Thursday night’s 105-90 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers means the Knicks have lost their last three contests by an average of 22.3 points.

This one came without the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, who joined Amar’e Stoudemire on the sidelines with injuries. It’s hard to compete when your best three players aren’t on the floor, but the Knicks competed for a bit before a 13-0 Portland run gave them a 51-48 halftime lead.

March 14, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) dribbles the ball on New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) during the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 105-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

By the end of the third quarter all Blazers starters scored in double figures and J.J. Hickson had a nice line of 12 points and 15 rebounds.

New York made it interesting in the fourth quarter, pulling within seven with just over six minutes left, but the Blazers stuck the fork in the Knicks with an 8-0 spurt in just over a minute.

Without Chandler in the lineup, the Blazers shot 51.3 percent from the floor and scored 40 points in the paint.

Here’s a look at how each Knicks player graded out in another disappointing loss.

Raymond Felton (11 points, 4-of-12 shooting, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals)

Felton does not look very good on the floor very often anymore. He was the only true starter on the floor last night and the Knicks needed a big game from him, but he scored only four points and dished out three assists in the first half. When the team makes 36 shots from the floor and your point guard finishes with only three assists, it speaks volumes about your offense. In addition Felton continues to get torched by opposing point guards as Damian Lillard finished with 26 points and 10 assists. Grade: C-

Iman Shumpert (6 points, 3-of-9 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist)

It would have been nice to see back-to-back good performances from Shump, but that didn’t happen as the second-year guard continues to struggle at both ends of the floor. He was a non-factor offensively and when he took his turn guarding Lillard, the results weren’t much better than Felton’s. Grade: D+

Chris Copeland (9 points, 3-of-8 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 steal)

Mike Woodson started Copeland instead of James White hoping to take advantage of Copeland’s offensive ability, but Woodson didn’t allow him to become a factor. He scored nine points, but he was the one to go to the bench early for J.R. Smith instead of playing them together. He finished tied for a game-high plus-six rating, which shows how bad everyone else was, but wasn’t put in a good spot to succeed. In addition, a 6’8″ forward has to be able to grab more than one rebound in 21 minutes. Grade: C-

Kurt Thomas (6 points, 3-of-3 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block)

Thomas got the start and played 24 minutes, turning in a very efficient performance. He made all three of his shots and pulled down seven rebounds. I will take that from the oldest player in the NBA.  He also dished out as many assists as Felton did. Grade: B

Kenyon Martin (12 points, 6-of-10 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block)

Martin started for Chandler and played 31 minutes, which is probably twice as many as he should get. He had a very good first half with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, but slowed considerably in the second half. K-Mart finished with an eye-popping minus-21 rating on the night. Grade: C+

Steve Novak (0 points, 0-of-2 shooting, 1 rebound)

Novak’s minutes continue to go down, playing only nine on the night as he continues to offer very little value.  Grade: F

March 14, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard (11) and New York Knicks center Marcus Camby (23) battle for a rebound during the third quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 105-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Camby (8 points, 4-of-6 shooting, 10 rebounds, 3 assists)

I still believe Camby should get more minutes. He was very solid against the Blazers, scoring eight efficient first half points and grabbed 10 boards in only 19 minutes. Grade: B+

Jason Kidd (3 points, 1-of-8 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)

Kidd had yet another disappointing night. He played major minutes (34) and didn’t impact the game, throwing up bricks on six of his seven attempts from behind the arc. In addition he only dished out two assists and grabbed two rebounds despite the heavy workload. Definitely a non-Kidd like performance. Grade: D

Pablo Prigioni (2 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals)

Prigioni played 15 minutes and performed nicely, filling the stat sheet during that span. He played good defense and was a plus-six on the night. Grade: B

J.R. Smith (33 points, 11-of-21 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists)

Smith was the Knicks only true scoring option and had a decent first half with nine points, but also committed three turnovers. Smith came alive in the second half, but most of his teammates just decided to watch. Most of Smith’s numbers just padded his stats as they came when the game was decided. He did score 33 points, but was also a minus-12 on the night. Grade: B+

Carmelo Anthony: DNP (knee)

Tyson Chandler: DNP (knee)

James White: DNP (Coach’s Decision)

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The worst of which occurred in the second quarter of yet another Knicks blowout loss- this time at the hands of the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night- when reigning Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler crumbled to the floor with what looked at the time to be a serious knee injury.

