The Knicks are a deep and talented team, evident by their bench scoring 82 points last week in a beat down of the Sacramento Kings. Add to that the resurgence of Amar’e Stoudemire, whose play as of late gives the Knicks one of the best second units in all of basketball.

But are they the best?

Here’s a look at the five best benches in the NBA.

Feb 4, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

5. Denver Nuggets: George Karl goes nine, sometimes 10 deep on a regular basis and the Nuggets get consistent production from the likes of: Andre Miller, Corey Brewer and JaVale McGee. That trio was a plus-3.2 per 100 possessions through January. Now that Wilson Chandler is back, it gives the Nuggets just another weapon off what has turned into a very deep and talented second unit.

4. New York Knicks: The Knicks only come in at No. 4 mostly due to the fact that they haven’t been healthy, as key reserves Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace are still out with injuries. But it hasn’t been all rosy for the Knicks bench this season.  They are averaging 39.4 points (5th best in the NBA), has the most three-pointers made and a well-rounded second-best defensive efficiency rating. But they are 18th in rebounding and 12th in overall efficiency. J.R. Smith, even though he is having a great season, often prevents this bench from being as good as it is capable of being.

However the past 10 games, which coincides with Stoudemire’s improved play, the Knicks’ bench averages a league-best 44.5 points a game, 15.4 rebounds (seventh) and are the third most efficient around. But there are still better benches in the NBA. While the Knicks have gotten production from STAT, Smith Steve Novak and Pablo Prigioni, they still have Kurt Thomas, Ronnie Brewer, James White and Chris Copeland who have been unable to provide consistent production on the season.

But the Knicks bench is rolling now and if I revisit this topic a month or two from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were right near the top.

3. Dallas Mavericks: Surprised? Don’t be. The Mavs second unit, which features the likes of: Vince Carter, Brendan Wright, Elton Brand, Jae Crowder and plenty of others produces on a nightly basis. The Dallas bench ranks third in points, second in rebounds, third in steals and third in efficiency. Simply put, that is outstanding production. Even though the Mavs have disappointed and are eight games under .500, their bench has performed very well.

2. San Antonio Spurs: It’s the same old story from the Spurs bench.  They get production one through 13 on the roster. You ever wonder why they are among the best teams in the NBA every year? It’s because of their depth. This year their bench ranks among the leaders in points, rebounds, steals and both offensive and defensive efficiency. In addition they lead all second units in assists by over two assists per game.

1. Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers were a team without depth last season and were swept by the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs as a result. That is not the case this season as the Clippers have the most dangerous second unit in the game. The Clippers second unit of Eric Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf could be a starting unit for some NBA teams.  When they are on the floor together, the Clippers are a plus-14.5 per 100 possessions. Also throw Grant Hill in the mix and the Clippers have by far the best bench in the league. Because of their depth, they have been able to hang in there without Chris Paul in the lineup.

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It is only early January and we aren’t even at the All-Star break yet but let’s press the fast forward button to late April/May, in other words: the playoffs.

The Knicks have failed miserably in the postseason for the past decade but this year they are poised for a big run. There are a few factors that make me think the Knicks can win it all and here they are:

1) The 2011 Dallas Mavericks.

Never have I seen so many similarities in two teams before. These two teams feature a couple of the same players but for the most part, different players that have the same roles. Take a look at the rosters for both teams:

2011 Mavericks                   2013 Knicks                  Similarities

Tyson Chandler                  Tyson Chandler                No explanation necessary

Jason Kidd                         Jason Kidd                      See above

Dirk Nowitzki                      Carmelo Anthony             Unstoppable scorer

Jason Terry                        JR Smith                        Microwave scorer off the bench

DeShawn Stevenson           Iman Shumpert               Above average perimeter defender

Peja Stojakovic                  Steve Novak                   Automatic 3-point shooter

Brendan Haywood              Marcus Camby                Veteran leader / solid backup center

JJ Barea                           Raymond Felton              Scoring guard who can penetrate

Corey Brewer                     Ronnie Brewer                Defender / glue guy

As you can see, the two teams are very similar. Besides two guys (Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire) the whole Knicks roster is basically the same as the Mavericks. Not only are the rosters alike but so are the way these teams play.

The Mavs ran a 4-out system with only Chandler on this inside just like the Knicks do. Sometimes Dirk would isolate himself in the mid-post, just like ‘Melo often does. The Mavs also relied heavily on three pointers (like the Knicks do) and ran a two point guard system (Kidd and Barea) like the Knicks do with Kidd and Felton.

