Just like last season, Danny Ainge must decide whether or not to break up the Celtics core, but sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that the Clippers and Celtics are engaged in talks surrounding KG.

The offer from the Clippers reportedly would include point guard Eric Bledsoe and forward Caron Butler, which isn’t ideal for the Celtics, but if they decide to deal Garnett, they may not do better for a couple of reasons, the biggest of those being that general manager’s around the league fear that KG will retire before his contract expires in 2015.

Sources tell Sporting News that the #Clippers have contacted the #Celtics about Kevin Garnett. Offer would include Caron Butler and Beldsoe.

— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) February 3, 2013

It would be hard for some team to mortgage the future for an aging vet such as KG if they aren’t sure they would get him for two-plus seasons.

Jan 22, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) looks ahead in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Bledsoe is an attractive trade piece, but with Rajon Rondo signed long-term, he’s not ideal for Boston.

Garnett is almost a perfect fit for the Clippers though.

They could save his legs by handing him a reduced role, but at the same time make the Clippers’ front line even stronger. Plus he would bring much needed veteran leadership to a team on the cusp on contending for a championship.

The one problem for the Clippers is that KG has a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal.

That’s not likely, even with the attraction of a chance to play for a championship.

How would a Garnett trade affect the New York Knicks?

Well that’s simple. Any trade that would take one of the top players out of the Atlantic Division and send them out west is huge for the Knicks, especially a guy like Garnett that has killed the Knicks in the past.

However don’t get too excited.

My gut feeling on Garnett is that he isn’t going anywhere unless the Celtics are blown away by an offer and that isn’t likely to happen.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett made sure about that a couple weeks ago.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone knows the Honey Nut Cheerios story by now and what ensued, which led to Anthony attempting to confront Garnett at the Celtics team bus, which ultimately earned him a one game suspension.

With the Knicks heading into Beantown for a big Atlantic Division game Thursday night, you can guarantee that Anthony will be more than a target for Celtics fans. ‘Melo won’t just be wearing a No. 7 Knicks jersey against the Celtics; he will be wearing a big bullseye on his back.

Anthony is public enemy No. 1 in Boston and he knows it. ‘Melo has taken precaution against anything happening by bringing his own personal bodyguard to Boston with him.

The reason for the extra security has nothing to do with matching up against Garnett once again, but instead because of the passionate and sometimes crude Celtics’ fans, who will without a doubt make it a very hostile environment for Anthony and the Knicks.

Just the way it should be.

Anthony bringing a bodyguard with him isn’t a sign of expecting bad things to happen, but just a precautionary measure.

After all, it’s Boston vs. New York.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The question though is did ‘Melo deserve to get suspended?

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) argue on the court and are issued technical fouls during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

That answer is a crystal clear yes, without a doubt.

You simply cannot be allowed to act in the fashion Anthony did following the Celtics game, whether blows were thrown or not. Anthony said he just wanted to talk to Garnett and that may be true, but there are better ways to go about that then waiting for someone by their team bus.

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said it best in a statement (via ESPN’s Ian Begley).

“There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for a player to confront an opponent after a game,” Jackson said. “Carmelo Anthony attempted to engage with Kevin Garnett multiple times after Monday’s game, and therefore a suspension was warranted.”

There is just one small problem with the entire situation and that is the fact that no discipline was handed Garnett’s way.

It takes two to tango and a situation such as Monday night doesn’t escalate to the point that it did, without two people stirring the pot, not just one.

By not suspending Garnett as well, the NBA sends a clear message his way.

They are saying that they will tolerate him acting like a punk whenever he sees fit.

There is no doubt that Anthony shouldn’t have allowed KG to get under his skin. There is even less doubt to the fact that he shouldn’t have acted in the fashion he did following the game.

But to not hand down some sort of punishment to the other party is a little bit ridiculous.

If the NBA continues to allow a guy like Garnett to continue to act the way he does, one day it will lead to something nasty.

When that happens, they will look foolish for not taking action sooner.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) argue on the court and are issued technical fouls during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony will miss his seventh game of the season, though for the first time, not because of injury. With all of the hullabaloo made over the altercation(s) over the past two days, it’s not surprising that the NBA suspended Anthony. Though no physical harm was actually done, the intentions and projections were pretty clear; Anthony was upset. The NBA has been strict and unwavering in its punishment of any types of altercations in the past – especially when it leaves the court – so Anthony surely got what he had coming to him.

