Barnes-SF, Warriors: Though he’s been playing well of late, they won’t balk at the opportunity to acquire a veteran inside presence with a chance to make the playoffs (14% ESPN, 46% Yahoo!)

Nate Robinson-PG/SG, Bulls: Return of D-Rose will chop his minutes (9.5% ESPN, 21% Yahoo!)

Emeka Okafor-C, Wizards: A $14 million salary almost guarantees he’ll be traded to a contender where he’ll likely assume a backup role (22% ESPN, 53% Yahoo!)

Sticking with this is going to take a lot of will power and dedication, but now that I have come up with my Fantasy Basketball resolutions, it’s time to hit the gym and buy some yarn!  Wishing everyone a joyous and prosperous 2013!!

Follow me on Twitter: @SethDaSportsMan

Anthony is listed as questionable for Saturday night after spraining his ankle in Thursday night’s win against the Lakers on a play where he was fouled hard by Lakers’ center Dwight Howard and landed very awkwardly on his left leg.

The Knicks announced Anthony’s status Friday afternoon on their day off.

If Anthony can’t play against the 5-19 Cavs, it will be the third game in the past six that he has sat out.

My gut feeling is not to expect to see ‘Melo tonight, especially with Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets coming to Madison Square Garden on Monday. Two more days of rest for Anthony’s ankle could do him good and with the way the Knicks are plying, there is no real need to rush him back into the lineup.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Apr 23, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

Point Guard: Jason Kidd/Raymond Felton/Pablo Prigoni vs. Kyrie Irving/Donald Sloan

Kidd and Felton need to navigate this offense and give the Knicks a strong point guard presence. Kidd is a leader and knows how to get things done at a championship level while Felton has the talent to be an above average point guard in this league. Kyrie Irving is far from a veteran but has the talent to become an elite point guard for many years to come. I would take Kyrie over both the Knicks point guard. I actually met Kyrie this summer in the Bahamas and he is an awesome guy who seems levelheaded and will not let the fame and success get to him.

Advantage – Cavaliers

Shooting Guard: J.R. Smith/Iman Shumpert/Ronnie Brewer vs. C.J. Miles/Daniel Gibson/Dion Walters

Both these shooting guard squads aren’t the best in the league. This is the Knicks weak spot in their roster with J.R. Smith the only healthy player. Iman Shumpert is the best player out of these six but he will not be on the court to start the season. Miles and Daniel “Booby” Gibson aren’t two players to write home about. The Cavs are looking for huge things from Dion Walters seeing they drafted him with the 4th overall pick. The Syracuse product will take a while to develop but the Cavs are hoping him and Kyrie become a strong backcourt duo for years to come. I have to give the Knicks the advantage over the less proven Cavs, especially when Shumpert is healthy.

Advantage – Knicks

Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony/Steve Novak vs. Alonzo Gee/Omri Cassipi/Kelenna Azubuike

This one is really a no brainer. The Cavs have a trio of guys who aren’t too good and might have hit their ceiling already. Alonzo Gee is really the only one who can be a middle of the road NBA player. I don’t need to tell you about Carmelo Anthony. Melo is one of the league’s best scorers and a superstar. Not many can keep up with him.

Advantage – Knicks

Power Forward: Amar’e Stoudemire/Kurt Thomas vs. Tristan Thompson/Samardo Samuels

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) shoots a free throw against the Miami Heat during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The Cavs used their 4th pick in 2011 on Tristan Thompson hoping him and Kyrie Irving will be corner stones for the future. I think Thompson will be a very good pro averaging 8 and 6 in his rookie year. He can only go up from there when he figures out the game seeing he is only 21 years old. But for now Amar’e has the advantage. He is one of the best power forwards in the league and will have a bounce back year.

Advantage – Knicks

Center: Tyson Chandler/Marcus Camby vs. Anderson Varejo/Tyler Zeller

Anderson Varejo is very good NBA big man. Him and that LeBron guy worked well but not good enough to keep him from playing with Chris Bosh. Zeller is going to be the 4th 1st round pick in 2 years for the Cavs as they rely on youth and development to lead them back into the playoffs. The Knicks have no unproven youth in the center position with Tyson Chandler and Camby on the roster. Tyson might be the 2nd best big man in the league behind Dwight Howard while Camby is a veteran who has been consistent his whole career. Tyson Chandler is probably the best center in the East, Varejo can’t keep up.