The other similarity is that the Mavs relied heavily on their bench, especially Jason Terry. The Knicks are exactly the same way, relying on J.R. Smith to pour in points while Steve Novak contributes some three-point shots like Peja Stojakovic did for Dallas.

The question for the Knicks is where does Amar’e fit into this? Can he play the role of Shawn Marion? A guy who just rebounded  and defended well and didn’t get in the way on offense, mostly getting hustle points? If the Knicks want to make noise in the playoffs then Mike Woodson cannot insert Amar’e into the starting lineup.

The Knicks need Melo at the 4-spot, just like Dirk was. Amar’e absolutely needs to get better defensively and if the Knicks front office doesn’t think Stoudemire fits into their plans right now, then they should look to trade the perennial All-Star forward for a player that better fits their current style of play.

2) Carmelo Anthony.

Plain and simple. The Knicks will go as far as Anthony takes them. Throughout his career, ‘Melo has not had playoff success. We saw it with Dirk in 2011 and we saw it with LeBron last year. The star player has to play on another level in order to win a championship. Can Melo do it in the postseason like he has so far this season?

Only time will tell.

‘Melo has the supporting cast to get it done though and it looks like he’ll have home court advantage in the early rounds as well. Which leads to my next point…

3) Madison Square Garden.

The Mecca of basketball. Spike Lee leads the Garden faithful and it seems as if the crowd has never been louder. The Knicks have brought constant excitement back to the Garden and Carmelo Anthony has had big time success at home this season. The play of the Knicks bench at home has also been a big part of the teams success. Guys like Novak, Smith and Brewer have enjoyed more success playing in their own backyard than on the road.

The Knicks are without a doubt a top three team in the Eastern Conference this season and will have a favorable first round matchup no matter who they face. Although they will have a more difficult path to the Finals than the Mavericks did in 2011 (Knicks will more than likely have to beat both Miami and Oklahoma City in back to back series), I don’t think it is a crazy statement to say the Knicks can win the NBA Championship this season.

Nov. 9, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots over Dallas Mavericks point guard Darren Collison (4) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

unsustainable; their winning ways, however, still remain.

At 4-0, the last remaining undefeated team in the NBA, the Knicks took down their fourth straight opponent by double-digits, beating the Dallas Mavericks 104-94. The Mavs came in playing some of the best basketball in the Western Conference, despite missing their superstar Dirk Nowitzki. Coming into the game, Dallas was 4-1, a testament to the undeniably excellent coaching of Rick Carlisle. However, his Mavericks, after a hot start, wilted down the stretch under an intense, scavenging New York defense.

It wasn’t always pretty for New York. In the first half, the two teams exchanged blows trading baskets and stops, and Dallas looked ready to pull away at any moment. But New York just kept scratching for life. A fade-away three-pointer by J.R. Smith at the end of the half kept the Knicks within two – a sign of their desperate clinging to the game. The third quarter was the difference-maker for New York. J.R. Smith once again swooped in with some timely buckets on jumpers and drives to push the Knicks ahead. The Knicks outscored the Mavericks 29-21 in that essential third quarter.

Smith was not alone, of course. Carmelo Anthony continued his torrid stretch at the power forward by dropping in a season high 31 points on 10-22 shooting. For the most part, it was not the team-conscious, well-behaved ‘Melo that we’ve seen thus far this season – some forced transition buckets, and headstrong determination to unsuccessfully take it to Dahntay Jones come to mind – but he was nonetheless effective. Against the likes of Jae Crowder, Brendan Wright, and Vince Carter, Anthony simply exerted his will, bullying his way to the basket or knocking down some midrange jumpers.

Tyson Chandler’s return to health was also a successful one, punctuated by a rim-rocking, and-1 put-back dunk over Jae Crowder following an Anthony miss. Chandler, seemingly fully healthy for the first time this season, dropped in 11 points and 9 rebounds.

However, it was not always sugar and sweets for the Knicks. The Mavericks, whose playing style is nearly machine-like in their own right, began the game hot from three-point land, led by O.J. Mayo who finished with 23 points on 5-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Had foul trouble not limited him, Mayo looked set to become the latest addition on a long list of Knick-killers. Chris Kaman and Vince Carter (rocking an American-flag themed headband recalling Easy Rider) combined for 29 points off the bench.

