The Knicks knocked down 11 three-pointers and held New Orleans to only 40 percent shooting- something we haven’t seen from the Knicks’ defense in quite a while.

January 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New Orleans Hornets forward Ryan Anderson (33) passes defended by New York Knicks forward Chris Copeland (14) during the fourth quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It was a big win for the Knicks, who had seen their Atlantic Division lead trimmed to two games by Brooklyn while losing five of their previous seven games.

Here’s a look at how each Knicks player fared in our daily report card.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 43.2% (35-of-81)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 40.2 %( 33-of-82)

Three Point Percentage: 36.7% (11-of-30)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 17.4% (4-of-23)

Free Throw Percentage: 76.0% (19-of-25)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 77.3% (17-of-22)

Assists: 24-14 (Knicks +10)

Rebounds: 47-45 (Hornets +2)

Points in the paint: 42-28 (Hornets +14)

Individual Grades

Jason Kidd (5 points, 2-of-4 shooting, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers)

Kidd started sloppy, but had a real strong second and third quarters at both ends of the floor and got to rest the entire fourth quarters. Eight assists in 23 minutes looks very nice. Grade: B

James White (2 points, 1-of-2 shooting, 2 rebounds)

This could be the last we see of White with Iman Shumpert due back. He started and played only 10 minutes so it is hard to give him a grade, but he played a lot early when the Knicks struggled. Grade: D

Chris Copeland (22 points, 9-of-15 shooting, 4 rebounds)

January 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots over New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) during the first quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Copeland got the start at the 3 so Carmelo Anthony could play the 4 and it worked out nicely and Mike Woodson should do this more often. The rookie make 9-of-15 shot attempts, drained four shots from behind the arc and played decent defense. Eleven of his 22 point came in the first quarter, when the Knicks were struggling as a team. It was an all-around nice effort for Copeland. Grade: A

Carmelo Anthony (27 points, 9-of-25 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block)

‘Melo started very slowly but rebound nicely with a 17-point second-quarter explosion, scoring 14 straight points for the Knicks during a run that led the team to an eight-point halftime lead and gave them momentum. It wasn’t his best performance as he was only 9-of-25 from the floor, but it was a good day overall. Grade: B

Tyson Chandler (5 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks)

Chandler got only three field goal attempts and scored only five points, but did grab 14 boards and block three shots. Even though the Hornets scored 42 points in the paint, Chandler was busy contesting shots and had a good day at the defensive end of the floor, and got to rest the entire fourth quarter. Grade: B+

Amar’e Stoudemire (12 points, 3-of-6 shooting, 3 rebounds)

Stoudemire had potentially his best game since returning to the Knicks’ lineup. STAT finished with 12 points and three rebounds in 23 minutes, hitting 3-of-6 shots from the floor and 6-for-6 from the line. All three of his buckets came on strong post moves in the paint, which is a good sign. Grade: B+

Ronnie Brewer (2 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block)

Typical day for Brewer. He didn’t have much impact in his 14 minutes. Grade: C-

Steve Novak (9 points, 3-of-8 shooting, 1 rebound)

Novak didn’t do much until the fourth quarter when he knocked down all three of his triples, to pretty much put the game away. Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni (8 points, 3-of-4 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds)

Prigioni was very good. He finished with eight points, five dimes and four boards and played some very good defense and forced several turnovers that the Knicks turned into easy baskets. Grade: B+

J.R. Smith (8 points, 3-of-11 shooting, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals)

Smith didn’t shoot the ball well, but had a good game nonetheless. He dished out six assists and was very active at both ends of the floor. Two years ago Smith could not have impacted the game if he wasn’t scoring. That isn’t the case now. Grade: B-

Kurt Thomas: DNP- Coach’s Decision

Rasheed Wallace: DNP- Sore Left foot

Marcus Camby: DNP- Plantar Fasciitis Left Foot

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November 20, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) dunks over New Orleans Hornets power forward Ryan Anderson (33) during the first half of a game at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Anthony finished with a game-high 29 points on the night, but set the tone by scoring 19 of those in the first quarter as the Knicks cruised to a 102-80 victory over the Anthony Davis-less New Orleans Hornets.