In the meantime, the Knicks will have to face a red hot Indiana Pacers team that has been especially stingy on the defensive end. Normally, this could be an opportunity to let Amar’e Stoudemire spin as the main feature in the Knicks’ offense, but even today, Mike Woodson said Stoudemire’s minutes will be limited because of his extended play on Monday’s game.

J.R. Smith will likely see a boatload of minutes, but with no other truly dominant, self-capable scorers, the Knicks may really have a hard time getting the ball in the basket against the Pacers.

The question still remains, especially no with an impact on the team: were Anthony’s actions justified, or did he take it too far? It would seem this question could largely be determined by the outcome of the game on Thursday night.

However in the span of all of that, we learned one thing- the fact that Carmelo Anthony still has a long ways to go in order to mature into a real leader.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ fans want to believe a lot of things about this team and for the most part, Anthony and his teammates have given fans reason to believe with their play so far.

But most importantly, Knicks’ fans want to believe in ‘Melo.

They want to believe that he has matured from the me-first scorer that he was throughout the first nine years of his career. They want to believe that he has matured enough to lead them to a championship, despite only getting out of the first round of the playoffs once in his career.

So far, ‘Melo has done a lot to earn their trust.

He has put up ridiculous numbers and put himself into the MVP race by playing the unselfish type of basketball that everyone in the world said he was not capable of doing.

But he showed Monday night against the Boston Celtics that he still has a long ways to go in order to fully mature into that leader that Knicks fans don’t only want him to be- they need him to be.

Sure Anthony didn’t have his best night against their Atlantic Division foes. He scored 20 points, but he needed 26 shots to do so. He was in foul trouble for most of the game, but the one thing he did; that leaders do not do was allow Kevin Garnett to get under his skin.

I detailed the altercation that followed after the game in a previous article, but this is a look at Anthony and why he didn’t perform like a leader.

Once Anthony let Garnett affect him, it was back to hero-ball for Anthony as he forced more than one perimeter shot in a close game. Possessions the Knicks needed to get good looks at the basket. By the time he was done, Anthony has almost shot the Knicks out of the game and you can make the case that he did exactly that.

Leaders realize that every possession matters in tight games such as Monday night.

Then there was the fact that Anthony approached the Celtics locker room and waited for Garnett at the team bus.

Sure Anthony was pissed off and got caught up in the moment, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that his immaturity came out at the wrong time.

What he did was put himself ahead of his teammates as a suspension is now more than likely.

That type of behavior simply cannot come from the team’s undisputed leader.

The Knicks are an under .500 team since December 17 (5-6) and they need their leader on the floor, performing like one at both ends of the floor.

Monday night alone, puts some doubt in Anthony as a real leader, which is a shame given the way that he has played so far this year.

But you can’t use caught up in the moment as an excuse as Anthony had plenty of time to cool down before approaching the Celtics bus.

That begs the question of if he can’t handle a tough game against a rival in January, how can he handle the pressure in May and June?

Anthony wilted under the pressure, which leaves some doubt about just how far he has really come. When the chips are on the table, will the old Anthony continue to come back?

Leaders let their play do the talking for them.

They don’t let the opposition get underneath their skin and most of all they don’t put their teammates in a position to fail.

The good news is that this was only one game and really the first time we have seen ‘Melo’s immaturity come out this season.

Maybe this incident will be a wake-up call to ‘Melo and he will realize what he truly has to do to lead this team to a championship. If he doesn’t, those championship thoughts are only dreams.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Apparently Knicks’ superstar Carmelo Anthony didn’t get the memo.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Garnett clearly got under Anthony’s skin in the Celtics 102-96 victory at Madison Square Garden, but according to ESPN’s Ian Begley and Chris Forsberg, ‘Melo took things a step further after the game.

The two players reportedly got into an altercation in the bowels of Madison Square Garden and building security and New York City police officers were called upon to defuse the incident, two sources with knowledge of the incident told ESPNNewYork.com.

