N.Y. Knicks: Melo's Shoulder Puts Team In J.R. Smith's Hands

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

SUNDAY

NEW YORK KNICKS

vs.

Miami Heat

FROM

The House That Rony Seikaly Built

Dade County, FLA.

NEW YORK KNICKS: Trailing The Atlanta Hawks By Two In The Loss Column, The HEAT Is On J.R. Smith To Help Team Win Out.

The only reason the Knicks are even knocking on the Hawks door is due to Carmelo Anthony.
With little exception, his supporting cast has been woefully inconsistent, and inefficient this season, with each player providing his own distinct dilemma or deficiency.

Make no mistake, Ray Felton's sub par play at the point has been central to this year's step backwards from being a 50+ win team last season.  Also among the top factors in the Knicks overall disappointing campaign have been Tyson Chandler's lack of presence, and Iman Shumpert's regression.  Isolation ball and a lack of commitment on defense prior to Phil Jackson's s arrival also share partial blame.  Although further down on the list, Coach Woodson's questionable strategies, or lack there of, haven't exactly advanced his cause either.  So, be sure, other reasons exist.

Arguments crediting, and advancing the contributions Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, and Kurt Thomas made last year also ring hollow for me.  The current short comings of the core players are what put the Knicks in this situation, not periphery role players of the past.

That said, if put under oath, I'm sure Coach Woodson would concur, that trumping all reasons, has been the enigmatic play of J.R. Smith, and his alternating work schedule.  When he shows up willing to play, the results on the floor speak for themselves.  When he decides to take night's off, it's been an all too noticeable, and unsightly visual.

What's become painfully obvious during the team's recent surge towards the playoffs, is that, as J.R. Smith goes, so go the Knicks.  That's too bad, because had J.R. Smith invested himself into playing an entire season instead of performing in spurts, the Knicks wouldn't be in their current situation of having to scratch and claw for the 8th seed.

I'm left without a clear reason to explain J.R. Smith's precipitous fall in production from a year ago, other than to say he has money in hand, and failed to play with last year's hunger on any given night.

Melo now has a injured/bruised shoulder at the absolute worst time of the season.  Applying HEAT at this point would provide minimal results.  What's needed over the last five games of the regular season is an old fashioned, home grown remedy.  It's called teamwork, the type Phil Jackson spoke of at his introductory presser.

The Knicks task ahead is daunting, and like it or not, starting Sunday, J.R. Smith turns into the center of the Knicks universe. Melo's cranky shoulder now places Smith in the role of having to take the HEAT, and lead the team through the next five games.  After Miami, the Knicks have single games against Chicago and Brooklyn, and a pair against Atlantic Division leading Toronto.

The thing is, J.R.Smith has the talent necessary to determine whether if the Knicks play beyond April 16th.  But, the real questions are, does he possess the leadership, will he embrace the responsibility, and will he welcome the challenge of having to propel his team to victory over the next handful games of must win basketball?

Will he ultimately seize the moment?




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Scuttlebutt Reigns Supreme At MSG

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS: Melo!  Melo Changes Everything....  Or Was That, Money Changes Everything?  Whatever.

As we know by now, James Dolan held a private meeting with Carmelo Anthony, to discuss, of all things, the future status of their head coach.  Publicly, Melo says he wants no part of that conversation.  That's unfortunate.  But in a small way, I don't blame him.  More on that later.

First, talk about gratitude, huh?  From day one, Mike Woodson was careful to not make the same mistake Mike D'Antoni did, which was to not give Carmelo Anthony what he wanted, meaning, the ball.  Coach Woodson made it clear upon assuming the Knicks head coaching position, that he would be riding Melo like a mule, for as long and far as the small forward could carry them.  We are now finding out just how far that is.

I do not know how or when it happened.  Those of you who follow my blog know Melo has no friend in me. But at this point, I absolve him of blame for the current Knicks situation, on all counts but one.  Carmelo Anthony did not support his coach with the same unwavering loyalty Mike Woodson invested in him.  So, I guess from a coach's perspective, the present state of the Knicks is indeed a disaster, which was Coach Woodson's choice of word, not mine.  And, I couldn't concur more.

In my opinion, the two are joined at the hip.  If James Dolan fires Coach Woodson, then Carmelo Anthony needs to be traded, post haste.  Carmelo Anthony perhaps needs to be traded anyway.  The current cast of Knickerbockers is a bad mix.  They need to be reconfigured.  It is clear the Knicks can not surround Melo with a better supporting cast.  Therefore, Melo must go, then cross your fingers, and bank on a good return. It's just that simple.

If anything, or anyone, is putting Coach Woodson's job in jeopardy, it is the sub-par play of Raymond Felton at the point.  After that, we can start cherry picking reasons, like the lack of scoring from Tyson Chandler, or the drop in J.R. Smith's overall game since signing his contract, or Iman Shumpert taking steps backwards, or the infirmary of players they call a bench and supporting cast.

Making matters worse, Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, and Melo, are all guilty of displaying apathy towards their coach this season.  The only player to exhibit open support for his coach has been J.R. Smith - ironically, the one player Coach Woodson has been hardest on.

The Knicks entered Friday night's game against the Denver Nuggets with a 19-30 record, with matters deteriorating fast.  Scuttlebutt around Madison Square Garden says Mike Woodson will be fired by the all-star game.  So how did the team respond this evening?  They trailed Denver 26-20 after the first quarter. Melo scored 13 of the Knicks 20 points.