Advantage – Knicks

Coaching: Mike Woodson vs. Bryon Scott

Byron Scott has enjoyed a pretty successful NBA career. As a player he won 3 championships with Magic Johnson and the Lakers. He translated that into early coaching success by taking the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back Finals appearances. Scott than won NBA Coach of the Year in 2008 by leading the Hornets to the playoffs and also making Chris Paul one of the best point guards in the league. The Cavs are hoping Scott recreates that success only this time with Kyrie Irving who has a similar style of play of CP3. Mike Woodson hasn’t had the same success as Scott but this doesn’t mean he is a good head coach. Woodson and the Knicks was a great match last year and he got the contract everyone thought he deserved. I like Woodson, but I think Scott is a better coach.

Advantage – Cavaliers

If the Knicks and Cavs see each other in a first round matchup, who would win? You have to imagine for the Cavs to make the playoffs, even in a weak lower half of the East, they would have to be playing pretty good basketball The Knicks would have home court advantage and a whole city thinking big things. Kyrie Irving could put on a show on a national stage, but there isn’t much behind him. I think the Knicks would sweep the Cavs.

Knicks win 4-0

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.

Jan 25, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Anderson Varejao (17) battles New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (center) and small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) for the ball in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

It feels like I have written these words about a thousand times this year, but the Knicks lost last night and man was it ugly.

The Knicks turned the ball over a whopping 22 times, 6 of which were in the deflating fourth quarter that ultimately ended the Knicks’ hopes of coming away with a victory in Cleveland.

Turnovers weren’t the only misadventure for the Knicks’ offense on this night; the Knicks shot a wretched 42% from the floor and an unbelievably putrid 15% from beyond the arc.  Needless to say, the decision making for the Knicks—something that has been an issue all season long—was an issue once again against a very beatable team in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The effort was there for Amar’e Stoudemire, who had  14 rebounds—including 6 of the offensive variety—and 19 points, however his inefficient shooting—just 9 of 19—was an issue, and symptomatic of the Knicks lack of execution on that side of the ball.

The Knicks other embattled star finished with 15 points on a sub par 5 of 14 shooting. Despite the poor shooting night Carmelo Anthony actually looked a bit better on the offensive end of the floor. Anthony was aggressive and took the ball to the basket more than he has in the last few games; he was also more willing to move the ball, as evidenced by his 6 assists.  Much of Anthony’s poor shooting over the last two games can be attributed to an apparent wrist injury that has been bothering Melo since he injured it against the Bobcats on Tuesday night.

Apart from their offensive inefficiency, the lack support the Knicks got from their bench proved to be a huge factor in the loss. The Knicks played four guys off of the bench and got a combined 16 points on 6 of 21 shooting. Their lack of depth is no secret, but if they are going to compete on a nightly basis they need to  at least get something out of their bench and last night they got nothing. (more…)

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…)

(more…)

Could this trio still unite in New York? And who else should be on our radar? (Source: jockpost.com)

The New York Knicks should pursue some of these possible free agents and trade targets on teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia Sixers, writes Joshua Sage:

The Knicks continue to surge, led by the stellar play of Amar’e Stoudemire, while the Blazers, Hornets and 76ers all continue to stumble. To the joy of Knicks fans everywhere, the Houston Rockets have also played poorly this season [Editor's Note: this is particularly good because in the Tmac trade we gave Houston the right to swap 2011 draft picks if they want.  So since they'll likely have a worse record, we won't have to give 'em nuthin' this summer]. If these trends continue, come time for the trade deadline, the records of all these teams could affect the futures of several quality players around the NBA.

(more…)

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

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

(more…)

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

(more…)

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.

(more…)

LeBron has been pilloried by fans and media alike for his Decision. Is it a coincidence that all the media in this shot look pretty, well, white?

