The funny part is that the Knicks actually trailed 18-6 at one point in the first quarter after starting the game 1-for-13 from the floor. Then came a 46-7 run and that should tell you all you need to know about this blowout win.

February 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd (5) looks to pass against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks shot 54.7 percent from the floor and 44.2 percent from behind the arc as they chucked up 43 three’s on the night.

However the most impressive part of the big win was the fact that the Knicks bench outscored the Kings team 82-81.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how the Knicks graded out.

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

Felton dished out at least eight assists for the fourth consecutive game, but because of the blowout, Felton saw only 26 minutes. But he turned the ball over four times and was sloppy with the ball for a change. Grade: C+

Jason Kidd (5 points, 2-of-5 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists)

Kidd saw only 16 minutes Saturday night but was productive, especially on the glass. It appears that Kidd will be limited in terms of minutes in the near future, but he looked much healthier against the Kings. Grade: B

Iman Shumpert (6 points, 2-of-6 shooting, 3 assists, 2 rebounds)

Shump played some solid defense and contributed a little bit, but it appears that he doesn’t have his legs completely back yet, missing a wide open baseline slam early in the game. Grade: C+

Carmelo Anthony (9 points, 4-of-12 shooting, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal)

Had you told me the Knicks would beat anyone by 39 points with Anthony having only nine points, I would have laughed at you. But while ‘Melo’s streak of 31 consecutive games with 20 points came to a close; he picked a nice time to do it as he wasn’t needed for a change. He did hand out five assists which was nice. Grade: C+

Tyson Chandler (11 points, 4-of-8 shooting, 20 rebounds)

That’s 20 rebounds in back-to-back games for Chandler, who grabbed eight offensive rebounds for the second consecutive game as well. He dominated the paint once again even though he got off to a slow start defensively. The insane part of his night was that Chandler grabbed 20 boards in only 26 minutes of playing time. Grade: A+

Amar’e Stoudemire (21 points, 10-of-10 shooting, 6 rebounds)

Back-to-back great games from STAT, who appears to be close to all the way back and he was the one who got the Knicks rolling early on. Grade: A+

Kurt Thomas (11 points, 5-of-6 shooting, 2 rebounds)

The elder statesman scored 11 points in only 13 minutes. He was a minus-four on the night, but Thomas took advantage of his playing time to contribute. Grade: A-

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

Copeland has become the forgotten man in Mike Woodson’s rotation and didn’t do much to impress in his 10 minutes, missing four of his five attempts. Grade: C

Steve Novak (15 points, 5-of-7 shooting)

That’s more like it for Novak, who finally had some room to get some shots up. When Novak knocks down five triples off the bench, the Knicks are usually going to win. Grade: A+

Pablo Prigioni (3 points, 1-of-1 shooting, 7 assists, 2 steals)

Prigioni dished out seven assists and played his normal tough defense. You can’t ask for much more in 22 minutes. Grade: A

J.R. Smith (25 points, 9-of-16, shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals)

Smith was more efficient at the offensive end than usual and knocked down seven three’s. He took 14 shots from behind the arc in 22 minutes, which if he is making half of them I guess I am fine with that, but Smith filled up the stat sheet in normal fashion and posted a team-high plus-36 rating. Grade: A+

Both Ronnie Brewer and James White played but neither did anything worth mentioning.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The Kings were incredibly poor in the 2nd quarter, managing only 11 points. Furthermore, they were outscored 72-30 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined, pretty much putting the nails in the coffin early in Madison Square Garden.

If anybody needed more reassurance that the proper place for Amar’e Stoudemire on the Knicks this year is as the first person to come off the bench, tonight was that night. The Knicks were completely out of control early in this game and desperately needed some burst of offense when the starters, all five of them, were out of sync early. That man was STAT, he immediately entered the game, buoyed the ship and made his first couple shots.

During a night in which Carmelo Anthony was uncharacteristically off from the floor, the Knicks definitely needed the scoring from Amar’e. Was it the difference in the game? Maybe not, considering how poorly the Kings played from start to finish. But, it proved that if things are out of funk for the Knicks, they have the ability to turn to Amar’e off the bench and right the ship. This will be one of the most important factors to watch the rest of the season as the Knicks continue to charge towards the playoffs. Amar’e Stoudemire’s ability to respond off the bench and create offense for himself while others struggle around him will be paramount. It will be equally as important as him finding a niche on the floor with Carmelo on an average night when ‘Melo is shooting better than 25%.

Speaking of ‘Melo, it’s a shame that his scoring streak had to snap tonight. But, I’d rather him have a poor game now, against a much inferior opponent while letting his teammates carry the load, then have another game against the Celtics or Heat. It’s the nature of the NBA season. Stars will have off nights. The important thing is to have the off nights against teams you can beat anyway. Like the Kings.

This was also the second straight game in which Tyson Chandler went absolutely bonkers inside. Back-to-back 20 rebound performances from the big man inside is massive. Remember, the two worst rebounding teams in the league are the Celtics and Heat. Chandler becomes exponentially more important when it’ll matter the most in the post-season, because his ability to dictate the play on both ends of the floor underneath could change the whole rhythm of a seven-game series.

As for the rest of the Knicks, I mean, everyone played well except for Carmelo and you could make the case that Jason Kidd struggled early on. But, Kidd was coming off an injury that forced him out of action earlier in the week. So, you can forgive him for being rusty. Always great to see Steve Novak break out the 3-pt belt with his five threes, J.R. Smith draining seven of his own while leading the Knicks with 25 points and the continued impressive play of Pablo Prigioni and his seven assists in 22 minutes.