The Knicks led 29-17 after the first quarter and had some struggles in the second quarter as the Hornets pulled to within 41-40, but the Knicks closed the quarter strong and took a 53-48 lead into the locker room.

But like they have done all season, the Knicks owned the second half, outscoring New Orleans 49-32 to cruise to victory.

Anthony wasn’t the only one hot though.

Point guard Raymond Felton scored 15 points, on five 3-pointers, which was a part of another good shooting day, as the Knicks hit 14 as a team.

Ten different Knicks’ players scored on the night as J.R. Smith came off the bench to also add 15. Ronnie Brewer also finished in double-figures with 10.

The Knicks actually outrebounded the Hornets 49-36, something they haven’t done very often this season. Tyson Chandler led the team with 12 rebounds, as New York has won two straight since their first loss of the season and are 8-1 for only the third time in franchise history. The other two times, the 1969-70 and 1972-73 seasons, they won championships.

A big part of the success, as it has been all season was the way the team took care of the basketball, only turning it over 10 times on the night. That marked the sixth time already the Knicks have turned it over 10 or less times in a game, which is outstanding considering they accomplished that feat only five times all last season.

Ryan Anderson, starting in place of Davis, who was ruled out shortly before tip-off because tenderness in his left ankle, led the Hornets with 15 points while rookie Austin Rivers added 14.

November 9, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard Ben Gordon (8) is defended by New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis (23) during the second half of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Bobcats 107-99. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Davis has gotten off to a tremendous start to his rookie season, averaging 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, but does he owe some of his early success to Carmelo Anthony, who served as a mentor to Davis during the Olympics in London?

I will say that again. Carmelo Anthony the mentor, just in case it didn’t sound right the first time.

But everything about Anthony has been different this season.

Davis recently told Marc Berman of the New York Post:

“He’s a great player,’’ Davis said. “Hopefully, he can make me better. It’s going to be a challenge. He was helpful [during the Olympics]. He has that faceup game down pat.

“We just joke around. I would just do it and try to imitate him. But he’d actually tell you, ‘This is what you need to do.’ He helped me a lot. He’s a funny guy. He can definitely play the game of basketball. They both really work, and I know [tonight] they’re going to be very aggressive and we have to match their intensity.’’

When Davis refers to them both, he also refers to Knicks’ center Tyson Chandler, who you would expect to take a young big man under his wing.

But not Anthony. At least not until now.

Yet ‘Melo has really been a guy that has changed the way he has approached the game.

Now he and Chandler will get an up close look at probably the early front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award and slowing him down will go a long way towards a Knicks victory.

Not too many rookies come into the NBA already having won a gold medal, getting to spend time with the best this game has to offer.

Davis is much better off for getting the opportunity to do so.

So is Anthony.

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

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April 16, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern at press conference announcing ownership to Tom Benson and the awarding of the 2014 All Star game to the city of New Orleans at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Surprisingly, Stern denied it (we had all been expecting him to fess up to a rigged lottery, after all).

Stern replied, “I have two answers to that. I’ll give you the easy one: no. And a statement: shame on you for asking.” Stern, evidently (somewhat reasonably) offended by the question, continued, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” Rome and Stern debated the topic, with Rome pointing to the large number of people that believe the lottery is fixed, while Stern defended the league, essentially saying they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I think if [the number one pick] had gone to Michael Jordan [and the Charlotte Bobcats]… people would have said, ‘Oh, David’s taking care of his friend Michael’”, Stern argued. “If it had gone to Brooklyn, which is going into Barclay Center, it would’ve been fair to speculate, I suppose, that we want to take Brooklyn off of the mat. So there was no winning.”

Stern makes a point that an argument could always be made that the lottery is fixed no matter who wins. However, this year, the Bobcats were by far the worst team in the NBA, and people were expecting them to receive the number one pick. Instead, when it went to New Orleans, a team that lost its superstar in Chris Paul this year, and had just been bought from the league. The year before, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the worst record in the league, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were awarded the number one pick, the year after they were snubbed by LeBron James.