Exactly!

Coach is not without his own faults.  I'd be hard pressed to explain Mike Woodson's offensive philosophy with any conviction.  The strategy seems part iso, part Melo, and part gonzo.  With few set plays, poorly designed plays coming out of time-outs, and an inability to get his players to play collective defense, consider yourself up to date.

So why the big drop-off from last year when the Knicks won 54 games?  Were Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, and Steve Novak, that influential, and integral to the Knicks success last season?

There is no clear answer.  This season however, Carmelo Anthony has been made to shoulder the burden of putting the entire Knicks organization on is back.  The owner, a pseudo-GM, a coach on the hot seat, eleven other second rate players, and a bewildered fan base, all look to Carmelo Anthony for everything.

He's Carmelo Anthony, not Meadowlark Lemon!

At this point, I can no longer begrudge Melo for his lack of professionalism, when earlier in the season, he smiled when saying he looked forward to becoming a free agent.  When you're in-season, and under contract, that's disrespectful to all concerned parties.  In fact, when Dolan initially acquired him, I thought he would be at the center of everything wrong with the Knicks.  What Melo is, is a scorer, and a damn good one.  There is nary a Knick on the floor who compliments his game.  As it turned out, Melo is fine. Everything around him, however, is completely dysfunctional.

If it's about the money for Carmelo, he can make the most by staying with the Knicks.  If he's determined to win a championship, he'd be smart to hop the next train from Penn Station out of the city.  If the Knicks were smart, that puppet they call a GM would trade Carmelo Anthony at the deadline, in the best interests of the team.

*

Knicks won by the way, over Denver by a 117-90 final score.  Melo scored 31 points.  Amare came in big with 17 points.


Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: It's Melo Versus The World

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

 

TONIGHT

 

New York Knicks

vs.

Washington Bullets Wizards

FROM

Phone Company Named Arena

 

NEW YORK KNICKS: Carmelo Anthony's Dubious Triple Crown Season Continues In Washington.

You know what I got out of James Dolan's interview with Mike Vaccaro?  Dolan is obsessed with Mikhail Prokhorov, and every little move he makes.  Jimmy said he's more patient than his counterpart.  Okay, but what about being more petulant or fretful?  News flash - he's got Prokhorov beat there too.  This is a man who maintains a Garden media policy, which is above all paranoid, and in practice resembles something akin to marshal law.

• On bringing Isiah Thomas back - "I couldn't do that to him, and I couldn't do that to the organization."  Fine, but what about the fans Jimmy?

He round about blamed the media for preventing any future chances of Zeke making a successful return.  But never once did he mention the fans as a consideration.  Instead, the fans are going to get a revamped Knicks City Dancers squad...., soon, and with a slightly different job description.  Yippee.

The Knicks are coming off their most disheartening loss of the season.  I'm sure Iman Shumpert wants back on the floor, after committing a glancing, but costly foul against Indiana's George Hill.

On a team that ranks 28th in rebounds, Carmelo Anthony can not continue leading the team with 9.5 boards per game.  I guess he can, but the guy desperately needs more help.  Of course, that was Tyson Chandler's department, but the next closest Knick, Andrea Bargnani (5.0) isn't even close, or representative.  And with no Ray Felton on the floor, there is additionally no ball distribution.  You guessed it - Carmelo leads the team with 2.8 assists when Felton is out.

I'm not one for defending Melo Ball much, but with the substantial load he's being asked to carry, one can only look through the losing, and admire the performances he's put in.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Dolan Set The MSG Dominos In Motion

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

 

Chuck Said This Man Is Done

NEW YORK KNICKS: The Lane Is Once Again Open For The General Opposition's Enjoyment.  Tyson Chandler Will Miss Upwards Of Six Weeks With Fractured Fibula.

The dominos have begun to fall.  The Knicks are in the midst of a three game losing streak, the Knicks City Dancers for the moment have lost their gig, the team itself lost the services of Tyson Chandler for at least a month, analyst extraordinaire Charles Barkley said Amare Stoudemire just flat out lost his skills, and today's papers are speculating how long Coach Woodson can old on to his job.

.............. just another day in paradise.  Only the last three items deserve any kind of discussion though.

The Knicks rebounding and interior defense suffered a major blow Tuesday evening when Tyson Chandler suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula.  He could miss upwards of six weeks. Tyson left in the first quarter, and by game's end, the results and future effects his absence would have on the team were glaringly evident.  The Bobcats overwhelmingly outrebounded the Knicks by a 51-38 margin.  Charlotte pulled down 35 defensive rebounds while the Knicks only managed 11 offensive boards.  At the other end, the Bobcats had 16 offensive rebounds versus 22 defensive boards for the Knicks.  Charlotte also scored 34 points in the paint.  And this all came minus the Charlotte Bobcats' big man in the middle, F/C Al Jefferson.

Coach Woodson was following through with his "big" experiment, and seemed committed on letting his guys iron out the wrinkles.  Then, his biggest variable in that equation went down.  That changes everything, and Coach will be forced to go small, much like last season.

I always felt, for as long as Ray Felton had Tyson Chandler on the floor as an option for pick-n-roll, or what not, Carmelo and J.R. Smith would have to respect Felton's ball distribution and get back on defense.  That's out the window now as well.  Ray will still have to play traffic cop between the two, unless the plan is to reduce the offense down to the Melo Show, and let him play over 40 minutes a night like he did against the Bobcats.