Then there are the Kings. At this point, I really don’t know what to say. A buddy of mine, also a huge Knicks fan, asked a very important question tonight on Facebook: “Is this really the team Sacramento is fighting to keep? Is this really the team Seattle wants?”

The Kings are put together like a fantasy team. They have pieces every other team in the NBA would want, but none of those pieces makes sense together playing on the same roster. DeMarcus Cousins was really the only impressive player on the floor tonight, putting up a 25-point effort (no other King had more than 11, Thomas Robinson, who was also the only other player in double figures), nine rebound game. Cousins is a strange character, to say the least. He’d probably benefit the most out of any King to be on a different team, but he’s easily the best player Sacramento has to offer, and trading him would be a tough sell.

Tyreke Evans is in desperate need of new scenery. He’s in the same play O.J. Mayo was in Memphis. He just hasn’t found his niche in Sacramento, and he may never reach his potential if he spends more time in Sacramento/Seattle. He needs a new pair of eyes to evaluate his skills and find a better system. I still think he could be a All-Star level player, but he won’t realize that in the situation he’s currently in.

To summarize what we all saw tonight, the New York Knicks are very talented, and the Sacramento Kings are an absolute mess. Up next, the Knicks will get the Detroit Pistons on Monday, a team New York handled with ease in London the last time the two met. Knicks fans should continue to be encouraged by this team’s play.

Barring major injuries, this is a top three team in the Eastern Conference. Climbing higher than that and taking down the Miami Heat, well, that’s still to be determined.

ESPN.com reported that the Seattle group, headed by Valiant Capital’s Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, will purchase 65 percent of the Kings, a controlling interest, from the Maloof brothers and a minority owner. They also reported that NBA teams were “formally notified” of the purchase agreement’s terms on Sunday.

Yahoo! Sports then reported that the Seattle group will pay the Maloof’s “approximately $340 million” for their stake, based on a $525 million “valuation” for the franchise.

A formal announcement on the deal from the NBA could come as soon as Monday.

That’s big for the Seattle group of owners  because they must apply to the league by March 1 in order to move the franchise to Seattle  for the 2013-14 season, which appears to be a foregone conclusion as it is expected that the NBA Board of Governors are expected to “overwhelmingly ratify” the proposed move, according to a  Yahoo! Sports report.

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has fought hard to keep the  Kings in Sacramento and NBA commissioner David Stern has said that Johnson will be given the opportunity to make his case in front of the Board of Governors.

However with the proposed sale, he will be fighting an uphill battle as the Kings appear all but gone.

The Kings are expected to switch to the SuperSonics name, who played in Seattle from 1967-68 until 2008, when they were relocated to Oklahoma City.

In addition it appears as if  they will play in the old Key Arena for two years until a new arena in Seattle is complete.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

It doesn’t look like they will get the opportunity to avenge that loss.

January 4, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) carries the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at the Air Canada Centre. Sacramento defeated Toronto 105-96. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

A report from Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski details plans for the Sacramento Kings to be sold and moved to Seattle for the 2013-14 season.

Wojnarowski writes:

The Maloof family is finalizing an agreement to sell the Sacramento Kings to a group that hopes to move the franchise to Seattle for the 2013-14 season, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The proposed deal is reportedly for $500 million and being sold to a group led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer. The group is seeking to relocate the franchise to Seattle’s Key Arena for the 2013-14 season.

The new Seattle franchise would play in the old Key Arena for two seasons before moving into a new arena.

Pro Basketball Talk’s Kurt Helin was also reporting that the deal is very close to being done.

Report: Maloof family near deal to sell Kings to Hansen’s Seattle syndicate dlvr.it/2mWxw8 #PBT #NBA

— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) January 9, 2013

The Kings were unable to get a new arena built in downtown Sacramento and this deal isn’t done yet because the Maloof’s have had a history of backing out of negotiations in the past.

But a source of Wojnarowski’s described the deal as “first and goal at the 1.”

The Maloof’s are rumored to be keeping a small percentage of the team, but will have no input or say in the franchise.

It is worth noting that Bob Condatta, Seattle Times sports reporter, has reported that no one associated with the proposed new Seattle franchise has commented on the rumor and that there may be no deal at all.

Condatta notes:

The rumor originated in a Tweet from Daina Falk, a food blogger known as “The Hungry Fan’’ and also the daughter of longtime NBA agent David Falk, whose clients included Michael Jordan and a number of former  Sonics, including longtime team president Wally Walker.

Daina Falk sent out a Tweet Tuesday reading: “So I hear that the Seattle Kings is officially a done deal! The Maloofs (the family  that owns the Kings) finally sold the ailing Sacramento team.’’

When questioned about the Tweet, she responded that she had heard it from someone who would know, and she also referred to the Tweet on her Facebook page saying to wait and see what happens over the next few days.

Those Tweets and her Facebook message were all deleted by Wednesday morning.

It’s also worth noting that the Kings and the NBA have not commented on the issue.

Seattle has been without an NBA team since 2008 when the Sonics were relocated to Oklahoma City by new owner Clay Bennett.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

December 28, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward James Johnson (52) dribbles the ball past New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni (9) in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings defeated the Knicks 106-105. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Of course the Knicks should have never been down 27 to the Kings to the first place.

Playing once again without Raymond Felton and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks allowed 71 first half points before their furious second half comeback.

With that being said it is time to hand out individual grades in our daily report card and to no ones surprise, there won’t be many high grades given out on the defensive end.

