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?

Yes, he’s only backup center, only averaged 4 points last season, and just seems irrelevant to most Knicks fans, but Jeffries brings so many intangibles. Intangibles that don’t show up on the box scores but can win games.

Despite the lack of playing time and offense, Jeffries provides veteran leadership to the Knicks locker room. As 9-year veteran he is able to mentor younger Knicks’ players  on how to conduct themselves as well as motivate this team against adversity.

When Jefferies does play, he makes his impact known on the defensive end. Jefferies not only can clean the glass but can set solid screens and take charges as good as anyone in the league.

Apr 15, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Jared Jeffries (9) defends Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh (1) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Miami won 93-85. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

It’s Jefferies effort and hustle that makes his impact on this team standout. Being willing to take charges and being a motivated rebounder on defense is the type of effort this team needs to drive them up the Eastern Conference standings next season.

Without Jefferies the Knicks lose size down low–a necessity in today’s game. They need Jefferies size and length to either block and alter shots.As a result, the New York brass should definitely consider bringing Jeffries back at a veteran’s minimum because they will be getting a bargain with the intangibles Jeffries brings.

With much of the Knicks roster heading towards free agency this summer, questions linger as to where the team is headed in the future. The core of Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler is locked up for the next few years, but thus far that trio has proven to be incomplete, needing assistance to efficiently function on the offensive end. For many people, that answer lies at the point guard position.

In an interview with ESPN New York radio, Jared Jeffries echoed these sentiments:

“We gotta have a point guard. I think that a point guard that demands the respect of [Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire] will do a lot better. I think you had some of that with Chauncey [Billups]… he was able to get them in the right spots, and able to kind of distribute shots for both of them. So, I think the big key is for Jeremy [Lin] to take the next step as a point guard, he has to command the ball, have control of the offense, and get guys in the right spots.”

While Jeffries expressed full confidence in Lin, he also wouldn’t go as far as to say the Knicks shouldn’t sign Lin at the expense of getting a player like Steve Nash, who will be a free agent this summer. Jeffries cited that he couldn’t see someone like Nash taking the veteran’s minimum to play in New York, but the Knicks also have the mid-level exception (MLE) which has been assumed will go to Lin.

While Mike Woodson (who might have his interim title taken off soon) seemed to express little doubt that Lin would be back next season, Lin didn’t sound so sure. Lin admitted that he’d like to be back with the Knicks, but also said that “it’s a business” and “crazy things happen”.

To some, Jeremy’s brief, but exciting stint as starting point guard (25 games) is inconclusive. Though his stats are impressive – 18.2 points, 7.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2 steals per game – there is a worry that locking up Lin long term with such a small sample size (surely somewhat fueled by adrenaline) could be a mistake. Especially when spending money will be so tight for the Knicks. Take into account that free agents like J.R. Smith, Steve Novak, and Jared Jeffries all can earn bigger contracts from other teams, there is a worry that utilizing the largest chunk of spending money on Lin would be investing in a somewhat unknown product.

There are multiple options regarding Lin, though, some of which Alan Hahn outlined in his latest Fix. The most conceivable would be to convince Lin to take part of the MLE (which is about $5 million in total) and use the remainder to sign one of the above-mentioned free agents. Marc Berman of the New York Post recently mentioned names such as Raymond Felton, Kirk Hinrich, Ramon Sessions, Jonny Flynn, among others, as point guards the Knicks would try to steal this offseason. In a perfect world, the Knicks could convince Lin to take his qualifying offer (just over $1 million) and use the full MLE to lure Nash into New York.

The Knicks hold the right to match any offers that Lin receives from other teams, due to the Gilbert Arenas provision. However, the most devastating prospect would be that the Knicks would be forced to match a big offer from a spiteful team (I’m looking at you, New Jersey Brooklyn Nets!) and end up overpaying Lin or losing him.

So, much of the offseason represents a gamble. Can the Knicks trust what they saw from Lin in February and March and invest in him for the future? Or do they go into “win-now” mode and shoot for the shiny, attractive toy, Steve Nash? Either way, Jeremy Lin and the point guard position will dictate the future of the Knicks.

Time to hand out some grades for the '11-12 Knicks

We’ve had some time to settle down from the Miami series and look back on the season that was. For better or for worse, 2011-12 was an entertaining season for the New York Knicks. The number of identities this team took on feel like something out of Nyjer Morgan’s imagination.

What we’re going to try and do is grade what each player brought to the team this season in regards to the expectations surrounding that player entering the year. For example, since the expectations for a Mike Bibby are completely different for a Carmelo Anthony, if Bibby gets a higher grade than ‘Melo, I’m not saying Bibby was/is a better player. All I would be saying is that Mike Bibby was expected to be a spare part, while Carmelo was the face of the team that under-performed at some points.

