Prigioni moved his wife and two children, all three of whom had never left Spain, to the U.S. while he played for the Knicks. Rumors are, they may want to return to Europe. Of course, it is just speculation; it’s impossible to know what the Prigionis think about and discuss at home, and how they would manage Pablo’s wishes with his family’s.

Prigioni came to the Knicks on a one-year, veteran minimum contract of $473,000. According to Berman, GM Glen Grunwald wanted Prigioni for two years, but Pablo figured he could increase his salary by proving himself on a one-year deal and then earning more money the next time around. The Knicks could make Prigioni a qualifying offer of $900,000, but ultimately, to re-sign him, they’d need to dip into the mini-mid-level exception of $3 million.

First thought of as a back-up, insurance third-string point guard, Prigioni came to be an essential part of the Knicks’ lineup. His overall per-game stats weren’t anything particularly overwhelming – 3.5 points, 39.6% 3FG, 1.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, .9 steals in 16 minutes per game. However, advanced stats showed Prigioni’s worth to the team. During the regular season, with Prigioni on the floor, the Knicks’ Offensive Rating was 108.8 and their Defensive Rating was 100.9, giving Pablo a Net Rating off 7.9. This would register as the highest of any member of the Knicks besides Kenyon Martin and Earl Barron, both of whom played in a small sample size of the season’s total games. The Knicks’ 13-game win streak in March and April coincided with Prigioni’s first starts. With the point guard starting in the back-court, the Knicks went 16-2 to finish the regular season.

In the playoffs, Prigioni was even better. His overall stats went up: 4.5 points, 43.3% 3FG, 1.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals in 21 minutes per game. Once again, however, his advanced stats told an even greater tale. In the playoffs, with Prigioni on the floor, the Knicks’ Offensive Rating was 109.4, with a Defensive Rating of 93.2. His overall Net Rating of 16.2 was the best on the team by a wide margin. With Prigioni on the bench, the Knicks actually had a negative Net Rating, meaning they were out-played when Pablo was off the court.

It was a strange season for Pablo. His playing time was inconsistent, and as a rookie to the NBA game, at times he seemed lost amongst a fasterpace environment with far more athletic players. Yet, when given time to run the offense (look at the fourth quarter of Game 2 against the Pacers), Prigioni had some shining moments. He isn’t a flashy player, but a point guard with fundamental roots, who will gladly make a pass before take a shot. He wasn’t a lockdown defender, but a guy who could pester a ball-handler just enough to make a bad pass or give up the ball and get out of the way.

If Prigioni goes back to Spain, it’ll leave a deeper hole in the Knicks’ guard rotation than many would assume. With Kidd aging to the point of ineffectiveness, the Knicks would surely need to seek out another point guard to back-up Raymond Felton.

If Prigioni does indeed head back for Spain, if it was indeed his first and only season in the NBA: it was a pleasure, Pablo. I’m so glad I got to watch you play on the Knicks.

But according to his agent, the 35-year old point guard is open to returning to the New York Knicks for another season next year.

May 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) dribbles against the Indiana Pacers during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won the game 105-79. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Prigioni’s agent, George Bass, told Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com on Friday that the Argentine point guard “is interested in returning to the Knicks” for a second season.

“Pablo really enjoyed himself here, and he has interest in playing again next year,” Bass said. “He’s fallen in love with New York, there’s no doubt. The Knicks are just a first-class organization, so it’s been good all the way around.”

Before this season with the Knicks, Prigioni had spent 17 seasons playing professionally in Spain and Argentina.

But while he was a little used piece off of the bench for most of the season, once Prigioni was inserted into the starting lineup, the Knicks took off.

He doesn’t have eye popping numbers, as he has only averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 assists on the season, but Prigioni’s impact goes well beyond the box score. He’s a guy who always looks to get his teammates involved in the game and has shown the ability to be very tenacious defensively. Since he took over as the starter, the Knicks have gone 21-5 (including playoffs). That can’t be ignored.

Last summer, Prigioni signed a one-year veteran’s minimum deal for $473K. This offseason, the Knicks could make him a restricted free agent by giving him a qualifying offer before June 30. That offer for next season would be for $988K (the second-year veteran’s amount of $788K, plus a non-Bird exception of $200,000).

While another team could present Prigioni a higher contract, the Knicks could match any offer being that he will be a restricted free agent.

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Other than the sprained ankle  that point guard Pablo Prigioni suffered on Wednesday night, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson should have a full complement of players at his disposal, as the likes of Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby should all be ready to go.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

One name that won’t though is Amar’e Stoudemire; as the coach has all but ruled the power forward out for the Celtics series.

“I think he’s going to be out,” Woodson told ESPN’s Ian Begley on Thursday. “That’s my gut.”

The veteran power forward underwent surgery March 11 to clean up debris in his right knee. He was on the floor for practice, but Stoudemire hasn’t begun running yet.

The original timetable for Stoudemire after the surgery was four to six weeks, which would put him back on April 22, the day before Game 2. But Stoudemire still appears a long-shot at best.

“I’m doing everything I can to get back out there and be extremely strong and healthy so, hopefully, I’ll be out there soon,” Stoudemire told Begley.

However it may be a blessing to not disrupt what has become great chemistry at the moment as the Knicks have gone 17-6 since he left the lineup.

Even though he won’t be available, it didn’t stop STAT from offering up his thoughts on the Celtics series, predicting a series victory.

“We’re going to win that first round for sure,” he told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling during a screening of his upcoming EPIX documentary, “Amar’e Stoudemire: In The Moment,” which premieres on April 19. “Obviously, as we all know, with the Celtics, you can never underestimate those guys. We’ve got to definitely come to play every game, and bring that focus and determination every single night. I have high confidence in what we can do.”

Prigioni is listed as questionable, but other than that, Woodson should have the deepest bench available to him in quite some time for Game 1, which begins Saturday afternoon.

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Since being inserted into the starting lineup, the Knicks have gone an impressive 16-2 to close out the regular season and claim the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Apr 15, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to providing solid point guard play at both ends of the floor, Prigioni has been one of the few Knicks players that have been relatively healthy all season long.

That is until now.

Prigioni suffered a sprained right ankle at the tail end of the first quarter on Wednesday night against the Hawks. He went down with 51 seconds to go in the quarter, appearing to roll his ankle on a jump-stop near the rim.

He was tended to by the team training staff and walked to the locker room with a noticeable limp.

The team says X-rays came back negative, which is good news, but when Prigioni can return to the lineup is anyone’s guess.

He has a couple days to allow the ankle to rest as the Knicks begin postseason play Saturday afternoon against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said before Wednesday’s night’s game that Prigioni would be in the starting lineup for the playoffs, but after the game said his status is unknown for Saturday.

If Prigioni is forced to miss any playoff games it would be a shame.

He’s been one of the healthiest Knicks players all season long and to lose him in a meaningless regular season game is awful. That’s not to mention the fact that the Knicks are a much better team when he is on the floor.