With Chandler down, Iman Shumpert's defensive prowess now becomes the Knicks model to follow.  Good luck with that.  And good luck to Coach Woodson.  He's working for an outwardly imbalanced owner now who can potentially short circuit at any moment.  Can Melo save the universe?  Stay tuned.  But I do know this, the dynamic between Carmelo, Woodson and Dolan will become the most explosive ever-developing story of the season.

If Charles Barkley is correct in his assessment, do not count on Amare Stoudemire supplying any help.  Chuck said Amare is done.  Barkely does a lot of hating on the Knicks.  That's an established fact.  But we've all seen Amare's perform this season.  Chuck is not on an island on this one.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Derrick Rose Set To Reintroduce Himself Tonight

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS: Tonight's Early Season Clash In Chicago Should Be The First Of Several Contentious Affairs Against The Bulls.

With Game One in the books, Carmelo Anthony is eighty-one games closer to exercising his right to test free agency.  Good for him.  I do not appreciate that kind of talk when there is a season to be played first.  I additionally did not appreciate when Patrick Ewing did the same exact thing back in the mid-90's.  On the one hand, a player would have to either be very comfortable in his situation, or be an idiot not to exercise his rights under collective bargaining.  That's fine.  The problem is, no fan wants to hear their player express that stuff out loud.

That's the way the Knicks 2013-2014 season starts for me - with crap like that.

On the court, the Knicks also already have something to worry about.  Raymond Felton's hamstring paid him a return visit.  He toughed out last night's game however, and clocked in 34 minutes against the Bucks.  He scored eighteen points but only issued three assists.  It was Pablo Prigioni who topped the Knicks with five assists.  But if Felton is feeling tender already, that may spell trouble.  He's the one I feel who will maintain order between Melo and J.R. Smith.

Carmelo Anthony pulled down a team high ten rebounds, and scored a game high nineteen points, to rescue the Knicks from what would have been an embarrassing loss, considering the Knicks led Milwaukee by twenty-five points at one point.

Is Iman Shumpert on the precipice of a break-out season?  Many people think so.  He was 5/13 from the field, and 5/5 from the line for sixteen points.  I'd like for him to continue playing near thirty minutes a night.

Tyson Chandler was the fourth Knick player to score in double-digits, with ten points and five blocked shots in thirty-two minutes.

All five Knicks starters played over thirty minutes.  No wonder though, as the game almost slipped away from them.  The Knicks were up 56-31 at the half, but allowed Milwaukee to explode for 33 points in the third quarter.  The Knicks barely won the battle of the boards by a 34-31 margin.  They shot 50.7% from the floor, while the Bucks finished at 45.9% and took three more shots from the field.  But the Knicks edged out Milwaukee at the stripe, making 15/17 shots for 88.2%, versus 83.3% for the Bucks.

Andrea Bargnani struggled in his season debut, scoring six points in seventeen minutes off the bench.  He was 0/3 from beyond the 3-point line, and committed three turnovers.

Is tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls a foreshadowing of a possible encounter next Spring?  Why not enjoy it that way, considering both teams have their full compliment of players, minus Amare Stoudemire that is, who did not play in last night's opener.  I'll be curious to see him if he plays tonight, how he meshes, and how many minutes Coach Woodson allots him.

Derrick Rose is also attempting to come back from ruinous injuries.  He complained of a sore neck after the Bulls opening game against the Miami Heat, but he will reportedly suit up and play this evening.  He missed the entire 2012-2013 regular season and playoffs.  It looks like the Bulls, Heat, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Knicks will all be battling this season for the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.  Should be fun.

For now, the time has finally come for Derrick Rose to reintroduce himself to the New York Knicks.  If Rose's neck is stiff, then the Knicks are playing off a quick turn-around from last night at the Garden.

It's all good.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Series Over - Donnie Walsh Leaves Old Team In His Dust

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS - Grunwald's Geezers Run Out Of Gas.

MELO SCORES THIRTY-NINE, BUT KNICKERBOCKERS FALL IN SIX

What started out a few years ago with Stephon Marbury being nailed to the bench for a grossly under-manned Knicks team, ended Saturday night in Indiana's field house, as Donnie Walsh's Pacers dismantled the Knicks, eliminating them from this year's playoffs, four games to two.  New York's off-season uncertainty starts....now.


The Indiana Pacers' executive man in charge sat quietly absorbed, triumphantly observing his newest creation defeat the team Jim Dolan hijacked from him.  How does an NBA owner hijack his own team you ask?  When Commissioner Stern orders him to hire Donnie Walsh in order to halt one of the league's marquee franchise's decade long free fall into basketball Tartaros.  For with blind love, devotion and negligence, Jim Dolan allowed Isiah Thomas to put the Knickerbockers organization through hell.


Fast forward to the signing of Amare Stoudemire.  Donnie Walsh did everything that needed getting done in order to gain salary cap relief, regardless of LeBron James' pending free agency.  Personally, I felt securing Stoudemire was the owner's knee jerk reaction for failing to secure James, but more, a desperate last minute signing mandated by Dolan before the market closed.  If the Phoenix Suns were only willing to offer Amare three years, I had, and still have zero reason to believe Donnie Walsh wanted to pay him a day longer or a dollar more, especially under an uninsurable contract.  Only owners do that, not GMs, and certainly not the Donnie Walsh of a reasonable mind.