OK. Let’s get into this.

Head of the Class - 

Tyson Chandler – A+

- There is no question that from the start of the season to the end, Chandler was the most consistent and balanced Knick on the court. He brought defense to a team that has been dearth of effort on that end of the court since Mike D’Antoni took over, as evident by his Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Plus, the combination of Chandler and Mike Woodson did the impossible: they made Carmelo Anthony hustle. Not to mention, Chandler had an insane field goal possession.

“A” Students - 

Iman Shumpert  - A

Very few Knicks fans actually liked the selection of Shumpert in last year’s first round, and I include myself in that field. However, he certainly out-performed any expectations that were placed on him, and he’s shown that he has the potential to become an elite talent in this league. He broke the starting line-up in his rookie season, and will be, at the worst, a Tony Allen-type player in his career. That’s not a bad floor to have.

Jeremy Lin – A-

The only reason Lin is graded a step lower than Shumpert is simply because he played less games. We know what we all saw from Lin-sanity, but we’re still a little cautious as to just how real that all was. With that being said, unless the Knicks decide to go in a different direction, Jeremy Lin should be their starting point guard next season, and he’ll be a good one, too.

“B” Street -

Steve Novak – B+

What else is there to say about Steve Novak at this point? He led the NBA in 3-pt % and was an absolute force from beyond the arc. The Knicks picked him off the waiver wire scrap heep, so the fact that he made such an impact on the team is why he gets this high of a grade.

Jared Jeffries – B-

I mean, what were we really expecting from Jeffries this year? Energy off the bench, taking a ton of charges and playing strong defense. Check, check and check. At this point, we know what Jared Jeffries is capable of doing and what’s unrealistic to expect. He’s a nice piece to have on the bench, and he proved that yet again this season.

Average “C”s

Carmelo Anthony – C+

OK, time to explain why ‘Melo falls this low. We really went through three different levels of Anthony this season. Out of the gates, he was a flat-out F, playing terrible basketball, looking stagnant on offense and not seeming to give a crap either way. Then, after D’Antoni’s ouster, he played like an MVP, tearing up offensively and playing defense with more vigor. Once we got to the playoffs, it looked like he was trying too hard and his game suffered because of it. Carmelo Anthony was a big reason why the Knicks got to the #7 seed, positively and negatively. He’s also a big reason why they only won one playoff game. This year, he gets a grade a little above average because of the expectations, which only grow after this season.

Baron Davis – C

Remember the time we all thought once Baron Davis got healthy from his initial back problem, he was going to save our season? Oops. Baron Davis didn’t have an impactful year, but he also held his own when he was in the line-up. Unfortunately for Boom Dizzle, it looks like his career is over after that brutal knee injury in Game 4.

J.R. Smith – C

Smith is an interesting case. He absolutely became the Knicks Irrational Confidence Guy off the bench, and there were games he absolutely dominated in that role. However, there were just as many games where Smith was jacking up way too many 3s without getting teammates involved. He was like Al Harrington on steroids when it came to getting the ball on the wing and putting up a shot. I’d like to see Smith return next year because he can be a real valuable sixth man, but it has to be at the right price.

Josh Harrellson – C

This isn’t a knock on Jorts. Instead, he look real good when he did play. But, he didn’t play nearly enough to surpass all expectations this year. He has a solid future moving forward in New York.

“D” List Celebrities 

Landry Fields – D+

Fields was not a complete disappointment, but he definitely regressed in his second season. He showed flashes of Rookie Fields, but Sophomore Fields just didn’t seem to play the game the same way. He didn’t rebound as well, nor score with as much consistency. Maybe it was just a sophomore slump, maybe it was something more. We won’t know until next season which is the real Landry.

Amar’e Stoudemire – D

The amount of times I merely shook my head at a Stoudemire stat line was too many. He was not remotely close to the same player the Knicks gave a max contract to in the off-season of 2010. This all could have been a result of trying to play so many games in a short period of time, or this could be a sign that ‘Melo and STAT will never work. Trust me, this is one of the biggest questions circling around the Knicks front office this off-season.

Mike Bibby – D

He played a couple of games. He didn’t play them really well. That’s Mike Bibby.

Fail

Toney Douglas – F

And a capital F. Toney went from potential starting point guard and strong sixth man to 13th man on the bench. How? We may never know. When he did play this season, he didn’t play well at all. So, its not like the demotion was unjust. I guess we all should be thanking Douglas a little, though. Without him playing so poorly, Mike D’Antoni would’ve never thought to insert Jeremy Lin into the line-up. So, there’s that.