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 49.4%( 41-of-83)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 45.3% (39-of-86)

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

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 50.0% (15-of-30)

Free Throw Percentage: 60.0% (12-of-20)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 76.5% (13-of-17)

Assists: 28-26 (Kings +2)

Rebounds: 46-34 (Knicks +12)

Points in the paint: 34-30 (Kings +4)

Individual Grades

Jason Kidd (16 points, 6-of-13 shooting, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 turnovers)

It was a bit uncharacteristic for Kidd, who only knocked down 4-of-11 shots from behind the arc and committed five turnovers on the night. And eveyone was bad guarding the perimeter and Kidd certainly played a part inn that. But other than that it was Kidd filling the stat sheet as usual. Grade: B-

Ronnie Brewer (0 points, 0-for-1 shooting, 4 rebounds)

Brewer only played 11 minutes and as he has been lately, extremely ineffective. He wasn’t involved in the offense and was out there early when every Kings player had success from the perimeter. Grade: F

James White (4 points, 2-of-3 shooting, 1 assist, 1 steal)

Dec. 26, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler reacts as he talks to a referee in the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

White started for Anthony again and only played nine minutes. He made a pair of shots but didn’t do anything to make an impact. Grade: D

Kurt Thomas (0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block)

Thomas played only 13 minutes, which seems to be his limit, and didn’t take a shot from the floor. He did his usual though- play some defense and grab a few rebounds. Grade: C

Tyson Chandler (21 points, 9-of-13 shooting, 18 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block)

Chandler was outstanding once again, except from the free-throw line where his six misses came back to haunt the Knicks. Other wise he was efficient from the floor and outstanding on the glass. DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double, but Chandler made it difficult on him. Another great game, but the misses from the line will cost his grade. Grade: B+

Chris Copeland (23 points, 8-of-16 shooting)

Copeland once again made a case for more playing time in the future by being an offensive spark off the Knicks’ bench. But he didn’t do much other than score. In 41 minutes, Copeland grabbed only one rebound and dished out only one assist. Grade: B

Steve Novak (11 points, 4-of-7 shooting, 2 rebounds)

Novak was more involved in the offense, which is a good thing. But in a game like that, his skill set offered very little help in other areas. It was good to see him get seven shots off though. Grade: C+

Marcus Camby (2 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 2 rebounds, 4 blocks)

It was another example of what Camby can bring to this team on the defensive end of the floor, blocking four shots in 11 minutes. I would have liked to see him out there a little more and would have liked to see Camby grab more than two rebounds, but he ws effective in the little time he received. Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni (0 points, 0-of-2 shooting, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal)

Prigioni didn’t score, but the Knicks played well with him out there. They were a +17 with him on the floor and Prigioni dished out nine assists in only 18 minutes. I will take that from him. Grade: B+

J.R. Smith (28 points, 11-of-25 shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists)

Smith wasn’t efficient from the floor again, missing 14-of-25 shots, but he led the team in scoring and played a game-high 43 minutes. But it hasn’t been Smith just jacking up bad shots lately as he had another complete outing with good rebound and assists numbers. Grade: B+

Rasheed Wallace- DNP (foot)

Carmelo Anthony- DNP (knee)

Raymond Felton- DNP (finger)

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

The team is listing Carmelo Anthony as questionable with a hyperextended knee.

December 25, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) controls the ball against the defense of Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony is playing at an MVP level, but if he can’t go, this will be the sixth game Anthony has missed due to injury. The Knicks are 3-2 in the previous five.

‘Melo suffered a hyperextended left knee against the Lakers on Christmas when Marcus Camby fell on him during an offensive play in the second quarter. Melo continued to play, finishing with 34 points in his team’s 100-94 loss.

It has been tough for the Knicks to have to be without their best player, especially since Anthony is averaging 28.5 points per game, tied with Kevin Durant for second in the NBA, only behind the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

If Anthony can’t play, he will join Raymond Felton (finger) and likely Rasheed Wallace (foot) on the sidelines against the 9-19 Kings.

It could be good to get ‘Melo the extra rest as the Knicks don’t play again until New Year’s Day when they return home to face the Portland Trail Blazers.

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

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter and on Facebook

Oct 21, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) drives against Sacramento Kings shooting guard Marcus Thornton (23) during the preseason game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

First Place – Los Angeles Lakers

Starters:

PG – Steve Nash

SG – Kobe Bryant

SF – Metta World Peace

PF – Pau Gasol

C – Dwight Howard

This has to be the best team on paper in the league, if not; it is certainly in the top 3. Steve Nash put up 12 points and 10 assists on a bad Phoenix team with no real scoring options to pass to. At 38 years old, Nash could possibly post his best career assists numbers with this star-studded squad. Kobe Bryant was second in the league in scoring last year even with all his nagging injuries. We know what he brings to the table, as he will go down as one of the best players ever when it is all said and done. Kobe will take all the trash talk and doubters as his fuel. He knows this is his window to tie or possibly pass Michael Jordan in the ring race so I think he will do whatever it takes to win.

Metta World Peace is not the Peace of old but he still has it on defense. Being the fifth option on offense will help him focus more on defense where the Lakers need him most. Pau Gasol is a top five power forward and knows what it takes to win in L.A. He now knows he will not be traded and got the Kobe approval over the summer. Gasol playing right next to Dwight Howard is a nightmare for any team. Howard is the best center in the league and is just a flat out beast. He has so many other great players around him now that he doesn’t need to be everything for this franchise as he was in Orlando. Dwight is going to do him, which is averaging 20 and 10 while being the best defensive big man in the league.

Key Bench Players: Antawn Jamison, Steve Blake, Devin Ebanks, and Jodie Meeks.