Fast forward to the Carmelo Anthony trade.  In direct conflict with Dolan's preference for the star system, Donnie Walsh effectively got fired because he tried building a team.  When Melo trade talks between Denver and the Nets picked up , Jim Dolan succumbed to the threat of direct competition from Brooklyn, and swooped in to kidnap Anthony.  Shortly thereafter, Dolan pushed Walsh out the door.


Let's be clear - all things considered, the Knicks do not reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons without Donnie Walsh's prior ground work, or without Carmelo Anthony for that matter.  These days, Donnie walks needing the assistance of a cane, but the man knows how to run an organization.  As it pertains to Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before the Knicks did - two franchises that began at the same starting line after the Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller days passed them by.  Donnie Walsh had a hand in the Pacers of that era, and will now face the Miami Heat - the team, and an era, the Knicks are still chasing ever since Pat Riley split town via fax.

Game Six Final

Knicks       99

Pacers      106

If the Knicks were guilty of anything, the post-Walsh Knicks stamped their luggage with NBA Finals stickers months ago, not coincidentally, around the same time gas mileage on present GM Glen Grunwald's Geezers started registering true.  During the season's most important minutes, in the team's most important games, Rasheed Wallace, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd, and Kenyon Martin were all out of leaded gasoline.


The Knicks were surviving Game Six largely on the strength of Melo's usual star performance  and  Iman Shumpert's hot hand.  Was Iman really the plan?  Hardly.  Truth is, no one showed up in support of the team's star.  Ray Felton scored two points - Tyson Chandler had two points - Pablo Prigioni had six points - Kenyon Martin had five points - Camby and Novack did not play.  And lastly, Jason Kidd failed to score a point in any of the six games - not one.


Fact is, the Pacers represented a horrible match-up for the Knicks.  Tyson Chandler was flat out  deleted by Roy Hibbert inside.  Hibbert dropped twenty-one points on Chandler, pulled down twelve rebounds, and blocked five shots, one of which became an instant ESPN classic against Melo.  How much of Roy's performance was due to Chandler's bulging disc problem is still, and may remain  unknown.  Roy Hibbert however, was only the beginning.  Lance Stephenson scored twenty-five, and pulled down another ten rebounds.  For the game, Indiana cleaned up 43-36 on the glass.


The Pacers also scored fifty-two of their 106 points in the paint, while the Knicks only managed twenty.  By relentlessly pounding the Knicks interior, they additionally put themselves in the bonus early.  Indiana pummelled the Knicks from the line, sinking thirty-four of forty-six attempts.  The Knicks only made it to the stripe eighteen times.  Tyson Chandler was one of three Knicks to foul out of the game.  Shumpert and Kenyon Martin joined him.  Carmelo Anthony ended the game with five fouls.


J.R.Smith contributed fifteen points and ten rebounds an otherwise nice game.  Let's be honest though.  Ever since his ill-fated elbow and suspension in round one, his game has effectively disappeared.


When Mike Woodson took over as head coach, he made it very clear that Carmelo Anthony was his star player, clearly in line with the Dolan Doctrine, and that he was going to ride Melo like a mule for all he's worth.  Compared to Mike D'Antoni, that was probably the smart way to go.  For the first three quarters of the game, Melo took care of business, with Shump and Smith providing points as well.  Carmelo finished with a game-high thirty-nine points, pulled down seven rebounds and had two assists.


What of the fourth quarter then - closing time?  Melo tied the game 81-81 with a layup in the last seconds of the third quarter.  So, this game was there for their taking.  But after allowing thirty-four points in the third quarter, Indiana clamped down on defense, limiting the Knicks to just eighteen points in the final twelve minutes.  Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith both only shot two of seven from the field during the quarter.  And in a game in which Iman Shumpert had already scored  nineteen points, and was five of six from beyond the three-point line, he failed to take a single shot in the fourth quarter.  That's hard to understand.  Ponderous!


On the heels of an abrupt ending such as this, there will be those looking to cast blame.  Which ever way you size this up, the local story will read how a bunch of no-names overcame Carmelo Anthony.  Did Melo come up small in crunch time?  Has he reaffirmed his playoff legacy?  Did Mike Woodson mismanage the Knicks this series?  Was the Knick relying too heavily on Glen Grunwald's geriatrics a huge mistake?  Does Ray Felton get a chunk of blame, who, as the primary point guard, failed to orchestrate?  Is there more?


In the immortal word of former Knicks broadcaster Marv Albert - YES!




Mike.BTB

New York Knicks: Defense Clamps Down On Celtics In Game One

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

 

GAME ONE FINAL

Celtics       78

KNICKS   85

 

NEW YORK KNICKS - Melo Defense!  Melo Defense!


The League's scoring champ did what the playoffs demand.  That's why Carmelo gets a bad rap - because the regular season is all about System.  In the playoffs, you need stars to rise up, and supporting players who know, and execute their roles.  When you consider the list of players who under-performed around Carmelo Anthony Saturday afternoon, then you know why the game was a two point affair with just a few minutes left.  Think about it - In twenty-two minutes, Iman Shumpert scored three points.  Tyson Chandler scored no points in twenty minutes.  Ditto with Chris Copeland - thirteen minutes, no points.  And those were the starters.  Jason Kidd played thirty-five minutes (!) with eight points off the bench.  Steve Novack was a non-factor.