Hopefully that ankle heals quickly and Prigioni will be on the floor Saturday when the Knicks start their playoff run.

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With that being said, there has been one guy that improves the Knicks in both areas, but until recently didn’t have a major role in Mike Woodson’s rotation and  that’s Pablo Prigioni.

Mar 18, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) dribbles toward the basket during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The veteran Argentine point guard has had his moments early in his first NBA season, but often showed the look of a guy who deserved more minutes from Woodson, especially when you consider the fact that Raymond Felton has turned in inconsistent offensive performances and has struggled defensively with every point guard in the NBA.

The numbers don’t lie. The Knicks have slipped to 29th in the NBA in assists at only 19.4 per game and are among the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to defending opposing point guards, allowing 21.5, a 45.9 shooting percentage and a 37.8 three-point percentage.

Injuries forced Woodson to tinker with his lineup once again and he may have found something that worked by moving Prigioni into the starting lineup.

Since Woodson made the switch, the Knicks have gone 4-0, due large in part that the ball moves more with him on the floor and they have done a better job at not allowing the opposition point guard to score at will. The past four games, with Prigioni in the starting lineup those point guards have combined to average only 9.5 points per game. That is a recipe for winning basketball games.

Prigioni played only 20 minutes in his first two starts, but was effective, then got only 10 minutes of run against the Raptors on Friday. But Woodson finally gave Prigioni 28 minutes on Saturday and the results were great. He dished out six assists and played his usual tenacious defense.

The Knicks need more of that, but Prigioni has to be on the floor enough to make an impact.

Before his recent four starts, Prigioni had averaged only 15 minutes per game, but looking at his per 36 minute numbers, he deserved much more playing time. Prigioni has averaged 7.8 assists and 2.2 steals per 36 minutes and is shooting close to 45 percent from the floor. Those numbers make him the Knicks best assist guy and puts him only behind Jason Kidd in terms of steals.

He hasn’t received enough time because of Felton and Kidd, but maybe it is time that Woodson re-evaluates the depth chart and how he dishes out minutes to his guards.

In addition, the Knicks score more points per possession, and allow fewer per possession when Prigioni is on the floor. The most telling number is defensively where they allow more than five fewer points per possession when Prigioni is on the floor.

Another telling sign is that the Knicks other players see their performance go up when they play with Prigioni.

When Tyson Chandler and Prigioni play together, the Knicks have an outstanding 19.5 net rating in 256 minutes. As for the Knicks top two scorers, both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith have been more effective this season when playing with Prigioni. Even Felton has been great playing with the Argentine, even though it has been only 96 minutes. The offense has been better, but so has Felton’s defense, as 2-guards can’t get around Felton as easily as point guards have all season long.

The bottom line is that Prigioni needs to be on the floor.

He makes the Knicks a better team and the other players on the floor better as well. That’s a good point guard’s job. However to play Prigioni more, it likely means less time for Kidd and Iman Shumpert, but so be it. You have to play the guys getting the job done and that’s Prigioni, not to mention he has outperformed both Kidd and Shumpert this season.

It’s about Woodson attempting to fix the Knicks biggest weaknesses- ball movement and defense.

Playing Prigioni more offers up a quick fix.

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Madison Square Garden was a welcome site for the Knicks, who returned home after a disastrous five-game road trip and the Knicks were glad to be back, outscoring the Magic 26-15 in the first quarter.

Orlando got back into the game in the second quarter and the Knicks took only a five-point lead into the locker room but took control of the game in the third quarter for good, outscoring the Magic 32-19.

The Knicks shot 52.6 percent (40-for-76) from the floor and knocked down 15-of-34 attempts (44.1 percent) of their attempts from behind the arc.

With that being said, here’s a look at how each Knicks player graded out in the win.

Pablo Prigioni (6 points, 2-of-2 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 turnover)

Prigioni got his second consecutive start at the point and it worked as he is one guy that needed to be on the floor more. He knocked down both of his triples, ran the offense smoothly and was very active defensively. More importantly he turned the ball over one time, which was something the Knicks were having a problem with from Raymond Felton. It was a solid 20 minutes of work for Prigioni. Grade: B+

Raymond Felton (7 points, 3-of-8 shooting, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal)

Mar 20, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to drive to the net during the first quarter Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Felton slid over to the 2 again and although he scored only seven points and didn’t shoot the ball well, was pretty solid Wednesday night. He dished four assists and didn’t turn the ball over, finishing up with a plus-21 rating. Even though he had some problems defensively again, especially guarding Beno Udrih in the second quarter, it wasn’t the usual awful defensive performance from Felton. Grade: B-

Iman Shumpert (7 points, 2-of-4 shooting, 3 assists)

Shumpert had a good first half, scoring seven points and dishing three assists. But he tweaked his surgically-repaired left knee on the first half’s final play and told that he felt a “pop” in his knee, and the last time he felt that, he missed eight months. It wouldn’t be a normal day around this team without another injury and I would expect the Knicks medical staff to be very cautious with Shump in the upcoming days. Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony (21 points, 7-of-14 shooting, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block)

The three game break looked like it did ‘Melo some good as he looked fresher and energized, scoring 14 points through two quarters on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting. Anthony finished with a solid line in 33 minutes and even though the Magic don’t have a great frontcourt, it was good to see as the Knicks absolutely need Anthony at 100 percent. Grade: A

Kenyon Martin (11 points, 5-of-6 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 steal)

With Chandler out of the lineup, Martin brought physicality and energy to the Knicks lineup and delivered a Chandler-like offensive performance, scoring 11 points on a very efficient 5-of-6 shooting performance. Nikola Vucevic sat the game out with the flu so that helped but it was a solid performance, although K-Mart grabbed only three rebounds and got into foul trouble again. The Magic did score 50 points in the paint which was a bit concerning. Grade: B

Chris Copeland (9 points, 4-of-10 shooting, 3 rebounds)

Copeland was back to the bench after starting against Utah on Monday, mostly because he is a defensive liability. He did score nine points in 20 minutes, but also fouled out in that short span. Overall the entire bench did not have a good night, excluding J.R. Smith, as the other five bench guys all had minus ratings, including the minus-five from Cope. Grade: C

Steve Novak (11 points, 4-of-8 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 steal) 

Novak looked comfortable with his shot, which if that continues will be big for the Knicks down the stretch. He knocked down three shots from behind the arc and grabbed three rebounds in 26 minutes. Grade: B

Marcus Camby (0 points, 0-of-1 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 assist)

It’s a mystery why Camby doesn’t get more time. The Knicks allowed 50 points in the paint to a small Magic team and you would think Camby could be a factor. But that can’t happen with him playing only seven minutes (all in the first half). You don’t want Camby playing the 4 with Anthony on the floor, but with Chandler out of the lineup and Martin in foul trouble, you would think Camby would be useful. Apparently that is not the case. Grade: D