Of course, there have been other theories that the draft has been fixed, but there also have been other years where the team that won the number one pick wasn’t all that surprisingly.

Stern said the idea is brought up as a cheap trick for media outlets to get an audience, and said Rome has made a living out of it. Rome took offense to the statement, and the interview ended shortly after with an awkward exchange of goodbyes.

Anyone that follows the NBA closely knows that the word conspiracy and the name David Stern pretty much go hand in hand.

Through time we’ve seen the 1985 lottery and the case of the allegedly creased envelope that allowed the New York Knicks to win the draft rights to Patrick Ewing.

Who could forget Michael Jordan going to play baseball and the alleged gambling suspension?

Then there is the always occurring theme of shady refereeing. Tim Donaghy in 2002 during the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings series, or even more recent, any 2012 playoff game involving the Miami Heat.

Which brings us to Wednesday night’s lottery. Could it have been rigged?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has found that many executives around the league are upset that the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets were able to beat the odds and win the draft lottery:

“It’s such a joke that the league made the new owners be at the lottery for the show,” one high-ranking team executive told Yahoo! Sports. “The league still owns the Hornets. Ask their front office if new owners can make a trade right now. They can’t. This is a joke.”

Stern maximized the value for the Hornets when they were up for sale by nixing the original Chris Paul trade with the Lakers, making the Clippers pay a steep price to land the All-Star point guard.

Then he negotiated a $338 million sale of the franchise to New Orleans Saints’ owner Tom Benson and the team had just a 13.7 percent chance of having their pick come up No. 1.  Could there have been a hand shake deal along with the sale of the franchise that the Hornets would have the No. 1 pick in the draft?

It’s really not that crazy of a theory.

Of course it’s something that could never be proven, but given the things that happen in the NBA under Stern’s watch, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if that were the case.

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Anthony Davis waves to the crowd after cutting down a piece of the net after the finals of the 2012 NCAA men

That was the case Wednesday night when the New Orleans Hornets stole the No. 1 overall pick away from the Charlotte bobcats and won the right to draft Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis.

The Hornets moved up from the fourth spot, where they had a 13.7 percent chance, to earn the pick.

You have to feel bad for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats as 2012 has been a season of one loss after another and this was no exception. The Bobcats fall to the No. 2 pick, but they no longer are in position to land the game-changer they need in Davis.

For the Hornets, they have a new owner in Tom Benson and things have started out good in the Benson era as they land a new superstar.

No other team moved up in the draft, but the Hornets weren’t the only winners as Portland and Golden State have the No. 6 and No. 7 picks respectively so each team gets to keep that pick instead of losing it to Brooklyn and Utah.

Complete Draft Order

1. New Orleans Hornets

2. Charlotte Bobcats

3. Washington Wizards

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Sacramento Kings

6. Portland Trail Blazers (via Brooklyn Nets)

7. Golden State Warriors

8. Toronto Raptors

9. Detroit Pistons

10. New Orleans Hornets (via Minnesota Timberwolves)

11. Portland Trail Blazers

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Phoenix Suns

14. Houston Rockets

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. Houston Rockets (via New York Knicks)

17. Dallas Mavericks

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Utah Jazz)

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers)

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Lakers)

25. Memphis Grizzlies

26. Indiana Pacers

27. Miami Heat

28. Oklahoma City Thunder

29. Chicago Bulls

30. Golden State Warriors (via San Antonio Spurs) 

Second Round

31. Charlotte Bobcats

32. Washington Wizards

33. Cleveland Cavaliers

34. Cleveland Cavaliers (via New Orleans Hornets)

35. Golden State Warriors (via Brooklyn Nets)

36. Sacramento Kings

37. Toronto Raptors

38. Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks)