Mar. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) reacts on the court against the Miami Heat during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Chandler is the one guy the struggling Knicks can’t afford to be without and it looks like the Knicks caught a break as it was being reported as a left knee contusion and ESPN reported that Chandler would try and play Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 12-year vet was noticeably limping leaving the Pepsi Center, but all reports noted that he was in good spirits.

Knowing Chandler and his toughness, there was never any doubt that he would gut it out the rest of this long west coast road trip.

However is that the smartest idea for Mike Woodson and the Knicks medical staff to allow him to play right away?

Chandler is the one player the Knicks can’t afford to be without for a game, much less an extended period of time. With that being said, do the Knicks risk making Chandler’s knee worse? If it’s just a contusion, there isn’t much chance of the knee getting worse, but the pain could stick around and linger for a longer period than it would if he properly rested.

But Chandler is as tough as they come and there’s no doubt he will play through the pain and never use the knee as an excuse.

That’s a good thing because without him, the Knicks defense will be even worse than it is right now and if Chandler isn’t in the lineup, the Knicks have very little chance to compete.

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Feb 2, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

MVP:  Kevin Durant (Thunder)

If I could give out a “co-MVP”, believe you me I’d have LeBron share this with KD, but unfortunately these are MY rules, and Durant gets the nod.  It’s hard to argue that with what he’s done this season so far: 29.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.9 three’s, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for the team with the second-best record in the NBA.  Those absurd numbers also include a 51.6 FG percentage, a 90.3 FT percentage and a 41.9 three-point percentage.  He is on pace to record only the 11^th 50/40/90 (FG%/3P%/FT %) season with at least 10 points per game…ever.  For you stat geeks out there, Steve Nash (4x), Larry Bird (2x), Reggie Miller, Mark Price, Dirk Nowitzki and believe it or not, Jose Calderon, are the others.  And oh, by the way, Durant is still only 24-years old.  Let that sink in for a minute.  If you were lucky enough to have had one of the top 2 picks in your draft, congratulations are in order.

Honorable Mention:  LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, James Harden

Rookie of the Year:  Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)

Lillard has been the favorite to win this award from the beginning (please see my article on Oct. 28^th) and he hasn’t disappointed.  Portland’s No. 1 draft pick this season (sixth overall) has helped guide the Blazers to a surprising 25-23 record.  His above average size for the point guard position has allowed him to make the most of certain situations and he has rewarded fantasy owners to the tune of 18.4 points and 6.5 assists as well as 2.3 3-pointers per game and an 84.8 FT%, both uncharacteristically good stats for a rookie.

Honorable Mention:  Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Alexey Shved

The “Ugghh, I Wish I Had More Patience!” Award:  Co-winners: Nikola Vucevic (Magic) and Ersan Ilyasova (Bucks)

Vucevic was one of my much-talked-about sleepers going into the season (see my Nov. 8^th article).  He started well out of the gates, but a brief lull in his stats and minutes between November 19 and November 28 caused many owners to jump ship.  During this five-game stretch he posted lines of 5.8 points and 7 rebounds in only 22.6 minutes.  His total season averages of 12.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 32.4 minutes show that that run was simply a fluke.  If you were a patient owner and held onto him, you’ve been rewarded handsomely.  The Swiss-born, USC product is first in the Eastern Conference in double-doubles with 26.

Ilyasova shares this award, but his season trajectory has been a little different.  With an average ADP of 54.3, he was quickly becoming THE bust of the year.  Many fantasy owners took a slight gamble by taking him early, but were hoping that his unique combination of size and good shooting would garner them dominance in multiple stat categories.  He finished last season with a bang.  His April averages of 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, 1 steal and 1.5 3’s exemplify the well-roundedness that fantasy owners look for.  He signed a $40-million contract in the offseason and expectations were high, but all that soon came to a crashing halt.

Mired in former-Coach Scott Skiles’ daily lineup mercurialness, he was accumulating inconsistent minutes and even a couple DNP-CDs.  He was the most frustrating guy to own because he could go from having 17 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes (12/26) to having 6 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes (12/29) and then coming back with 24 points and 3 3-pointers in 27 minutes (12/30).  Every time you wanted to drop him, or did, he’d stab you in the heart by having a great game and if you held onto him he’d have a dud.