It’s hard to obtain a fierce bench when you have the huge names in your starting lineups like the Lakers do. They don’t need these guys to come off the bench and score 15 a night. They need them to come in for hustle plays, rest for the starters, and honestly, just don’t play stupid basketball. They will know their role and will be fine.

Team MVP: Kobe Bryant – The Lakers go wherever Kobe takes them. It’s still his team and he is looking to build to his legacy. He will be the MVP if he trusts his star teammates and sacrifices in order to win his sixth ring.

The Lakers are looking to avoid a season like the Heat had in 2010-2011. They want to avoid the early season chemistry problems and start dominating early. With Nash running the show, I don’t think this will be a problem. Lakers win this division without much trouble.

Second Place – Los Angeles Clippers

Oct 22, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Warriors 88-71. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Starters:

PG – Chris Paul

SG – Chauncey Billups

SF – Caron Butler

PF – Blake Griffin

C – DeAndre Jordan

The Clippers will start the season with a full training camp and another year of chemistry under their belt. Chris Paul has no trade rumors around him and looks to show the league there isn’t much debate who the best point guard in the NBA is. Paul does it all and is easily the leader for this Clippers team. Billups is coming off an injury but when he was healthy he did what he does best last year- hit big shots. Billups has the brain of a point guard so he knows where to be at all times. He is smart and brings championship experience to this Clippers squad. Most teams that try to have two natural point guards on the floor at the same time fail, but not these two veterans.

Caron Butler is a very solid player. I don’t think he is a top tier player, which some people think he is. He is an above average forward who is on the perfect team for him. This season will be all about the Blake show. Griffin has exploded on the scene and taken the league by storm. His injury in the Olympics might have people worried but he should be 100 percent as the season rolls around. Knee injuries are now a scare for Griffin but if he is healthy there aren’t many better players around the rim in the league. If he develops a consistent outside shot he might become the most dangerous offensive big man in the NBA. DeAndre Jordan is also a great compliment to Blake, as he doesn’t have much of an offensive game but is known for his defense and rebounding. Great duo down low for the Clippers.

Key Bench Players:  Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, and Eric Bledsoe

The additions of Odom, Crawford, and Hill were perfect the Clippers. Odom is a small-risk and big-reward player. His love and comfortbility level in L.A. is well documented and if he is anywhere close to what he was when he was with the Lakers, it’s a good signing. Crawford is now a journeyman who still supplies a spark off the bench while Hill brings the veteran presence to this young team. Bledsoe is a solid backup point guard and is learning from the best.

Team MVP: Chris Paul – This is the golden age of elite point guards and CP3 might just be the overall best one. He is the motor to this team and the unquestioned leader. He will push this franchise to places it has never seen before.

The Clippers are tired of being the Lakers little brother in L.A. Before CP3 got there, it would be a slap in the face to the Lakers to consider the Clippers a family member. Times have changed and the Clippers are now very much relevant. They aren’t in the class of the Lakers, Thunder and Spurs, but the Clippers will be better than last year and will compete with the best of them. My bold prediction is that Mike D’Antoni will eventually coach this team. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin can be a better due than Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire once were under coach D’Antoni.

Third Place: Sacramento Kings

Starters:

Oct 21, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

PG – Isaiah Thomas

SG – Marcus Thornton

SF – Tyreke Evans

PF – Jason Thompson

C – DeMarcus Cousins

The Kings are young and growing together. The ball will be in the young and overlooked Isaiah Thomas’ hands. Last pick of the draft means nothing for him as he opened eyes with his play and earned his spot as the starting point guard. His backcourt partner, Marcus Thornton, broke out last season averaging 18.7 points per game. This team’s best outside player, hands down is Tyreke Evans. He was masterful his rookie season averaging 20 points a game, but the last two season his PPG has slipped to 17 and 16 respectively. Evans needs to play like his rookie self if the Kings have any chance of making some noise in the West. It takes years for a player to figure the ins-and-outs of the NBA; to give up on Evans would be foolish.

The Kings frontcourt is young but they have extremely raw talent. Jason Thompson, just like the rest of their starters, is young and still learning the game. I believe Thompson will split minutes and possibly lose his job during the season to Thomas Robinson. Robinson is a pure beast and has a motor that doesn’t stop. He is physically ready for the NBA but now needs to translate it to the NBA hardwood. Both of these big men will have to make way for DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins had a huge leap in his sophomore season averaging a double-double at 18 and 11. I believe his attitude is no longer a problem and he will be one of the best centers in the league after this season. Cousins is for real.

Key Bench Players: Aaron Brooks, John Salmons, Thomas Robinson, Travis Outlaw, and Chuck Hayes

Aaron Brooks and John Salmons have had stints in the NBA where they were impact players. They are now in perfect roles with the Kings, where they can be huge sparks off the bench, especially if the starters don’t bring their A game every night. Outlaw and Hayes are good role players as well.

Team MVP: DeMarcus Cousins – Cousins will take the reigns as the team’s best player this season. I see Cousins ditching the attitude problem, taking Robinson under his wing, and averaging over 20 and 12 this season.

The Kings have a tough task in front of them for a long time with the Clippers and Lakers in their division. The Kings can fight for a low playoff spot this season if they play together as a team. They will go through growing pains and hopefully this helps them mature and doesn’t destroy this young team.