In-com-plete

Jerome Jordan

Was I supposed to be able to judge what this guy can do in the long-term based off his very limited exposure this season?

Dan Gadzuric

Wait…he was on the team????

Feb 11, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) calls a play during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIREJan 7, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks point guard Baron Davis (85) warms up before the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

Jeremy Lin has been amazing. He has worked the pick and roll to perfection and it will only get better when Amar’e and Melo return. But, what will happen when Baron Davis is healthy and able to play? At one time, he was supposed to be the Knicks’s savior. Everyone was so excited (including me) when the Knicks picked him up. We couldn’t wait to see him team up with Melo, Amar’e and Tyson. He’s had a few set backs, but is likely to return following the all-star break. I must say, this is a good problem to have; we will have our point guard situation set. But who will start? The answer is simple: Jeremy Lin should and will continue to start. I’m sure Knicks fans would agree, but that doesn’t mean Baron won’t get playing time. In addtion to Baron backing up Lin, D’Antoni can pair them up for a few minutes on the back court. The defense will suffer a bit, but imagine them taking turns running the pick and roll…

The playing time for some of the other Knicks players will suffer when Amar’e, Melo and Baron return. Most likely, it will be Bill Walker, Toney Douglas and Steve Novak’s time. The players who will most likely get a majority of the minutes off the bench will be Baron Davis, Iman Shumpert and Jared Jeffries.

Josh Harrellson, Steve Novak, Bill Walker and Toney Douglas will split time between them; it will mostly depend on the matchup. But having all these players is a good problem because as the season continues, the games will take a toll on them.

Jeremy Lin will continue to be the Knicks starter and hopefully, for the future. As for Baron Davis, he’ll get his time. I’m sure D’Antoni is not worried. As I previously mentioned, it would be exciting to have two point guards taking turns, working the pick and roll.

The sudden emergence of Jeremy Lin and the addition of Baron Davis, if and when he becomes available, will only make the Knicks stronger. Knicks fans, the wait is over…we are back!

Courtesy of Howard Beck:

Boston’s Delonte West took the inbounds pass in the backcourt with 4.1 seconds left, forcing the Knicks to chase him and waste time. Anthony, who seemed gassed, did not foul him until 0.6 remained on the clock. West made both free throws for the final margin.

The Celtics, who had all of their stars present and in working order, barely escaped.

Courtesy of Bob Ryan:

More Knicks confusion: After the ball was inbounded, Delonte West was allowed to dribble unimpeded until he finally was fouled by Carmelo Anthony at the 0.6-second mark. Not exactly the urgency you need.

Okay. Now there’s 4.1 seconds left in the game, you’re down a single point, and the opponent has a side inbounds. There’s no reason to think a win is out of reach or that this ball game should be chalked up as an inevitable loss. It’s still anybody’s to win. In this situation, in the NBA, one full second, maybe 1.5, should trickle off the clock before a foul is had. It’s a simple man to man assignment where each Knicks player should be matched up to shadow a Celtic, and the moment he catches the ball he’s fouled. Instead, New York allowed Delonte West to escape into the backcourt and dribble out all possible hope of a game winning or tying shot.

Yes it’s unlikely. The odds of it happening are stacked so incredibly high that attempting to win would be daunting if not downright heroic. But it also would be necessary, smart, and instinctive. At least it should be. What we all saw Carmelo Anthony do in that second half was incredible, and who’s to say it couldn’t happen again.

I’ve been a D’Antoni supporter since his arrival, but the effort and wherewithal on this play was both embarrassing and nonexistent; that’s on the coach. The play wasn’t included in the game’s highlights, and more people today will be talking about Carmelo’s decision to pass to Jeffries, and then Jeffries’ decision to pass to Garnett, but this should be included in the team’s mental crumbling as much as anything. There’s just no way a professional team can breakdown like this in a playoff game and expect to win a series. I don’t care who was injured or who was on the court. You or I could chase Delonte West 20 feet and then hit him, anybody could. It made the Knicks look like a team resigned to go back home for Friday’s Game 3 and give it their best shot in the Garden. The problem is, this ideology is a million miles away from what a true champion believes.

Carmelo Was Awesome. Everyone Else, Not So Much (AP)

It’s either rock bottom or yet another hopeful loss. It’s backbreaker or shining light. Last night’s game ended in such a destructive way, with Carmelo Anthony taking on the league’s best defensive team by himself (and holding the edge) before deferring to teammates who lost the ball game—it’s the first time you’ll hear more men than women ask, “He went to Jared?!?!?.” Hit the jump for more. (more…)

Carmelo Anthony On Wearing Majority Orange Ties: "I DO THIS"

* Moments after sinking the game winning 16-footer to down Memphis last night, Carmelo Anthony turned to the Grizzlies bench and shouted, “I do this!”. Who’s to disagree? Carmelo has been the Knicks’ offensive genius since coming aboard, scoring in a variety of ways in a variety of situations, but this was his first opportunity to win a ball game, flat out. Anthony did not disappoint.