Apparently last night on an interview on CNN, both LeBron James and his manager, Maverick Carter, said some of the reason that people are so furious at LeBron is due to racism, as detailed in this report:

In the interview, CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien asked about “The Decision,” the one-hour special on ESPN in which James announced that he would play for the Heat, and some of the negative headlines it generated.

“It’s just about control and not doing it the way it’s always been done or not looking the way that it always looks,” Carter said.

O’Brien asked if race played a role.

“I think so at times,” James said. “It’s always, you know, a race factor.”

Said Carter: “It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure.”

(more…)

Could Phil Jackson, the Zen Master himself, get fired this season? Of course not, you idiot, but where do the rest of the coaches in the league stand? (Source: Yarbarker.com)

I seem to be in a major ranking/grading/evaluating the whole NBA-mode, so today we’re gonna check out which coaches might not make it through the season.  Every year it seems like about six coaches are fired in the middle of the 82 game grind.  And a few more who made it through the grist then are shown the exit during the summer.  But we just finished one summer, so we ain’t talking about the next one yet.  Just this upcoming season.  Who’s Bulletproof?  Who’s on the Hot Seat?  And where does everyone else stand and why?  Well, you’re lucky ‘cuz we’s about’s ta answer these questions fer ya.

Bulletproof (again, for this upcoming season only):

Doc Rivers – Celtics

George Karl – Nuggets:  He might quit if it’s too grueling, but ya can’t fire a guy coming back from cancer.  Ya just can’t.  If you disagree, grow a heart, dude.

Phil Jackson – Lakers

Gregg Popovich – Spurs

Jerry Sloan – Jazz

(more…)

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?

(more…)

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 need a point guard before yesterday’s 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…

(more…)

Did the "injured" Chris Bosh sit out SIX more games after he was cleared to play? At least he looked engaged, cheering his team on from the bench. Oh wait... (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Some pretty damning comments from Raptors’ GM Bryan Colangelo about how Chris Bosh was healthy enough to play for the team during the final push for a playoff spot, but he bailed on them.  ESPN reports:

“Despite limited swelling and any excessive damage on an MRI, he felt like he needed to sit for six more games,” Colangelo said on 590 The Fan on Monday.

“I’m not even questioning Chris’ injury. I’m telling you he was cleared to play subject to tolerance on his part, and the tolerance just apparently wasn’t there and he chose not to play.”

(more…)

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.

Many wondered if Cleveland's Game 6 was the last time we'd view LeBron in a Cavs uniform. Few guessed it'd be the last we viewed him as a transcendent hero. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

By choosing to go to Miami, LeBron James has decided to try to become one of the great winners in NBA history instead of one of the most heroic. Had he gone to almost any other team he would’ve had a shot at both, but by joining the Heat he’ll have lost his shot at heroism. Well, except possibly to Miami Heat fans. Although even that will be tempered amongst Miamians by the fact that they also have another arriving hero in Chris Bosh, not to mention the happy news of their returning hero, Dwayne Wade. The thing is, it’s easy to find winners in the NBA: every year we crown a champ. However, a true transcendent inspirational hero, that’s a rare diamond to unearth.

(more…)

What's that sound Boozer hears? Is it the roar of Chicago fans cheering him? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Carlos Boozer just agreed to a 5-year/$80 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, which could possibly bring them back into the LeBron sweepstakes. I wrote earlier today that it was hard to imagine LBJ leaving Cleveland to go to a team where he wasn’t assured to play with a big man, and now that no longer applies to Chi-Town. Will it make a difference? Has LeBron already made up his mind? Can this get him to change his mind? No one frickin’ knows.

(more…)

Wade will lift Bosh up so Chris can finally get past the first round. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Chris Bosh has agreed to join Dwayne Wade on the Miami Heat. Toronto has said they’re not interested in doing a sign-and-trade with Miami, although they might yet change their mind. Bosh has said even if the Raptors won’t play ball, he’s still going (meaning he’d get $30 million less and a 5-year contract rather than 6 years).

As we wait for tomorrow’s one-hour LeBron Special Announcement Insanity, this might help us narrow down his possibilities. Since he’s scheduled a time to declare this, we can assume he’s now finally already decided where he wants to go. As I see it (and yes, this is pure speculation), which of these teams are still in the horse race:

(more…)

Who wants to play in Cleveland?