Fourth Place: Golden State Warriors

Oct 19, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Stephen Curry (30) speaks with Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson in the first quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US

Starters:

PG – Stephen Curry

SG – Klay Thompson

SF – Harrison Barnes

PF – David Lee

C – Andrew Bogut

On paper, the Warriors have a pretty solid starting lineup. Curry is one of the NBA’s best pure shooters but he needs to stay healthy if the Warriors have any chance of making noise in the West. Curry had a glass ankle last season, playing in only 26 games. He has to stay on the court for the Warriors this season. Thompson showed he can really shoot the rock and progressed as the year went on. Curry’s injuries were maybe a blessing in disguise as this lead to Thompson learning the game better by picking up some of Curry’s minutes. If he avoids the sophomore slump, the Warriors have a deadly shooting backcourt.

Barnes was a coveted prospect out of Ames High School and one of the best players in the country at North Carolina. I believe he received too much pressure as a freshman when he was named to the preseason All-American team. Barnes will have not as much pressure in Golden State as all he needs to do is play hard and learn the game. He is expected to make rookie mistakes but his upside is huge. David Lee has been a model of consistency and is in the prime of his career. A double-double machine but not a franchise player, you can count on Lee to give you numbers night in and night out. Bogut came into his own at the end of his Bucks career but was riddled with injuries. If he is healthy, you don’t have to worry about the production from the Warriors frontcourt with Lee and Bogut out there.

Key Bench Players: Brandon Rush, Richard Jefferson, Jarret Jack, Andris Biedrins, and Carl Landry.

The Warriors bench is filled with great role players. Brandon Rush has established himself as a great sixth man and spot starter. The Kansas product has developed a nice three-point shot. Jack is a solid backup point guard and is great to have with the uncertain health of Steph Curry. Jefferson brings the veteran presence but doesn’t bring the production anymore. Biedrins and Landry are a nice duo off the bench for the frontcourt and should contribute as expected.

Team MVP: Klay Thompson: I think Thompson comes into his own this season and steps up the scoring due to Monta Ellis no longer being on the team. The boy can play and will help Mark Jackson’s team win games.

The Warriors, like the Kings, are a young team on the rise. David Lee and Andrew Bogut know the game but Curry, Barnes, and Thompson are just beginning. If these three come up together, they can shoot the lights out of the ball. Mark Jackson will get the best out of his team night in and night out but it might take a year or two for them to seriously compete. The Warriors are slowly on their way and the development of their three young guns is key for the present and the future.

Fifth Place: Phoenix Suns

Oct 19, 2011; Tulsa, OK, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) drives around Oklahoma City Thunder center Hasheem Thabeet (34) during the first half of a preseason game at the BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-US PRESSWIRE

Starters:

PG – Goran Dragic

SG – Wesley Johnson

SF – Michael Beasley

PF – Luis Scola

C – Marcin Gortat

Dragic is a solid point guard in the league but he is no Nash. No one is, but these are the shoes Dragic has to fill. He has learned from Nash before and held his own in Houston. Wesley Johnson has extreme raw talent but didn’t figure it out in Minnesota. I think he has great upside and maybe a switch in teams so early in his career will inspire him. You would have to say that Michael Beasley is the best player on this Suns team. He needs to take that step to the next level in his career if he ever wants to justify his second overall selection in the draft.

Luis Scola moves from the sinking ship Rockets to the still afloat boat that is the Phoenix Suns. Scola has an awesome skill set and is the definition of a European player. He will give the Suns a consistent season. Gortat had a career year, as do most centers that play with Steve Nash. He now needs to play tougher and become a leader on this Suns team.

Key Bench Players: Sebastian Telfair, Shannon Brown, Markieff Morris, Jarred Dudley, and Kendall Marshall.

Telfair has been a bust but the Suns will give him decent playing time. The high draft selection of UNC product Kendall Marshall is a clear message on where this team wants to go with the future of their franchise. Brown has never been the same since he left the Lakers but provides a spark off the bench. Morris has to fight for minutes, as he needs to justify his first round selection. Dudley is probably the best and most consistent player of this Suns bench and will contribute as he has throughout his career.

Team MVP:  Michael Beasley – This might be Beasley’s last chance of being an efficient starter in the NBA. The Heat had to give up on him, but it wasn’t his fault as they formed their Super Team. The Timberwolves are building for their future and chose to go ahead with Derrick Williams and Kevin Love. It hasn’t been pretty for B-Easy, but he should be able to shine in the desert.

The Suns shouldn’t have high expectations as they are in the rebuilding phase. Long gone are the days of Nash and Stoudemire with D’Antoni on the sideline. This Suns team needs to take their time and learn the game together but it’s going to be rough as they play in a pretty stacked division. They need Johnson, Marshall, and Morris to develop nicely this year and coexist with the veterans still on the team. A high draft pick can form a nice young nucleus for the Suns moving forward.

We will deal with the second question first as we got our answer on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings. Mike D’Antoni made the decision to start rookie Josh Harrellson, a potentially controversial decision given Jorts’ lack of experience and D’Antoni’s other options which would have allowed the Knicks to play small ball—a type of basketball that Coach D’Antoni has become infamous for utilizing in his game plans.

Despite the nature of the decision, Josh Harrellson’s play did more than enough to vindicate D’Antoni call to start the rookie; in the end Harrellson finished with an impressive line of 14 points which included 4 three pointers on 50% shooting from behind the arc to go along with 12 rebounds and a steal.

More impressive than just his stat line, was his defensive effort. Harrellson made a noticeable impact both individually as well as on rotations for this New York Knick defense. Granted, it was only one game against an enigmatic team in the Sacramento Kings but Jorts certainly showed he potentially has what it takes to make a difference for this team defensively and on the boards.

