Here is what we projected as the Top 10 shooting guards in the preseason:

1. Kobe Bryant
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Joe Johnson
4. James Harden
5. Manu Ginobili
6. Paul George
7. Monta Ellis
8. Kevin Martin
9. Eric Gordon
10. OJ Mayo

We made this list right before Harden and Martin were swapped for each other and thought George would be playing shooting guard since Granger was slotted in at small forward. George is featured on the Top 10 small forwards list while Ellis is on the point guard list.

Apr 10, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard O.J. Mayo (32) reacts after being called for a flagrant foul during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 102-91. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the Top 10 Shooting Guards of the 2013 NBA season:

10. OJ Mayo: 15.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.5 RPG, 44 FG%, 40 3P%, 82 FT%

Mayo decided to leave Memphis and join the Dallas Mavericks this season to be the second scoring option behind Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk missed a bulk of the early season and Mayo turned into the Mavs’ No. 1 scoring option. Mayo once again put another solid season in his early career but it’s clear he isn’t a star that can lead a team deep in the playoffs. Mayo is a perfect number second or third option so if the Mavs can land Chris Paul or Dwight Howard, Mayo might be in the perfect situation for next season.

9. Tony Allen: 8.9 PPG, 1.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, 44 FG%, 12 3P%, 71 FT%

You obviously cannot judge Allen off his offensive statistics because anyone who knows basketball knows he hasn’t made his name by nailing jump shots. Allen is an elite defender who is often called the best perimeter defender in basketball. Allen was rightfully named to the All-NBA First Defensive team along with being a big part of the Grizzlies team that was in the Western Conference Finals.

8. DeMar DeRozan: 18.1 PPG, 2.5 APG, 3.9 RPG, 44 FG%, 28 3P%, 83 FT%

The four-year man out of USC had career highs in nearly every category. DeRozan will definitely benefit with Rudy Gay on the team to get some of the defensive attention off of him. DeRozan showed the promise and potential the Raptors saw in him when they drafted him with the ninth overall pick in 2009 this season and the future looks bright. DeRozan can gain a little more national attention if the Raptors can push for the playoffs next season, which they can very possibly do if he keeps up his play from this season.

With that being said, it’s time for my 2013 NBA Season Awards predictions, as I hand out some hardware to the best of the best throughout the year.

Apr. 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Houston Rockets guard James Harden against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Rockets 119-112. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the next couple weeks, the NBA will announce who will win their annual awards, but I will end the suspense now as I look at who should win each category.

Let’s not waste any time and hand out our first award.

Most Improved Player- James Harden, Houston Rockets

There were quite a few candidates for this award as guys like Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik certainly have thrown their name in the hat. However Harden has taken the  step from sixth man to franchise player and has done so in a big way by averaging 25.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.8 rebounds this season, with a 23.13 PER, all while shooting 44% from the field.

The most impressive part of his season has been Harden’s ability to get to the charity-stripe, exactly what a superstar should do. On the season, Harden has gotten to the free-throw line 10.1 times per game, making 8.6 of those.

He has the fifth-highest scoring average in the league and led a Rockets team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2009. The best is yet to come from the bearded one. Harden may have already been a star, but the jump he has made this year wins him the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

Runner’s Up: Holiday, Asik

The biggest news was in fact that there WAS NO NEWS.  Of all the big names mentioned, Josh Smith, Jazz big men Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, Monta Ellis, Eric Gordon, Kevin Garnett and Eric Bledsoe, all ended up staying put with their current teams.  The Nets pretty much offered Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks to every team on the planet, save maybe Greek Olympiacos and the Prospect Park Pee-Wee Tigers, and I heard the latter even balked at negotiations unless they would throw in a case of Capri Suns and a bag of orange slices.

The trade that landed J.J. Redick in Milwaukee was the one big name to switch cities, but many other “smaller” trades occurred which may have an impact on the fantasy basketball landscape.  Here is a brief breakdown of what to expect in terms of fantasy value for some of the players that were traded this past Thursday.

Feb 20, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick (7) drives against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

J.J. Redick (Bucks):  This trade definitely helps the Bucks in “real life”, but does a great injustice for his fantasy owners.  In Orlando he came off the bench, the same role Bucks coach Jim Boylan said he’d play in Milwaukee, but the difference here is that he’ll be backing up Monta Ellis (and at some times Brandon Jennings).  With the Magic he was less of a backup and more of a 6^th man, meaning he was the spark off the bench rather than a second unit replacement.  The 31.5 min/g he was seeing this year for the Magic was easily a career high as were his 11.6 field goal attempts.  With Ellis’ 17.3 shots per game and Jennings’ 17 shots per game you’re looking at a lot less possible looks for Redick.  Exchanging blue and black for hunter green and red shouldn’t prevent him from hovering around 2 three-pointers made per game as well as supplying owners with solid free-throw percentages and a very good assist rate (4.4/g) for a shooting guard, but if there’s any chance of selling high you better do it quick.

Thomas Robinson (Rockets) & Patrick Patterson (Kings):  Even though there were six players involved in this trade, Robinson and Patterson are the most high-profile and have the only significant fantasy value so I will focus on them

Sacramento drafted Robinson out of Kansas with the No.5 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, so the mere fact that they traded him without even having a full year to evaluate him either speaks volumes for the turmoil in Sacramento, the knucklehead style of Kings coach Keith Smart or could even point to the fact that they realized they made a mistake with their draft pick and he was not the player they thought he’d be (they have to be a little regretful they passed up on Damian Lillard, who went one spot later to Portland).

From watching him play there is no question he is still very raw, and a No.5 pick seems a bit high, but at this point the kid is still only 21-years old and has room to grow and with Houston he’ll be given that chance.  By trading Patterson and Cole Aldrich to the Kings and shipping Marcus Morris off to Phoenix, the Rockets left Robinson as the only true power forward on their roster.  He’ll have some off nights, but in the run-and-gun offense that they play he’s bound to put up some points as well as rebounds.  Up to this point he has displayed no shot-blocking ability and his free throw shooting has been putrid, but if he’s given a shot at 26-30 minutes a game, he could post 12-14 points and 8-10 rebounds a night on average.  If you can deal with the fact that the Rockets have only one 4-game week remaining on their schedule he should be a decent pickup.  Robinson is owned in 13% of ESPN leagues and 36% of Yahoo! leagues.

Patterson is a guy that you’d think would garner a lot of minutes on a team like the Kings, who are going nowhere, but what Smart does with his lineups on a daily basis is anyone’s guess.  The former Kentucky product has sort of a “Bargnani syndrome”, where at 6’9” he’d rather shoot threes than rebound or play defense.  When given minutes he’s proven that he can score at a pretty consistent rate, but for fantasy owners that’s all you should expect.  He had an insane 6-game clip from Nov. 21 until Dec. 1 where he averaged 19.6 points (1.3 3’s per game) and 5.3 rebounds, but those aren’t numbers you should count on.