Now that Jim Boylan is at the helm we can say that he is a MUST OWN and the owners who stuck with him or those that swooped him up on the waiver wire thinking his fortunes would change, have been rewarded.  In his past 8 games, the 25-year old from Turkey is averaging 20.5 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.5 3’s, which he’s hitting at a 63% clip.  All this talk about Turkey makes me want to get a sandwich.

Honorable Mention:  Michael Beasley, J.R. Smith, Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, Tristan Thompson

Feb 5, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward David West (21) posts up against Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy Surprises of the Year…so far (based on Average Draft Position):

David West, Pacers (ADP: 113.7): Having a bounce back year with 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks (20 ppg over his last 12, which includes a triple-double)

Shawn Marion, Mavericks (ADP: 117): 11.2 ppg, 8.2 reb, 50 FG%.  He has played in 41 of a possible 48 games at age 34.

J.J. Hickson, Trailblazers (ADP: Undrafted):  12.9 ppg, 10.7 reb, 56 FG% and tied for third in the NBA in double doubles.  It may be time to sell high as a possible trade to a contender could reduce his role.

Kyle Korver, Hawks (ADP: Undrafted):  11.5 ppg, 4.1 reb, 1 steal, 2.9 3PG.  Leads NBA in 3P% at 47.4%.  The Ashton Kutcher look-a-like is doing better than the “Two and a Half Men” star’s ratings these days.

J.J. Redick, Magic (ADP: Undrafted):  15.3 ppg, 2.5 reb, 2.5 3PG, 45.2 FG% (all career-highs).  His 4.5 assists are 8^th in the NBA for shooting guards.  Who says Duke players can’t be good in the pros?

Chandler Parsons, Rockets (ADP: Undrafted):  14.4 ppg, 5.8 reb, 3.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.8 3PG, 8 double doubles

Honorable Mention (ADP is in parentheses):  Kemba Walker (92.3), Nikola Pekovic (95.3), Jamal Crawford (112.7), Greivis Vasquez (115.9), Omer Asik (116), Jarrett Jack (undrafted), Matt Barnes (undrafted), Metta World Peace (undrafted), Tiago Splitter (undrafted), Amir Johnson (undrafted),

Fantasy Busts of the Year…so far (based on Average Draft Position)

Mike Conley Jr., Grizzlies (ADP: 40.3):  Career low 42.7 FG% and career high 2.4 turnovers per game.  The fact that he is only 25-years old is not a good thing when your stats regress.  The trade of Rudy Gay should boost his points, though.

Deron Williams, Nets (ADP: 5.3):  16.8 ppg is his worst since his 2^nd year in the league; 7.7 assists and 0.9 steals are both his worst since his rookie season

Marcus Thornton, Kings (ADP: 68.9):  11.3 ppg, 1.1 assists, 1 steal, 40 FG% (averaging 7.7 points in 18.6 minutes over the last 12 games)

Gerald Wallace, Nets (ADP: 80.2):  8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and a 43.1 FG% are his worst averages since the 2003-04 season with Sacramento.  “Crash” has crash-landed.

Kris Humphries, Nets (ADP: 85.6):  The last two years he averaged 11.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. He signed a 2-year, $24 million contract and is averaging 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks.  Could it be the curse of Kim Kardashian?

Marcin Gortat, Suns (ADP: 42.5):  His blocks are up, but after last year’s averages of 15.4 points (on 56% shooting) and 10 rebounds in his first full season in Phoenix, this seasons numbers of 11.5 points (on 52.3% shooting) and 8.9 rebounds are a little underwhelming.

Honorable Mention (ADP is in parentheses):  Pau Gasol (18.3), Jeremy Lin (63), Manu Ginobili (66.2), Jason Terry (75.6), JaVale McGee (78), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (91.4), Kawhi Leonard (106), Jeff Green (112.7),

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Shumpert, who had an outstanding rookie season a year ago, was passed over for the game then and because he has been injured for most of the 2012-13 campaign, he had very little chance of making it this year.

The rookies are headlined by Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, while the sophomore team features Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving.