Mar 20, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) drives past Orlando Magic small forward Hedo Turkoglu (15) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Kidd (5 points, 2-of-3 shooting, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals)

It was a typical game from Kidd with five points, five dimes and three steals as he was very effective off the bench in 23 minutes. But he was outstanding defensively for the most part. The future Hall of Famer got his hands on a lot of passes and looked very active on the floor. Grade: B+

James White (7 points, 3-of-4 shooting, 1 steal)

White got off the bench for a change lately and scored seven points in only six minutes. He got behind the Magic defense for a layup and threw down a dunk on a breakaway. I will take that production from White in limited minutes. Grade: C+

J.R. Smith (22 points, 8-of-16 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block)

Finally Smith stopped forcing up perimeter jumpers and it showed in his results. He took the ball to the basket often against a small Magic lineup. The drives to the basket opened up some opportunities to knock down open jumpers. At the end of the night, Smith led all scorers with 22 points on an 8-of-16 shooting performance. He also pulled down seven boards and dished two assists. Grade: A

Tyson Chandler (DNP- Neck)

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However while the turnovers have been increasing at an alarming rate, there is another issue just as alarming, one that could prove costly in a seven-game series- defending the oppositions point guards.

When the season began, the first word out of every single player and coaches mouths was defense. Well that hasn’t exactly been the case even though the Knicks are ninth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 96.0 points per game. However a better telling sign would be the fact that the Knicks are only 15th in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing 103.0 points per 100 possessions.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey (3) moves the ball on New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) in the fourth quarter at The Palace. New York won 87-77. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

That’s not good and a big reason for that has to be the Knicks point guards.

The ability to defend the perimeter has certainly been an issue this season for the Knicks, but an even bigger problem has been the Knicks point guards inability to contain opposing point guards.

In Wednesday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons, Jose Calderon became just the latest in a long string of opposing point guards to torch the Knicks with a 10 point, 16 assist effort.

It has become the Knicks biggest problem defensively.

Just look at what opposing point guards have done to the Knicks this season:

PPG- 22.1 points per game (29th in NBA)

APG- 7.8 assists per game (fourth)

RPG-  4.9 rebounds per game (22nd)

FG%- 46.9 percent  from the floor (last)

3-PT%- 39.5 percent from behind the arc (29th)

PER- 22.8 (2nd)

That alone illustrates that opposing point guards are feasting on the Knicks. The only good sign there is that they are only dishing out 7.8 assists per game, but that number is low because they are scoring at will. as much as Raymond Felton means to the Knicks offense, he is not defending well to say the least. It’s not just him though as you have to throw Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni in there when they spell Felton.

Prigioni does defend rather well most of the time, so I would hate to see how much worse the numbers would be without the 14.4 minutes that Prigioni plays per night.

Things have even been worse as of late.

In the last five games, in which they faced the likes of Calderon, Kyrie Irving, Mario Chalmers, John Wall and  Stephen Curry, the Knicks are hands down the worst in the NBA.

Jan 11, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Nate Robinson (2) drives past New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Those five point guards (and their backups) have combined to average 28.4 PPG (last), while shooting a ridiculous 52 percent (last) from the floor and  an even worse 54.8 percent (last) from behind the arc.

Of course that stretch included Curry’s super human performance at the Garden, but it is still a problem nonetheless.

Let’s take it back to the past 10 games.

Add in the likes of  Jrue Holiday, Kyle Lowry (twice), Chris Paul and George Hill and during the past 10 games and the Knicks have allowed 26.6 points per game (next to last) from the point guard position, while allowing them to shoot a combined 52.7 percent (last) from the floor and 52.3 percent (last) from behind the arc.

If that isn’t a major problem, then I don’t know what is.

The bottom line is that it is something that needs addressed and must be fixed before the playoffs begin.

If  the playoffs started today, the list of opposing point guards would read: Brandon Jennings, Avery Bradley, Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, Deron Williams, Hill and Chalmers.

Most of those guys on that list can do some major damage throughout the course of a playoff series.

If the Knicks can’t figure out how to defend the guy with the ball in his hands, it will be hard to envision them making a lengthy postseason run.

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Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) is congratulated by teammates against the Boston Celtics during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the Knicks will not just be spending their off days sitting on couches, resting their legs. Part of their time off this week will be spent traveling to London where the Knicks will take part in an NBA showcase, playing the Detroit Pistons. There’s no official word on the Knicks’ travel plans, but they will probably leave for London on Tuesday, practice and prepare on Wednesday, play Thursday, and then perhaps leave England for the U.S on Friday (this itinerary is a complete guess).

However, after they’re done with their London experience, the fact still remains that the Knicks will play just two games from Friday, January 18 to Friday, January 25. Any NBA team would welcome as many days off between games with open arms, but for an older team like the Knicks, it is a mid-season blessing.

The three days off until the Knicks play the Pistons in London can be used to rest various injuries and welcome new members to the rotation. Amar’e Stoudemire – who just received an increase in his minutes cap – can give his knee more time to get back to normal while also practicing with the team; Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni can rest their weary legs from undeniable exhaustion; Carmelo Anthony can now eat a cheeseburger and perhaps help out his own aching limps.

An important development in all of this is Iman Shumpert’s potential return to the court. Shumpert will travel to London with the team, practice, and possibly play in Thursday’s game. Shumpert will not only get a chance to jell with his teammates, but his return to the court will be a welcome sight. Shumpert can boost a backcourt that has been struggling of late, while also providing a boost of defensive intensity on the perimeter that has been lacking. While he’s not a complete point guard, and the offense will likely struggle if he has full control of the reins, Shumpert can still provide some minutes of rest for Kidd and Prigioni who have had to play heavy minutes in Raymond Felton’s stead.

Following Thursday’s game, the Knicks will have another three days off before they play the Nets on Monday, and then another three days off before taking on the Celtics on Thursday. The six days will be enough for the Knicks to at least fit in two practices, and more importantly, getting players healthy. Rasheed Wallace is also supposed to start working out in the next week, so the time off can allow him practice and rehab time to hopefully return to the court soon.

For a team that’s been struggling, the light two weeks ahead could be greatly beneficial for the Knicks to regain their composure.

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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A big reason for the current struggles is that the point guard play has not been as good as it was early in the season.

Jan 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) drives around Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson (21) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Portland won 105-100. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

It started with the recent skid of starter Raymond Felton, whose shooting was affected by not only bruises to both hands, but a fractured pinkie finger as well.

The injuries have forced Felton to the sidelines for 4-6 weeks and the Knicks have felt his loss in a big way.

Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni have taken over and to less-than-spectacular results.

Kidd was spectacular in the win against the Phoenix Suns, but the point guard play has been a big reason for the Knicks last two defeats against the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.

Felton was averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 assists before being shelved. That was a big part of the Knicks success and production that needs replaced.

Against the Kings, Kidd scored 16 points and dished out seven assists. Right on par with what Felton was doing, but he turned the ball over five times and made only 4-of-11 attempts from behind the arc. Prigioni didn’t score but dished out nine assists. However the duo combined to turn the ball over seven times and that can’t happen.