The Mavs hung around for awhile with the Knicks, but couldn’t pull it out in the end. The Knicks’ defense stifled the Mavs into only 16 fourth-quarter points, including a nearly four-minute scoring drought. The same defense which Mike Woodson has so often praised and relied upon, was the turning point for a Knicks team whose offense also faltered down the stretch with a few turnovers and sloppy, isolation ball.

The margin of victories still remains in double-digits, but tonight proved that every win won’t be easy, and they won’t always be pretty. The Knicks won in a grinding fashion, and their winning percentage still remains the best in the league.

Notes:

- A few folks have noted on Twitter that Raymond Felton doesn’t seem to be in game shape yet. That might explain his hot starts and lowly finished this season, as well as his horrid finishing around the basket – a sign of some jello-y legs. Felton was pretty bad tonight: 8 points on 3-11 shooting, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers.

- Marcus Camby made his season debut and was mostly quiet. It was still nice to see the old, lanky string bean out on the MSG floor again, though.

- Ronnie Brewer’s prowess from the corner three remains; he made 2-4 from beyond the arc tonight. Ronnie also has a nose for timely offensive boards, which has been a pleasant surprise. His explosion around the basket, however, is still reminiscent of wet gunpowder. A couple more botched layups for Brewer tonight.

- Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni only saw 15 and 10 minutes tonight, respectively. Odd, considering Felton’s struggles. It remains to be seen whether there was any health-related issues affecting their playing time.

- The Knicks won the turnover battle by a large margin – 9 to Dallas’s 20. However, the Knicks shot just 26-38 from the free throw line. Had this game been close, that would’ve been a killer.

The Knicks play the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

Nov 7, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Raptors 109-104. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Since that time, the Mavericks broke things up, which allowed Chandler to come to the Big Apple. The story of how Kidd made his way to New York was much more dramatic as all signs pointed towards the future Hall of Famer  re-signing with the Mavericks as many outlets reported that deal was done.

But at the last minute Kidd had a change of heart and signed a three-year deal with the Knicks, a move that really upset Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban.

“I was more than upset. I thought he was coming. I was pissed,” Cuban said in late August. “J-Kidd is a big boy; he can do whatever he wants. But you don’t change your mind like that. That was … yeah. I’m sure I’ll get over it at some point, but as of now, I wouldn’t put J-Kidd’s number in the rafters.”

Kidd however took all of that in stride and responded to that comment this week, telling ESPN’s Ian Begley:

“I don’t play for the jersey. I play for my teammates,” he said earlier this week. “Cuban owns the team so he has every right to his opinion, but the one thing he can’t take away is a championship ring.”

Cuban broke up the 2011 championship team with the thought of clearing enough cap space to lure Deron Williams, Dwight Howard or possibly both to Dallas. That obviously didn’t work out the way Cuban had planned and left a bad taste in both players’ mouths as many people felt that the Mavericks may have had a chance to repeat last season had they kept their core intact.

“I’m very happy with this situation, but to speak past tense I definitely think that we had an opportunity to go back-to-back and unfortunately things were blown up,” Chandler said on Thursday. “But that’s the business side of it; that’s something the players can’t control.”

We know how things panned out for the Knicks as they rebuilt their team with Chandler and Kidd being a big reason of why the Knicks are the only unbeaten team in the NBA.

But the Mavericks have also rebuilt and are off to an impressive 4-1 start to the season, even without the injured Dirk Nowitzki in the lineup.

The Mavericks are averaging over 108 points per game, led by a reborn O.J. Mayo, who is averaging 21.6 points per game to start the season.

But that will be tested by a Knicks defense who has allowed an NBA-low 85.3 points per game.

As far as Chandler and Kidd are concerned, they are happy wearing a Knicks’ uniform, but even so you would think they would be a bit emotional as tonight’s game nears tip-off.

Kidd more so than Chandler.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year got a taste of playing against his former team last year, but this will be Kidd’s first opportunity to do so. However many of the same faces they won a championship with are no longer in Dallas as this is a brand new Mavericks team.

But while Kidd may have some emotion before the game, once the ball is thrown up, it will be all about winning.

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Yes, teams like the San Antonio Spurs, or Boston Celtics, or Dallas Mavericks in 2011 have relied on their veteran players to carry them home, but Woodson almost seemed to dismiss the importance of youth. For instance, the reigning champions, the Miami Heat, were carried by their Big 3 who, except for Dwyane Wade (30), are below 30-years old. Their Finals opponents, the Oklahoma City Thunder, hardly have rotation players sniffing 30 years of age.