* If you didn’t catch it, The Knicks Blog does a wonderful job breaking the game winner down.

* I imagine people who are into this might be intrigued by an underdog Knicks team taking on Dallas tonight.

* Some nice insight on Shawne Williams’ homecoming, and Marc Gasol might be interested in New York next year? That’s a steal.

* Looks like this Chauncey Billups thigh injury has manifested into a Chauncey Billups knee injury.

* Speaking of injuries, Amar’e should be a concern the rest of his career. How can the Knicks reduce the likelihood of trouble?

* A more in-depth look into how greatly Jared Jeffries can contribute without scoring any points.

* Hopefully Amar’e can play Mr. Nice Guy with the referees from here on out.

* I can’t believe people once thought Chris Bosh was better than Mr. Ciara. (Knickerbockers included.)

* He lives!

Who Would You Rather See Back In New York?

With the official word coming from several respectable news outlets that New York plans on bringing back 6′ 11″ Jared Jeffries, the search for a big man is somewhat quelled for the time being. But those who remember watching Jeffries play know he’s hardly someone who allows a fan base to sleep comfortably. Jeffries is a really tall forward; way too thin to bang with the league’s centers and way too fragile to stake any legitimate rebounding claim in the paint.  In other words, he’s no Mozgov. Going on his ninth season, Jeffries is a career 4.3 rebound a game guy. In the 18 games he suited up for Houston this season, he averaged 1.5 points, 0.2 blocks, and 1.9 rebounds per night.

Maybe we’re asking the wrong question here. Instead of “What big men are out there?”, should we be asking “Do the Knicks need a true center?”. Looking back at Mike D’Antoni’s days in Phoenix, specifically the three season period of 2004-2007, who was his center? In 2004, our new friend Amar’e was a 22-year-old who managed to squeeze 26 and nine from his hardly “center” caliber frame. The short list of fellow big guys in the years that followed looked like this: 6′ 9″ Kurt Thomas, 6′ 11″ Pat Burke, and 6′ 10″ Sean Marks. That’s pretty much it. Until the fun stopped with the acquirement of Shaquille O’Neal, Phoenix ran up and down the floor, night in and night out, leading the league in points per game as well as pace (number of possessions per 48 minutes) each and every year.  There was no time for a seven foot behemoth to lug his body back and forth. Shots went up fast and possessions rarely lasted longer than 10 seconds.

This team is built in a more traditional way, especially with the additions of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups—a point guard who probably couldn’t run Mike D’Antoni’s system the way Nash once did—and the big question right now is whether the new players will adapt to the system or if the system will make the proper amends. For arguments sake let’s say  the former option wins. Putting Amar’e at the center spot, with Turiaf and Jeffries as his backups, the Knicks could try their best at a run and gun style. The reverberations would ripple throughout the team—with Toney Douglas increasing his minutes and Carmelo Anthony taking over at the four—mostly on the defensive side of the ball, but that’s a price those mid-2000 teams in Phoenix paid. (If it weren’t for the uber-patient San Antonio Spurs and their Goliath, Tim Duncan, Phoenix might have seen a championship ring or two.) In the end, at least for the rest of this season, it looks like the Knicks might not have the personnel to run either system as efficiently as they’d like. In which case, based on possible playoff opponents, they should go all out. (Let me be remiss in my refusal to take into account Amar’e Stoudemire’s knees. I know it’s a problem, but how much hurt could 30 games bring?)

The only Eastern Conference playoff team with any legitimate big man threat is Orlando. A team that just so happens to be fading right before our eyes. Boston is large but Kendrick Perkins-less, and figure to be better than New York regardless of any big man dilemma; Chicago has some length with Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, but those two are more worrisome on the defensive end; Atlanta has nobody; Miami has nobody; and every other playoff team with any size at all (Milwaukee, Indiana) likely won’t face the Knicks. So there you have it. If the Knicks want to grab a good chunk of real estate this year—mind you there shouldn’t be any pressure on them to do so—they should invoke their inner Phoenix Suns and shoot the ball like it’s 2005.