More realistically he will put up numbers like the 14 points (0.7 3’s per game) and 5.5 rebounds he achieved on a recent 6-game stretch from Feb. 5 to Feb. 20.  Sacramento is another team that does not have a favorable fantasy schedule the rest of the way (4,4,2,4,3,3,3,2), but if you’re in need of a guy who fills in a forward spot for you there are worse to choose from.  You can’t complain too much about his 51% FG and 75% FT and if you’re lucky Smart will realize that his current starting power forward, Jason Thompson, has reached his ceiling and he’ll give Patterson more minutes, but we’re about as likely to know if that will happen as we are predicting the results of a Maury Povich Show paternity test.  Patterson is currently owned in 14% of ESPN leagues and 22% of Yahoo! leagues.

January 18, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Crawford (15) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Wizards won 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Crawford (Celtics):  This was actually the move I liked the best out of all the trades that went down.  The Celtics pretty much stole a 24-year old talent from the Wizards and have a year and half to play him at a $1.2 million salary before he becomes a free agent.  Crawford has been highly regarded as a great volume shooter, but his knock has been his lack of defensive prowess as well as his immaturity.  In Boston he’ll be thrust into a backcourt that already features guards Avery Bradley, Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, which may not look appealing for his fantasy value, but my belief is that this is a player Doc Rivers can mold and he should be able to tighten the reins on his childishness antics.

If he can do so, Crawford could become a valuable asset and with that will come minutes.  Gambling on this as well as a possible injury to another backcourt-mate could have your fantasy team flying high for the playoffs.  He’s been a sixth man most of the season, but he’s definitely shown signs of succeeding in a lead role.  From Dec. 11 to Dec. 22 he was put into the Wizards starting lineup and took full advantage, averaging 18.3 points, 6.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers in 8 games.  Crawford is owned in 25% of ESPN leagues and 44% of Yahoo! leagues.

Others to keep an eye on:

Beno Udrih (Magic):  With Jameer Nelson seemingly always hurt and E’Twaun Moore not entirely ready to make the jump to a feature role, Udrih could be a nice PG plug-in.  While playing with Sacramento from 2007-10, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.3 minutes per game.  (1% owned ESPN, 4% Yahoo!)

Marcus Morris (Suns):  Now in Phoenix, Marcus has been reunited with his twin brother Markieff, and I think this should boost his confidence and benefit his game a fair amount.  He has displayed some good shooting skills while with Houston, connecting on 1.4 three-pointers per game thus far this season.  New coach Lindsey Hunter seems inclined to let the younger guys play as Luis Scola, Michael Beasley and Marcin Gortat have fallen out of the rotation.  Morris should steal away a lot of those minutes and if you’re in need of 3’s and some scoring go ahead and grab this guy.  (0% owned ESPN, 3% Yahoo!)

Follow me on Twitter:  @SethDaSportsMan

Josh Smith is still an Atlanta Hawk as there were no major deals and very little movement across the board.

NBA fans who love the trade deadline such as myself walked away extremely disappointed from Thursday’s lack of action.  With that being said, I think everyone got a good look at how the new CBA will impact things going forward as teams aren’t willing to take on salary and covet draft picks like never before.

With that being said, not every team had a disappointing deadline.

Here’s a look at the winners and losers at the NBA trade deadline.

Winner: Houston Rockets

Jan 23, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings power forward Thomas Robinson (0) reacts after dunking the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Phoenix Suns defeated the Sacramento Kings 106-96. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Rockets were able to land the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft in Thomas Robinson and save $1.6 million in the long haul. Robinson is very talented and has a bright future despite not seeing much playing time in Sacramento so far. He is a steal for the Rockets and a bright part of their future. In addition, the money saved will allow them to offer to Dwight Howard or another free agent a max contract this summer.

Loser: New York Knicks

I hate to say it, but the Knicks needed to make a move to bring in someone of impact and I don’t mean Kenyon Martin. Of course that is easier said than done, but this is a different team than the one that began the season. The Knicks are only 13-13 over their past 26 games since starting the season 19-6.  J.J. Redick or another asset would have made sense for this team, who has major problems shooting the ball and defending right now. It would have been tough to part with the struggling Iman Shumpert, but the Knicks only have a two-year window to win a championship and now was the time to go for it. If Knicks management feels that this current team can matchup with teams like Miami, Indiana and Chicago in the playoffs, they are kidding themselves.

Loser: Brooklyn Nets

The reasons are similar to that of the Knicks. As they are constructed right now, the Nets are not suited to making a run through the Eastern Conference. They needed to add another big piece and were unable to do so.

Winner: Thomas Robinson

T-Rob had to have a huge smile on his face when he heard the news. He is going from the dysfunctional Kings to the Rockets where he will get more minutes on a better team, but also gets to learn from one of the best big men in NBA history in Kevin McHale. His athleticism will fit in nicely on this young Rockets team.

Loser: Atlanta Hawks

Danny Ferry held out and tried to get a better offer for Smith. That didn’t come and they are stuck with an unhappy J-Smoove for the rest of the season and will likely get nothing for him as they watch him leave as a free agent in the summer.

Loser: Los Angeles Lakers

This is more of a “what-if,” but there is nothing that would make anyone feel comfortable that Dwight Howard will re-sign in Lakerland after this season. It is likely that Howard doesn’t and similar to the Hawks, the Lakers will get nothing for him. I know Mitch Kupchak said often that he wouldn’t move Howard, but now he is sitting on pins and needles hoping that he didn’t make a mistake.

Nov 27, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Raptors 117-101. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, Jeremy Lin will return to Madison Square Garden to play basketball, albeit for a different team: the Houston Rockets.

Lin’s departure from the Knicks has been oft- (overly?) discussed since he signed a three-year/$24-million contract with the Rockets in early July. It was widely assumed that Lin would return for the 2012-13 season in a Knicks uniform – and why not? Lin’s stretch of basketball from early February to late March was truly phenomenal. An undrafted point guard from Harvard, cut from two teams at the beginning of the season, at the end of the Knicks’ bench, just waiting for his moment.

That moment came on February 4, when the baldy struggling Knicks, on the third game of a back-to-back-to-back, turned to Lin for a boost off the bench when they found themselves losing at home to the even-worse New Jersey Nets. That’s when Lin took over. 25 points, 7 assists, and a game-saving performance. The next game, against the Utah Jazz, coach Mike D’Antoni turned to him as the starting point guard – another miraculous performance. 28 points, 8 assists in another win, this time without the help of Amar’e Stoudemire (mourning the death of his brother in Florida) or Carmelo Anthony who pulled his groin in the early minutes.