Defense, along with point guard play, has been a big issue for the Knicks so far this season, and being able to shore up that defense by (more…)

(more…)

Hottest Seats:

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Mike D'Antoni weighing the benefits of whether or not to play Anthony Randolph. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The Knicks finally had a decent night offensively, and as we’ve been saying here, that made all the difference, giving them a much needed 113-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings.  Yes, part of it is that they were helped by the fact that the Kings are a weak team, but the hope entering the season was that if we beat the bad teams and lose to the good ones, we’ll still be good enough to slip into the playoffs.  No, we won’t be a team that can challenge for higher than a 7th seed as some deluded fans dreamed, but we just might not be as bad as we’ve seemed.

Looking back, our record isn’t nearly as awful as it seems.  The truth is that Minnesota needed a historic night in order to beat us, so we easily could be 5-7 instead of 4-8, and that would have us just a half game outside of the playoffs.  Right now, as is, we’re still only a game and a half out, which is pretty sweet considering how awful we’ve been.  The loss to Houston also was tough to handle because of their poor record, but their record may be deceiving in that of their 8 losses, 7 of ‘em were against teams likely to end up over .500.  The only inexcusable loss was against Philadelphia, and my feeling is that since we had a winning record at the time (3-2) and Phillie not only had looked bad but was also missing their top player (Andre Iguodala) that we entered the game a bit too confident and not with the desperation we needed.

Our next game is a rematch against Golden State, but they’ll be missing David Lee (they’ve gone 1-2 without him).  The next night we go up against the one-win Los Angeles Clippers, so we’ve got two very winnable games.  If we snag ‘em both, that’d leave us just half a game out.  Then we have a home-and-away against Charlotte, one  of the teams who we’ll be fighting against for the final spots.  Hopefully we can at least split those.  Then after that, two of our next three games are also very winnable (versus the Pistons and the Nets).

But back to last night’s game.  Let’s talk about a few of the key factors that lead to the victory:

-More importantly than shooting really well from the three-point line (40%) was the fact that we took a far more reasonable amount of them (15) rather than the 25+ we’ve been putting up regularly.  Just as if one lives by the sword then one dies by the sword, if ya live by the three you’re gonna die by it too.  Wilson Chandler played 34 minutes and nicely only took one three (which he made, but happily that didn’t make him go trigger-happy).

-Mozgov only got six minutes of playing time and Anthony Randolph didn’t get on the court at all.  Both of those guys may have tons of potential, but it’d be a compliment to say they’ve only played miserably.  We need wins and can’t just give our young guys minutes to screw up in hopes that they’ll improve down the road.  These guys need to be growing during practice time, and until they’re consistent there, they shouldn’t be playing.

-Along that line, it was also helpful that Ronny Turiaf didn’t get into foul trouble like he had the previous night in Denver, so he was able to log 30 minutes.

-Toney Douglas finally hit some shots, going 5-for-9 for 12 points in 21 minutes.  He doesn’t need to be on fire like he was during that two-game stretch earlier in the season, but he can’t come in and be a total stinkfest on O.  He’s Toney Tone, not Jared Jeffries.

-Of note is that we only had 14 assists, with Felton only getting 3.  This, to me, further proves my point that our issue is not with the point guard position but rather that our perimeter players haven’t been consistently hitting their outside shots.  We can survive if our shooters have a slightly sub-par night, but not if they have truly awful nights like they’ve been doing.

Hopefully we can use this win to help us sneak into Oakland on Friday and steal a victory back from the Warriors.

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.

(more…)

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

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

Maybe Safe… Um, Maybe Not:

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

(more…)

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

(more…)

Instead of Phoenix having Amar'e Stoudemire as their starting power forward, they've now got this guy. No, not LeBron, the guy he's dunking on: Hakim Warrick. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Today we go west, young man, to examine the summer moves of the Pacific Division teams: the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers & Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.  We already did the Eastern Conference, so click on the following links to check out our reviews on the Atlantic, Central and Southeast.  Our last two posts will be on the Southwest and Northwest. For the newbies to this series, the rules are again listed below, but the rest of y’all can skip down to the team listings.

(more…)

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.”

(more…)

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.
(more…)

The Knicks' gave the Garden Faithful something to cheer about as they left their final home game. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Last night, the final home game of the season, the Knicks gave the crowd something to cheer for on Fan Appreciation Night.  Losing wouldn’t help our lottery chances, winning wouldn’t help our playoff chances.  We were going up against an equally sucky team in the Washington Wizards, a team without even an exciting superstar.  And yet if you listened to the amazing crowd at Madison Square Garden last night, you’d've thought it was Game 7 of the Finals.

(more…)

(source: Yardbarker.com)

After Jordan Hill’s solid play Sunday against the Knicks, Tom Ziller of NBA Fanhouse examined the issue of whether Coach Mike D’Antoni plays rookies:

Hill [...] hardly played for Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, despite the fact that N.Y. remains one of the worst teams in the league and that the franchise needed all the boosted assets it could manage.  [Hill returned as] a legit rotation player with Houston, mind you.

Hill had tantalized at various times while playing for the Knicks, but he was never given much room to learn and grow and well… time to play.  Many fans rightly felt Coach Mike D’Antoni should’ve given Hill more burn, particularly since it’s been clear for a long, long while that we ain’t making it to the playoffs.  In his return the other day, Hill himself stated that D’Antoni doesn’t like to play rookies.  As we mentioned yesterday, unfortunately D’Antoni responded with his comment that he just doesn’t like to play “bad rookies.”  Other players & fans have also leveled the accusation that Coach D doesn’t play rooks (& truth be told, many coaches prefer to rely on the consistency of vets), but Ziller has D’s back:

(more…)

And New Yorkers are buying into this hook, line & worm (why is it supposed to be sinker — I mean when a fish really falls for it he goes after the worm, much like an alcoholic with a bottle of tequila).  Darren Rovell who discuses the business side of sports tweeted yesterday that “Knicks 2010/11 tickets went on presale last Thursday. They’re on record pace, having sold 770 new tickets so far.”  Record pace???  Do fans realize we haven’t signed ANYONE yet?  If we end up looking like we’re gonna suck, even one-legged Tracy McGrady will look to leave town.  So this is a two-part look at what to realistically expect.  Part II will be sometime next week.