Ronny Turiaf Upon Realizing He's The Only Center In New York

By way of comparison, the Knicks humongous, blockbuster trade of just 48 hours ago is, like, totally ancient news. Before yesterday’s deadline struck at 3 p.m., a bajillion deals went down: the Eastern Conference leading Boston Celtics changed their identity, the Oklahoma City Thunder became a contender, the Nets landed their first franchise player in almost 40 years, Hasheem Thabeet was moved for an actual player, the Trail Blazers managed to grab a momentary Brandon Roy stop gap, and so on and so on. What didn’t happen, however, was the Knicks acquisition of a big guy. As their roster stands, New York has one true center: Ronny Turiaf. Which means nobody on the team is taller than 6′ 10″. Check back later today for an explanation on how they can fix this minor dilemma, but first let’s dive into today’s links.

* Could the Knicks have landed Deron Williams, too?

* The league’s second most uproarious rookie gives thanks to all those in the heavens above for allowing him an extended stay in New York.

* A minor preview of tonight’s game against Cleveland. (A more detailed post from us to come later.)

* A toast to Gallinari; the great wild card of the Carmelo deal.

* Tired of Chris Paul rumors? Of course you aren’t! But New Orleans probably is.

* Can one of the more overlooked newcomers fit in?

* Look for our detailed piece on Chauncey Billups later today. For now, read this. You won’t be disappointed having this guy on your team.

* The Chicago Tribune, and three other corners of the country, thinks the Knicks absolutely hosed Denver.

* So do the Denver Nuggets.

* Welcome back Jared Jeffries? This should be fun.

* The Knicks will likely cut ties with Renaldo Balkman. What. A. Shame.

Clearly, we all know about the story that has developed over the past week or so since Howard Beck of the NY Times penned this piece back on January 31st. Donnie Walsh, who has been the driving force behind rescuing the Knicks from the depths of NBA/Isiah Thomas hell the past  2 1/2 years, is in contract limbo. He has an option for 2011-2012 that James Dolan must pick up by April 3oth or his current deal will expire on June 3oth. The enigmatic Knicks owner has not talked to the media in four years and his PR lackeys have given no comment on Walsh’s tenuous contract situation.

(more…)

10.Because Jared taught Wilson Chandler how to keep a single facial expression for 48 minutes straight.

The many facesface of ILL Wil.

————————

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Wilson Chandler, aka Wil The Thrill, has been one of the few good Knicks the last two years. Will he be a starter again this season, or could he >gasp< find himself glued to the bench? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

With a few days before training camp and positional battles begin, today we discuss who will likely be the Knick starters, part of the rotation, and the bench boys.  We have considerable depth, but as we said when discussing previews from other sites, Coach Mike D’Antoni has consistently shown himself to be someone who likes a short rotation.  Why?  A combination of it being easier to develop chemistry amongst a smaller group and the fact that he literally doesn’t seem to trust lots of players.

(more…)

Somehow Donnie Walsh was able to get rid of Jerome James (center). It's appropriate that the first photo that came up features him surrounded by food. Also in the pic are former Knicks Jerome "Mad Dog" Williams, Antonio Davis and actor Dennis Quaid. (source: Yardbarker.com)

For those who missed it, we had Part I of our evaluation of Donnie Walsh yesterday, in which we examined how he’s done in terms of drafting.  The rules again:

1. I don’t believe in negative Monday morning quarterbacking, so I don’t punish people for making decisions that were widely held to be smart at the time, but ended up working out poorly.  Meaning if LeBron James breaks his leg in seventeen places in a car accident tomorrow and can never really play better than an average player again, I can’t fault Pat Riley for signing him down the road.

2. I do, however, believe in giving credit for decisions that seemed poor/insignificant at the time but turned out great.  When the Suns reacquired Steve Nash from the Dallas Mavericks, many pundits felt they overpaid due to Nash’s back issues and age.  Two MVPs and many amazing seasons later, it’s clear that was a good move.

3. Draft-wise, in addition to no negative Monday morning quarterbacking, I also don’t believe that if someone makes a pick that turns out surprisingly great, you can’t fault all the other teams for passing on the guy.  Like Isiah Thomas gets kudos for finding David Lee at #30, but since no one thought he’d be as good as he ended up being, I can’t penalize all other 29 teams for passing on him.

4. For each positive thing, I’ll add some points (the # of points will depend on how big a thing it was).  Similarly, for each negative decision, I’ll subtract some points.  We’ll keep a rolling tally.

At the end of adding and subtracting points in the Drafting section, it all ended up back at zero.  today This piece has gotten longer and longer, so we’re gonna break up the second category, Trades/Free Agency Signings, into two parts, getting rid of that slash.  Today we’ll do Trades, tomorrow Free Agency, and then probably Friday the last category of Other/General.