In his Knicks Fix last week, Alan Hahn outlined the average ages of NBA championship teams since 2007, all of which were under 30-years old. With the additions of players like Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, and Pablo Prigioni, the average of the Knicks’ roster is 31-years old. That’s not to say that they are too old to contend, but their depth is reliant upon some players with a lot of miles on their legs.

The Knicks’ starting lineup is not particularly old – Raymond Felton is 28, J.R. Smith is 26, Carmelo Anthony, 27, Amar’e Stoudemire, 29, and Tyson Chandler, 29 – but their bench depth will rely on the health of some pretty old players. If a member of the Knicks’ starting lineup were to get hurt (especially at point guard or upfront), the Knicks could find themselves in a tight spot playing heavy minutes to some older veterans.

Furthermore, in an NBA that is evolving more and more into a position-less and a more open game, the Knicks’ veteran signings have made them slower and far less versatile with very players on their roster able to play outside of their given roles. Whereas the Miami Heat may very well run out a lineup this year featuring entirely wing players – Wade, LeBron James, Ray Allen, Chris Bosh, and Rashard Lewis – the Knicks may not have the versatility to match-up with such a lineup.

(And of course, it is fair to compare the Knicks with the Heat seeing as how these Knicks were built to take down those Miami foes).

So, have the Knicks gotten too old this offseason? We certainly can’t say definitively until the season gets underway, but they have taken an old-school approach to the game that may turn out to be out-of-date with the new-school NBA.

In a conference call on Monday, free agent point guard Jason Kidd said that, though his preference is to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks, he also would consider signing with three different teams: the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and the Knicks.

Kidd said his willingness to be a Knick is due to how “fun” it would be to play with promising young point guard Jeremy Lin, who the Knicks have made their main priority this off-season to re-sign.

While its nice to hear players wanting to play in the Big Apple, would signing Kidd be a help to the Knicks goal of returning to a constant, winning formula?

In this scenario, I don’t think there is a reason not to give a serious run at Jason Kidd on the open market. Last year in Dallas, he started every one of the 48 games he played last season and was effective, even with a reduced role due to age (he’s 39). He averaged a career-low 5.5 assists in a career-low 28.7 minutes a night.

However, his value would be tremendous in everything he would do off the court and in the training room with Jeremy Lin. He would almost be a player-coach, being able to teach Lin the finer nuances to being a productive NBA point guard. There’s a reason why Kidd has started all but 13 of the 1,315 games over his 19-year career.

There’s also the likeliness that Kidd will play the 2012-13 season for the veteran’s minimum. Its imperative the Knicks find not just cheap, but useful pieces to fill out their bench and built a productive roster. Kidd would go a long way to answering some of the Knicks key off-season questions (back-up point guard, mentor for Lin).

And though he is a shadow of what he used to be offensively, he’s still a great distributor. Kidd’s unique ability to always find the open man in the offensive set is remarkable. He can also hit an open three when he has the opportunity.

So, the only obstacle keeping the Knicks from a full-fledged pursuit of Kidd is his initial desire to re-sign in Dallas. Should the Mavericks move in a different direction and not re-up with the veteran point, the Knicks should absolutely move to the front of the Knicks off-season agenda.

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

their loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

Despite struggling on Friday against the Hornets, Jeremy Lin was huge once again against the Mavs. Lin dominated the game with his performance. When it was all said and done Lin’s final line was impressive—he scored 28 points, had 14 assists and even managed 5 steals—so good in fact, that we will over look his game-high 7 turnovers.

Lin’s performance was so noteworthy that Jason Kidd said after the game that Lin’s play reminded him of two-time MVP Steve Nash—not a bad comparison if you are Lin.

Without Lin on the floor, The Knicks were ineffective offensively and that was a big reason why the Knicks lead was not larger in the first half. When they brought Iman Shumpert of the bench the offense became stagnated, and it was difficult for them to score. This was particularly apparent in the second quarter when after Shumpert replaced Lin, the Knicks immediately went on a scoring drought of over 3 minutes.

Jeremy Lin aside, the Knicks did get some solid scoring efforts out of their supporting cast, including J.R Smith who was solid in his Knick debut. Smith scored 15 points in his debut, and Steve Novak added 14 included some key three-point shots late in the game.  Both players added a dimension to the Knicks’ game that they have not had for the majority of the season, thanks to their three point proficiency.