However they got worse against the Blazers as the duo combined to make only 1-of-8 attempts from the floor and combined for only six assists.

They simply have to produce more during this stretch without Felton.

Kidd is a stat sheet stuffer and that will be needed the next few weeks.

But Mike Woodson must be quicker to get him off athletic point guards if Kidd can’t guard them.

He brings all the intangibles in the world, but has struggled the past two games guarding more athletic point guards in Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas and Portland’s Damian Lillard.

Defensively there is a concern but Prigioni is a more than capable defender, so he may see increased minutes in the upcoming weeks.

But beginning Thursday, Kidd must find his jump shot again, because it hasn’t been there the past two games.

What we’ve learned is that Felton is more important to the Knicks than probably anyone believed.

But the Knicks are in capable hands with Kidd and Prigioni.

They just have to start playing at a higher level.

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Though fans and analysts alike have bemoaned Felton’s recent struggles (he’s had bone bruises on both hands that were affecting his shooting and passing), there’s no doubt that Felton is the best choice as a starter among the Knicks’ collection of point guards. Felton is younger, quicker, more capable of scoring, and at least competently skilled in passing compared to Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni. However, with Felton now sidelined for the next few weeks, it’s understandable to be concerned if the Knicks can get by without their starting point guard.

Last night Jason Kidd got the start for Felton in Phoenix and had a terrific game, showing shades of his former dominance in his younger days with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists. However, with Kidd, at 39-years old, already logging so many minutes prior to Felton’s injury, can he handle an even bigger role as the starting point guard?

The same thing goes for Pablo Prigioni. While Prigioni is younger (35) and more rested than Kidd – just 13 minutes per game to Kidd’s 30 – this is Prigioni’s first season in the NBA. Though he’s an experienced point guard from a famed career in Spain, to suddenly give Prigioni the reins of the offense as the starting point guard may be like baptism by fire.

There are arguments for both, however. While Kidd has logged tons of miles and minutes in his career, he hasn’t shown any sign of fatigue yet this season, and his presence on the court has continually led to good things for the Knicks. Whether it’s making three-pointers, driving and kicking, making the extra pass, getting a steal or deflection, drawing a foul – the plays Kidd makes almost always benefit the Knicks.

For Prigioni, the case could be made that because he is younger, quicker, and better rested, and with the return of Amar’e Stoudemire possibly just days away, the Argentine rookie could thrive with more minutes and a devastating pick-and-roll partner. Likewise, giving Prigioni more minutes instead of increasing Kidd’s could help preserve Kidd for later on in the season when he presumably will go back to being the number two option next to Felton.

Without Felton, though, there are two immediate concerns: scoring from the point guard position, and defending opposing point guards. Though Felton hasn’t done either particularly efficiently this season (he’s shooting 39% from the field and has a defensive rating of 109), he still is simply more capable of carrying the offensive load and matching up with quicker point guards than either Kidd or Prigioni. For instance, Felton averages 16 points per game, which is double what Kidd averages and even more than Prigioni. Kidd has shown some offensive prowess this season, but it’s unlikely he could score at the same clip. Similarly, are we to imagine Kidd or Prigioni chasing the likes of Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, etc. better than Felton would?

A potential boost of help could come in the form of Iman Shumpert in future weeks. Shumpert, while more of a combo guard than pure point guard, is a better option of running the point for periods of time than J.R. Smith or Carmelo Anthony, and would help scale back on Kidd and Prigioni’s minutes. Shumpert was recently cleared for physical contact, and appears to be on target for a January return. Shumpert would also give the Knicks a defensive lift, negating the worries of having Kidd or Prigioni defend the NBA’s elite at point guard.

The Knicks could also go the way of free agency where a number of cheap, backup point guard options exist. However, this would require cutting one of the players on the already-maxed out Knicks’ roster. It would seem that James White would be the most likely candidate to be cut to make room for a free agent, but with Carmelo Anthony in and out of the lineup, and Ronnie Brewer struggling, White’s been needed as of late to fill up minutes as a defensive help on the wing. It’s been suggested that the Knicks could pursue some help, but at this point it still seems unlikely.

In recent weeks, we’ll see how the Knicks fare without their starting point guard, relying on two aged veterans with savvy point guard skills. Contributions from other players like the Knicks received last night, will no doubt go a long way in helping mend the absence of Felton from the Knicks’ offense.

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Nov 28, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni (9) drives for the basket around Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings (3) during the second quarter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The man to do exactly that is Pablo Prigioni.

Prigioni started to receive more minutes with Kidd on the shelf and turned in his best performance in a New York Knicks’ jersey Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Prigioni scored 11 points with seven assists in 28 minutes off the bench.

But while it’s nice to have Kidd in the lineup, Prigioni may be the next best thing for head coach Mike Woodson.

Although he is a rookie, Prigioni at 35 isn’t that much younger that the future Hall of Famer and even though he is an NBA rookie, Prigioni isn’t short on experience.

Similar to Kidd, Prigioni is a team first guy. Winning is the only thing that matters.

Prigioni is unselfish and playing with confidence. Similar to Kidd, he’s a playmaker, but someone the defense has to pay attention to as he can knock down the perimeter shot as well.

His success against Milwaukee shouldn’t come as a surprise. Prigioni certainly has looked the part early on. He’s been an asset defensively and he certainly proved that he’s capable of being a quality backup point guard on this team.

Sometimes all you need to do is give a guy an opportunity, which could be the case with Prigioni, who before the Milwaukee game had only been averaging 14 minutes per game and even received a DNP this season. But given the opportunity, Prigioni is experienced enough to take advantage of it.

Against the 1-12 Wizards, with Kidd likely out of the lineup, Prigioni will likely be given the opportunity once again.

He has the confidence of his coach and now the Knicks have just another weapon at Woodson’s disposal, which is scary.

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Nov 28, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives for the basket around Milwaukee Bucks forward Ekpe Udoh (13) during the second quarter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

In a new feature here at Buckets Over Broadway, we will grade each player’s performance after every game.