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

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

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

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Basketball is a fun game, but it's also work. Sometimes you lose that fun, and that's when you gotta be a professional and still force yourself to go all out. (source: Yardbarker.com)

I’ll admit it: I stopped watching the game at halftime.  Well, I fast-forwarded through the first few minutes of the second-half to see if the Knicks were gonna show up, but nope, they never made it to the game.  Now I haven’t always been a big fan of some of Coach Mike D’Antoni’s substitution choices, the way he communicates with players, or his lack of an emphasis on defense, but it comes down to this: the players still gotta go out there and play.  They still gotta have some pride.  The coach can only do so much, ‘cuz he ain’t the one shooting the ball or (not) defending his hoop.

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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…)

"Dude, you said the Knicks sucked!" "Yeah, well you said TMac was done!"

The Oklahoma Thunder have made one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NBA history.  After winning only 21 games last year (or in a glass half-empty view, losing 61 games), they now are 5th in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.  They are in the middle of the longest current winning streak in the league (nine games), and they have third-year phenom, Kevin Durant, a legit MVP candidate.  It could be argued that Durant is second in the MVP race to only LeBron.  Plus, he’s in the middle of a streak of having scored 25+ points in 27 straight games.  At first that last statement didn’t seem that impressive to me, ‘cuz after all like LeBron and Carmelo are averaging nearly 30 a game, while others like Kobe and Allen Iverson have averaged that much (or more) for a whole season too.  However, in the last 35 years there is only one person who has ever accomplished that feat: Michael Jordan.  Yup, no other active player has done it.  Not LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Shaq, AI or even the Knicks’ newbie, TMac (a man who’s lead the league in scoring a couple of times).

All of which goes to say that after the way the Knicks have been playing, it was pretty darn remarkable we almost won this game, let alone played well.  The big story, as everyone’s already heard, is Tracy McGrady’s big game.  That he’s back.  Not to be glass-half-empty again (what am I, thirsty or something?), but I’m skeptical that he can bring that kind of production regularly.  What I do think that he can help keep bringing back is the energy in the Garden.  The crowd was more alive than they are on Free Taco Night.  Okay, there’s no Free Taco Night (the correct question here is: why the hell not?), but Madison Square was rocking Saturday night.  For once, people came to see the Knicks, not the other team, or just to be “seen.”

McGrady's most athletic play of the night: When a Thunder-ite goes to block his shot on the right, mid-air Tmac does a loopedy-loop and scoops it in lefty

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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…

Not A Good Sign When The Bulls' Cheerleaders Do "The Dance Of The Dead"

Word is that the Knicks’ have chosen to go in a new direction since they clearly no longer have a shot at the playoffs after their month-long visit with mediocrity (actually mediocrity’s too good a term for them, let’s substitute that with suck-itude).  No, that new direction alas, is not “let’s play well” or “at least pretend to play some defense,” but rather “we suck so much, why don’t we at least let the rookies lose for us so we can see how they are.”  Thus last night we went out and made the Chicago Bulls look like they still had Jordan & Pippen, losing to them by a mere 33 points.

Bad Sign #2: The Players Join The Fans In "The Wave"

In fairness, Derrick Rose came out on fire, and I believe shot 9-for-9 for 19 points in the first half before he even missed a shot.  Rose, not know for his jumper, had it going last night, which makes him nearly unguardable.  Of course the Knicks’ persist in using Jared Jeffries to defend opposing teams’ point guards, which basically means he backs off and dares them to shoot the jumper.  If they hit ‘em, like Rose did, then we’re outta luck.  Actually, even when Jeffries plays up on ‘em, then if he gets beaten off the dribble it leaves players like Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari & David Lee to help out, none of whom are shot-blockers or particularly good at help defense.  It’d seem smarter to have Jeffries on one of the big men so that he can be the one who helps out.  Not only is he (sadly) the Knicks’ best shot blocker (out of the players who get minutes), but he also actually leads the league in drawing charges.  Meaning if Rose was to beat Duhon off the dribble, Jeffries could position himself so Rose would have to run him over, forcing Rose to commit a foul.

Bad Sign #3: Harrington Gives Up, Starts Doing One-Handed Push-Ups

When Rose went out at the end of the first quarter, the Knicks actually battled back and looked like they might make a game of it.  That lasted until about midway through the second quarter, and then I believe they lost interest when they saw a shiny object.  Or maybe they started to think about what they’d type if they were on Twitter.  Perhaps I’m short-changing them.  For all I know, they could’ve been contemplating the tragedy of Haiti.  Regardless, the focus was definitely on the game.