According to Forsberg, after the game, Anthony angrily walked off the floor and out of the tunnel that visiting teams use to exit the floor, instead of exiting out of the Knicks’ tunnel.

He also reported that Knicks’ center Tyson Chandler appeared to try to stop ‘Melo, but he blew right by Chandler. According to one of the sources with knowledge of the incident, Anthony approached the Celtics’ locker room and was screaming.

Anthony then approached Garnett near the Celtics’ team bus. MSG security and the police intervened, according to a source.

There is also video to document that, as Anthony is waiting by the Celtics bus while Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson attempts to calm him down.

Forsberg also writes that according to a police source, the two stars did not come to blows, but Anthony was still hot after getting into a confrontation with Garnett in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ win that resulted in a double technical.

The incident could result in a suspension and a fine for both players, especially Anthony.

Anthony did not meet the media after the game, but Garnett had the following to say:

“Listen, heat of the battle, man, guys throw back and forth,” Garnett told Forsberg. “He’s trying to get his team to go; I’m trying to get my team to go. Both teams are colliding. Not to mention that it’s the Knicks and the Celtics. Just what it is.”

While all of that may be true, Anthony showed he still has a long way to come as a leader.

Both Garnett and Anthony right now could be on the same team in the All-Star Game as both would be in the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference if the voting ended today.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

On one hand, there is the Miami Heat: the NBA’s top villains; the team that finished the Knicks’ 2011-12 season.

On the other hand, there is the Boston Celtics: a cruel, crafty, conniving group that loves to break the Knicks’ collective hearts in dramatic fashion. They also finished the Knicks 2010-11 season with a sweep in the playoffs.

May 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) works for position against Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce during the first half in game one of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It’s a battle of evil vs. evil; Darth Vader vs. Voldemort; Freddie Kruger vs. Jason; Hannibal Lecter vs. … another cannibal.

So who are we, as Knicks fans, supposed to root for?

For some, the Miami Heat is the answer.

Often times, fans – and even players and coaches – take solace in seeing the team that eliminated them, advance further into the playoffs; letting them know they lost to the best team. As if the five-game defeat the Knicks suffered at the hands of the Heat wasn’t pride-shattering enough, imagine if Miami didn’t even make it to the Finals. Furthermore, if the Heat lost to a team that the Knicks had beaten twice in the regular season – the Celtics – , what would that say about the Knicks?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, fans might take comfort in seeing their most recent assassins sent packing, and once again, failing to live up to the lofty, (self-proclaimed) championship goals. Likewise, the Celtics haven’t wronged the Knicks since March, while the Miami Heat have done so four times in the past month.

(I would like to use this space to remind you, though, that the Boston Celtics have made a habit of ripping our hearts out in front of us. Paul Pierce game-winner. Ray Allen Game 1 game-winner. Game 2 fumbled play. Paul Pierce game-tying basket, and ultimate overtime win. OK, remember? Sorry, I had to do that.)

However, if you’re like me, you’re rooting for the best basketball to be played. Whichever team advances will play the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in a sure-fire good vs. evil matchup. Watching the humble, plodding, machine-like precision of the Spurs face the high-flying Heat would be a delight. Some fans might enjoy watching the NBA’s two old guards – the Spurs and the Celtics – play each other in one last grasp at a championship. The Thunder vs. the Heat would be the NBA’s dream matchup – a display of young, athletic, star-fueled action that would surely boost TV ratings to a new high.

However, there is no doubt that the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals will draw some pain for Knicks fans. I would prefer not to watch Paul Pierce’s smug, patchy-haired face bow to opposing crowds in blazes of bravado, or watch Kevin Garnett bark around the court like a rabid, admirably unwavering dog. At the same time, watching the Miami Big Three flex and flop and dance and dunk their way around the court for another two series would make my stomach churn.

Consider me a San Antonio Spurs fan for the remainder of the season.