With the Knicks mostly star-less for the next few weeks, Jeremy Lin took over and became the toast of New York, the leader, the savior the Knicks needed to turn their disappointing season around. Over those next 11 games, the true stretch of Linsanity before the team (and Lin to a degree) evened out, the Knicks went 9-2 with Lin leading the way. Lin averaged 23.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.6 steals per game during this stretch, breaking NBA records for points and assists in first-time starts.

There were some awe-inspiring performances: 38 points in a victorious showdown versus Kobe Bryant and the Lakers; a come-from-behind win in Minnesota, while out-dueling Ricky Rubio; a game-winner in another come-from-behind victory in Toronto (this still gives me goosebumps); a spectacular performance of point guard play against the Dallas Mavericks.

It could be said that Linsanity ended when the Knicks took on the Heat in Miami. The Heat, having been fed a week’s worth of motivation, trapped, harassed, and otherwise bullied Lin into a lowly performance – 8 points 1-11 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 8 turnovers.Though it wasn’t the last of Lin’s great games, he came back down to Earth, so to speak, and the Knicks were unable to recapture that same magic thereafter. A losing streak followed, Mike D’Antoni resigned as head coach, Mike Woodson took over, and though the Knicks began their winning ways again, it was a more-team focused approach and Lin saw a dip in playing time and statistics. And then, of course, his last game as a Knick.

The Knicks’ decision not to match Lin this summer was controversial. How could they let a 23-year old sensation walk away without anything in return? In the Knicks’ defense, Lin’s back-loaded offer from the Rockets would have had huge tax repercussions in the new CBA (though it’s been proven that they could have lessened that hit a number of different ways). They also felt somewhat betrayed when Lin supposedly renegotiated his contract with the Rockets for more money. Likewise, there were doubts among the Knicks players as to how well a young point guard could run and direct the team to get them to the championship level they desired.

In Lin’s defense, he’s come out and said since joining the Rockets that he was never offered a contract from the Knicks; in fact, he was told to go out and seek an offer. Likewise, Lin was told multiple times by Mike Woodson that he would be part of the club going forward. Lin even admitted that he never really wanted to leave New York.

Luckily, post-Lin life for the Knicks has been good. New York is atop the Eastern Conference by two games, sitting with one of the franchise’s best ever starts to a season at 18-5. Even while missing key players like Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert, the Knicks have thrived behind MVP-like play from Carmelo Anthony, continued dominance in the middle from Tyson Chandler, and excellent leadership from Lin’s successors, Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd.

For many Knicks fans, Linsanity ended a long time ago, and they’re glad to have moved on, especially with the way the Knicks have been playing. Furthermore, Lin has struggled in Houston, averaging just 11 points, 6 assists and 39% shooting. Oddly, Lin has struggled in part because of the arrival of James Harden who has dominated the ball – Lin’s preferred method of playing. Much like some of the issues that Lin and Anthony had sharing the ball, Lin needs to find a way to be effective with Harden without dominating the ball on each possession.

Tonight should be a fond reflection for Knicks fans. No, Lin is not on the Knicks, so after the opening tip, there’s no demand to cheer for him. Some resentment towards Lin exists because of the controversy that surrounding his exit; a decision that split the Knicks’ fan base in half.

But when his name is announced, everyone should cheer for Lin, because it’s not about how he left or why he left. It should be to pay homage to a young man who delivered one of the most unlikely, exciting, inspiring periods of basketball. I’ll be applauding from my living room.

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Nov 21, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) drives past Chicago Bulls shooting guard Richard Hamilton (32) during the first quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

What was dubbed “Linsanity” was something truly special and the type of thing that sports fans don’t get the opportunity to witness very often.

But that was then and this is now and it the road back to sanity has been quite the roller coaster for both the Knicks and Lin.

The Knicks wet in a different direction in the offseason at point guard with the likes of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni and in the span of a few weeks, Lin went from a potential franchise point guard in the Big Apple to donning Houston Rockets red.

As the Knicks prepare to get their first look at Lin as an opponent Friday night, it looks like they made the right decision allowing the fan-favorite to leave as a restricted free agent.

It’s funny how things like that work out.

The Knicks currently sit with the best record in the NBA (8-2), while the entire national luster has worn off of the once shining star as Lin has taken the turn from potential superstar back to average point guard.

Coming off a win Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, the Rockets come in to Friday night’s matchup at 5-7 and Lin has had his moments, but overall he’s been nothing more than an average guard. Through 12 games, Lin boasts averages of 10.0 points, 6.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He’s also averaged 1.93 steals, cut back on his turnovers (2.63) and is playing to a PER of only 12.0.

Those aren’t bad numbers by any stretch, but they aren’t the numbers that would have been needed from Lin for $25 million in New York.

That was clearly a dollar figure the Kicks couldn’t have invested in an unproven commodity.

Instead, they got Felton much cheaper and with him has come averages of 15.7 points and 6.9 assists per game. He has taken much better care of the basketball, averaging 2.3 turnovers per game and is posting a PER of 18.5.

Felton is a better decision maker and gets the ball moving well in the Knicks’ offense, something no one was sure if Lin could do or not.

In addition, he’s shooting the ball much better than Lin. Felton is shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from behind the arc, which are very respectable numbers. Li on the other hand is shooting a paltry 33.3 percent from the floor and only 22 percent from 3-point land.

That was another concern with Lin in a Knicks uniform and he’s proven so far to be a below average shooter.

As these two teams prepare to meet Friday night, there will be plenty of attention around Lin facing his former team, but while it will be blown way out of proportion, it really shouldn’t.

This much is clear, the Knicks made the right decision are much better off because of it. With Lin at the helm instead of Felton, this team wouldn’t be sitting at 8-2 right now.

It’s almost sad to see Lin go from “Linsanity” back to sanity, but it’s something all Knicks’ fans had to expect would happen sooner rather than later anyway.

It was a great story while it lasted, but for the Knicks it’s not about great stories, it is about winning and for Felton and the Knicks, there’s no better way to prove that than to get the best of Lin Friday night.

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Mar 7, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Bulls defeated the Bucks 106-104. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

With the way he captivated Knicks fans for  small 25 game stretch and the impact he made not only on the court but for the city, many still believed that the Knicks would change their minds and match the three-year, $25 million offer sheet.

However it wasn’t to be and the Knicks must now move on without the 23-year old phenom.

Whether the decision to let Lin walk was a basketball one or a financial one remains to be seen but James Dolan has accomplished one thing and that’s he has successfully alienated his fan base. A fan base that came together once Lin was given the keys to the car.

On the court, the Knicks will be in good hands with Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd splitting point guard duties for the short-term.

However if this was a basketball decision deeming Lin not worthy of handling the point guard duties that’s one thing, but it definitely wasn’t a basketball decision with an eye on the bigger picture.