Wilson Chandler Spots Shiny Object Off-Court, Loses Focus

However, particularly with Nate Robinson out, the two kids we drafted (Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas) got some run.  Heck, the game got so out of hand that even Marcus Landry and Jonathan Bender got to jog up and down the court a few times.  Oddly, with the game clearly out of hand, Coach Mike D’Antoni still kept starter Chris Duhon in.  Maybe it was his way of punishing Duhon for his awful play the last two months.  And y’know even putting aside the fact that Du hasn’t hit a shot since the first Gulf War, it seems like all Duhon does offensively is run pick-and-rolls with David Lee.  I got nothing against pick-and-rolls, but how about doing some with Gallo, Wilson Chandler or Al Harrington?

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Smack 'Em

Anyway, the good news is that we won’t have to play Chicago again for at least a few more hours.  Yup, they’re coming to the Garden tonight.

These last few months may end up being very, very long…

Why's Chicago's Derick Rose Smiling So Big? He Gets The Knicks Two Nights In A Row!

[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.

Recently, however, another Knicks player has popped up in trade talks and his name is Al Harrington. Harrington has been involved in the most recent trade rumor that sent him to Washington along with Larry Hughes. The Bulls really want to move Tyrus Thomas and are heavily pressuring Walsh to make a move that would send Thomas to New York for Harrington.

D’Antoni has come out and stated he’d love to have Thomas in New York, and perhaps a trade of scenery would get Thomas back on track. Thomas has struggled in Chicago and I’m sure Bulls fans cringe every time they see LaMarcus Aldridge and his stats for obvious reasons. Thomas just hasn’t lived up to his hype coming out of LSU and that final 4 squad.

Thomas has a tremendous upside, but is still a huge liability on the offensive end. He’s a turnover machine and has poor low post mechanics. The one thing, however, the Knicks don’t have is a shot blocker and Thomas is very solid in that regard. In D’Antoni’s system Thomas would have more freedom like his time in LSU and perhaps turn into the player he is capable of.

Harrington would bolster the Bulls playoff chances in a major way and improve that team then most would think. Harrington hangs around the 3 point line way more then a power forward should, but the Bulls have been abysmal from 3 since Gordon’s departure and inserting Harrington would give them a legitimate perimeter shooter that they’ve been lacking.

This move would be great for both sides and I hope Walsh pulls the trigger and makes the swap.

Clusters of spectators occupy sections in every arena, waving Israeli flags, chanting his name, pleading for an autograph, a high-five, or even a glance.

These past few days in particular have been a blur of activity: Pregame and postgame chats with a throng of fans Sunday in Toronto; a post-practice gathering Monday at Madison Square Garden with members of the media, including several Israeli television and print journalists; a private audience with Commissioner David Stern in his Olympic tower office hours later; a reception sponsored by the Israeli Consul General in the early evening and, finally, tonight’s long anticipated Kings-Knicks matchup that is being marketed as Jewish Heritage Night.

A Jewish acappella group sang the National Anthem

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Um, Jared, for a bounce pass you're supposed to bounce the ball on the ground, not your butt...

However, the Knicks seemed fairly disinterested for much of the first half.  Kinda like they’ve looked in general.  One amazing exception was Larry Hughes, who got an early call off the bench and decided to play with energy this time instead of sulking.  He played well enough to get minutes in the second half too, and afterward D’Antoni said that if Hughes keeps playing like that then he’ll keep getting minutes.  Of course the bigger more important question is whether this means Hughes will shave his beard.  Early word says he’s not ready to commit to that just yet.  We’ll keep you on top of this vital news as soon as more information breaks.

Hughes: "One, two, step, kick and... jazz hands!"

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2. Chris Duhon’s shot is starting to come back, but whenever it does briefly return he then seems to follow it with some ill-advised jumpers.  It’s like a shooter who gets hot and then keeps trying harder and harder shots, looking for a heat check.  Except Duhon (who’s been like 3 for 912 over the last few games) has been in such a rut that if he hits just one shot he seems to think he must be on fire.  Weird.  Going from passing up open shots and layups to forcing looks ‘cuz he thinks he might be feeling it.

Duhon: "Who cares if I'm surrounded by 4 Wizards? I hit my last shot, so I'm shooting this one!"

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Wizards' Mike Miller: "Aww yeah, it's white boy versus white boy now!"