With the Knicks new found propensity for ball movement and efficient three-point shooting, much of what caused them to struggle early on in the season offensively has been fixed.  Will this trend persist when Carmelo Anthony returns? we may find out as early as tonight against the Nets.

Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Knicks returned to MSG to take on the Dallas Mavericks following a disappointing loss to the New Orleans Hornets over the Weekend.  How did they fare? well, lets just say that Linsanity was back in full force, as you will see in this installment of the Knicks Highlight of the Night:

Full highlights can be found below:

Well, its official: Tyson Chandler is a member of the New York Knicks. Ronny Turiaf and Any Rautins no longer are.

The Knicks acquired Tyson Chandler in a 3 team trade that sent Andy Rautins to the Mavericks as well as Ronny Turiaf and cash to Washington.  This move had been rumored for days, but was officially completed yesterday afternoon.

Landing the 7’1 Center is a big score for a team that has lacked the defensive presence necessary to compete for a championship. Chandler was the anchor of the Dallas Mavericks defense that was a key part of their championship run.Putting Chandler next to Stoudemire should shore of the interior defense, and hide some of Amar’e’s deficiencies on that end of the floor. (more…)

Since Free agency talk began about a week ago, there have been a few teams that have been talked about as having interest in Tyson Chandler, and the Knicks were not one of them. Not until today.

According to multiple outlets, the Knicks are now chasing Chandler, presumably under the premise that landing Chandler will give them a better chance at getting Chris Paul.  The Knicks could make some moves in order to free the space to land Chandler; this would probably mean either amnestying Chauncey Billups or including him in a sign and trade with the Mavs. (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.

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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…)

Many view Kevin Durant as the Second Coming. We see him and the Thunder more likely coming Third through Sixth. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

On Wednesday we discussed what the Eastern Conference Playoff picture looks like, and today we go west, young man.  We’d already previously examined how much teams improved/regressed during the off-season, but now we’re talking 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 amongst friends?

#1 – Lakers

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If the acquisition of Trevor Ariza convinces CP3 to remain a Hornet for life, that'll end up being one amaze-alicious trade. (source: Yardbarker.com)

In this penultimate chapter of our off-season grades we’ll examine the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs.  For the first four parts, check out our reviews for the Atlantic, Central, Southeast and Pacific Divisions.  Tomorrow will be the Northwest Division. Once again, for the newcomers, here are the rules:

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How likely is it that Chris Paul could be traded to the Knicks? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The last 24 hours have been swamped with intrigue over the news Chris Paul supposedly asked his team the New Orleans’ Hornets to trade him. Much like with Chris Bosh rumors earlier this summer, there apparently is even a list of potential places. New York is reputed to be on the list as well as the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic and Portland Trailblazers. There are differing reports as to whether or not the Lakers are also on the list. So let’s look at this in two parts. First, how do the Knicks chances stack up compared to the other teams on the list? Second, with the Hornets set to meet with Paul on Monday, what’re the chances he even gets traded shortly. Note that the emphasis is on shortly because the rumor is he wants to be traded before the season begins. Down the road there are too many variables (new ownership, how the team does, future possible trades, Paul’s chemistry with the new coach and GM, etc.) to know how long things could last if New Orleans convinces CP3 to give ‘em one last chance.

Also, before we get into it, let’s set some things straight. Some fans and pundits have ripped Donnie Walsh for striking out with LeBron James and Dwayne Wade and “only” getting Amar’e Stoudemire. Let’s be honest: if Amar’e wasn’t on the team, no way Paul even lists the Knicks. I’ve heard others argue we should’ve kept Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford & David Lee, and while that might’ve kept us as a 6-8 seed in the East these last few years, that ain’t a team that’s gonna excite a Chris Paul either. So let’s give some due first to Walsh for creating an excitement about the team that hasn’t been here since the days of Van Gundy.

Knicks, Mavs, Magic, Trailblazers or Lakers?

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Dirk, who like Pierce could’ve signed for a four-year max of $96.2 million, accepted $80 million to stay with Dallas.  The Mavericks now expected to be able to re-sign Brendan Haywood, plus of course the always dealing Mark Cuban will continue to look for a trade for a top player.  Meanwhile, Pierce, taken just one pick away from Nowitzki when they both joined the NBA, took even less to stay with the Celtics, just $61 million over 4 years, so that Boston can retain free agent Ray Allen’s services.