The rest of the eligible players to be drafted by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal look like this:

Jan. 26, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) brings the ball up the court during the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Freshman

Lillard

Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats

Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

Alexey Shved, Minnesota Timberwolves

Tyler Zeller, Cleveland Cavaliers

Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets

Sophomores

Irving

Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons

Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets

Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Nikola Vucevic (C, Orlando Magic)

Kemba Walker (PG, Charlotte Bobcats)

Tristan Thompson (PF, Cleveland Cavaliers)

Being the oldest team in the NBA, only Shumpert had a chance to make the game for the Knicks, who were represented a year ago by both Landry Fields and Jeremy Lin, who both are no longer with the franchise.

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The last came as a result of another slow start and another poor defensive effort against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jan 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Portland shot 50.6 percent from the floor in the 105-100 loss for the Knicks as they fell behind by as many as 19 early and even though they crept within three on a couple of occasions, defensive breakdowns cost the Knicks a game they probably should have won.

Amar’e Stoudemire returned and struggled, and while Carmelo Anthony went for 45 in his return, the early hole proved too big to climb out of.

Here’s how each Knicks’ player graded out in my daily report card.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 42.9 %( 36-of-84)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 50.6% (41-of-81)

Three Point Percentage: 27.0% (10-of-27)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 33.3% (11-of-33)

Free Throw Percentage: 75.5% (18-of-24)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 66.7% (12-of-18)

Assists: 22-18 (Blazers +4)

Rebounds: 47-37 (Blazers +10)

Points in the paint: 48-36 (Blazers +12)

Individual Grades

Jason Kidd (0 points, 0-of-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals)

Are the increased minutes getting to Kidd? Usually a stat sheet stuffer, Kidd was anything but that Tuesday night. Rookie Blazers’ point guard Damian Lillard abused him as Kidd couldn’t stay with him at the defensive end and he missed every one of his open jump shots badly. The usual intangibles that Kidd brings weren’t there last night. Grade: F

Ronnie Brewer (5 points, 2-of-4 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist)

Jan 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to drive around Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Brewer played only 12 minutes and his night was pretty much done after the first half. The Knicks must guard the perimeter better and Brewer absolutely has to be a big part of that. But when you are down double digits most of the game, it is hard to have him out there. Nicolas Batum finished with 26 and it would have been nice to have Brewer on him late in the game, but the Knicks needed offense so it is hard to fault the decision. Grade: D

Carmelo Anthony (45 points, 14-of-24 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 assists)

Anthony returned to the lineup by scoring the Knicks’ first 10 points and having 24 at the half en route to a 45 point night, despite seeing aggressive double teams the entire second half. It is scary to think about how bad the Knicks would have lost had Anthony sat out again. Like everyone else, he could have done more at the defensive end, but ‘Melo came to play. Grade: A+

Kurt Thomas (0 points)

Thomas picked up three fouls in the first four minutes of the game and never returned. Grade: F

Tyson Chandler (10 points, 4-of-7 shooting, 7 rebounds)

The Knicks got crushed on the boards and the Blazers, especially J.J. Hickson, dominated the paint. However Chandler gave the Knicks extra possessions with six offensive rebounds. But that means the Knicks’ big man grabbed only one defensive rebound all night. He shot a high percentage but got only seven touches on the night. To be fair, bad perimeter defense, allowing easy penetration and allowing easy interior passes forced Chandler to scramble all night. His teammates hung him out to dry in this one. Grade C

Amar’e Stoudemire (6 points, 3-of-8 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 block)

Stoudemire got a classy standing ovation from the Madison Square Garden crowd when he checked in, but that was as good as it got for STAT in his season debut. He played 17 minutes and his first touch resulted in a turnover. He missed his first five field-goal attempts, coming up short on jumpers and failing to create enough space to drop in a couple of close-range hooks in the paint. He was aggressive and looked for his own shot, but he didn’t let the game come to him, which is something he needs to learn. However, defensively he was worse. He did have a big block but Portland made an effort to attack him. He struggled with LaMarcus Aldridge in the pick-and-pop and was exposed when Hickson attacked him going to the rim. Grade: D

Steve Novak (0 points, 0-of-5 shooting, 1 rebound)

Mike Woodson can’t justify leaving Novak on the floor if he’s not hitting from downtown, which he wasn’t on this night. At one point the frontcourt featured Novak, Chris Copeland and Stoudemire, with neither of the three capable of guarding anyone. Novak has to knock down shots to get minutes. He didn’t and played 20 minutes. Grade: F

Jan 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) drives past Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Portland won 105-100. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Copeland (2 points, 1-of-5 shooting)