It appears LeBron may be on his own if he returns to Cleveland.

Milwaukee assistant coach Kelvin Sampson may end up a great NBA coach, but if the Cavs hire him it's unlikely to inspire LeBron James to stay. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

With news yesterday that Tom Izzo will not leave Michigan State to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers, it seems more likely than ever that LeBron James won’t be in Cleveland either.  No, not because Izzo had some secret source that told him LeBron ain’t returning (personally I don’t think LeBron’s made a decision yet).  Nor is it because LeBron really, really, really wanted to play for Izzo and is now greatly disappointed.  It’s because in order to retain James’ services, Cleveland needs to show him that there’s some reason things will be better next year.

It was owner Dan Gilbert, a Michigan State alum, who was truly in love with Izzo, but word out of LeBron’s camp was that he was good with the hire.  As has been reported, the King isn’t looking to name his own coach, but each franchise’s coach will be a factor if he doesn’t have faith in them.  In fact, it may hurt New York’s chances since Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni is only a middle-of-the-pack defensive coach, and LeBron’s a big believer that defense wins championships.  Versus his other options all have solid defensive coaches: Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, Avery Johnson in New Jersey, Eric Spoelstra in Miami, and Rick Carlisle in Dallas.

(more…)

Uh oh, LeBron can't even open his eyes to look at Jay-Z here. Is that a poor omen for NJ? You tell us. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Yes, just a few weeks ago we had a poll asking what you thought our chances were of landing LeBron, but now we’ve got a broader question where we allow you to >gasp< think about other possible cities he might end up in. Plus, c’mon, if you said a 60% chance in that poll, it’s not like you’ll ever know if you were right, regardless of where he goes. So no more being wishy-washy. Pick a side. No one argues with their friends whether there’s a 21% shot or 74% shot the Lakers will win Game 6; we just make the call, Lakers or Celtics in 6 or 7 games, and fight over why.

No one (possibly even LeBron) knows where the King’s gonna go.  Now’s your shot to permanently make your prediction for bragging rights.  Don’t mess up.

Take a deep breath, Izzo, and wait before you agree to coach the Cavs. (source: Yardbarker.com)

ESPN reported that Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo still hasn’t yet decided whether to accept the Cleveland Cavalier’s offer.

He flew to Cleveland on Thursday and visited with the Cavs for several hours. Among the questions facing Izzo is whether he’d be able to coach LeBron James, who can’t sign until July. Izzo, however, can’t wait that long to decide.

If he’s smart, Izzo most definitely should wait that long.  The history of college coaches coming to the NBA is yuckier than an alligator testicle stew.  Izzo has been so successful for so long, that a lot would be expected from him.  But if LeBron James leaves, uh oh.  Izzo can channel the spirits of Reds Auerbach & Holtzman, throw in some mojo from Pat Riley and Phil Jackson to do the world’s best coaching job EVER, and this team would still take a huge step back.

For the rest of my post, click here to read it on the main FanSided page.

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.”

(more…)

Shhh, LeBron and Wade are on their way to the mythical Superstar Free Agency Summit. There's even a secret handshake to get in the door. (source: Yardbarker.com)

With LeBron-frenzy-ation reaching new heights as we approach hunting seasonfree agency’s opening day, lots of incorrect info is being bandied about.  And I won’t stand for poor bandying.  Thus I sit here writing about what’s a Myth or Irrelevant.

1. Bosh’s List Of 5 Teams – Myth

Yes, yes, I know even I reported it, but it turns out it’s bogus.  The claim was that his agent submitted the list of the 5 teams Bosh was interested in playing for next season.  Now it’s come out that his agent has debunked this story.  Which makes sense.  Would someone really wanna limit their options like that this early on?  Shouldn’t you wait and hear what offers you get?  Maybe say Orlando pops out of the woodwork, with the ability to do a sign-and-trade involving Rashard Lewis?  Bosh and Dwight Howard are supposedly somewhat close, and after playing with the defensively inept Bargnani, it’s gotta look pretty appealing to team-up with Superman.  I mean, yes, I completely made this up, but the point is it’s just good business to wait and see what options are out there before you start closing any doors.