Now for the big contributors.  Ray Felton played forty-three minutes and scored thirteen points, which is respectable considering his six assists.  And make no mistake, Kenyon Martin's ten points in twenty-eight minutes were huge, as was the way Kenyon Martin shut down he paint.  And there in lies the game - tenacious defense.  Tenacious team defense put Carmelo Anthony in a position to lead the rest of his mates to an 85-78 game one victory.  Forget Melo's first quarter.  It was good.  Melo's last two minutes stand tallest.  That's when most of the appreciable TV audience tunes in anyway, right?


Show me.  And Melo did.  He scored a game high thirty-eight points - twelve more than Boston's perennial thirteen point scorer, Jeff Green.  Think about that too.  Melo had one assist in the game.  It was huge, a hot pass to Kenyon Martin who converted.  He also had six rebounds, all on the defensive boards.  Lastly, Carmelo Anthony had four steals.


Defense.  It was the kind of defense the Knicks played back in November, if not better.  And Melo was a clear participant.  It needed to be that way, because no one wanted to score.


J.R. SMITH WINS NBA'S SIXTH-MAN AWARD


This season, J.R. Smith has teamed with Carmelo to form one of the more lethal duo's in basketball.  In game one, he scored fifteen points in thirty-two minutes.  With those minutes, he is no bench player.  In any event, I think Knicks fans sense a huge game coming from him shortly.  Carmelo Anthony will need the help.


Would this series be viewed differently if Jajon Rondo hadn't gotten hurt?  Definitely.  Felton and Kidd would be getting treatment on their ankles as we speak.  Until Kevin Garnett shows up, Melo and Smith look like they got this covered.  After game two, it's off to Boston.  That's when the really series starts.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks - It's The Star System, Or Bust

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS - Amare Stoudemire Out Minimum Six Weeks With Injury.  Faces Second Surgery, This Time On Right Knee.

Time To Follow The Melo Brick Road

The Knicks plan to preserve Amare's knees - the one to limit his minutes by having him come off the bench - the one that was starting to work out nicley of late - failed.  The uninsurable Amare Stoudemire has effectively been lost for the rest of the regular season with a right knee injury.  Six weeks is the actual prognosis.  That potentially puts Amare and the Knicks into the end of April or early May, and the playoffs.  That's a damn shame too.  After everything he's been through here.  Amare has done nothing but say and do the right thing since arriving.  But when taking injuries into account, he could never do enough.  There is also no way I hold the "breaking glass" incident against him - not at this point.  He's been that much of a stand up guy.


There is no time to wallow in self pity however.  It is time to pack up, and follow the Melo Brick Road.  When Carmelo's knee gets better, they're off, they're off, they're off.....  in search of the elusive Atlantic Division title.


You know where I stand - the team concept versus the star system.  From here on out, it's the star system or bust.  The Knicks fortunes now lie exclusively between what Carmelo Anthony thinks he needs to do, and wants to do, in order to help the Knicks win, and what Melo actually needs to do in order to help his coach and team mates make the Knicks a successful team.  Coach Woodson's prophecy is now his reality.  When he assumed the role of head coach, he said he would be riding Carmelo Anthony as far as his small forward takes him and the Knicks.  With Amare officially out, and not being accused of complicating the rotation, Coach Woodson now gets to saddle up and find out just how far that really is.


Before Amare's injury changed everything, the Knicks recent game against the Thunder punctuated the argument, or growing belief, the Knicks are a more cohesive, and thereby a more effective team, when Melo is off the floor.  Their last win over the Jazz minus both Amare and Melo, may have reinforced the notion even further. There are tons of truth in that argument.  But at the same time, the Knicks will not win an NBA title without Carmelo Anthony.  It didn't help Melo's cause that the Knicks dream bench of Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas never quite made it out of the senior center.  And the rest of the assembled body, like Ray Felton's increasingly round one, or Jason Kidd's creaky one, aren't performing as spryly as they were last Fall either.


Something will have to give, or, some one will have to bend.  Because right now, at this very moment, this is J.R. Smith's team.  Somehow, someway, and at some point, Coach Woodson has to make Melo conform again, into the player Anthony was back in November and December, and keep that player in uniform until June, Red Holzman willing.  For if alternative anti-Melo emerges from  behind the wizard's curtain after his own knee injury subsides, the Knicks will be headed towards a tumultuous end, and no one will like the way Carmelo Anthony, first and foremost, will explain everything off.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: For Those Who Said Talk To Me In January

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP


NEW YORK KNICKS - Many Said Age And Injury Would Start Taking Its Toll In January And February.  The Team Is Certainly Not Without Issues.

Knicks Needs Ray Felton Back On The Floor.

 

...And Honey Nut Cheerios Too.