A Dejected Carmelo Looks On As New York Fails Down the Stretch (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Demoralizing. The word’s five syllables roll off the tongue sounding exactly like what they mean. As far as regular season losses go, this one is flat out demoralizing. Coming off two pretty bad losses to some pretty bad teams, the Knicks looked like a team that almost didn’t respect their opponents. Tonight, they knew what they were up against and they responded admirably early on, playing up to their competition and leading after the first three quarters, including a 51-37 halftime edge.  But after Carmelo Anthony—who fought through foul trouble all night and still managed a team high 22 points—cut the outer edge of his eye open on a collision with Rajon Rondo, the Knicks looked like lost puppies.  With five fouls on him for much of the fourth quarter, Anthony was reduced to defending Rondo on the perimeter instead of his man, Paul Pierce. This is an understandable strategic move, but putting Billups or Fields on Pierce in turn makes very, very little sense.  The Celtics captain went on to absolutely destroy New York in the final quarter, and with Amar’e Stoudemire continuously trying to attack the strength of Boston’s defense on the other end, the Knicks had no chance against one of the league’s best teams.

(more…)

Amar'e Stoudemire is the new King of Broadway (Source: Yardbarker.com)

After attending last night’s heartbreaker to the Celtics, I figured it would be a good time to add my initial contribution to the site .I don’t want to get too much into the nuts and bolts of the game, but just add a few observations of the scene at MSG before during and after the game. I’ll start out by saying that this is my 7th season covering the Knicks so I have witnessed some dark days at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

• Stephon Marbury anointing himself “the best point guard in the NBA” before the 2005 New Year’s Day tilt with the Jason Kidd’s Nets. We all know how that proclamation turned out.
• Nate Robinson’s circus act leading to a vicious brawl with the Denver Nuggets in December of 2006.
• Jerome James. Enough said.
• The poisonous atmosphere that existed during Isiah Thomas’ last days at the helm with the continuous “Fire Isiah” chants booming down from the rafters. The fact that two Italian dudes constructed this rap song just about says it all.

Last night, all of the darkness seemed to have drifted far away from that hallowed cathedral of hoops. There was life again in Madison Square Garden, the kind of life not seen since Latrell Sprewell roamed the court more than a decade ago.  It was the most pregame anticipation I had ever felt at that place. There was a tangible buzz in the crowd and the place erupted when the lights dimmed and the Knicks were introduced. Amar’e Stoudemire, the new hero on Broadway, got the loudest ovation any Knicks player has gotten in years. I’d say the guy deserves it with the way he’s been playing.

Ronny Turiaf then did his now customary twirling dance, circumventing the the rest of the Knicks players as they huddled under the basket. It almost like he’s a witch doctor casting some kind of voodoo on the opposing team. Pretty cool to see in person. Unfortunately on this night, there wasn’t quite enough voodoo to hold off what I would consider the best team in the Eastern Conference if not the entire NBA. Paul Pierce is a cry baby and gets phantom fouls a aplenty, but the guy is a cold-blooded killer in the 4th quarter. The second best closer in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant in my book. He stuck the dagger in the Knicks, but that does not temper the positive vibes I took from their performance last night.

Mike D’Antoni, Amar’e and Raymond Felton all expressed their disappointment in not being able to close the Celtics out during their postgame meetings with the press. Sometimes, you hear guys talk about no moral victories in losses, but you could tell each one of these guys was proud of the effort the Knicks put forth and you could see and hear a confidence and swagger continuing to build, even in defeat. Here is a little sampling of what I heard:

“Everybody has their own opinion. Real basketball players and people who understand the game know we have a good team and we can play with anybody. We lost a tough one against possibly the best team in the league.” -Raymond Felton

“I guarantee you that Boston respects us. We are not slouches. They know how good we can be and how good we are. We’ll see them again.” -Amar’e Stoudemire

Before I close up shop, here are few scenes I witnessed and heard while moving between the media room and the two locker rooms:

• Nate Robinson hooting and hollering and spitting out more obscenities than Rex Ryan as the Celtics left the court and headed to the visitor’s locker room. Pipe down Nate. Your act was one of the reasons this franchise was such a joke the past few years. Once a punk, always a punk I guess
• A smiling Kevin Garnett and the huge rocks in his ears talking to a small gathering in front of the media room after I left the Knicks locker room. He was chatting with a blond-haired woman about two feet shorter than he was and said something to the effect of, “Whew boy, did you feel the electricity in here tonight? [The Knicks] thought they had us but we are bunch of champions. Not gonna argue that one.
• Amar’e Stoudemire walking toward the exit leading out to the where the Knicks park their shiny vehicles next to Amber Rose. You may want to click on the link provided. Check out Amar’e's tweet from Dec 5th at 10:41 PM. That my friends is a bird call. It appears as if we may be seeing a lot more of Ms. Rose at MSG in the coming days

Bring on LeBron and crew. It appears these Knicks are not afraid to tangle with anyone.