We all know David Lee is extreeeeeeemely undersized for a center, but because he hustles, he usually holds his own in the rebounding department.  Plus, even though he’s short, Jarred Jeffries at 6’11″ and Danilo Gallinari at 6’10″ are pretty darn tall for the forward spots, while Wilson Chandler at 6’8″ towers over all SGs.  So they shouldn’t have trouble rebounding.  For the most part, that’s been true.  This weekend teams battered us so badly on the boards that we looked like a little boy jumping for his hat while a tall bully just holds it above his reach.  In Saturday’s loss to the Washington Wizards, 5’9″ Nate Robinson (have we officially moved to calling him 5’9″ instead of 5’8″ like he used to be?  Has he actually grown?), was tied for 3rd for most offensive rebounds.  Meaning he got just as many as Lee, Chandler, and 7’0″ backup Jonathan Bender.  And more than Gallo’s 0 offensive rebounds.

Maybe if we did this with our players they'd get up higher & snag rebounds.

That isn’t meant to single out Gallo, as he actually lead the team in rebounds in that game with 10, so he stepped up his game in that department.  However, when you see that we shot 44.7% versus the Wizards’ nearly identical 44.9%, yet we got to the free throw line more, getting 14 points to their 7, it would seem like we shouldn’t have lost by 10 points.  (Side note: even though we did get 7 extra points at the line, we should’ve gotten even more as the team shot a miserable 63% from the charity stripe, highlighted by Jeffries’ 1-for-5 showing.)  So what was the big difference, the Short White Boy asks rhetorically because he already told you what this was all about?  Rebounding.  We was outrebounded 59-40 by the Wiz.  They had 24 grabs on the offensive glass, meaning, yes, 24 extra shots.  Against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday our boardwork was even worse: we were outrebounded 58-36.

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For the Knicks I don’t usually examine teams in a position-by-position analysis since the team does a lot of switching, swarming and zoning, very rarely leaving one guy isolated to play D against another one.  So for instance, we don’t have any good low-post defenders, meaning Big Al should kill us, but in the last game we double-teamed him whenever he got it.  That said, I think the Wolves’ weakest spot is SF where they’ve rotated Gomes and Damien Wilkins and haven’t gotten the consistency they’d like.  Earlier in the year I would’ve said SG ‘cuz Corey Brewer was defending great but was an offensive liability.  Now he’s huge on both sides of the court.

As I mentioned, in single-coverage, we can’t contain Al Jefferson.  Jonny Flynn also would be too much for Duhon to handle, but for the most part we’ll probably have Jared Jeffries on him instead.  He kept backing off Flynn, daring him to shoot a jump shot.  If Flynn doesn’t take at least a few of those to keep Jeffries honest, he’ll have a tough night again.

Positions are almost irrelevant for the Knicks since they switch so much and use such unusual matches, like having Jeffries often cover the point guard.  We tend to not post up normal sized SGs, so we don’t gain any advantage there, but if a team does choose to play like 2 PGs then we will post-up.  Defensively, when going up against a Kobe-type, we just double, so again it don’t really matter that whoever is considered SG doesn’t have the lateral speed.  The big general disadvantage is that besides Jeffries, we don’t have great individual defenders, which is why we have to resort to such a chaotic D (which can kill us if the other team has good outside shooters).

The Knicks have played so poorly of late (except for that game), that if anything I’m less confident.  Teams sometimes get more pumped for better teams, so if the Knicks even slightly think they can take the Wolves for granted…  well, we ain’t playing well enough to do that and we’ll get shellacked.

See above.

6. What is your prediction for the game?

The Wolves will get a solid 10-point lead early on.  The Knicks will climb back up at some point.  Will they have enough energy to then take the lead too?  I dunno.  But I gotta put my sunglasses on and say in the end it’ll be a beautiful sunshiney day & we’ll win.

A few question unrelated to the game

1. Was David lee the biggest snub?

No, I think Josh Smith was.  But Lee’s second.

2. Are both Lee and Nate Robinson gone after this season?

Sadly, I think so.

3. Scale of 1-10 how much do you miss Isiah Thomas?

On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d say I miss Mr. Thomas about a negative infinity.  Plus or minus two.

]]> http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/31/thoughts-on-todays-knickswolves-game/feed/ 0 http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/29/david-lee-snubbed-as-all-star-knicks-snuffed-out-in-end-by-toronto-raptors/ http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/2010/01/29/david-lee-snubbed-as-all-star-knicks-snuffed-out-in-end-by-toronto-raptors/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:44:08 +0000 Alex David, aka Short White Boy http://bucketsoverbroadway.com/?p=358 David Lee found out shortly before the game that he was not one of the players chosen by the coaches to be an All-Star this year.  He was bummed, but as he realized, it seemed that the coaches only chose players from teams that are .500 or better.  The Knicks ain’t.  The odd thing was [...]

David Lee Snubbed As All-Star; Knicks Snuffed Out In End By Toronto Raptors - Buckets Over Broadway - Buckets Over Broadway - A New York Knicks Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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