If this was purely a financial decision it’s a little easier to take given the luxury tax penalties under the new CBA. It’s easy to look back and criticize Dolan for all the bad contracts the Knicks took on the past few years with no eye on the future, but that was before the new CBA was signed and the penalties are much more severe now.

Time will tell if this ends up being a good basketball decision, but strictly from a marketing standpoint, it’s a horrible move. The possibilities with the Knicks brand and Lin’s name together were endless.

On the court for the 2012-13 season, the Knicks project to be a middle of the road playoff team. That ceiling would have been much higher with Lin in the fold.

It’s a sad day to watch a kid walk out the door. One we barely had the time to get to know.

As it stands now, the lights have been turned off on a sequel to the Linsanity. The book has been closed on what turned out to be the best stretch of Knicks basketball in a really long time, even though it was only a two month stretch.

Lin will have the same impact in Houston that he did in the Big Apple. He is just a young and humble kid that captivates everyone. In this age of sports where big money and egos turn many people off, he is a guy worth rooting for. Those type of players don’t come along very often.

The Rockets will prosper both on and off the floor, while Knicks fans are once again left holding the bag.

Dolan is going to have some explaining to do to explain why the one young man that gave this team hope is wearing a different uniform. There’s no guarantee that the Knicks would be a championship contender with Lin, but they certainly aren’t as good without him.

For the next three years, Knicks fans are going to be asking the “what if,” question a lot and sadly they will never get the opportunity to see how this all would have worked out.

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Feb. 20, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (17) and small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) react during the first half against the New Jersey Nets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

With the New York media and much of the basketball world up in arms, debating whether or not the Knicks will match Jeremy Lin’s offer sheet from the Houston Rockets, it appears Carmelo Anthony may have doomed Lin’s chances of returning.

Many had already cast their doubts on Lin’s chances of returning as the Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers complete a sign-and-trade to bring Raymond Felton back to New York, but there hadn’t been any official word yet from the Knicks. Knowing how much the organization values Anthony and his opinions, his words today may prove to be telling.

Via Rod Boone on Twitter at the US Olympic basketball practice today:

On the Lin-Knicks saga: “It’s not up to me. It’s up to the organization to say that they want to match that ridiculous contract.”

More: “I’d love to see him back, but I think he has to do what’s best for him right now.”

On Lin returning: “I think a lot of people kind of jumped the gun with that, that he’s going to be back no matter what.”

Of course, it’s easy to incriminate Anthony without knowing the context of his comments. Anthony has publicly supported Lin before, and has stated that he cares about winning. Jeremy Lin, in this writer’s opinion, gives the Knicks a greater chance to do just that.

But Anthony, who has never been great with the media or with his words, didn’t exactly demand the Knicks to match Lin’s contract. This is a player, who despite relatively little success in his time in New York, has been included in personnel decisions, and was given superiority over Mike D’Antoni before the former coach resigned this past season.

Several reporters have insisted that Anthony wasn’t criticizing Lin, and was instead calling the Rockets ridiculous for the contract. However, ‘Melo should have taken the high road and remained neutral, as Tyson Chandler’s comments were, or declined to comment.

There’s still no definitive word on whether the Knicks will match the contract. It’s possible they’ll let him go, as reports have said they were upset that Lin allowed the Rockets to renegotiate the contract into the “poison pill” variety, and that the Knicks are hesitant to pay Lin almost $30 million (taxes included) in the third year of the contract. However, it’s also possible that the Knicks are gauging fans’, players’, and teams’ reactions to not matching Lin. They may very well wait until the 11th hour to match the contract in hopes of messing with the Rockets’ free agency plans (my personal belief).

But if you are Jeremy Lin, or a fan hoping Lin will return to the Knicks, it doesn’t help when the superstar player avoids a vote of confidence for a free agent.

There are a couple of important events that took place before I found out about the sign-and-trade. The first, the Mets lost. That’s all I’m going to say about it, because I said so. The second, we made a collective decision to go out to the bars after the shows to blow off some steam from work.

That’s what brought me to a bar in Savannah properly named “World of Beer”. Literally, this place has 500+ different types of beer and enough TVs to make your mind melt. The first one, naturally, was showing Mets highlights. Beer me. Next thing I know, I look up and the ESPN feed flashes “Developing Story: Felton to Knicks in sign-and-trade, Lin out”.

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?

The story shows the details of the sign-and-trade. Knicks send F Jared Jeffries and the Dan Gadzuric contract to Portland for Felton and F/C Kurt Thomas.

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?

Felton’s contract is likely going to be a three-year, $9-$10 million dollar contract. Coupling that with Jason Kidd’s similar contract, the Knicks had seemingly priced themselves out of the Jeremy Lin sweepstakes. The same player the team had said they would match an offer sheet of up to “$1 billion” and head coach Mike Woodson called his starting point guard going into the season as recently as Wednesday.

Whoa! I’m the same guy that wrote no more than 10 days ago about how the Knicks were prepared to match Lin’s offer sheet. The team officially received the paperwork from the Rockets, meaning they will have to make a decision by 11:59PM Tuesday. At this point in time, there are a lot of people saying they won’t match, but there is still skepticism among well-informed media members that the Knicks could still match.

Felton could, in theory, play some shooting guard for the Knicks if the team did elect to bring back Lin. But, the team must be concerned with the salary the Rockets slapped on the young point guard. The team is offering him more than $1 million for every start he made last year.

I will say this, though. Props to the Knicks for softening the blow of potentially losing Jeremy Lin with bringing back one of the all-time favorites. Age be damned, I challenge ANY Knicks fan to tell me their not excited to see ol’ reliable, Kurt Thomas, back in the orange and blue. We are much more prepared today than we ever were to finally compete for that 1999 title!

Joking aside, if Kurt Thomas can’t mentor Amar’e Stoudemire, nobody can. He’s the OG of the mid-range jumper. He defines getting the most out of his talent and abilities. He doesn’t have to play one minute on the court for this team to make a difference. The leadership he brings and the wealth of knowledge he has about this league is what is important here. Thomas and Jason Kidd are not only going to play roles on this team on the floor, they’re also going to be an extension of the coaching staff. I have never in my life been so excited for an 11th or 12th man on the roster.

Hard fact: the Knicks aren’t better today than they were yesterday. No player on the market had the type of ceiling and potential that Jeremy Lin brought to the point guard position. Playing at their highest levels, Raymond Felton will be a downgrade from Lin.

However, if the goal is to find a point guard that will better distribute the ball to the stars and shooters, Felton is probably better equipped than Lin. The team will look to get 8-10 assists a night from Felton, and any scoring he provides will be nice, but not anticipated. Felton may fit the puzzle a little better than Lin did, even if its a drop off in talent.

And, we got Kurt Thomas back. We’re so old that this could be fun…right?

Apr 18, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby (29) waits for play to resume during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Rockets 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Knicks got a dose of good news Monday night when they acquired center Marcus Camby as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Houston Rockets.