Nuthin' like playing with two great friends to make the game a blast. Above we see Wade, Bosh & LeBron yukking it up. (Yardbarker.com)

The world instantly judged the Miami Heat as Not Worthy after losing the opening game of the season to the Boston Celtics.  Despite them wining the next night in Philadelphia, Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy, published an early eulogy for LeBron James and company.  Now I’m no fan of LeBron or the Heat, but this seems like something many men suffer from: premature evaluation.

It kinda reminds me of the scene in Monty Python’s The Holy Grail where an undertaker walks through a town calling “Bring out yer dead!” but after a body is dropped on the heap it chirps up, “I’m not quite dead yet.”  When the undertaker reveals he won’t be back for a while, the person who dropped off the body decides it’d just be in everyone’s best interest to kill this person and get it over with now.  Luckily for the Heat, there are still 80 games left, not to mention that playoff thing, so there’s no need to rush to conclusions and cold-cock ‘em over the head (much as many of us would like to do).  That said, c’mon, I’m a guy, so I want to jump to some conclusions too.  Here are mine, none of which will corpsify the Heat:

(more…)

Don't think Shaq can still be a force down low? Looking at the expression on Noah's face, I think Joakim feels otherwise. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Earlier today my colleague Chase Thomas rated the Boston Celtics’ signing of Shaquille O’Neal as somewhere between Incredibly Stupid and Less Significant Than An Afternoon Cleaning Belly Button Lint.  Okay, probably it’d actually be an intriguing saga if you had enough lint in your belly button that it took a whole afternoon to clean that sucker up, but that’s a different, far nastier, story.  Me, I’m just here to give my own somewhat sunnier take on the deal, doing it Boston-style where I discuss whether each aspect is “smaht” or “not smaht” (for non-Bostonians that translates roughly into “smart” or “highly unintelligent”).

(more…)

Kobe's so darn good, Alvin Gentry's fine with losing to him. Elsewhere, Stan Van Gundy and Mike Brown still can't sleep, wondering what they did "wrong" to lose to the Celts. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Many have already talked about how the Lakers and Celtics have taken two different paths to the Big Show. It’s more than just a West Coast/East Coast thang, or offense versus defense. It’s also about the psychological effects they’ve left on those in their wake. Kobe, the self-proclaimed Black Mamba, has been an unstoppable force since Game 5 in the first round against the Thunder (by the way, I kinda love self-proclaimed nicknames. They should be totally illegal, but I find it so humorous that someone would decide to make up their own nickname that I loooove to ironically call them that. Thus I’m thrilled that Sasha Vujacic’s started getting playing time so I can yell out “The Machiiiiiiine” every time he touches the ball. Of course the true irony is that I’ve now used the Black Mamba tag so much that it no longer seems ironic to me when it comes out of my mouth. …Wait, what am I talking about? Oh yeah, Celts/Lakes.)

(more…)

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.

"What more can I do?" wonders Stan Van Gundy. Glad you asked... (source: Yardbarker.com)

After the Orlando Magic’s loss last night to the Boston Celtics, they’re down a seemingly insurmountable 0-2 and going into enemy territory to play the next two games. The good news? Both losses were close down the stretch. Stan Van Gundy is one of the best coaches in the game, and already he tweaked his line-up a bit after the first game. Seeing how well J.J. Redick performed in the opening stanza, Stan gave him even more run in the second verse, playing him 34 minutes. Yeah, yeah, JJ made the double bone-headed move at the end of the game where he didn’t call timeout as soon as he caught it, and then when he started dribbling he stopped before he crossed mid-court. That said, Redick was again outstanding, and one could equally fault Vince Carter’s free-throw misses or say that the Magic shouldn’t have let themselves get to the point where they needed a last-second save anyway.

Anyway, moving on, what other tweaks can the Magic make? Here are three:

For the rest of my post on the main FanSided page, check out the page here.