So let’s get right into it with the Knicks’ report card following their 10th win of the season.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage- 47.9 (35-of-73)

Opponents Field Goal Percentage- 45.8 (33-of-72)

Three-point Percentage- 52.4 (11-of-21)

Opponents Three-point Percentage- 38.5 (5-of-13)

Free-throw Percentage- 84.0 (21-of-25)

Opponents Free-throw Percentage- 81.0 (17-of-21)

Rebounds- 38-36 (Knicks +2)

Points in the paint- 30-32 (Knicks -2)

Individual Grades

Raymond Felton (12 points; 5-of-10 shooting; seven assists, three rebounds, four turnovers): Felton rebounded nicely from Monday’s horrible shooting performance. He seemed more comfortable without having Jason Kidd next to him and didn’t force things as much. He had seven dimes and played a part in Brandon Jennings not having an impact on the game in the second half. Grade: B+

Ronnie Brewer (two points, 1-of-5 shooting, two rebounds, one assist, one steal): Most of Brewer’s impact isn’t seen on the stat sheet and that was the case against the Bucks. Monta Ellis and Jennings combined to score five second half points. Ellis finished with only 17 points. Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony (29 points, 9-of-18 shooting, eight rebounds, one steal, one block) Anthony set the tone early with another good first quarter. Scoring 29 isn’t a big deal, but scoring 29 efficiently is. ‘Melo did that on only 18 shots, got to the charity stripe and made his free-throws. The Knicks aren’t effective when he puts those numbers up on 28 attempts, but when he does it on 18 they are tough to beat. Grade: A

Nov 28, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) loses the ball on the way to the basket during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Kurt Thomas  (no points, 0-for-1 shooting, one rebound): It makes very little sense for Mike Woodson to start Thomas and play him four minutes, especially when Marcus Camby gets no run. Thomas had no impact at all, nor played enough to do so. Grade: D

Tyson Chandler (17 points, 4-of-4 shooting, eight rebounds): It was the second big game for Chandler in a row. He made his shots from the floor and got to the line, making 9-of-10 free-throws. The Knicks are a better team when he is involved. Grade: B+

Pablo Prigioni (11 points, 4-of-5 shooting, seven assists, three rebounds, four turnovers): If there was any doubt that Prigioni could handle major minutes playing the point, he answered them. Prigioni played 28 minutes and the Knicks didn’t miss a beat when he was on the floor. Grade: A-

Steve Novak (19 points, 7-of-10 shooting, four rebounds, two steals): Novak played a career-high 40 minutes and contributed. He knocked down five shots from behind the arc and wasn’t exposed too much defensively. He’s another guy that must stay involved in the offense on a nightly basis. Grade: A

Chris Copeland (five points, 2-of-5 shooting): Copeland played 11 minutes, mostly with the game out of hand, but got some first-half run, which was surprising. Grade: C

Rasheed Wallace (five points, 2-of-10 shooting, five rebounds): ‘Sheed couldn’t find his shooting touch, but grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time. Grade: C

J.R. Smith (two points, 1-of-5 shooting, two rebounds, one steal): Smith continues to take awful shots from the floor and take the Knicks out of their offense. He only played 18 minutes because of foul trouble and had little impact on the game. Grade: D

James White (one rebound): White played four minutes of mop up time. Grade: Incomplete

Marcus Camby (DNP, Coach’s Decision): Camby must be in Woodson’s dog house. There isn’t much other explanation of why he rarely plays.

Jason Kidd (DNP, Back Spasms): Luckily Kidd wasn’t missed as much inn this one as he was in Brooklyn.

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Nov 28, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives for the basket around Milwaukee Bucks forward Ekpe Udoh (13) during the second quarter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

It had the feeling early that the Bucks could catch the Knicks on an off night.

Going against one of the best pure scoring backcourts in basketball, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings controlled the tempo early. Jennings has been a Knicks killer in his career, averaging over 20 points per game against New York, his highest against any Eastern Conference opponent. However the Knicks settled in, got into a groove and both ends of the floor, and ran away with the game.

Ellis and Jennings had 15 points each in the first half but only scored a combined five points in the second. Anthony of course deserves all the credit but tonight the role players stepped up.

Without Jason Kidd, out for a second straight game with back spasms, 35 year-old rookie Pablo Prigioni slipped right into Kidd’s role. Prigioni scored an efficient 11 points, going 4-5 form the field, and added seven assists. Steve Novak had another huge game off the bench playing in his hometown and in front of his family with 19 points going 5-for-7 from three, playing a career high 40 minutes.

The Knicks need wins like these to be taken as a serious contender. They have to bulk up their wins and beat up on the teams they are supposed to beat up on. Milwaukee has been playing pretty good basketball, but they aren’t on New York’s level.

Mike Woodson played the hot players tonight and it paid off, but it was pretty interesting to not see Marcus Camby in a game that the Knicks had a double-digit lead in the entire second half.  Woodson will have to make some interesting moves when Iman Shumpert and Amar’e Stoudemire come back. Who will see their minutes cut down? Knicks’ fans don’t have to worry about that right now but I’m sure it’s in the back of everybody’s mind.

Great win for the Knicks on the road.

I’m talking of course about Jeremy Lin.

Mar 31, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (17) holds a press conference to announce that he will be out for the remainder of the season with a partially torn meniscus before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

The Harvard graduate dribbled his way from basketball obscurity into an unlikely starting position against the Brooklyn Nets. That night will now be forever known as the birth of “Linsanity.” Lin’s meteoric rise helped the Knicks get back into the playoff hunt.

But now that the Knicks have decline to match Lin’s contract extension this summer, he took his talents and hype to Houston–of course not before fueling a small stimulus package in merchandise sales.

Although the New York brass greatly appreciate Lin’s service at the Garden, they now feel more secure with their offseason acquisitions to replace Lin. Between Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, and Pablo Prigioni the Knicks have everything they need in a floor general to run Mike Woodson’s offense.

The one important thing that the Knicks’ point guard trio now have  compared to the Lin era is experience. A characteristic that Tyson Chandler commented on:

“Jeremy was a young point guard who was inexperienced, who brought a great light to the organization. But as far as being able to run the offense and putting players in the right position he just wasn’t there. We got some veteran point guards that are capable of doing that.”

Indeed the Knicks now have a more experience and stabilized point guard rotation, Lin was a victim of circumstance. The Knicks were struggling offensively with both their All-Stars not meshing well together. Lin provided instant offense and the Knicks were wise to ride his hot streak.

But with the Knick’s current point guard trio they have guys who have experience running a basketball team and can adjust to Mike Woodson’s offense. Lin was still coming into his own on making the right pass under Mike Woodson something Kidd, Felton, and Prigioni will not have trouble with.

October 11, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard A.J. Price (12) dribbles the ball as New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) defends in the second half at Verizon Center. The Knicks won 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Although Lin’s unorthodox offense will surely be missed, the the Knicks point guard trio will more than make up his production. Felton’s last tenure as a Knick saw him average 17.1 points and dish out 9 dimes through 54 games. Jason Kidd for his career has averaged 13 points and 9 assists. Prigioni does not have NBA experience yet but during his Euro league stint showed he was capable of running an offense efficiently. Defensively, Felton is stronger and peskier than Lin with his on the ball cover. Kidd and Prigioni because of their age will use their craft to defend their man better than Lin has done.

New York Knick fans should be pleased and excited for the point guard replacements moving forward from the “Linsanity Era.” Lin was a great short term fix for the Knicks when they needed a prayer but now that they have a more stable team across the board, they need more experienced floor generals to get this team over the hump from playoff contenders to title contenders.