The Knicks will send Toney Douglas, Jerome Jordan and Josh Harrleson and a pair of second round picks (2014 and 2015) in exchange for the 38-year old center.

Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Camby’s deal is for three-years and $13.2 million and the final year includes a partial guarantee.

Camby has agreed to a three year, $13.2 million deal with the Knicks, source tells Y! The final year includes a partial guarantee.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 9, 2012

Camby’s presence will be huge as he can backup and lighten the load Tyson Chandler. He will provide a defensive presence who can still rebound, grabbing 9.0 boards per night in 2012. The Knicks didn’t have a capable backup for the Defensive Player of the Year last season and it became quite easy to score on the Knicks when Chandler wasn’t on the floor.

That won’t be the case next season.

If the Knicks can sign Jared Jeffries to a veteran’s minimum contract, the team will have a pair of defensive minded big men to backup Amar’e Stoudemire and Chandler.

The sign-and-trade for Camby allows the Knicks to use the $3 million non-taxpayers mid-level exception for Jason Kidd. The Knicks also were able to keep Dan Gadzuric, which means they could add guard depth by possibly using him in a sign-and-trade for $2 million.

Next up for the Knicks could be re-signing J.R. Smith, according to ESPN’s John Hollinger.

I’m hearing Knicks are now trying to wrap up J.R. Smith deal.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) July 9, 2012

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According to sources at ESPN, Camby is unwilling to play for the veteran minimum of $1.4 million, meaning that both the Knicks and the Heat will have to complete a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets in order to acquire the veteran center. Rockets officials are believed to be much more interested in a package the Knicks could put together via trade (using pieces along the lines of Toney Douglas, Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan) versus what the Heat could offer, giving the Knicks the slight edge of the competition.

The Knicks only have the mini Mid Level Exception to use in the free agent market, and both Kidd and Camby will command salaries that match that figure. They can acquire both, as stated above, if one player signs for the MLE, while the other is acquired via sign-and-trade.

As Kidd did earlier this week, Camby would fill a huge hole on the Knicks bench. With the injuries that have haunted Tyson Chandler throughout the majority of his career, it is important not only for the Knicks to sign a reliable back-up center, but someone that could slide into the starting line-up without losing much in terms of production. In 59 games last season, Camby averaged 4.9 points and 9.0 rebounds, splitting time between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets.

This would be a second tour of duty in New York for Camby, so you know he can handle the market and atmosphere. He was a huge part of the surprise strike-shortened Eastern Conference Championship team after he was brought in from the Toronto Raptors.

Camby would do everything the Knicks desperately need from their back-up big. They don’t need someone who has to command the ball on offense. Instead, they need someone who can guard any other team’s big with success and ahs the ability to be a force on the offensive and defensive boards. Camby has a lot of miles on his legs, but the Knicks will likely only look to him to play somewhere in the range of 20 minutes a night, depending on Chandler’s health and foul trouble.

With the additions of Jason Kidd and, potentially, Marcus Camby, the Knicks bench becomes much deeper than in years past. Add in the likely re-signings of J.R. Smith and Steve Novak, plus the eventual return of Iman Shumpert, and the Knicks will be able to run 9-10 deep with ease.

Camby and Kidd aren’t the young names that will excite fans and put more people into the Garden. But, they’re exactly what the Knicks need.

And that, above everything else, is most important for the Knicks this off-season.

Apr 22, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Randy Foye (4) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich (6) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

The sign-and-trade – which would likely involve a combination Dan Gadzuric, and perhaps Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan, or Toney Douglas – would be huge for the Knicks. Not only would it not cost them much in terms of valuable, pivotal players, but the ability to keep the mini-MLE would be a huge advantage in trying to attract another free agent. But who?

It’s been said the Knicks will undoubtedly match the Houston Rockets’ offer to Jeremy Lin, and they plan to re-sign Steve Novak and J.R. Smith (though it’s been quiet on those fronts), but there are several positional holes left on the roster.

On one hand, if the sign-and-trade for Kidd goes through, the Knicks may be bare upfront. Harrellson and Jordan are supposed to be on the Knicks’ Summer League roster, and could play minutes off the bench if they appear ready. However, without them, the Knicks’ really would only have Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire as rotation bigs. Jared Jeffries could be re-signed (and has expressed interest), but there hasn’t been any evidence that the Knicks are working towards that.

Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports claims the Knicks and Miami Heat are currently front-runners to land Marcus Camby. The Heat could offer Camby a role as starting center, but they currently have their eyes mainly set on Ray Allen. While Camby wouldn’t start for the Knicks, he and Tyson Chandler would tighten the Knicks’ center rotation and form a formidable defensive duo that would keep the Knicks from falling into any defensive lapses while one of them sits.

Shooting guard is also a weakness of the Knicks’. Iman Shumpert would surely be the starting two-guard, but may not return until December or January while he recovers from a torn ACL. As mentioned, J.R. Smith is still a free agent. Landry Fields is likely Toronto-bound, and while the Knicks recently acquired James White, a wing player from the Euroleague, they may look for a guard in free agency who’s more ready to contribute.

The Knicks have been linked to Randy Foye as a possible addition. Foye can play both guard positions, and would be a good fit next to either Lin or Kidd, off the bench or starting. For his career Foye boasts a career average of 36% from beyond the arc, and the Knicks are well aware of his scoring prowess after he knocked down four three-pointers en route to a 28-point performance when the Los Angeles Clippers visited MSG in April. Likewise, though Foye has never averaged over three assists per game in a season, he’s capable of running an offense when thrust into the position. In the 2010-11 season, he averaged four assists per game as the Clippers’ starting point guard, and his per-36 numbers for his career all hover around five assists per game.

However, this is all assuming the Knicks keep their mini-MLE by trading for Kidd. If they are forced to sign him, the Knicks could try a similar sign-and-trade for Camby with Houston (a team looking to cut costs) or the Clippers for Foye. If they look to add pieces through the veteran’s minimum, perhaps former-Knick Ronny Turiaf could be an option upfront. A number of cheap options could be had at the shooting guard position.

The details of Jason Kidd’s deal and Ray Allen’s decision will both be pivotal factors in the Knicks’ free agency crusade.

The Knicks are reportedly ready to match the Rockets’ offer of four-years, $28.5 million that is heavily back-loaded for the final two seasons.

Well, that takes care of that. The move effectively puts a bow on much of what the Knicks were planning to do this off-season. They still have some wiggle room in terms of bringing back important pieces like J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. But, it makes lateral moves on the free agent market for players like O.J. Mayo and Marcus Camby very difficult, unless they’re willing to play at extreme discounts.

As we’ve said many times before, this is a move the Knicks had to make, in terms of matching any offer sheets for Lin. There weren’t any options that compared to Lin’s potential, even if you view him as raw and unproven. No other point guard available has the ability or ceiling to bring the Knicks to new heights competitively.