I can't fault Melo for continuing to go after Kevin Garnett.  What KG does, he does supremely well.  He talks vicious smack.  But we've known that for a long time.  And I get it.  That gets players even more mad.  Especially when the dude starts poppin' off about your wife and honey nut Cheerios in the same sentence.  How rich!  That was unnecessary on KG's part.  But as a highly paid professional athlete, you have to learn to ignore guys like Garnett and the Dennis Rodmans in life and stay within the game.  Riiight.  But yeah, on a more primitive level, a trip to the bus after the game might have been warranted.  That's so 1970's of me.  I know.  So now if you're Melo, you shut up and take your one game suspension like a man.  Too bad however, Melo didn't make the trip to the parking lot truly worth the effort.  You know what I mean.  If you're going to get punished, might as well go all the way.  What happened to the Carmelo Anthony we all knew and loathed in 2006; the punk who threw a cheap punch at Mardy Collins, then ran away?  He should have given KG some of that.


Grab yourself some Hatorade.  There's plenty.


With a 23-11 record, the Knicks are tied with the Heat for most wins in the Eastern Conference. Indeed, the Knicks enjoyed a stellar start to the season, raining three pointers upon opponents and playing surprisingly good defense.  But staunch pragmatists decided to hold off till January before assessing the team.  And well, here we are.  The Knicks are in first place of the Atlantic Division.


Happy New Year.


While earlier in the schedule the Knicks were playing like the team many thought they could be, they are now slowly morphing into the team many feared they might be.  Problem one?  Life has been a struggle without Ray Felton.  That's just my take.  Pablo Prigioni is nice off the bench.  But I don't think the Knicks want him getting extended minutes.  The longer Felton is out, the more minutes Jason Kidd must play.  The more he plays, the sooner he burns out heading into March and April.  That's the traditional thinking.  The Knicks also probably do not want to potentially head into the playoffs with Ronnie Brewer at the two and Kidd at point.  Do they?  I think Felton is more important to this team than he gets credit for.


Regardless of how I started this posting, I have nothing but good things to say about Carmelo Anthony this season.  He, Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith have been stellar.  The return of Iman Shumpert will add a lot of youthful spring to the Knicks legs too.  These four lend much to be optimistic about.


The same can't be said of Amare Stoudemire.  The doctor is ordering his minutes get cut back.  He will remain a compromised player for the foreseeable future.  Then consider the limited contributions of Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas, and it is easy to deduce the Knicks have major depth and size issues moving forward.


The age factor and injuries many thought could hamper the Knicks the deeper the season went, are indeed starting to hinder the Knicks as the New Year settles in.  The next seven weeks of Winter will reveal much about this team.  For now, I think Knick fans have to be happy with their season so far.  But the real fun, or pain, lies ahead.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Knicks Take First Encounter In Overtime

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

Pre-Season Final

KNICKS  97

NETS       95

overtime

 

BROOKLYN NETS: What The Hell Was That?  Nets Had Eight Assists All Game! Way To Move The Ball Around Fellas.


Some say it is not how you start, it is how you finish that matters.  On Wednesday evening, it all looked the same.  The Nets needed to put together a 17-3 fourth quarter run just to get the game tied and into overtime.  Otherwise Brooklyn played from behind most of the night.  In over time, New York's Steve Novack jacked up a couple of three pointers, and that was that.  The Manhattan Knicks drew first blood against the team representing Brooklyn.


In the final tune-up for both clubs, the Knicks claim a 97-95 final, albeit unofficially.  When these two clubs meet again on November 1st, the games will start counting for real.  Between now and then however, I'm sure the Knicks would trade their two point pre-season victory over the Nets for the health of Tyson Chandler's knee.  The big guy left the game in the first quarter and did not return.  Chandler is hopeful for Opening Night.


On the bright side, there was a lot to like about how well Raymond Felton and Melo played together.  Felton had five assists.  But just like in his last stint off-Broadway, when Felton scores, the Knicks win.  Wednesday night he dropped fifteen points on Brooklyn.


Jason Kidd was rather inconsequential in twenty two minutes.  Chris Copeland led Knicks scorers with sixteen points off the bench.  Melo matched Felton with fifteen points, and was high man on the Knicks with nine rebounds.


This was Brooklyn's third pre-season loss in a row.  They end their exhibition schedule with a 3-3 record.  Coach Avery no doubt will have an interesting week of practice in store for his men.  There is much to address.  On a good note, the Nets improved their free throw shooting considerably.  They made twenty of twenty two shots, for a 90.9% shooting percentage from the line.


Brooklyn struggled from 3-point range.  They hit five of seventeen attempts.  The Knicks were better, draining twelve of twenty nine, for a 41.1 % three point percentage.


Deron Williams led all players with twenty two points.  And Andray Blatche led all players with ten rebounds.  Seven Nets players out-rebounded Brook Lopez, who had one rebound.  That is going to have to change.  Here's a cool stat.  No Nets player had more than two assists.  They had eight all game.


Way to move the ball around fellas.





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Battle For The City Begins

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

THE DAWNING OF A NEW RIVALRY:

 

 

New York Knicks

vs.

BROOKLYN NETS

 

FROM

Nassau Coliseum

Long Island, N.Y.

 

BROOKLYN NETS:

Pre-Season Showdown Versus Manhattan Knicks;

It's Time To Face The Competition.

An era ends.  A new age begins.  Over the last thirty five years, the New York Knicks foot print extended out and dominated the desolation of East Rutherford.  The days when Nets players got taunted by Knicks crowds in their own arena, as was the case in the Meadowlands arena and in Newark, are done.  The Nets have a new home crowd now, passionate and loyal as any.  Many native Brooklynites that will be attending games this season have no particular need, want, or even like for Manhattan.  So proceed thee now with caution Knickerbockers.  In eight more days they'll be  entering the very different Borough of Kings.