The Knicks are currently shallow at shooting guard, with Iman Shumpert recovering from a torn ACL and Ronnie Brewer recovering from surgery on his meniscus. J.R. Smith will see a lot of time, but Smith has never been an effective player when he’s forced to play 35 or more minutes per game. James White, a former NBA player who’s returning from Italy to play for the Knicks on a one-year contract may be an option, but he’s still unproven.

Mike Woodson has suggested that Jason Kidd might play some two-guard for his size and shooting ability, which would leave Felton or Prigioni to play the point guard. With Felton already likely to log fairly heavy minutes, this may open the door for Prigioni to carve out a role with the Knicks. And given his style, it would certainly make sense to give him minutes.

Whether it’s Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Steve Novak, or J.R. Smith, the Knicks are loaded with guys who like to score and finish a play. It could be dunking the ball, it could be shooting it – these players like to score. Prigioni is a classic point guard, a set-up man, according to the man himself:

“I’m not the type of player who wants to score all the time. I prefer that the team play good. I feel good when the team play good and teammates like to play with me because I get them the ball and I think about how they got to score.”

Prigioni was voted the best point guard in the Spanish ACB League, and also has experience running the Argentine national team where he’s played against NBA competition in the Olympics. While the NBA is a different game and Prigioni is still yet to play real NBA minutes, he still could play a valuable role for the Knicks this season.

Prigioni is the second lowest rated Knicks’ player, coming in at No. 437 out of 500, but he’s a guy that could ultimately play a lot better than that ranking would suggest.

At 35 years of age, Prigioni will become the oldest NBA rookie ever this season with the Knicks, but he’s certainly not a rookie experience-wise and he will have value to head coach Mike Woodson as the team’s third point guard.

Prigioni comes to the Knicks with a very nice resume as a creative, pass-first point guard. Prigioni led the Euroleague in assists during the 2005-06 season. He was voted the best point guard of the Spanish ACB League in 2006, 2007, and 2009. He is a very good passer and also a very good defender and he led the Spanish League in steals during the 2002-03 season.

He has been selected to the Spanish ACB League All-Star Game, the All-Spanish ACB League Team and the All-Spanish ACB League Defensive Team. He has also been selected to the All-Euroleague Second Team two times during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

While the Knicks struggled at the point guard position a year ago, being able to bring a savvy veteran off the bench is great for the Knicks.

Judging by his play for Argentina in the Olympics, Prigioni is a guy who will take care of the ball, get the ball to his scorers in good position and play solid defense. He’s also a guy who can knock down a jumper or two along the way.

You can never have too many playmakers throughout the course of a season and although he won’t play major minutes, Prigioni should turn into a guy that Knicks’ fans will really like.

The No. 437 ranking seems a bit low for a guy with the resume of a Prigioni, but being that he’s never played a second in the NBA, it’s understandable. However, he’s a guy who if given the opportunity, should produce at a little higher level than that ranking would indicate.

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Right away you might not think a third string point guard would have much of an impact on a team, but as you’ve seen in the past this has been proven wrong.  Jeremy Lin was a third string point guard behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby and look what he created – Linsanity.  I’m not saying that Pablo Prigioni will bring Prigionity, but he can definitely be an asset on this team.

Probably the most experienced rookie in the NBA after playing years of international ball, the 35 year old brings to the table his veteran leadership skills (you can never get enough of that) and his unselfish point guard skills. This was a perfect addition for the Knicks squad as was Jason Kidd since they have a ton of scorers and just needed players to control the floor.  He’s a type of player that will play smart, find the hot shooter, help space out the floor, and try to fix the often-staggered offense.

I could see Prigioni getting his minutes in two different situations.  The first is when head coach Mike Woodson decides to pair up Kidd and Felton together in the backcourt and Prigioni would be used to play the backup minutes.  The other situation would be when Felton is looking sloppy out there, throwing the ball away, and taking bad shots (this did happen often on the Trail Blazers last season) and then Kidd comes in, and at age 39 where he’s hobbling up and down the floor, can’t cover a speedy player like like Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose – Prigioni would then come into the game and help at the point for a bit.  I know Prigioni is not much younger than Kidd, but after playing in Argentina and in Europe, he has adapted to the physical play and can handle the extra pressure.

You can tell by Prigioni’s attitude that he really wants to help out the Knicks team.  In an article by Marc Berman of the New York Post, Prigioni says he “really feel I can help the team — 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, doesn’t matter.”

Manu Ginobili, Prigioni’s Argentine teammate  has weighed in and mentioned :

“He’s been one of the best point guards in Europe for many years… I have complete confidence in him. He’s a great player, great character. Not shy of taking a tough position and making a big shot.’’

Hopefully we will see this type of play when Prigioni comes to the Big Apple this year.

It’s not like Argentina has a bunch of nobody’s on their team like Nigeria and Tunisia (is that really a country?) did. This team is loaded with NBA talent and can seriously ball. With scoring machine Manu Ginobili as their star, he showed he could take over any game at any time throughout his NBA and international career. Along with Manu, Argentina sends out double threat Luis Scola, sharp shooter Carlos Delfino, Andres Nocioni, and Knicks prospect Pablo Prigioni. I mean these aren’t the superstar names that don the USA jerseys, but they can hang with the big dogs.

Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are two of the best and hottest scorers in the world right now. I don’t see anyone stopping them for a full game. Coach K will have to be creative on how he plays LeBron, Melo, and Kevin Durant. Scola is leading all scorers with 22.5 a game and is your typical European big man: finesse post game, can hit that outside shot when you give him space, draws fouls, and is a passing wizard. Scola’s presence will force Tyson Chandler outside the paint, where Manu will thrive with his cutting and slashing abilities.

Prigioni is a nice point guard, but he has been hurt with kidney stones the last 2 games (ouch), and he is no Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Russell Westbrook. These three should pressure Pablo and any other ball handler hard and force them into turnovers. USA should play their brand of basketball: run and gun. Don’t let Argentina play you in a half court game that is what they want you to do. They are sharp shooters and play excellent in a half court set. CP3, LeBron, Kobe, and Durant should have a track meet session on the court and run Argentina out of the gym.

USA couldn’t do anything wrong vs. Nigeria, but had a bump in the road against Lithuania. I expect Argentina to hang in there for a while; they are the 3rd ranked team in the world, but not for long. USA has to play a full game hard for all 4 quarters and tire down Argentina, especially when they have their 2nd unit in. When Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony are running your 2nd unit, that shouldn’t be a problem. USA should win this one without the scare this time.

Prediction: USA 93 Argentina 78.

The 35-year old veteran was forced out of the Argentina lineup thanks to kidney stones, in what could be a big game for Argentina. After an opening win vs. Lithuania, Argentina followed things up with a loss to the Tony Parker-led French team.

Early on in the Olympics, Prigioni showed the ability to be a pass first and very unselfish point guard, something Knicks fans haven’t seen in a long time. Now suddenly with both Jason Kidd and Prigioni to likely back up Raymond Felton, the Knicks haven’t just added a wealth of experience, but two guys that play a traditional pass first-type of point guard.