2. Free-Agent Powerhouse Summit With Dwayne Wade, LeBron, Bosh, Joe Johnson, A’m'a’r'e, and Matt Barnes – Myth

(more…)

Alex Rodriguez and Jay-Z watch James now, but if he came to New York he'd be part of the cityscape, partying along with them (source: Yardbarker.com)

First Bucket Over Broadway’s own Chase Thomas comes out as saying he’d prefer Wade to LeBron and now ESPN’s Mark Simon just flat out says he doesn’t want The King at all.  Has the world gone crazy?  Or just those two guys?  Read on for a taste of Simon’s reasoning:

Now, by the miraculous managerial maneuverings of [general manager Donnie] Walsh, the Knicks are in position to make moves that will be game-changers, and will impact the direction of the franchise for the next 10 years.

Yet I can’t get excited about it. And that has to do with a crisis of conscience taking place inside my brain.

See, I don’t want the Knicks to sign LeBron James.

How in the world can a Knicks fan say that? It’s heresy, right?

Well, hear me out, and then say what you wish.

(more…)

Future Kings of New York?

In very odd timing, the Knicks front office revealed this summer’s major targets, and none of the names come as a surprise. Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade were noted as Walsh’s biggest targets for the upcoming summer.

Two names were left off which I found surprising, Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson were left off Walsh’s list for whatever reason and that is actually pretty releaving because I really don’t want to see either in a Knick uniform.

So without further a do let me break down Walsh’s wish list.

Chris Bosh:

So, obviously adding Bosh would be great but not without adding Lebron or Wade. Now, a lot of people may wonder what Bosh brings to the table that David Lee doesn’t. Lee is a consistent scorer on the offensive end, but Lee’s game is very limited and really is not even close to the level Bosh is currently at. Bosh can command the post like few in this game, and can virtually score from anywhere around basket.

Bosh plays a very similar style to Pau Gasol. Gasol gets a lot of unwarranted hate for being “soft” much like Bosh. Gasol is perhaps one of the most underrated post players in the game today, but since Bosh has been surrounded by players who don’t mesh at all Bosh’s game has suffered mightily. Both players are the perfect #2 options on championship teams, so placing Bosh with either Lebron or Wade would without a doubt make us a contender.

Now comes the very difficult part; Dwyane Wade or Lebron James? Let us first dive into Wade’s World.

Dwyane Wade:

Wade is already ahead of James on my wish list for one reason and one reason only; he’s won a championship. Granted, Wade has struggled with injuries over last few seasons, but the simple fact of the matter is Wade has done something Lebron has not and that is win an NBA title. Wade’s game resembles Allen Iverson’s in a lot of ways, except Wade’s defense is miles ahead of Iverson’s and is a much better team player then Iverson ever was. Granted, I don’t think Wade would of won his championship without Shaq but that is perhaps one of the stupidest arguments in basketball.

Well, Kobe wouldn’t have won any titles without Shaq or Pau, Jordan without Pippen or Rodman, Pierce without KG, the list goes on and on. This argument is tossed around ESPN all the time and it’s beyond infuriating. Wade was the #1 option on the Heat’s championship campaign and Shaq came through as the #2 option, which propelled the Heat to become NBA champions. Kobe has been the #1 option on a championship team once, which was last season. Duncan never would have won any titles without the help of Ginobli and Parker as well.

Wade is one of the best #1 options in the league and has proven he’s capable of carrying a team on his back into the playoffs, but EVERY #1 option needs a #2 option to win a championship and Chris Bosh fills that void.

Wade would absolutely dominate in D’Antoni’s system, but playing alongside Toney Douglas might not be the best fit going forward. Wade won a championship with two of the best passers this game has ever seen in Gary Payton and Jason Williams at the point. If the Knicks can bring in Tony Parker or another veteran point to play with Wade and Bosh anything short of championship would be unacceptable.