Copeland’s minutes dropped to only seven with Anthony’s return and missed open shots for a change. If you are getting five shots off in seven minutes, you have to knock some down. Grade: F

Marcus Camby (2 points, 1-of-1 shooting, 3 rebounds)

Woodson elected to go “younger” when he started the 38-year old Camby over Thomas in the second half. He played only nine minutes but the Knicks were a +7 during that time, one of only three players to have a positive plus-minus on the night. He should see more minutes in the future. Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni (2 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 3 assists)

Woodson had to play the “younger” 35-year old Prigioni 22 minutes because Kidd was not having success at the defensive end of the floor. He tried to involve Stoudemire in a handful of pick-and-rolls, but very little materialized there. He had a decent, though not spectacular night. Grade: C

J.R. Smith (28 points, 10-of-22 shooting, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals)

Smith continues to be spectacular and fill the stat sheet. He made hustle plays and heated up in the second half after a 3-for-8 start. Smith played 40 minutes and was the only other Knicks’ player other than Anthony to have a positive impact on the game: Grade: A

Rasheed Wallace: DNP (Foot)

James White: DNP (Coach’s Decision)

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

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

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?

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

Say whaaaaaaaaaat?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 15, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Raymond Felton (5) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas (22) during the first quarter at Power Balance Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Felton and Thomas, both former Knicks, were acquired for forward Jared Jeffries, center Dan Gadzuric, a 2016 second-round draft pick and the rights to two European players.

Already with Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni at the point, the acquisition of Felton is very interesting as Jeremy Lin signed his offer sheet with the Houston Rockets on Friday night. That has led to rampant speculation that the Knicks will not match the three-year, $25-plus million offer to Lin.

Felton’s deal with the Knicks is for three-years and $10 million and neither he nor Kidd can be traded until December 15.

Felton was not acquired to be a third-point guard, so you can see why there’s the speculation surrounding Lin.

The former North Carolina product played his best basketball during his seven-year career, averaging 17.1 points and 9.0 assists during his 54 games in the Big Apple in 2011, before being included in the Carmelo Anthony trade. But that was in Mike D’Antoni’s offense which was suited great for Felton.

However in the 81 games since then (with Denver and Portland), Felton’s number dropped to 11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game. His field-goal percentage also dropped to 40.7 percent and his three-point percentage to 30.5 percent.

In addition to Felton, the Knicks also landed Thomas, who will fill the role Jeffries had off the bench last season. Thomas will be 40 next season and averaged only 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game a season ago (his 17th), playing a a little over 15 minutes per night for the Blazers.

With the addition of Thomas, Camby and Kidd, the Knicks have added 118 years of age to their roster.

In addition, the loss of Landry Fields and possibly Lin means that Iman Shumpert is the only Knicks player projected to be on the roster who is under the age of 25.

Lin’s offer sheet was delivered to the Knicks Saturday, and the team has until 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday to match Houston’s offer.

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Apr 7, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Raymond Felton (5) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Bucks defeated the Trail Blazers 116-94. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Though Felton had been little more than a solid, if not unspectacular point guard through the first five years of his career with the Charlotte Bobcats, I just saw something in him that I liked. He routinely had his best games against the Knicks, posting averages of 19 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds per game against them in the 2009-10 season. I enjoyed his ability to briefly take over a game. I enjoyed watching a short man with a pudgy physique bolt in and out of the lane. And when he came to the Knicks, though he struggled at first, Felton was arguably the best point guard in a New York uniform in quite some time.

Let me remind you of how awesome Raymond Felton was:

Amar’e Stoudemire was not supposed to survive without Steve Nash; once chemistry developed, Stoudemire and Felton became the NBA’s hottest pick-and-roll duo as Stoudemire cruised to a streak of nine straight 30-point games.

Felton manned a ship of underdogs that became one of the league’s most efficient offenses.

Through the first two months of the season, when those Knicks were red hot, Felton averaged 18 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals per game – nearly elite-level stats.

With rumors of the Knicks pursuing Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Felton squashed them by out-playing Paul (17 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds in a win), posting a triple-double in a win over the Suns, and out-playing Williams, as well (23 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds).

Raymond Felton once claimed he wanted to be a New Yorker for life.

But the past season-and-a-half hasn’t been kind to Felton. He was shipped to Denver where he came off the bench behind Ty Lawson and struggled with his shot. On 2011 Draft Night, Felton was traded to Portland where he initially did well, but struggled with conditioning, and his season became disastrous.