In comparing his game to what Knicks fans saw in Jeremy Lin, Prigioni’s game is night-and-day from Lin as he recently told Marc Berman of the New York Post.

“Jeremy is more a scorer. He likes to shoot more. I saw him play 10 games. I’m not this kind of player. I like the team to play good, pass the ball, find open shots. I like to play smart — if someone’s hot, pass the ball to him.’’

So far in the Olympics, Prigioni has shown the ability to quarterback an offense. In two games so far he has scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out 14 assists and recorded five steals on the defensive end.

He was much better against Lithuania as he showed the ability to knock down the open three and only turned the ball over once. against the much more talented French team, Prigioni didn’t make either of his two attempts from behind the arc and turned the ball over four times. However overall, you have to be impressed with the command he has of the Argentina offense and what he will bring to the Knicks lineup in 2013.

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Aug 24, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Argentina guard Pablo Prigioni (8) passes around Lithuania guard Sarunas Jasikevicius (13) during the mens basketball bronze medal game at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

That comes in the form of Argentina point guard Pablo Prigioni.

Prigioni signed with the Knicks and at 35 will be the oldest rookie in NBA history, but simply by judging him off one Olympic performance, Prigioni has the looks of a guy who will be able to help the Knicks during the 2012-13 season.

Playing in a veteran lineup that also features NBA players in Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino and Andres Nocioni, Prigioni was able to show what type of playmaking skills he has in Agentina’s 102-79 victory over Lithuania to open up the 2012 London Games for both countries.

Prigioni showed the ability to be a nice steady point guard for Argentina, which is something we heard about him as he signed with the Knicks.

He scored only nine points on the night, but I liked the fact that he was able to knock down the open three with consistency as Prigioni hit 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc.

Otherwise he did exactly what you want a veteran guard to do, taking care of the ball and putting teammates in positions to have success. Prigioni finished with six assists and only one turnover. That alone would be a blessing to Knicks fans.

He also seemed pretty solid on the defensive end of the floor. Prigioni always seemed to be in the proper position and recorded a pair of steals in the Argentina win.

I highly suggest, if you get the opportunity to check out Argentina’s next game, which will be Tuesday at 3.p.m EST against France. We will get a much better look at Prigioni as he will be matched up against the San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker.

One game is a small sample size, but I came away impressed with Prigioni and feel he can help the 2013 Knicks a great deal coming off the bench.

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Well, there is one clear way to move past all the uncertainty, and that’s by forecasting. At this point in time, I think Knicks fans are split down the middle on the Jeremy Lin situation. Some are willing to move forward without the dynamic point guard, while others still believe matching the offer is the best course of action for the team. Me? Personally, I understand both sides of the story. I’m totally going to remain on the fence. You can convince me to choose a side, but until you do, I’ll let the pundits do what they do best, which is letting their opinions be known

For me, I’m more obsessed with trying to figure out how Mike Woodson is going to play the pieces he does have. Just what will his rotation look like moving forward in 2012-13?

Keep in mind, Iman Shumpert is likely to miss the beginning of the season after having knee surgery during the 2012 Playoffs. So, for the sake of this article, he will start the season on the end of the bench, and we will look at who will be in orange and blue come opening night.

The Starters - 

Point Guard – Jason Kidd – 2011-12 numbers: 6.2ppg, 5.5apg, 4.1rpg, 36.3 FG%, 28.7mpg (with Dallas Mavericks)

Kidd was brought on to be the stabilizing force in the Knicks rotation. He has played with a wide variety of players, and has historically been a winner in his career. Many believe Kidd will find the perfect balance between getting Carmelo Anthony his touches, while re-energizing Amar’e Stoudemire’s game inside. Add in the fact that Kidd is still a sharp-shooter from deep (35.9% from 3 last year), J-Kidd should be able to provide the defense and leadership while playing crunch time minutes for the Knicks.

Shooting Guard – J.R. Smith – 2011-12 numbers: 12.5ppg, 2.4apg, 3.9rpg, 40.7 FG%, 27.6mpg

Smith slides into a starting spot for the Knicks because of the injury that will sideline Shumpert at the beginning of the season. Smith’s going to be destined for the Sixth Man on this team, as he is the perfect Irrational-Confidence-Guy that can come off the bench and score in bunches. He’s a bit of a dead end as far as ball movement goes, but I think a full year with the team and practicing with the regulars, he should be able to find his niche easily.

Small Forward – Carmelo Anthony – 2011-12 numbers: 22.6ppg, 3.6apg, 6.3rpg, 43.0 FG%, 34.1mpg

This may be the make-or-break season for ‘Melo. The Nets are talking a big game in Brooklyn, and he’s already called the contract Jeremy Lin received from Houston “ridiculous”. At times, the media blamed a lot of the Knicks problems last season on Carmelo’s play. This will be his first true full-season in MSG, and he has a lot of proving wrong to do in order to restore the shine on his star.

Power Forward – Amar’e Stoudemire – 2011-12 numbers: 17.5ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.0bpg, 48.3 FG%, 32.8mpg

A lot of people have been critical of Amar’e's play last season. I’ve gone as far to say that if the Knicks still had their amnesty clause, there would have to be some serious consideration about using it on Stoudemire. He seemed worn out by playing D’Antoni minutes in the two season he’s been a Knick, and battled injury after injury last year. The best news for STAT, the Knicks have a lot more depth inside that will spell him minutes he doesn’t need to be on the floor. I’m very eager to see what STAT has to offer next season. He will be the X-Factor for determining how high the Knicks can climb.

Center – Tyson Chandler – 2011-12 numbers: 11.3ppg, 9.9rpg, 1.4bpg, 67.0 FG%, 33.2mpg (2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year)

Chandler was the anchor for the Knicks inside. He led the defensive renaissance the Knicks experienced after Mike D’Antoni was let go. He will be expected to do more of the same on defense next year, but will get more help from the players the Knicks have added this off-season. The team didn’t anticipate the things he did on offense last year, and will likely continue to work under the notion that Chandler is in town for key rebounds, blocked shots, disruption on defense and easy put back slams. Anything more would be, well, unfair.

Sixth Man – Raymond Felton – 2011-12 numbers: 11.4ppg, 6.5apg, 2.5rpg, 40.7 FG%, 31.8mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers)

The big question moving forward post-Lin will be which point guard starts for the Knicks. My guess is Kidd will get the starting assignments, but Felton will play more minutes. Felton can flex to play shooting guard alongside Kidd at times, and will head the second unit at the point. Felton averaged career-best numbers when he was in New York for half a season playing alongside Amar’e before being part of the Carmelo package. I don’t know if Felton will ever reach that high again, but I fully expect him to put up better numbers than he did last season, even if he sees a dip in playing time.