39. Detroit Pistons

40. Portland Trail Blazers (via Houston Rockets)

41. Portland Trail Blazers

42. Milwaukee Bucks

43. Atlanta Hawks (via Phoenix Suns)

44. Detroit Pistons (via Houston Rockets)

45. Philadelphia 76ers

46. Washington Wizards (via Dallas Mavericks)

47. Utah Jazz

48. New York Knicks

49. Orlando Magic

50. Denver Nuggets

51. Boston Celtics

52. Golden State Warriors (via New Jersey Nets)

53. Los Angeles Clippers

54. Philadelphia 76ers (via Memphis Grizzlies) 

55. Dallas Mavericks (via Los Angeles Lakers)

56. Toronto Raptors

57. New Jersey Nets (via Miami Heat)

58. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City Thunder)

59. San Antonio Spurs

60. Los Angeles Lakers (via Chicago Bulls) 

Full Highlights can be found below:

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

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

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

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See how Amar'e received the ball here in a position where he could easily get past his own guy, forcing the little guy to either foul or tickle him in the armpit? Earlier in the year he never got the rock like that. No wonder he wasn't laughing and smiling until now. (Source: AP)

While many of us were thrilled that the Knicks beat the New Orleans Hornets Friday night because they were the first team with a winning record we’d gone up against in a while, stat-heads likely were just as impressed (if not more so) with our commanding 116-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors because of the huge point differential.  In the world of advanced statistical analysis, one surprising revelation has been that a better indicator of team success is not whether you defeat good teams, but rather by how many points you outscore your opponent.

One of the leaders of basketball’s new statistical revolution is ESPN’s John Hollinger.  As of today, he gives the Knicks a phenomenal 87.7% chance of making it to the playoffs.  His worst case scenario, meaning rock bottom awful, is that we only win 29 games this year.  In other words, even if everything goes to hell from here on out, we’d at least still match last season’s total.  What’s the best case?  60 wins.  That seems incredibly unlikely, which all the more makes you realize that it’s equally incredibly unlikely that we only equal our ’09-’10 results.  Meanwhile, Amar’e Stoudemire’s former team, the Phoenix Suns, is listed as having only a 56.5% playoff chance and with a maximum win total of 58 games.  Although in all fairness, that’s because there are so many more good teams in the West that it’s harder to predict with certainty.  It’s not that hard to imagine teams like Portland, Houston, Memphis or Golden State going on a run and getting into the playoff picture.  Yet even the most fertile imagination and most fervent local fan probably has trouble seeing a future where Detroit, Philadelphia or New Jersey can be amongst the top 8 Eastsiders this season.

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We've been waiting for CP3 or a point guard for the future to arrive, but Raymond Felton keeps showing that we may already have one. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Writer Joshua Greenberg had this to say after last night when Raymond Felton led the New York Knicks to victory over Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets:

Raymond Felton has severely outplayed CP3. Whether it was just an off game for the All-Star PG or he had the same stomach bug as David West, he has gotten beat by Ray Ray. Felton played with some serious heart on both ends of the court and seems to have finally figured out how to play for Coach D. The best part about his effort tonight was, indeed, the effort.

There has been a lot of build up about the game in NOLA due to the potential of Paul coming to NY, the past ACC rivalry, and the fact that they were drafted in the same year. Helping his game tonight was the stellar play of Amar’e who forced defenders to sag down in effort to contain him. Felton took advantage, nailing clutch three after clutch three against the Hornets. He also allowed Shawne Williams to fill up the stat sheet by setting him up for open treys. Watching the heady PG go against Paul tonight will silence a lot of critics who thought he just wasn’t the answer for the future or even this season. You gotta love his effort on both ends of the court and his “don’t eff with me” demeanor. For the first time in a long time, the Knicks seem to have leader in the backcourt. Now, if he can consistently figure out how to make that tough pick and roll pass we might be headed for greatness.

…or at least a playoff birth.

See you in Canada.