Lebron James:

Lebron James is the greatest player in the game today, there is no argument anymore. So obviously I’d love to have him come to the Big Apple, but there are still a lot of question marks that come with Lebron. After watching Lebron take Game 5 and 6 off in this year’s NBA playoffs I lost a lot of respect for Lebron as a player. Wade may not be as talented as Lebron, but Wade would never have taken games off like Lebron did. Lebron is still a very immature player, and that’s pretty frustrating considering just how good he is.

Another big concern I have with Lebron being in New York is all the distractions and pressure he’d have. Lebron is the king of Cleveland, but I’m not sure he could handle being the king of New York. Lebron also plays the same position as 3/4 of our returning players going into next season, including our top-10 lottery pick just two years ago in Danilo Gallinari. We’re already crowded with forwards so adding Lebron would still not fill our major holes on the roster.

Final Verdict:

In closing, adding Bosh and Lebron/Wade would instantly propel the Knicks into contenders going into next season, but in regards to who would be the best fit?

The answer is quite simply, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Will LeBron join D'Antoni? And is that even a championship combo? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The following comes from my friend Shai:

Since Alex generously allowed me to post my ramblings about college basketball players on this Knicks site, I asked him if he would consider posting the following honestly-curious question to Knicks fans:

What exactly are you expecting to happen?

(more…)

Jordan, Kobe, Lebron..?

Phil Jackson is on the verge of winning his 11th NBA title, 5 with the Lakers, and currently married to Jerry Buss’s daughter, but the possibility of him leaving L.A. actually makes a lot of sense in my mind and maybe even the Zen masters.

There are only two other locations that I could see tempting Jackson enough to bite for and those two are Chicago and Cleveland.

Now, Chicago has already reached out for Jackson, but don’t be surprised if this is just a way to generate more media coverage for this summer’s free agency class. The only way I see Jackson going back to Chicago is if LeBron bolts from Cleveland to Chicago. However, for this to happen Lebron would have to first sign with Chicago, not vice versa.

My gut is still telling me, however, that Lebron is staying put in Cleveland with the recent departure of the absolutely horrible coach in Mike Brown. Ferry is going to do everything in his power to keep Lebron in his hometown.

Phil Jackson has coached perhaps the two greatest players to ever play the game, and if the chance for him to coach the next best thing, why would Phil want to pass that up?

Granted, seeing Lebron in the triangle offense would be odd, but the opportunity to coach the best player in the game today may be too much for Phil to pass up, which is why I think now wherever Phil lands just might be where Lebron lands.

Was this the only time Mo Williams had to separate LeBron and Delonte? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

This rumor is too good not to pass on. A website reports that Delonte West has been sleeping with LeBron’s Momma:

My source explains the following.”My uncle is the general contractor at the Q and has been for the last 7 years. He’s good friends with a lot of guys at the Q, including some of the bigger boys in the organization and knows Dan Gilbert personally. My uncle has been told that Delonte has been banging Gloria James (Lebron’s Mom) for some time now. Somehow Lebron found out before game four and it destroyed their chemistry and divided the team. I am not making this up, I wish it wasn’t true but it happened.”

Definitely click here for the rest.

Where is LeBron going? No, no, not in the picture, in free agency. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Even President Obama is getting in on the action:

“He doesn’t want to tamper,” senior adviser to the president — and former Bulls season-ticket holder — David Axelrod said. “But as a Chicago fan, the president thinks LeBron would look great in a Bulls uniform.”

————————–

Despite my post disagreeing with Bill Simmons‘ diminished assessment of LeBron, he does bring up some interesting points about free agency.  Actually, one point which he brings up as something that won’t bring a title, I think is the opposite and is the way that Cleveland can get LeBron to stay:
(more…)

Just because LeBron is bent over, it doesn't mean you need to abuse him (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Okay, I know this is FanSided, not The LeBron James Non-Stop-Coverage Blog, but as has been stated by many people, the Cavs’ shocking loss has the potential to not just change the Cleveland franchise, but NBA history. Wherever LBJ goes, eventually championships will follow. So I’ve been shocked at the number of people who have summarily discounted his past performances to now label him as a player who just doesn’t have it. Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy, is a wonderful writer, but he’s a self-acknowledged knee-jerk sports fan. He writes what many others have said/written/twittered over the last few days:

There’s a feeling that [LeBron] can still get better, and with better teammates, maybe he could. But fundamentally, to paraphrase Bill Parcells, he is what he is at this point — a gregarious, larger-than-life, supremely gifted basketball player who’s better at making us say “WOW!” than anything else. If he owned that cutthroat Jordan chromosome, or Magic’s leadership chromosome, it would have surfaced by now.