Let’s look at this first based on the available teams.  First, here are the ones who’ll be competing for poaching rights:

New York Knicks: $18.64 million in 2010-11 payroll
Miami Heat: $26.07 million in 2010-11 payroll
New Jersey Nets: $26.63 million in 2010-11 payroll
Chicago Bulls: $31.85 million in 2010-11 payroll
Los Angeles Clippers: $33.53 million in 2010-11 payroll

Sacramento Kings: $34.0 million in 2010-11 payroll

The Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves could also conceivably get in on the bidding, but they seem unlikely to join the chase.  I doubt Sacramento will even seriously look into trying to grab a big name and instead will prefer to build up a bit more from the ground up through draft picks.  It’s also kinda erroneous to list Miami as only having about $26 million.  Well, first the reason I list them even that low is ‘cuz I assume there’s no way they pick up James Jones’ $4.6 million option.  However, what makes them even lower is that their payroll includes Dwayne Wade’s $17.15 million contract that he’s said he’s gonna opt out of.  In other words, they’ll have less than $10 million in committed contracts!  So they could pay a max salary to both Wade & LeBron and still have say $10 million to offer to say Carlos Boozer.

Next let’s look at what each of the five teams has to offer (I’m excluding Sac).

The Knicks:

1. the second most cap space (after Miami),

2. the mass market of New York to provide much richer endorsement deals and better national exposure,

3. Perhaps the allure of playing at Madison Square Garden, aka “The Mecca of Basketball”,

4. An open and willing wallet (& now a well-respected GM in Donnie Walsh to make you feel they’ll spend wisely),

5. Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good rep as a “player’s coach” and as an assistant coach on Team USA he’s actually worked with most of these guys before.

Cons: 1. David Lee could likely be gone, meaning they’d be coming to a team with literally only Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler (oh yeah, plus Eddy Curry in the trainer’s room),

2. Perhaps a feeling that you’d have to sorta start from nothing.

The Heat:

1.For Wade it’s the only team he’s known(&he’d get more $), and for others it might feel less risky to jump with someone else to a brand new team rather than to join someone on their current team,

2. No income taxes in Florida,

3. Perhaps Pat Riley?,

4. A solid young player in Michael Beasley, and

5. The weather (& yes, that is a real factor for players).

Cons: 1.For some players it might actually be less appealing to join “Wade’s team” rather than go with him to a new place where it could be “our team” (kinda like how it’s usually better for a young couple to move into a new place rather than say just the gal moving into the guy’s place ‘cuz then it’ll always feel like “his place.”),

2.The fact that the Heat/Riley haven’t really looked for help for Wade since the championship year might make some concerned (including Wade) that this isn’t a franchise that will do whatever it takes to win the trophy.

The Nets:

1. Jay-Z is part-owner (& you bet that’s a factor for this hip-hop idolizing generation),

2. Will be moving to Brooklyn, giving it that New York mass market appeal, plus a chance to sorta “recreate” this franchise from the ground up in this new location,

3. Potentially a stud rookie (like John Wall),

4. Some decent players in the spots that are often toughest to fill: Brook Lopez at center and Devin Harris at point.

Cons: 1. They will be coming off a season where they were either the historically worst team ever or darn close to it,

2. It’ll be at least one year, if not two or more, until the team does actually make it to Brooklyn and the crowds ain’t been stellar in Jersey,

3.Uninspiring coach and front office,

4. If the NY angle is exciting, why wouldn’t ya just go to the Knicks?

The Bulls:

1.A chance to play alongside a franchise player in Derrick Rose, as well as solid pieces like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng,

2. Get to play in the house that Jordan built,

3. For Wade a chance to go home,

4.Good media market and good city.

Cons: 1. You’re playing in the house that Jordan built so you’ll likely always be second in the city’s heart to him,

2.Not enough $ to get a second max player so you’d have to feel that the addition of you alone can turn this team into a contender,

3. Questionable coach in Vinny Del Negro, and a timid front office that’s proven to be afraid to go all in (like by refusing to give up Luol Deng for Pau Gasol).

The Clippers:

1.Best nucleus of players with Baron Davis at point, potential all-star second-year player Eric Gordon at shooting guard, Blake Griffin at power forward, and Chris Kaman at center.  Throw in LeBron James at small forward and they could be contenders ‘cuz you could make a legit argument that the Clips would be stronger at every position than the Cavs supporting cast,

2. The huge market of Los Angeles,

3. The warm weather and Hollywood connections/glamor of LA,

4. A chance to do the impossible and turn a cursed laughingstock into a champion.  Even Jordan couldn’t have saved the Clips,

5. The chance to out-do Kobe Bryant in his own arena.

Cons: 1. It’s the Clippers,

2. Cheapskate owner Donald T. Sterling, so basically what you see is what you get — don’t expect any help walking through that door,

3.The injury curse — Wade gets hurt enough as it is, if he joined the Clips his torso would probably fall off his legs,

4. It’s Kobe’s arena and it’s a Laker town, even LeBron bringing the Clips three championships in a row still might not catapult him and the team to town favorite,

5. It’s the Clippers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The second one, which we also talked about before it was finalized, was a trade with the Houston Rockets involving Tracy McGrady & his big ol’ expiring contract.  Turns out the deal didn’t contract, it expanded, becoming a threesome with the Sacramento Kings.  The Knicks basically gave up everything that was initially reported, and their attempts to protect their draft picks were laughable.  The Rockets get the choice to swap 2011 picks with the Knicks, but we stood our ground and got the pick protected.  If it’s the top pick in the draft.  Really?  That’s the best we could do?  What was the conversation like between Donnie Walsh and Houston GM Daryl Morey?