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

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

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

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Timofey Mozgov (R.) starts at center tomorrow; how will he deal with the pressure? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

On Twitter Chris Sheridan posted that Timofey Mozgov has won the starting center spot.  Sounds like reporter conjecture (which I’m starting to realize Sheridan does a bunch) rather than actual news.  Coach Mike D’Antoni might be leaning that way, but no way has he 100% decided that because he’s concerned about foul trouble.  At the very least, he’ll wait and see how Moz does in his first start on Wednesday against the Celtics (and potentially the-still-extremely-capable-at-getting-opposing-centers-into-foul-trouble Shaq).

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More useless Twitter news?  The NY Post’s Mark Berman twatted:

Eddy Curry is doing shooting drills on his own here at #Knicks practice. Looking OK. Probably back sooner than later.

Reportedly a few words got cut off from the message and it was supposed to read: Probably back [to being a disappointment] sooner than later.

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When discussing coaches on the hot seat, consider Don Nelson's butt on fire. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In the first part, we looked at the coaches in good positions, but today we look at the ones in bad and ugly situations.  We went over those who were Bulletproof, 95% Bulletproof (aka Impervious), Pretty Safe and Fairly Safe.  Note that this is NOT about which coaches are good or bad, simply what the chances are that they get fired during the season.

Maybe Safe… Um, Maybe Not:

Jim O’Brien – Pacers: They’ve been mediocre for several years now and Bird hasn’t fired O’Brien yet.  Although the addition of new exciting young point guard Darren Collison gives hope for the future, there’s no reason to expect this team to be any better this season without a halfway decent power forward, so unless the team’s significantly worse than last year, O’Brien should make it through the season.

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

On Wednesday we discussed what the Eastern Conference Playoff picture looks like, and today we go west, young man.  We’d already previously examined how much teams improved/regressed during the off-season, but now we’re talking about how they stack up against each other.  Meaning, we gave Orlando a zero for their summer and the Wizards a +2, but now we’re here to tell you that yes, of course Orlando is still gonna be far better.  For those who haven’t seen those posts on off-season grades, click the following links to see what we had to say about the Northwest, Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Pacific and Southwest Divisions.  Also, we’re only gonna be talking about the regular season here.  So even though we don’t think the Celts will be a top two team record-wise, it doesn’t mean we think they’re incapable of making it through the gauntlet again.  Lastly, some teams will be put in clusters ‘cuz they’ll likely end up with similar records and what does a victory or two here and there matter amongst friends?

#1 – Lakers

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

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

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

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

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Chris Paul's following his boy LeBron's path: the Hornets have two years to prove they can be contenders or he might bolt (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Chris Paul met with the New Orleans Hornets’ team officials today and apparently did not ask to be traded elsewhere.  Rumors had circled the past several days that Paul wanted out and that he had a list of potential teams.  After the meeting, Paul issued a statement basically pledging loyalty to the Hornets, while new GM Dell Demps said that CP3 never even ended up requesting a trade during the talk.

That said…

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

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

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

Knicks, Mavs, Magic, Trailblazers or Lakers?

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CP3 to STAT?

Chris Paul wants out of New Orleans and New York is one of his 3 preferred destinations.

Rival executives will continue to try to convince the Hornets to make Chris Paul available in trades, pointing to the fact that Williams can simply slide the promising Darren Collison and his modest $1.4 million salary into that spot. When those teams get shot down, look for the Hornets — based on the hints we’ve received from more than one exec — to make Collison available as long as the interested party is willing to take back the cap-clogging contract of Emeka Okafor,James Posey or Peja Stojakovic with Paul’s backup.

Everyone’s talkin’ ’bout Tony Parker as a trade target, how’s about the much cheaper Darren Collison with Okafor thrown in as center?  Particularly since New Orleans wants to cut costs they’d be interested in Eddy Curry, unlike San Antonio.  We’d still be able to sign two max free agents, or one and keep David Lee with money left over.

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

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

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

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

As we discussed after the recent Knicks/Hawks game, JJ has a nice relationship with Coach Mike D’Antoni from their time together in Phoenix, plus the Knicks have somehow managed to look competitive this year in the three games he played against us.  When JJ was on those D’Antoni Suns teams, although he was huge for them, at the time he was considered to be at best their fourth most important player (after Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudamire & Shawn Marion).  Joe rightly felt he could be more, a centerpiece, and he wanted to be paid accordingly.  Having achieved all that with the Hawks, he now has reached the point most vets get to: the main thing he wants now is the chance to play for a championship.  He is even one of the few stars who has literally put his money where his mouth is and has stated he’d be willing to take a bunch less money to be on such a team.