Okay, LeBron doesn’t have Jordan’s cutthroat quality, but c’mon, Kobe’s the only other player who’s ever had that.  Then again, I’m not certain that killer quality is always best for a team.  Bill Russell has more rings than anyone, so clearly winning is a huge part of his genetic structure, but he would never mentally eviscerate a teammate the way Jordan did with Kwame Brown.  There’s something mesmerizing about that killer mentality in Jordan and Kobe, but that desire to win can be expressed in various ways as shown by Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson and tons of others.

For the rest of the post, click here.

Even ref Joey Crawford is pointing for LeBron to leave Cleveland (Source: Yardbarker.com)

New York Magazine has a funny, phenomenal, and pretty darn convincing, pitch for LeBron to come to New York. Here are some of the highlights:

1. If You Want to Make That First Billion Before You Turn 30, This Is the Place to Do It

Features a great picture of the Chrysler Building, and if you look closely, there’s a basketball hoop on top with James dunking it.

3. Allow Us to Introduce You to Chris Bosh

Before the 2009 All-Star Game, you told a reporter, “I would definitely love to play with Chris Bosh. Being around him last summer [in the Olympics], I got to see how smart he is. His basketball IQ is unbelievable.” We completely agree with your assessment, and, as you two may have discussed, Bosh also happens to be a free agent this summer. Are you thinking what we’re thinking?

The Toronto Raptors’ big man is perfect for you. David Thorpe, the private coach to some of the NBA’s best players and one of the game’s greatest minds, told us the first thing you would need to succeed here is a lithe, shot-blocking, rebounding big man who can make the outlet pass and push the offense into motion. Bosh is nearly seven feet tall, runs like a deer, and is one of the five best rebounders in the game. Thorpe says the combination of you two would be devastating—two fast, powerful players in their primes. Realistically, New York is the one place where you two can play together without leaving money on the table. You’ve never played with someone of Bosh’s caliber before, and you probably won’t get another chance.

(more…)

Could this be LeBron's final press conference in Cleveland? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

LeBron James coming to New York has always been a slim possibility.  Well, unless the Yankees are playing, then he’ll come.  But joining the Knicks?  Probably not.  For me, the most compelling reason for him to come, as I discussed in an older post, is that legacy-wise, for some inexplicable reason, winning championships in a major market carries more caché.  To me, because of his otherworldly abilities, I assumed his free agency thought process would really be more about “Where would I like to get some rings?” rather than “Where can I get enough help to win a championship?”  If he loses now, in just the second round, would that change his mental approach to the latter question?

There are still games to play, and I wouldn’t be surprised if LeBron willed the Cavs to victory yet.  And if he does go out now, it might not even effect his mindset at all.  However, since idle (or idol) speculation is all we’ve got left in New York right now, let’s look at possible ways that the King’s summer free agency could be effected by this surprise turn of events:

(more…)

So far in this series LeBron James and Rajan Rondo have stepped as leaders of their respective teams. When ranked by their Points/Rebounds/Assists averages for the playoffs, they rank at 1 and 8 respectively. You can see the list in more detail here: http://youcastcorp.com/c/102/go/index.php?r=71

Guess the line for both James and Rondo in Game 6. Answers must be posted below in the comment section by Thursday May 11th at 7pm EST.

The winner who comes closest to both will receive a free prize package courtesy of NBA.com

What’s hot in the NBA?

Gone Fishin!

Lakers Seek Revenge in WCF

Orlando Sweeps Atlanta

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.