Walsh, “No, no, you’re asking for too much, we’ll only do it if the pick is lottery protected!”

Morey, “Nah.”

Walsh, “Fine, top-ten protected.”

Morey, “No.”

“Top five!”

“Nope”

“Top three!  And that’s as low as I’ll go!”

“Can’t do it.  Oh, got Sacramento on the other line, so I best be going-”

“Okay, okay, no protection!  Wait, no, that’ll make me look like a total chump who didn’t even attempt to fight this.”

“Know what?  You seem like a nice guy, tell ya what I’ll do.  We both know the chances of it being the number one pick are like a hundred-to-one, whadaya say we make it Top One protected.  It won’t affect me, and you… you can make up stories about how you stood your ground, refused to be bullied about.”

“Hmm, I can live with that.”

“But ya also gotta call me the ‘Grand High Poobah’ whenever we speak.”

“As you wish, Poobah.”

“That’s ‘Grand High’ to you.”

Ummm, but I digress.  Incredibly far.  Back to the actual facts of the trade.  So the Rockets, who made out like bandits, not only get to swap that 2011 pick, they also get the Knicks 2012 pick (oooh, but it’s top-5 protected), Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, and the biggest thing… Sacramento’s sweet shooting Kevin Martin.   Martin, who’s still recovering from injury, has been able to easily score 25 points/game in the past, getting to the line 7-10 times a game for free buckets, and hitting threes with impunity despite having one of the oddest looking shooting motions.  He should thrive in the Rockets’ current free-flowing system, and should Yao Ming return healthy next year, Martin’s outside shooting should complement him much better than T-Mac’s game ever did.  Oh, and the Rockets also have to take Sacramento’s Hilton Armstrong (now on his third team this season).

The Kings, who had decided that Martin wasn’t working well along their rookie wunderkind, Tyreke Evans, get Martin’s contract off their books, plus the Rockets’ contender for sixth-man-of-the-year, Carl Landry.  Despite coming off the bench, Landry has been top 5 this season in points scored in the fourth quarter.  With the Kings struggling to close out some games, he could be a big boon.  And the wily Rockets had signed Landry to a great, reasonable deal too.  The Kings also get Larry Hughes from us, plus Joey Dorsey from the Rockets.

As for us, we get TMac, plus Sacramento’s third-string point guard, Sergio Rodriguez.  As mentioned, the key impetus for this whole deal was to get Jared Jeffries’ contract off the books for next year.  Since TMac’s contract expires this year, we get what we want: enough cap space to sign nearly two max free agents (it depends on what the final cap limit will be, which won’t be determined until this summer), which’ll be more cap space than any other team in the league is expected to have.  However, in the meantime, like I said previously, we get a free audition of McGrady to see if he has anything left.  And if he does, maybe he’ll choose to stay in NYC for a discount.  The other short-term bonus is that even though he’s not a PG, he’s a good distributor so maybe he can take minutes away from the god-awful Chris Duhon.  Along those lines, the throw-in Sergio Rodriguez is actually a pretty darn exciting PG himself, nicknamed “Spanish Chocolate” (kinda odd that he ended up in Sacramento where Jason Williams, aka “White Chocolate” made his name.  What’s up with Sac-town’s desire for Chocolate?  I mean it ain’t like they play in Hershey, Pennsylvania or something…).  “Spanish,” much like “White,” is known to be a mediocre defender, but hell, on this Knicks’ team he should fit right in.  Unlike Duhon, he is aggressive, and unlike Nate Robinson, he is a pass-first type of point guard.

Whew, this is getting long, and I haven’t gotten to the third trade yet.  It’s with the Celts, and sadly it includes fan favorite Nate Robinson (plus another Knick, who for some reason is still unknown — I’m thinking Jonathan Bender or Marcus Landry) in return for Eddie House and seldom used players J.R. Giddeons and Bill Walker.  Kind of an odd trade.  The Knicks do it solely to get rid of Nate, not for better talent, versatility, money or anything.  His inconsistency and free-lancing just bugs the hell out of Mike D’Antoni, so they got rid of him even though along with David Lee he’s the longest tenured Knick and as I said, the fans love him.  On the opposite end, Eddie House is not only a big fan favorite for the Celts, but also someone who Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers says is a core player who he doesn’t want to lose.  However, the Celts have been playing poorly lately (for a team who wants a championship or bust) so management used this to send a “message” that players better step it up.  I mean Nate’s a slightly better defender than House, and has more offensive versatility (meaning he’s not just a spot-up three-point shooter), but he won’t be the difference between a championship or not for Boston.  Their real problem is with their power forwards: Kevin Garnett (gimpy), Rasheed Wallace (fatty), and Glen “Don’t Call Me Big Baby” Davis (no D).

Oh yeah, and we lost again last night to the Bulls (played well for three plus quarters, then fell apart).  If only the summer of 2010 could get here sooner so we could get a real team…

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

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

A Jewish acappella group sang the National Anthem

(more…)