Due to the fact that they’ve been in the league longer than players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh, they could’ve signed for higher max starting salaries (the above trio start at $16.5).  However, because of an over-age-36 clause, they also were unable to sign for more than 4-year contracts (versus the trio can sign for 6-years with their current teams or 5 with a new one).  That’s why Pierce & Dirk’s maxes were four years at $96.2, while LeBron, et al., would only get I believe around $98 million over five years (or around $128 mill over six with current teams).

Regardless, these two players showed that they cared more about winning (and loyalty to their current teams), and they sacrificed money to prove it.  Both would’ve made over $21 million next season had they not agreed to opt out and take lower salaries.

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.

Yeah, Dirk is annoyed about losing, but that has nothing to do with why he's opting-out of his contract (source: Yardbarker.com)

ESPN reported that Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki is likely to opt-out of his contract, ostensibly add his name to the free agency pool, and as an unrestricted free agent at that.  What does that mean for Knick fans?  Quite possibly not a damn thing.  Even if he 100% wants to return to the Mavs, he’d still do this for contractual reasons, so it doesn’t imply he’s contemplating leaving in the slightest.   What’re the contractual reasons?

Opting out to sign a new deal, for starters, would lock in terms based on the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement through the life of the next contract. Under the league’s current system, Nowitzki is eligible for a four-year maximum contract from Dallas worth $96.2 million once he opts out. The most he could receive from another team is a four-year deal worth $93.1 million.

Signing a three-year extension to the last remaining season on his current contract, by contrast, would expose Nowitzki to potential after-the-fact reductions to his annual wage if league owners are successful in their attempts to lower the value of maximum salaries in the next collective bargaining agreement.

[...] Another motivation for Nowitzki to opt out as opposed to signing an extension is the ability to secure a no-trade clause.

If Dirk played for anyone else besides Mark Cuban, I’d say this also was a good maneuver to put pressure on management to improve the team, but Cuban’s already made public his plans to go after LeBron.

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

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

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

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

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

For the rest, click here.

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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(source: Yardbarker.com) Like a little girl in puppy love, New York hopes we're the one LeBron's eyeing.

Seems ESPN has launched ESPN NewYork.com today and decided to promote it by rehashing the ol’ Will LeBron James Go To New York story.  There’s a surprisingly large amount of Nothing New, mixed in with Shameless Sensationalizing, Idiotic Conclusions Based On Personal Feelings, and just Awful Math.  That said, there were maybe a couple of Intriguing Bits to me, but it might all feel redundant to y’all.  Without further ado:

Idiotic Conclusions:

The worst part was where the sportswriters speculated the percent chance of LeBron going to one team or another.  Let’s start with Mark Stein saying there’s a 10% chance that LeBron will go to Dallas.  10%???  10% means 1 in 10!  You’re going out tonight and your choosing between your ten favorite restaurants — that gives each one a really good shot at being chosen.  Thankfully, of the four other Dallas writers, they all only gave it a 1-3% chance.  I like Stein’s writing a bunch, but his thesis his based on this you-can-substitute-LeBron’s-name-with-anyone statement:

I firmly believe LeBron likes the thought of playing with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, trusts Mark Cuban to be an owner who will always spend whatever it takes to contend and loves the city of Dallas and Cowboys football

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

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

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Yes, Douglas was sensational last night along with Walker both adding 20+ points and shot the ball extremely well. Sergio did not even see the court last night, and in a surprise lineup change Duhon was inserted back into the rotation.

The Knicks shot the ball extremely well, and the Mavs couldn’t hit anything all night. The Knicks were able to do whatever they wanted all night and dominated the Mavericks in all facets of the game.

The Knicks travel to Philly tomorrow to take on the Sixers in what should be a winnable game.