The Billboard Wars which played out over the last two winters, and the Battle for Melo are both long behind us.  While the first official game isn't until November 1st, the modern Battle for Brooklyn and the greater city is upon us.  Sometime late next Thursday afternoon, the New York Knicks in all likelihood will traverse the Manhattan Bridge and file down Flatbush Avenue.  Their destination will be Barclays Center, to engage the Brooklyn Nets on their home court for the first time in history.

First, Brooklyn and New York will return to the site of the Nets organization's greatest triumphs to date.  Wednesday's pre-season game will be played in Long Island's Nassau Coliseum; the arena where the once formerly New York Nets won two American Basketball Association championships.  Those were the days of Julius Erving, more popularly known as Dr. J.  This trip into Long Island also hearkens back to the days when the Knicks imposed not one, but two territorial rights tariffs against the Nets.  On top of paying the NBA entrance fee once the NBA/ABA merger took effect, the Nets were also forced to pay the Knicks their due tax for entry into the local market.  The Knicks nailed them again for the Nets subsequent move into New Jersey.


This time, the Nets relocated to the 4th largest city in America, which just also happens to be right next door, and the Knicks weren't entitled to a dime.  Conveniently forgotten, if not ignored, Brooklyn is the western tip of Long Island.  So I guess in a manner of speaking, the cycle is complete.


If you're headed to the Nassau Coliseum and get overwhelmed by a waft of Tiger Balm, that would be the Knicks you smell.  When you write names on paper, they have a great team.  In truth, I think the Knicks are in deep trouble.  They have more senior citizens on the books than AARP.  Amare and Camby are already out.  And Rasheed Wallace, is back (!?) and out as well.  The only real question is - Who's next?  My money is on Jason Kidd having to swipe his Medicaid card.


Having Amare off the floor only makes Melo's world better anyway.  Right?  That used to be the case.  The return of Ray Felton and the arrival of Jason Kidd should change that.  Amare and Melo no longer need to learn how to exist together.  The Knicks have two guards who will decide things for them.  I'm even looking for Felton and Kidd to elevate Tyson Chandler's offensive game as well.


The Knicks biggest concern is now health, and lack of youth.  Coach Woodson is going to have to manage his team very carefully.  The Knicks actually have a few players who want to play defense now.  But how long will they manage to stay on the court?


In their first pre-season as the Brooklyn Nets, the team is also not without their problems.  While cohesiveness is still going to be a work in progress, their defense is far below Coach Avery's standards.  Based on their overall play so far, who could blame Coach for voicing displeasure after allowing 100 points in three of five games.  Despite a 3-2 record, the Nets have allowed 510 points, for a 102 ppg average.  They have scored 484 points, for a 96.8 ppg average.  I would also venture to say the team's overall free throw shooting needs major improvement as well.  But hey, that's why it's called practice.


Tonight, the Battle for the City begins.  Let's get it on!






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks ~ 'Bockers Trying To Get Their Point Across

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS:  Jeremy Lin is Now a Point of Contention.  Knicks on Verge of Pointing Him Towards the Nearest Exit.


Many have been clamouring for the return of Ray Felton ever since he found favor with fans prior to the Carmelo Anthony acquisition.  Now, based on circulating reports, you may have him again Knick fans.  And with Jason Kidd in the fold, it looks a lot like the Age of LINsanity is all but over.  Jeremy Lin signed his offer sheet with the Houston Rockets, and now the Knicks will have 48 hours or so to match.  But do they want to?  If you're reading into the Knicks' moves, the answer is, No.


Without trying to detract from Jeremy Lin's arrival on the scene, and playing so well before getting hobbled by injuries, I was never completely sold on him.  The key word there is SOLD.  I'm not insinuating he can't be a good player.  I just do not see the upper body strength from him, and watched him get pushed around last season after the brilliance wore off his introductory flash, and lighting the city on fire.  Once teams started taking the body against him, LINsanity headed to the LINfirmary.  In his defense, he almost always made good decisions on the court.  But can he endure a whole season of bumping bodies in the lane?  I do not think Knicks fans will be finding out up close.  For answers to that quandary, check in on him while he plays in Houston.


With Jason Kidd on board however, the Knicks now have that alpha-point guard who will dictate the direction of the ball, and more specifically, direct traffic between Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.  Whether it is going to be Lin, or Felton, I look for the soon to be forty year old Kidd to be splitting playing time down the middle.  In that case, Jason Kidd should be very reliable, not to mention effective while playing twenty-some minutes per game.  Whether he is on the court during the last six minutes like he says he wants to be, will get itself worked out.  That's Mike Woodson's problem for now.


With Jason Kidd on board, I think we'll be seeing a very different version of Carmelo Anthony.  Of the players he'll share the court with, Carmelo Anthony stands to benefit the most from Kidd's arrival.  For a guy I'm not too particularly enamoured with, Kidd just may help out Melo's game immeasurably.  I still do not think Jeremy Lin has the cache to demand the ball back from Melo.  But Jason Kidd does, and will.  And if Melo doesn't fall in line, a veteran like Kidd knows how to send on-court messages to his team mates through selective ball distribution.  Whatever in-game time the old man needs to refresh his legs and catch his breath, will be provided by Ray Felton or, possibly Jeremy Lin, or even both.  Being a starter means stepping out on the court first.  After the initial tip-off, being a starter means nothing.  So, I don't care who steps out first.