After Game #1 it seemed like Mo Williams would be a Major X-Factor. After Game #2 and Rajon Rondo's defense, we're downgrading Mo to a mere Minor X-Factor. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

After last night’s game, it’s clear there are 5 Major X-Factors in the Cleveland Cavaliers/Boston Celtics playoff series, 3 Minor X-Factors, and 1 Under-Reported Straight-Out Factor.  What do I mean by Major, Minor and Straight-Out Factors?  Well, first a Straight-Out Factor versus an X-Factor is something you know is going to happen versus something that may or may not happen.  Like it’s obvious now that Rajon Rondo is a force who’s gonna bring it every night. Earlier in his career that wasn’t the case, and he was an X-Factor. Now he’s a Straight-Out Factor, but he’s an Over-Reported Factor (or rather a Justifiably-Frequently-Reported Factor), so we ain’t gonna go into him.

In terms of Major X-Factors or Minor ones, a Major one is a change that will effect the whole series, while a Minor X-Factor effects just one game.  For instance, Doc Rivers has said that he hopes Nate Robinson can come in at some point during the playoffs, get hot, and help them win that game.  However, Nate clearly isn’t gonna be a major X-Factor who’s gonna suddenly be a force who leads them to victory in every single remaining battle.  Honestly, I don’t even have him as a minor X-Factor, but who knows?

The Five Major X-Factors:

To read the rest, click here.

LeBron laughs sinisterly at the media reading far, far too much into everything he says. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Remember when journalists used to report the news rather than try to generate it?  Us bloggers, we write our thoughts and opinions, we openly bring our personal biases to our posts.  Bill Simons, the Sports Guy, is an unrepentant Celtics fan, and that’s part of the fun of reading his stuff.  However, when we read main page ESPN columnists who interview players, or reporters for the NY Post and Daily News, shouldn’t they stick to just the facts, ma’am?  Shouldn’t rumor-mongering be left to bloggers and fans, not legitimate news sources?

Apparently not.

(more…)

For once LeBron desperately needed Mo to be more than his towel boy (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Here’s a post I wrote for the main FanSided page:

The King looked dead. In the first half of Game 1, four of LeBron’s five attempts were with his left hand. He was passive, often receiving the ball and just swinging it to the next person to make someone else initiate the offense. By the third quarter, the Cavs were down by 11 to the Celtics and seemed lifeless. Antawn Jamison who’s been the #2 scoring option since joining the team would end the evening with only 7 points on 2 for 6 shooting from the field (and an equally pitiful 3 for 6 from the line). It was time for Mo’.

Mo Williams, rightly criticized for disappearing last year in the playoffs when he was the team’s undisputed #2 option, had his now infamous first dunk as a Cavalier, igniting the crowd and his team. It wasn’t just that throwdown either, as it was just the first of 10 straight points that Mo scored in a row in slightly more than two minutes. Cleveland had a one-point lead by the time the team made it to the fourth quarter. Then LeBron took over.

Read the rest of the story here.

Dirk looks like he needs a lot of help. A LOT. And "a lot" can be spelled "LeBron." (source: Yardbarker.com)

When I recently wrote my little primer on how to root in the playoffs as a Knicks’ fan, I gave short shrift to the Dallas Mavericks.  That’s ‘cuz I didn’t think they’d suck this hard.  I also didn’t put much stock in the idea that LeBron James could go to the Mavs.  Now I’m worried that with Dallas crumbling quick, that could become a very real possibility.

(more…)

Don't let Oakley's refined dapper look fool you: He ain't someone with whom ya wanna get into a feud. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Inspired by Quentin Richardson and Paul Pierce’s recent war of words, SB Nation put together a fun little Haters’ Guide On NBA Feuds in recent years.  Amongst the list:

Charles Oakley and Tyrone Hill

Easily the most hilarious of any NBA feuds and a good lesson to all of us. After Sixers’ forward Tyrone Hill failed to pay a gambling debt of $54,000, then-Raptor Charles Oakley waded into the 76ers shootaround in Toronto and pegged a basketball at Hill, nailing him right in the head. Pretty insane, right? Charles Oakley showing up out of nowhere, no doubt spewing expletives, and probably throwing multiple basketballs at Hill (no way he hit him on the first shot).

[...] Oh, and what’s the lesson? DO NOT. MESS. WITH OAK.

——————-

(more…)

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.