Now, with Felton entering free agency (as the Blazers almost surely will not pick up his option), there have been rumors of Felton returning to New York. Much of this depends on how the arbitrator rules the hearing for the Bird Rights case for Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak – if the Knicks have to use their mid-level excpetion to retain Lin, then Felton is most likely not an option. However, if the Knicks’ MLE remains, then Felton may be a realistic option. But would he be a good fit?

The natural response would be yes. Any time you can acquire a PG as talented as Felton (even in his worst seasons, he’s hovered around an average starting point guard), to be a backup, it’s almost a must. But this New York Knicks team is a vastly different Knicks team Felton played so well with originally.

Gone is Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense, that let Felton dash around the court with free will. Gone are the shooters like Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, the jumpshots of Landry Fields and Toney Douglas (RIP, jumpshots, respectively).

The Knicks under Mike Woodson play at a slower pace, which has never been a good fit for Felton’s game. Felton’s Bobcats usually played somewhere between a league average and slowest pace in the NBA, and this past season, the Trailblazers played at exactly 15th in the NBA in pace – about 94 possessions per game. Felton’s best season – his 54 games with the Knicks – came with Mike D’Antoni, where the Knicks were around the top five in pace. Likewise, the Knicks lack the spacing that Felton likes to utilize to drive into the lane and run the pick-and-roll with the big men. That space will especially be lost if the Knicks don’t bring back Steve Novak and J.R. Smith.

My love for Raymond Felton would swoon if he returned to the Knicks, but in complete honesty, there may be better fits.

Hottest Seats:

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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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Stoudemire's 1st Knick game in NYC may not have resulted in a win, but it set the tone for a great, gritty, exciting rebirth of a season (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The Knicks lost both games this weekend, including the home opener against Portland where we led by 9 points with under six minutes remaining, but make no mistake: these are not last year’s Knicks.  We had tight games against both the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers, two teams who, as I wrote in my pre-season Power Rankings, I believe are amongst the top five teams in the entire league.  Throw in the fact that in the last two minutes of the Blazers game we played some great lockdown defense, and clearly you should ignore the opening to the snarky recap by the Associated Press:

The elaborate pregame festivities were designed to emphasize that these are the “new” New York Knicks.

Crunch time was the same ol’ story.

Neither weekend game was anything like ones from previous years, so let’s look at what can be gleaned from them in order to better understand our new-look Knicks.  Last year we frequently had to examine things Clint Eastwood-style, checking out the Good, the Bad & the Ugly.  Life is looking up this season, so now and then we’ll check out a game’s ART (the Awful, the Remarkable & the Terrific):

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

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

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

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Could Phil Jackson, the Zen Master himself, get fired this season? Of course not, you idiot, but where do the rest of the coaches in the league stand? (Source: Yarbarker.com)

I seem to be in a major ranking/grading/evaluating the whole NBA-mode, so today we’re gonna check out which coaches might not make it through the season.  Every year it seems like about six coaches are fired in the middle of the 82 game grind.  And a few more who made it through the grist then are shown the exit during the summer.  But we just finished one summer, so we ain’t talking about the next one yet.  Just this upcoming season.  Who’s Bulletproof?  Who’s on the Hot Seat?  And where does everyone else stand and why?  Well, you’re lucky ‘cuz we’s about’s ta answer these questions fer ya.

Bulletproof (again, for this upcoming season only):

Doc Rivers – Celtics

George Karl – Nuggets:  He might quit if it’s too grueling, but ya can’t fire a guy coming back from cancer.  Ya just can’t.  If you disagree, grow a heart, dude.

Phil Jackson – Lakers

Gregg Popovich – Spurs

Jerry Sloan – Jazz

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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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Will Al Jefferson replacing Carlos Boozer on the Utah Jazz be an upgrade or downgrade? (source: Yarbarker.com)

In this final chapter of our series we’ll be finishing up with the teams of the Northwest: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.  For the first five parts, check out our reviews for the Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Pacific and Southwest Divisions.  Once again, for the newcomers, here are the rules:

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Credit: Yahoo Sports

According to Portland Trail Blazers blog Rip City Project a deal that would send Rudy Fernandez to Chicago could be done by Monday.