Bench – C Marcus Camby – 2011-12 numbers: 4.9ppg, 9.0rpg, 1.4bpg, 44.6 FG%, 22.9mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets)

Camby is going to give the Knicks something they haven’t had in a very long time, a true back-up big. Playing Jared Jeffries off the bench as their main big had put the Knicks at serious disadvantages in critical moments in big games. Having Camby gives the Knicks a huge security blanket if Tyson Chandler gets into foul trouble. While there is still a drop off defensively from Camby to Chandler, it isn’t as evident as it was last year from Chandler to Jeffries. Having a second 7-footer on the team is a huge addition.

Bench – F Steve Novak – 2011-12 numbers: 8.8ppg, 1.9rpg, 47.8 FG%, 47.2 3-pt%, 18.9mpg

Outside of Jeremy Lin, Novak was the biggest surprise the team had last season. He led the league in 3-pt percentage, and hit some critical shots from the corner when the team needed them most. There were games where he was just lights out and would put up 15-20 points off the bench almost exclusively from beyond the arc. He isn’t much of a defender, but has the flexibility to play both the 3 and 4. With players like Landry Fields and Jared Jeffries no longer with the team, Novak is likely to see some more minutes next year and play a bigger role in the offense.

Bench – G James White – 2011-12 numbers: spent the season in Europe

White was called one of the most athletic players in the Euro leagues last year and he will see some minutes early in the season, especially before Shumpert is healthy. We know he’s super athletic, but we’re not certain how his game will translate to the NBA. I don’t think anyone is expecting him to perform like Landry Fields did, or even Bill Walker in spurts last year. But, that’s not what the Knicks need. All they need is a player that provides significant depth to the bench and can hold his own defensively.

Bench – F/C Kurt Thomas – 2011-12 numbers: 3.0ppg, 3.5rpg, 0.6bpg, 46.5 FG%, 15.2mpg (with Portland Trail Blazers)

Thomas is here to stabilize the locker room and serve as a mentor to Amar’e Stoudemire. His role on the team will be seen more off the court than on it, but he is going to be very important to the coaching staff. I’m excited to have him back in town, and he’s another big body the Knicks have in case of injury.

Bench – PG Pablo Prigioni – 2011-12 numbers: played last season in Argentina

Prigioni is, uhm, a very old rookie. The Knicks front office clearly sees value in adding him to the end of the bench, and he is very experienced as far as leading an offense. I’m uncertain what he’s going to provide to the team, but its going to be worth watching.

Injured – G Iman Shumpert – 2011-12 numbers: 9.5ppg, 2.8apg, 3.2rpg, 40.1 FG%, 28.9mpg

Shumpert burst onto the scene towards the end of last season, playing critical end-of-game minutes. He’s proven to be a top class perimeter defender that can hold his own against some of the league’s best. The Knicks desperately needed his presence last year during the playoffs. Once they lost Shump, any hopes of them knocking off the Heat went out the window. He’s a huge part of the Knicks present and future, really the only young, controllable player the Knicks have on roster. He is going to get better the more he plays, and he should be in the starting rotation once he returns to health. How he continues to develop his game will determine a lot about the team.

Aug. 20, 2008; Beijing, CHINA; Argentina guard Pablo Prigioni (8) dribbles as Greece forward Panagiotis Vasilopoulos (8) defends in Argentina 80-78 victory against Greece in the quarterfinals at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Stadium in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Prigioni, though 35-years-old and without NBA experience, was a very good move by Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald.

After watching the point-guard carousel a season ago that featured Toney Douglas, ImanShumpert, Jeremy Lin, Mike Bibby and Baron Davis, the need for a third point guard was evident, even with the signing of Jason Kidd and the upcoming re-signing of Lin.

One negative is that the Knicks added more age in Prigioni after already adding a 40-year-old Kidd and a 38-year-old Marcus Camby. However, the biggest thing about this move is that it is an extremely low-risk, high-reward type of signing. With no money to spend, Grunwald needed to make a move like this to acquire depth, and that’s exactly what he did.

Prigioni will be third on the depth chart entering training camp and adds another veteran to lend a hand in maturing Lin.

He has talent and has spent most of his professional career playing in the Spanish league.Prigioni hails from Argentina, where he plays with the national team for the Olympics and in other international tournaments.

This previous season, the 6’3″ point guard averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game in about 28 minutes per game. He may be losing a step, but Prigioni is still considered one of the best play-making point guards in all of Spain. He once was considered the best, according to Walter Szczerbiak, the former U.S. Spanish League ambassador (via Marc Berman, New York Post).

He’s not particularly explosive, especially at his age. But he does possess a quick first step and is a strong finisher at the basket, particularly with his right hand.

Though he isn’t a very accurate three-point shooter, he can hit an open three-pointer and appears to be dangerous if a defender goes under a screen.

In terms of his play-making abilities (considered his best asset), Prigioni is accurate setting shooters up on curls, hitting the roll man in pick-and-rolls or driving and dishing.

That’s all the Knicks need in a point guard.

He won’t likely see a ton of minutes in the Knicks lineup, but he’s a guy that should be able to come in and make plays for the Knicks at both ends of the floor.

The Knicks have a very small window to “go for it,” and adding as much talent as they can puts the franchise in a better position to do exactly that.

If Prigioni doesn’t work out, there’s no real loss for the Knicks.

But if he does, he makes the Knicks deeper and gives them just another weapon off the bench.

He’s definitely a player worth rolling the dice on. In 2013, the Lin-Kidd-Prigioni point guard tandem should prove to be much more productive than the Lin-Bibby-Davis one that proceeded them.

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His U.S. agent George Bass confirms Pablo Prigioni is a Knick.

Prigioni is a 35-year old point guard who has spent most of his professional career playing in the Spanish league, but hails from Argentina where he plays with the national team for the Olympics and in other international tournaments.

This previous season, the 6’3″ point guard averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in about 28 minutes per game. Although at 35-years old, Prigioni has lost a step according to Walter Szczerbiak, Spanish League Ambassador, Prigioni is still considered one of the best play-making point guards in all of Spain, where he once was considered the best. Szczerbiak (via the Berman article) claims that Prigioni is in excellent shape, and wiry thin like Steve Nash – a player who appears younger than he is.

Prigioni is not particularly explosive, especially at his age, but he does possess a quick first step, and is a strong finisher at the basket, particularly with his right hand. Though his three-point percentages don’t necessarily reflect tremendous accuracy, he can hit an open three-pointer, and appears to be dangerous if a defender goes under a screen.

In terms of his play-making abilities (considered his best asset), Prigioni is accurate setting shooters up on curls, hitting the roll man in pick-and-rolls, or driving and dishing.

(2012 highlights)

The deal will be for one year and likely for the rookie’s minimum, according to Jared Zwerling at ESPN New York. Prigioni will play a nice role off the bench, though it appears he’ll be the third string point guard behind Jeremy Lin and Jason Kidd. Of course, Prigioni’s skills as a play-maker could be great to teach Lin and even Iman Shumpert who needs to work on his play-making abilities.

Another savvy move by Glen Grunwald and company, and one that likely sews up the point guard rotation.