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

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

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

The Five Major X-Factors:

To read the rest, click here.

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

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

Charles Oakley and Tyrone Hill

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

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

——————-

(more…)

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

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

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

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

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

(more…)

The Celtics' Rajon Rondo drives to the hoop and is shocked to find that the Knicks have a 7-footer playing defense there. Meet Earl Barron. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Two seasons ago the Boston Celtics were the cream of the crop with Kevin Garnett leading their monstrous defense.  Last season they started out strong until KG went down with a knee injury which kept him out of the playoffs.  As a result, they struggled to get past the Chicago Bulls, then were eliminated in just the second round.  This year Garnett is back and ostensibly healthy.  But the mojo is gone.

(more…)

Would legendary Boston coach Red Auerbach be more likely to roll over in his grave from not only Celtic cheerleaders, but ones with kilts, or... (source: Yardbarker.com)

For those who didn’t watch last night’s game you can be forgiven for thinking that a 97-109 loss to the Celts doesn’t sound too, too bad.  That’s ‘cuz you didn’t have to sit through it.  And ‘cuz the Knicks had a useless run in the fourth against the Celtics’ bench-warmers to make the game seem more respectable than it was.  The boys in green didn’t need the luck of the Irish on St. Patty’s Day to maintain a 20+ point against us for most of the game. This iteration of the Celtics over the past few years has made its mark on defense, not offense.  We made ‘em look like the high-octane Phoenix Suns, letting them shoot over 50% from the field.

(more…)

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

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

–The Last Straw

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

(more…)

That disclaimer aside, the Knicks played worlds better against the Celtics (a team that’s one of only like 4 or 5 legit title contenders at this point), plus this good showing was in Boston so they didn’t even have the home crowd behind them.  Well, there was one exception.  New acquisition, Eddie House, got a standing ovation from his former fans.  Likewise, new Celtic, our former L’il Him, Nate Robinson, got tons of applause when he checked into the game to play his first minutes as a Celt (Krypto-Nate had been ill so he hadn’t played in any of Boston’s last few games).

Happily, once again Chris Duhon did not get off the bench (I believe I may’ve seen him wearing a suit, so maybe he wasn’t even on the active list for the game).  Sergio Rodriguez, still a bundle of energy, already has grown to better understand how to run D’Antoni’s offense.  He played 38 minutes, racking up 18 points on a fabulous 7-of-10 shooting, with 3 three-pointers, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block to top it all off nicely.  This is a guy who was a third-string point guard for a team mired in mediocrity (the Sacramento Kings) who couldn’t get off the bench.  He’s always shown flashes of brilliance, but no NBA team has ever let him just go to town.  If he can keep up this level of play, I’m betting the Knicks will try to bring him back for next season (at a reasonable low salary).  This is a win-win situation for both sides.  We’re giving him a chance to prove himself, and in return we might get a great bargain for the future.

If we're gonna assume the Knicks lost from now on, we can also assume David Lee had a great night on offense and the boards. At Boston he racked up 28 points and 15 rebounds. Dang.

House gets a standing ovation from the crowd. Except for the rich people in front. They don't get up for nobody. Damn rich people.

Surprisingly, instead of Toney Douglas coming off the bench, D’Antoni gave new shooting guard Bill Walker some minutes.  I’d always assumed Walker was end-of-the-bench material who was thrown in to make salaries work in the Nate Robinson trade.  Sorta like how we also tossed in Marcus Landry who was our 15th man who rarely got to see the floor.  Now of course there’s the possibility that D’Antoni gave Walker some extra burn ‘cuz we were going up against his old team, but the kid looked good.  Yeah, he accumulated four fouls in just thirteen minutes, but he’s got some serious athleticism and potential.

Is it just me or does this look like one of them Lord Of The Rings shots were they digitally shrunk Eddie House so he'd look like a hobbit next to normal humans?

There was fear Tracy McGrady wouldn’t be able to play last night since we’d played the night before and he’d talked about how he was feeling all these minutes in his surgically repaired knee.  Again, he drove several times which was friggin’ awesome.  He did put up one or two ill-advised outside jumpers.  That, combined with him not getting some foul calls that he should’ve gotten, resulted in a less-than-stellar 3-for-8 shooting night for a mere six points.  Plus he only had enough energy to play 27 minutes.  But as I said, just the fact that he played at all was a great sign.  And while his shooting stank like skunk poo, that court vision was in full effect, allowing him to get eight assists.  Most point guards don’t even get that many assists in a game, so to get that from a shooting guard is a beautiful thang.