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Sure, Rudy can juggle a basketball but he's still not 1st round pick worthy

In an odd new rumor it appears the Blazers front office appears to have forgotten who they’re shopping around the league. There have been new reports saying the Blazers want at least a 1st round pick for a guy who is coming off a season where he was given a chance to start and perform but failed miserably.

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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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New Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau got his defensive chops from one of the best coaches in the game: Jeff Van Gundy. Unfortunately, it seems he also co-opted Jeff's same clothing/grooming style. (source: Yardbarker.com)

There has been confirmation that both the New Jersey Nets and the Chicago Bulls have hired new coaches.  The Bulls have hired Celtic’s assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, widely acclaimed for his defensive schemes.  Many have argued that his addition was equally as key to turning the Celts into defensive juggernauts in 2008 as getting Kevin Garnett.  The Bulls were great stoppers just a few years ago under former coach Scott Skiles (who this year turned the Milwaukee Bucks from matador defenders into, um, what’s the opposite, brick wall defenders?).  While the Bulls’ whirl-a-gig center, Joakim Noah, has kept the team from slacking too much, the arrival of Thibodeu should catapult the team back to a spot as one of the top defensive squads.

Meanwhile, the Nets, after a 12-win season where the only thing they stopped was your team from playing a quality opponent, is already being brought back to life by their new 6’5″ Russian katrillionaire, Mikhail “Don’t Call Him Mikey P” Prokhorov.  It’s a nice coup for him to snag Avery Johnson, the coach with the highest winning percentage in NBA history.  He turned the Mavericks from the offense-only laughingstock 200s posse which included the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, into a solid defensive ball club.  And that was with a star player, Dirk Nowitizki, who due to his complete lack of D, almost legally changed his name to “Irk.”

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Clipper fans held a rally to convince LeBron to come to LA. If they really wanna convince him, they'd be better off with a coup d'etat and beheading Donald Sterling. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

ESPN reported that music mogul David Geffen is interested in buying a controlling interest of the Los Angeles Clippers.  It would be a brilliant move by Geffen because unlike say Michael Jordan’s recent purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats or the impending sale of The Washington Wizards, this is a franchise that could have a huge financial turnaround under the right owner.  Or rather simply just a new owner.

The Clippers are the NBA’s laughingstock not simply because of their godawful history, but more because of their even worse, notoriously cheap owner, Donald T. Sterling.  All franchises (except it seems the Lakers) go through tough times.  Not long ago, the Portland Trailblazers were nicknamed the Jailblazers, had the league’s highest payroll, and seemed to be going nowhere.  Now with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge (and perhaps Greg Oden if he can ever remain healthy), they have a relatively promising future.  By contrast, the Clippers may have a nice core too, but few prognosticators would feel 100% confident predicting a better tomorrow for them.  This is almost solely due to Sterling’s reluctance to open his wallet.

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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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The Portland Trailblazers' coach, Nate McMillan. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

On the front page of FanSided I had the following:

First off, congrats to Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks for winning Coach Of The Year. Without a doubt, the dude deserved it. As everyone likes to point, he took a team that started last year 3-29 and without any real significant personnel additions, turned them into this season’s 50-win team. We all knew they’d be good, particularly since after that 3-29 start they went 20-30, but no one expected them to be this good this soon. The scary thing to imagine is how good they’d be if they’d used their #3 draft pick on Tyreke Evans or Stephen Curry instead of James Harden. I know they wanted Russell Westbrook to remain the man at point guard so they chose the top shooting guard prospect, but c’mon, both ‘Reke and Curry can play the two. At 6′6″, presumed Rookie of the Year ‘Reke is even an inch taller than Harden. I imagine he’d get more than the 13 minutes/game that Harden’s averaged during the first two playoff battles. But I came here not to talk Thunder, but Trailblazer.

The man who came in second place for Coach Of The Year was the Bucks’ Scott Skiles, another well-deserving candidate. In the off-season Milwaukee lost Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, then only got 18 games out of leading scorer Michael Redd (and in many of those games even Redd’s minutes/abilities were limited due to injuries). Yet Skiles got his team to buy in on defense (which has always been his calling card), and with the late-season trade for John Salmons, brought them to an impressive 46 wins (& they might’ve had even more if not for Andrew Bogut’s season-ending injury at the beginning of this month). Um, however, this isn’t about him either.

Click here to read the rest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.