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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–To Be Filed Under “And You Thought Jordan Hill Was A Bad Draft Pick”

When Brandon Jennings, the #10 pick in this last year’s draft, started showing he’s fo’ real, everyone bitched about the Knicks not snagging him with their #8 pick.  ‘Course that means 9 other teams passed on him too, so it’s not like NYC was the only one who misjudged him.  And with #1 pick Blake Griffin injured and unable to play a single minute this season, really the only two higher picks who’ve been clearly better are Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry.  Others like James Harden and Jonny Flynn have been solid, and word is that Minnesota Timberwolves’ pick Ricky Rubio has been phenomenal  …playing over in Europe.  Everyone thought the draft would only produce one stud (Griffin) and the other players would be mediocre.  Instead, they’ve done wildly better than anyone would’ve guessed.  Which only makes it sting more for the Memphis Grizzlies who just sent their #2 pick, Hasheem Thabeet, to the D-League.  While his name is pretty darn fun to say (or even to sing, particularly when you replace the chorus of the Go-Go Girls’ “We Got The Beat” with his name), he will be the highest draft pick EVER sent to the D-League.  The dude is so bad that the Grizz decided to replace him at backup center with Iranian, Hamed Haddadi, who thinks he’s playing something called “net ball.”

–The Last Straw

Newly acquired Dallas Maverick, Caron Butler, has been banned by the NBA league office.  Banned from chewing on straws during games.  Really?  We’ve become so overly concerned about appearances that we’re cracking down on straw chewing?  And for those of you who think “straw chewing” is a euphemism or slang for something, no, it’s literally what it sounds like: Caron likes to sit on the bench and chew on McDonald’s straws.  Since Butler used to play for the Wizards, the Washington Post once did a hard-hitting news piece on this insidious habit:

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1. Duhon finally got a couple of shots to go in.  Maybe that’ll help get his confidence back.  Interestingly, even though he’s been missing everything, his shot has looked good and is lined up, it’s just either a tad short or a tad long, but it’s how you want to miss a shot.

2. Gallo, on the other hand, when he misses shots seems to kinda miss ugly.  I don’t get it.  Sometimes he’s got a beautiful stroke, and other times it’s just a clang.  And more and more it seems like he comes out flat with his shot and needs to warm up during the game.

3. Back to Duhon, he has also stopped passing up wide open shots, which is good.

4. Without Nate, and with Duhon struggling to score, we’re in a tough spot.  Toney Douglas actually did a decent job the first half, but like everyone else in the second half he laid a big fat one.

5. If you were told that the Mavs would be missing two of their starters, Jason Kidd and Eric Dampier, and that Dirk would shoot only 1-for-6, you would’ve thought we’d be in the game, wouldn’t ya?

6. If you were told that Jared Jeffries led the team in scoring with 14 points, and he got 12 of those in the first quarter, you’d've known we lost big time, wouldn’t ya?  Particularly if we then said that Dirk would only miss one shot in the second half.

7. I don’t get the Knicks’ bench.  Most of them don’t get to play often (or at all), and yet none of them seemed interested in wanting to use that extra run to prove themselves.  Jonathan Bender, who’d fallen completely out of the rotation, just wanted to shoot or drive (&then shoot) every time he got it.  None of them played any defense.  I know D’Antoni was criticized in Phoenix for his team’s supposed lack of defense, but he’s switched that up here.  ‘Cuz we can’t score like Nash, et al, did.  And when we had our biggest run of success, it was because of our D.  And that’s why Jared Jeffries gets so many minutes.  So you’d think some of the bench mob would come out with energy & try to play some great D.  You’d've been wrong.

8. Drew Gooden owned David Lee on both ends.  Completely.  Like he didn’t even have any mortgage left to pay, he just outright owned him and could do whatever he wanted with him.  Gooden ain’t known for his shot blocking ability, but he got two of Lee’s.

9. David Lee needs to work, defensively, on not letting his man get such good position before he catches the ball.  It’s one thing if Lee’s up against Shaq and Lee don’t have the weight/strength to do that, but against Gooden?  Gooden’s taller, but he’s not a muscle-bound wide-load.

10. Everyone made it off the bench except Larry Hughes.  Good.  Hughes wined about not getting minutes (or when he got 9 minutes several games ago he called it a joke).  The last game when Nate Robinson injured his hamstring, Hughes got another shot.  He sucked.  He needs to realize (actually the whole bench does) that to get minutes he has to work harder.  The reason Jordan Hill’s gotten a chance the last few games is because he supposedly works crazy-hard in practice.  And he had some great hustle when he finally got some minutes (although lately he’s been making those rookie mistakes that happen when you don’t know how to hustle — like committing fouls by falling for shot fakes or going over the top to grab a rebound).

11. LeBron isn’t gonna wanna join a team like this.  If we don’t turn things around again and get back on track, it won’t just be a long year.  It’ll be a long decade.  Again.