Battle Between Two Formerly Exciting All-Stars With Bad Knees Who Are Now Shadows Of What They Once Were. On A Tuesday Night.

Between McGrady, Rodriguez & Eddy House, we got nearly 20 assists, which resulted in us getting a ton of easy baskets against one of the best defensive teams in the league.  How easy, you ask?  We shot a sick 52.5% from the field.  The other thing that kept us in the game?  Our rebounding.  The Celts have taller big men than us in Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, plus much stronger big men in Kendrick Perkins and Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  Not only did we not let them dominate us on the boards, we actually out-boarded them by one!

The last impressive part about the game was that even though we got down by something like 14 points within the first quarter, the team never gave up.  In the fourth quarter we got within one point and were in it until the very end.  With less than 50 seconds remaining, we were down by three.  After several great passes getting the Celts out of position, we got it to Wilson Chandler for an easy lay-up at the basket with no one in front of him.  Then a truly unexpected thing happened.  Ray Allen, never known as a good defender and having lost a bunch of lift in his legs, came and blocked Chandler from behind.  Probably if Chandler had just dunked it instead of flipping it up it would’ve gone in, but there was no way he could’ve anticipated being blocked from behind by Ray friggin’ Allen.  It would’ve been a one-point game with less than a minute to go, giving us a real shot at stealing the game.  ‘Course if we did that, then I could’ve turned to you and said, “Guess what?  We won the lottery today.”

Sergio: "Hey, how come Nate's shooting at our basket?? What, he's not a Knick anymore?"

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…

(more…)

Let me explain.

The Boston Celtics are likely to advance as Stern just will not have a Magic/Cavs ECF matchup because of the ratings, but Celtics/Cavs is going to be heated and physical. Watching the Celtics get through each round is painful because I’m having to watch one of the most unlikeable teams in NBA history (I went there) advance with players like Kevin Garnett making a fool of himself on the bench, Rondo decapitating wiggers, and Paul Pierce being Paul Pierce. Oh, and who could forget Glenn “Big Baby” Davis and his immature antics on a nightly basis, he certainly has filled in well for KG in that sense. So if the Celtics repeat, I’ll be sick to my stomach.

The Cavs winning a championship is the last thing we need to have happen because once LeBron gets that ring that drops his likelyhood to bolt to New York significantly. He wants rings and if he gets one in Cleveland then you can expect he’ll stay unless we can lure another superstar to NY to join him. So a Cavs/Celtics ECF is a huge loss in my mind.

The Magic aren’t even relevant anymore as there is no chance of them winning games 6 and 7. Stan Van Gundy is one of the most annoying coaches in the game and for his horrible play calling they deserve to be eliminated. You live and die by your jumpshot in Orlando, even though you have the best post player in the game today. Van Gundy doesn’t fit with Howard and must be gone at the end of the season.

Then we have the Denver Nuggets, the team I’m pulling for, really emerging this postseason as contenders. Melo has played out of his mind, Billups has been his playoff self, and the post presence has put them over the top. This team is scary when they’re hot and with each win you have to like their chances over the shaky Lakers. But how soon do people forget George Karl is their coach, and I really don’t want to see Karl get a ring. I’ve never thought highly of him as a coach and I don’t believe he has been the reason this team is succeeding, it’s Chauncey Billups and his leadership. Maybe I’d be ok with them getting a ring if Karl gives his to Iverson for bringing in one of the best playoff players ever.

The Lakers finish off my list. Oh how confusing this team really is. With Bynum back in the starting lineup they look rejuvenated, but for how long? This team is too inconsistent to consider them the favorites. This team really hasn’t shined like I expected them too thus far and feel this team hasn’t lived up to their potential. Kobe’s window is closing quickly and he must realize this is do or die time and if he doesn’t get his title this season then he may never get his ring without Shaq.

Well, there you have it. My playoff thoughts all discombobulated into one post.