With this deal, however, if the Knicks ever want to try and acquire a player like a Chris Paul in next year’s off-season, it’ll have to be done creatively through a sign-and-trade that likely includes Jeremy Lin. If the Knicks feel that after next season, they need to improve from Lin-sanity, well, they’ll have to find a team that still believes in him.

They’re going to be locked in, just like they are for the Big Three of Amar’e, Melo and Chandler. These are the weapons the Knicks are going to go to war with. This is our Big Four.

Time for them to put up, or shut up.

After the Rockets shipped last year’s starting point guard Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for a draft pick, even more momentum seemed to be building towards the inevitable. Now, the predictable has happened.

ESPN is reporting that the Rockets and Lin have verbally agreed to a four-year, $30 million offer sheet that will be backloaded for the final two seasons.

It’s hard to say any of this is a surprise. I don’t have much more to add that I didn’t say yesterday, except for this:

As much money as that is, is there anybody on the market that could possibly provide the Knicks with the same kind of production that Lin can? Even at the elevated price the Knicks will be forced to pay if they choose to match, there isn’t a soul the Knicks could bring in, right now, that will provide the same type of potential. Even with Jason Kidd in the fold now, point guard is one of the clear weaknesses the Knicks, currently constructed, have. Lin would go a long way to fixing those flaws.

Is $30 million a lot of money to give to a player that has all but 25 starts next to his name? Absolutely. No question.

However, is $30 million of Jeremy Lin better than any million of a Raymond Felton or John Lucas III? If you even have to think about that scenario, you’re crazier than I thought.

The Knicks have to match. They really don’t have a choice in the matter.

According to a report by The New York Post, the Houston Rockets are prepared to offer free agent point guard Jeremy Lin a four-year, $30 million contract. The reported deal would pay Lin an annual salary of $5 million for the first two seasons, then escalate to $10 million for the final two years of the contract.

It is believed that the maximum offer the Knicks can counter with to Jeremy Lin is a four-year, $24.5 million contract.

In 35 games last year with the Knicks, Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists, going from end of the bench afterthought to rising star point guard inserted into the starting line-up. Lin was actually under team control of the Rockets last season before the team was forced to cut him due to having too many active players on their roster after their botched attempt of acquiring Pau Gasol from the Lakers in the Chris Paul three-team deal.

First things first, wow. This is a kick to the gut. A lot of people in the media and around the team have figured they will be able to re-sign Lin and that it won’t be that big of a deal or difficult. Then, something like this happens and it reminds us all how unpredictable the NBA free agency process can all be.

Even though I truly believe the Knicks need to re-sign Lin and allow him to continue his development with this nucleus, $40 million is a lot of money to give a player that has only started 25 games in his career. That’s a lot of eggs to put into the “Lin is a lock to be this productive” basket.

This situation is very different from the Landry Fields contract offer from Toronto. There is no conceivable scenario where the Knicks view Fields as a $20 million player over the next three years. That’s not to say Fields won’t be a very good player during that time period. He very well could, and should, be. He’s a rebounding two-guard with the ability to score 10-15 points a night, both very valuable skills, especially if his role isn’t as a starter. However, nobody sees that as being enough to justify the kind of money the Raptors threw at him. And, the only reason Fields got that kind of money was a plan by the Toronto front office to limit the Knicks ability to acquire Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade.

With Lin, its a completely different animal. I wouldn’t go so far to say the Knicks need to re-sign Jeremy Lin, especially if they acquire Nash. But, if they don’t acquire Nash, then the Knicks are in possibly a worse situation than last year. It will force this team to throw more money at Raymond Felton that they’re probably uncomfortable with, but he’ll be the last reasonable free agent point guard that can start left on the market. Andre Miller re-upped in Denver. If they lose Lin to the Rockets and Nash to another team, they’re in serious trouble. Enough trouble that they could finish next year worse than the 7th seed they got this season.

I’m not positive the Knicks have the flexibility to lock up Lin for the same figures the Rockets are offering, but they might have to swallow this vicious poison pill, just to make sure they have someone starting for them at the point guard position.

According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein Your New York Knicks have claimed former Golden State Warrior and Houston Rocket point guard Jeremy Linn off wavers today.

Jeremy Lin spent his rookie season with Golden State where he played 29 games averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 assists per game. (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.

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Melo ain't looking too committed to Denver, but how can we get him here without carving up our own team? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

New Buckets writer, Joshua Sage, has the following thoughts on the continuing Carmelo Anthony saga:

Ever since Chris Paul made a toast at Carmelo Anthony’s wedding, proclaiming his (alleged) desire to form his own big three with Amar’e Stoudemire and Melo, the New York media has been swarming around Carmelo Anthony like vultures over an injured animal.

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Learn the Facts and Fiction behind the Knicks' failure, including the true key factor that took Kevin Love's game to the next level (nope, it wasn't his scoring or his rebounding). (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The Knicks’ slow start to the season seemed ripe for a turnaround over the weekend since they’d be playing against two teams (the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets) that had only won two games each and had both looked pretty dang crappy so far.  The Twolves had lost their two starting point guards (Luke Ridnour and Jonny Flynn) to injury, plus for some reason coach Kurt Rambis had been refusing to play his best player (Kevin Love) for more than 24 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Rockets were struggling to form an identity with franchise player Yao Ming not playing in back-to-back games and only appearing in limited minutes.  Were they a group that played through the post in a slow-it-down half court approach, or a jump shooting squad?  With them also losing their starting point guard (Aaron Brooks) and their backup point (Kyle Lowry) having only played one game since returning from back injury, we couldn’t have wished for better set-ups.  On Friday night, the Knicks were up 21 points on the Twolves and it looked like everything would work out.  Less than 48 hours later it had become clear we are in serious crisis mode.

This being New York, of course, utter despair has kicked in, boos have been bombarded, and every little thing has been declared as “the problem.”  No doubt we have many issues, but let’s separate the Fact from the Fiction:

1.  Poor Defense – Fiction

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

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

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

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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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After playing alongside James Posey and Peja Stojakovic, Chris Paul will be happy to have a forward in Trevor Ariza who can actually still dunk. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In a four-team, five-player trade, the New Orleans Hornets will be acquiring Trevor Ariza from the Houston Rockets in an attempt to prove to their star Chris Paul that they’re committed to winning.  In return, they’re giving away last year’s promising rookie point guard, Darren Collison, who will land with the Desperately-Seeking-Point-Guard Indiana Pacers.  The Pacers also will have to take on the contract of James Posey.  Indiana in turn will send Troy Murphy and his expiring $12 million contract to the New Jersey Nets.  Finally, the Nets pass along second year shooting guard Courtney Lee to the Rockets.  How did each team fare?  Well…

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Another potential center off the Market

Another potential center option has gone off the market. Is Shaq our last option at filling a gaping hole at center?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After Jordan Hill’s solid play Sunday against the Knicks, Tom Ziller of NBA Fanhouse examined the issue of whether Coach Mike D’Antoni plays rookies:

Hill [...] hardly played for Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, despite the fact that N.Y. remains one of the worst teams in the league and that the franchise needed all the boosted assets it could manage.  [Hill returned as] a legit rotation player with Houston, mind you.