Now don’t misunderstand: he knows he has a very good thing going with the Hawks and that they are a really, really good team.  He’s not gonna just leave them to play on a mid-level Knick team.  So ignore this quote in the NY Daily News:

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

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

–The Last Straw

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

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With a few of them likely to sit out this summer so they don’t injure themselves before they get a new contract (in other words the guys the Knicks would chase after: LeBron, Wade, Bosh, plus A’mare Stoudamire who made the pool too), it does provide some openings.  Not to mention that say a banged up Kobe might need to take the summer off to get his body healthy again.  Of course, included in those free agents-to-be are none other than David Lee, so he himself might have to bow out.  Oh, and another thing in Lee’s favor is that once again the Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni will be one of the assistant coaches on the USA team.  It’s always nice having someone on the inside to help plead your case.

Anyway, the remaining invitees include the Denver Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups, LA Lakers’ Lamar Odom, plus a who’s-who of all the young and upcoming players in the NBA according to ESPN: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (pretty much a lock to make the final roster since he almost made it last time and he’s only gotten better), Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose,

Minnesota‘s Al Jefferson and Kevin Love; Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo of Memphis; Philadelphia‘s Andre Iguodala; Boston‘s Kendrick Perkins; Indiana‘s Danny Granger; New York‘s David Lee; New Jersey center Brook Lopez; Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook; Portland‘s LaMarcus Aldridge; Charlotte‘s Gerald Wallace; and Clippers guard Eric Gordon.

The Americans will choose a group from the roster to take part in their minicamp in Las Vegas in July. They are expected to play an exhibition game in New York before heading to Turkey for the world championships, which they haven’t won since 1994.

As soon as the Gatorade hit Sean Payton, torrents of Saints fans spilled out of every packed-to-the-gills bar and hotel in the French Quarter and CBD and made a beeline for Bourbon. Many of them ran. And as I stood at the corner of Bourbon and Canal and watched the spectacle, I was overcome by just how many people had arrived to take part.

Here’s the thing about the experience in New Orleans last night: It was as much a cultural event as a football event. The locals who flocked into all the bars in the French Quarter and CBD were joined by a crush of expats (Mrs. Professor included) who went to New Orleans—not Miami, but New Orleans—to take part. Every hotel in the city was full this weekend, and almost none of the arrivals were tourists. These were returning locals, clad in “9” jerseys and yelling “Who Dat?” to passing strangers.

When the Saints defied the odds and won, those people turned into a tsunami of humanity seeking out their fellow man. Even the ones who weren’t in the city at first made a beeline afterward—for several hours after the game, cars backed up trying to get into the city and join the fun. The revelry wasn’t short-lived, either. I wasn’t surprised that I was falling asleep to honking horns, screaming and dancing … but it took me aback was when I woke up to fly home and still heard the horns and music.

There’s a story behind the story here, and the Hornets are part of this too: A threatened community clinging to its cultural touchstones. Based on strict demographics, there is no way either the Saints and Hornets should be viable—they represent a poor city that saw 21% of its residents leave and never come back after Hurricane Katrina, one that has the nation’s 46th largest metropolitan area and not a single Fortune 500 company.

Yet both clubs are doing well. Government largesse helps, yes, but I also believe the support for those teams is in part a response to Katrina, one that says something much larger: in a nutshell, that This Thing Can Work. At some level, the idea is out there that if New Orleans can preserve the Saints and Hornets, it can preserve all the other things that make New Orleans such a unique and worthwhile place too.

[...]  All told, it was a truly unique experience—a city celebrating its first championship, yes, but as a backdrop celebrating much more. New Orleans still has a long way to go in its recovery, but one can’t help but think of last night as a symbolic statement that, yes, the Big Easy is very much back.