Hill had tantalized at various times while playing for the Knicks, but he was never given much room to learn and grow and well… time to play.  Many fans rightly felt Coach Mike D’Antoni should’ve given Hill more burn, particularly since it’s been clear for a long, long while that we ain’t making it to the playoffs.  In his return the other day, Hill himself stated that D’Antoni doesn’t like to play rookies.  As we mentioned yesterday, unfortunately D’Antoni responded with his comment that he just doesn’t like to play “bad rookies.”  Other players & fans have also leveled the accusation that Coach D doesn’t play rooks (& truth be told, many coaches prefer to rely on the consistency of vets), but Ziller has D’s back:

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Poor Outlet Passing

On two separate occasions, the Knicks turned the ball over in the backcourt.  The first comes after a Rockets three pointer:

Now, both J.R. Giddens and Chris Duhon are at fault here:

(source: NBAPlaybook.com)

This is because Trevor Ariza is hanging around and it should have been noticed by either guy (or at least 1).  This is something that a lot of teams do to get the ball out of the PGs hands, but it rarely turns into a steal.  However, Giddens grabs the ball out of the net and just tosses to where Duhon is without looking.  For his part, Duhon floats away from the basketball as it comes to him instead of meeting the ball and ensuring the catch.  The Rockets went from being down 14 to being down 9 after this.  This was a huge 5 point swing in this game as the Knicks went from pulling away to trying to hang on to the lead.

This happened yet again later in the game, this time coming off of a missed basket:

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Gallo didn't shy away from contact ...which seemed to include head pats mussing up his hair plus kidney bunny punches (source: Yardbarker.com)

Friday night, David Lee missed his first game of the season due to a sore right knee.  What made it hurt as much for fans as it did for him is the fact that he inexplicably played 40+ minutes in the previous game even though we were getting blown away by the Celtics.  However, in the continuing saga of a bizarre season where nothing makes sense: we won.  What made the win against the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers even more unlikely? Our second (or third?) best player, Wilson Chandler, missed the game again due to injury (at this point it’s possible Wil might not return this season).  Throw in that our fourth best player, Tracy McGrady went 0-for-7 in 29 minutes.  Gently stir and mix in that our replacement starting center, Jonathan Bender, left the game when he broke a finger on his left hand in the first half (which’ll cause him to miss the rest of the season).

Yup, East is West, Black is White, Up is Down.  I’m pretty darn good at math, but I can’t figure out the calculus of how we won this thing. You figure, well, Al Harrington must’ve had one of those nights when he exploded.  Nope, the dude played 40 minutes, yet only tossed in 11 points on a pathetic 25% field-goal shooting.  We came into the fourth quarter trailing.  We’d been down as much as 12 points.  The Sixers, who killed us on the boards in the last game (as most teams do), even had their point guard snag 8 rebounds — yet somehow they lost the battle of the boards by a sizable 13 of ‘em!  It’s like this game took place in Bizarro World or something.  In a bit of nostalgia, Coach Mike D’Antoni played Chris Duhon an astounding 31 minutes.  In a ton of normalcy, Duhon responded with three points on 20% shooting and not a single assist.  Nice to see some things don’t change.  EVER. (more…)

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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New Yorkers, rightfully, are worried that this is an all-or-nothing proposition.  Basically, unless we get LeBron James or Dwayne Wade, we’ll just be a slightly above average team.  Kinda like how we looked with Crawford & Randolph.  While there are other studs available this summer like A’mare Stoudamire, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, none of ‘em are mega-stars who ensure you’ll have a legit shot at winning a championship.  Those second-tier guys just assure that you’ll make the playoffs.  Even if you do get two of ‘em.

So if we don’t get Plan A, does that mean Plan B is doomed to fail?  Not necessarily.  Most Knicks fans are worried about Plan B, but that’s ‘cuz they assume it means not just that we sign two lesser talents, but that we sign them to more than they’re worth.  The fear is that we do something like the Pistons did this summer, when they had a bunch of cash and felt compelled to spend it, thus overpaying for Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, both of whom are currently coming off the bench for Detroit.  Likewise, several years ago a few teams cleared cap space to sign Tim Duncan and Grant Hill.  After Duncan stayed with the Spurs and Hill went with Tracy McGrady to Orlando, Chicago paid a bunch of money to some scrubs just to say they got someone.

Now if Isiah was still in charge, sure, we all know he would definitely follow that path, but doesn’t Donnie Walsh deserve the benefit of the doubt?  Besides the remarkable salary dumping job he did for us, he had quite a run with the Indiana Pacers.  Not only did he assemble enough talent for them to constantly be in the top of the east during the late 1990s, but he even got that team to Finals against the Lakers in… what was it, 2000?  And after that within a year or two he had completely rejuvenated that team, getting rid of Rick Smits, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, Antonio Davis, Jalen Rose, and turning them into a young Eastern Conference contender around Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, and the still effective Grandpa Reggie Miller.  This was a team that seemed poised to make it to the finals for the next few years until the unfortunate Malice At The Palace, players-and-fans-scuffle.  Has a team ever been turned around that quickly with a completely new cast?  The Lakers new team is still built around Kobe, one of their two supernova stars from their earlier three-peat.  The old-time Celtics won like 11 championships with various supporting stars, but they all centered around Bill Russell.

Fine, you say, we’ll give Walsh a chance.  But if he doesn’t get LeBron or Wade, what can he reasonably do to get the rest of the cream of the crop?  The key is getting some supporting parts at reasonable prices.  Houston has been excellent at that, getting solid unflashy guys like Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola, and Carl Landry on the (relative) cheap.  Get Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson to agree to slightly less than the max, and then try to snag Ray Felton, Brendan Haywood, Josh Childress, Shannon Brown, Rudy Gay, Manu Ginobili, Kyle Korver, or Mike Miller on the cheap.  Maybe David Lee or TMac will agree to a lesser deal.  It would be pretty solid to have a line-up of Bosh, Lee, Gallo, Chandler, and Felton with Childress, Brown, Miller & TMac coming off the bench.

Yes, that’d still probably only get us to 4th or 5th in the East, but here’s the thing: it also would keep us out of the tax.  Since you personally don’t have to pay the tax as a fan, you probably don’t care, but it matters a bunch.  Why?  It means that the following summer, 2011, when Eddy Curry’s $11.3 million salary comes off the books, we can use that full amount to sign someone else.  If we give out excessive contracts this summer, we’ll go over the cap and won’t be able to add anyone new after we get rid of Curry.

With that $11+ mill, we could have a real shot at such 2011 free agents as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Greg Oden, Jason Richardson, Samuel Dalembert, Jeff Green, David West, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, J.R.Smith, Nene, Caron Butler, Joakim Noah, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Jamal Crawford, Al Horford, and some guy named Carmelo Anthony.  Adding just one of those guys to the above roster would probably elevate the team to one of the East’s elite.  Adding Melo would bring a very real possibility of winning multiple championships.

By having a few reasonable, desirable smaller contracts, we could also trade Curry’s expiring contract in the middle of next season, so we wouldn’t even have to wait for 2011.  Like by next year the Celtics will finally have to accept that Kevin Garnett is so half-dead he’s practically a zombie.  They realize they need to blow up the team, so they decide to get rid of Paul Pierce for an expiring contract.  He makes more than Curry, but we throw in Mike Miller to make things work.  Using those contracts would also help if say someone like Melo wants more than that $11 mill.  We basically give a Mike Miller to a team for free (like only getting a second round pick in return), and then we have like another $3 mill available to pay Anthony.

The point is that it’s not LeBron/Wade or mediocrity.  It’s about not returning to the ways of Scott Layden & Isiah Thomas (& honestly lots of other GMs), and overpaying mid-level players.

The second one, which we also talked about before it was finalized, was a trade with the Houston Rockets involving Tracy McGrady & his big ol’ expiring contract.  Turns out the deal didn’t contract, it expanded, becoming a threesome with the Sacramento Kings.  The Knicks basically gave up everything that was initially reported, and their attempts to protect their draft picks were laughable.  The Rockets get the choice to swap 2011 picks with the Knicks, but we stood our ground and got the pick protected.  If it’s the top pick in the draft.  Really?  That’s the best we could do?  What was the conversation like between Donnie Walsh and Houston GM Daryl Morey?

Walsh, “No, no, you’re asking for too much, we’ll only do it if the pick is lottery protected!”

Morey, “Nah.”

Walsh, “Fine, top-ten protected.”

Morey, “No.”

“Top five!”

“Nope”

“Top three!  And that’s as low as I’ll go!”

“Can’t do it.  Oh, got Sacramento on the other line, so I best be going-”

“Okay, okay, no protection!  Wait, no, that’ll make me look like a total chump who didn’t even attempt to fight this.”

“Know what?  You seem like a nice guy, tell ya what I’ll do.  We both know the chances of it being the number one pick are like a hundred-to-one, whadaya say we make it Top One protected.  It won’t affect me, and you… you can make up stories about how you stood your ground, refused to be bullied about.”

“Hmm, I can live with that.”

“But ya also gotta call me the ‘Grand High Poobah’ whenever we speak.”

“As you wish, Poobah.”

“That’s ‘Grand High’ to you.”

Ummm, but I digress.  Incredibly far.  Back to the actual facts of the trade.  So the Rockets, who made out like bandits, not only get to swap that 2011 pick, they also get the Knicks 2012 pick (oooh, but it’s top-5 protected), Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, and the biggest thing… Sacramento’s sweet shooting Kevin Martin.   Martin, who’s still recovering from injury, has been able to easily score 25 points/game in the past, getting to the line 7-10 times a game for free buckets, and hitting threes with impunity despite having one of the oddest looking shooting motions.  He should thrive in the Rockets’ current free-flowing system, and should Yao Ming return healthy next year, Martin’s outside shooting should complement him much better than T-Mac’s game ever did.  Oh, and the Rockets also have to take Sacramento’s Hilton Armstrong (now on his third team this season).

The Kings, who had decided that Martin wasn’t working well along their rookie wunderkind, Tyreke Evans, get Martin’s contract off their books, plus the Rockets’ contender for sixth-man-of-the-year, Carl Landry.  Despite coming off the bench, Landry has been top 5 this season in points scored in the fourth quarter.  With the Kings struggling to close out some games, he could be a big boon.  And the wily Rockets had signed Landry to a great, reasonable deal too.  The Kings also get Larry Hughes from us, plus Joey Dorsey from the Rockets.

As for us, we get TMac, plus Sacramento’s third-string point guard, Sergio Rodriguez.  As mentioned, the key impetus for this whole deal was to get Jared Jeffries’ contract off the books for next year.  Since TMac’s contract expires this year, we get what we want: enough cap space to sign nearly two max free agents (it depends on what the final cap limit will be, which won’t be determined until this summer), which’ll be more cap space than any other team in the league is expected to have.  However, in the meantime, like I said previously, we get a free audition of McGrady to see if he has anything left.  And if he does, maybe he’ll choose to stay in NYC for a discount.  The other short-term bonus is that even though he’s not a PG, he’s a good distributor so maybe he can take minutes away from the god-awful Chris Duhon.  Along those lines, the throw-in Sergio Rodriguez is actually a pretty darn exciting PG himself, nicknamed “Spanish Chocolate” (kinda odd that he ended up in Sacramento where Jason Williams, aka “White Chocolate” made his name.  What’s up with Sac-town’s desire for Chocolate?  I mean it ain’t like they play in Hershey, Pennsylvania or something…).  “Spanish,” much like “White,” is known to be a mediocre defender, but hell, on this Knicks’ team he should fit right in.  Unlike Duhon, he is aggressive, and unlike Nate Robinson, he is a pass-first type of point guard.

Whew, this is getting long, and I haven’t gotten to the third trade yet.  It’s with the Celts, and sadly it includes fan favorite Nate Robinson (plus another Knick, who for some reason is still unknown — I’m thinking Jonathan Bender or Marcus Landry) in return for Eddie House and seldom used players J.R. Giddeons and Bill Walker.  Kind of an odd trade.  The Knicks do it solely to get rid of Nate, not for better talent, versatility, money or anything.  His inconsistency and free-lancing just bugs the hell out of Mike D’Antoni, so they got rid of him even though along with David Lee he’s the longest tenured Knick and as I said, the fans love him.  On the opposite end, Eddie House is not only a big fan favorite for the Celts, but also someone who Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers says is a core player who he doesn’t want to lose.  However, the Celts have been playing poorly lately (for a team who wants a championship or bust) so management used this to send a “message” that players better step it up.  I mean Nate’s a slightly better defender than House, and has more offensive versatility (meaning he’s not just a spot-up three-point shooter), but he won’t be the difference between a championship or not for Boston.  Their real problem is with their power forwards: Kevin Garnett (gimpy), Rasheed Wallace (fatty), and Glen “Don’t Call Me Big Baby” Davis (no D).

Oh yeah, and we lost again last night to the Bulls (played well for three plus quarters, then fell apart).  If only the summer of 2010 could get here sooner so we could get a real team…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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