If acquired, can Ray Felton recapture the flare and effectiveness he played with his first time here?  He better lose some weight first.  That's just fact.  He's the third coming of Round Mound right now.  Ray may need boot camp instead of training camp later this summer.  In any case, expect him to get a loud ovation the first time he takes to the Garden floor this Fall.  But just keep in mind, he couldn't win a starting job in any of his landing spots after he got traded.


I'm not lost on Jason Kidd's age.  But for twenty to twenty-three minutes a night, I think he'll be just fine, and key to any Knicks' success next season.  What Ray Felton can contribute remains to be seen.  But we already have a feeling we know what we're getting.  And I'm sure Amare Stoudemire is OK with the deal too.  If Stoudemire's body holds up, prepare yourselves for a return of the Amare from the 2010-2011 season.


Marcus Camby's age is also not lost on me.  But to back up Tyson Chandler and play some forward, I think he's marvelous.  And the more players willing to play defense, the better.  It will be nice to see Camby in a Knicks uniform again.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. KNICKS ~ Necessity is the Mother of Dolan's Motivation

NEW YORK KNICKS:  James Dolan didn't care Isiah Thomas ran his team into the ground.  So why does he care so much now without him?




First...It's Never Easy Saying Good-Bye.

We hardly knew ya but you will be missed.

The Fans' favorite Knicks team over the last eight or nine years has been disassembled before they could even finish a season together.  Since last November till now, this season's Knickerbockers have done everything short of winning a Championship to earn back the respect and admiration of the fans.  Truth is, they only achieved a slightly better than .500 record together, but it was a spirited and entertaining first half (plus) of the season and an effort we were appreciative of, as it made us forget our miseries suffered over the previous decade. 

There were players spread-out across the floor in Knick uniforms that were building fresh, new fan followings.  The two players drafted by the Knicks we enjoyed watching fill-out and mature; Dalino Gallinari and Wilson Chandler will be missed.  No one feels good about trading away one of your own.  And Raymond Felton..., a two year underdog singing, turned out to be a little Super Hero for five months.  Even Mozgov found comfort with the fans.  That's why perhaps the big trade news is leaving Knicks fans a bit melancholy despite the team hooking one of the biggest fish in the NBA.

Last night those guys were traded away for Carmelo Anthony and others.  He and Amare' Stoudemire now comprise a fearsome twosome on the offensive side of the ball for the New York Knicks.  In a star-driven League, the Knicks now have two of them.

Did the Knicks empty out the roster to make this trade happen?  Yes.
Was the price we paid for Carmelo Anthony too high?  No.

Wilson Chandler was a goner anyway.  Raymond Felton was a stop-gap point guard until we had a shot at acquiring Chris Paul or Deron Williams.  So, was Gallo and the rest of the package worth it for 'Melo?  You betcha!  You secure a guy like 'Melo when you can; especially when you can pair him with a talent like Amare' and continue trying to upgrade from there.  You do it because this is what Donnie Walsh has spent the last two-plus years working towards.


DOUBTERS BE DAMNED.   JUST STICK WITH THE PLAN!
Carmelo Anthony is a Knick today because Donnie Walsh's plan was followed.  He asked for two years and that he be judged based on year Three.  If the Knicks wound up not getting Melo, many in the Media were calling for Donnie Walsh's job.  He dumped salaries and freed up Cap space in a miraculously short time.  Yet, some in the Media called that feat simple and easy.  He added short-term upgrades to the roster and turned them into assets.  In Felton's case, the Media kept insisting he was a product of Coach D's system.  He then signed Amare' over the summer.  The Media then said the plan was to land LeBron and that Donnie was lucky to outbid the Suns by a year for Amare's services.  That's wrong!  LeBron was never the plan.  Donnie never said it was.  LeBron was available as a coincidence to the plan.  The Plan was to be in a position to sign Max-Contracts.  And now he has two after completing the trade for Carmelo Anthony with said assets and said cap flexibility.

For Knick Fans, you can start believing it now...., a plan actually came together for us.



There was a ton of speculation as to how much Isiah Thomas played a part in the negotiations to bring Carmelo Anthony here.  There is also rampant speculation as to whether James Dolan was intent on making this deal happen in defiance of Donnie Walsh' working model as the club's GM.  I was one of the skeptics..and still am.  I am not convinced Zeke's days with the Knicks are through.  Regardless,  Donnie Walsh laid many of the rumors to rest when he said he believed Carmelo Anthony was more intent on securing an extension before the CBA expires as opposed to becoming a free-agent.  That meant Anthony would have surely signed a more lucrative extension with the Nuggets or even the Nets than he would have otherwise.  Donnie Walsh believed that to be so...because Carmelo Anthony said so!  That's why Donnie said they signed off on the trade (while he was in Indianapolis and James Dolan in Los Angeles).

The trick now is to build a supporting cast around these two players.  The Knicks have about four years to accomplish this.  By no means is this a finished product just because 'Melo arrives tomorrow.  The need was and still is to play better defense and finding a quality Center to protect the paint.  We still don't have a Center and we certainly won't be playing any Defense now just because it's Tuesday.

The Knicks would be better served by getting Amare' back to his natural position and away from Center if they want him and 'Melo playing through a handful of injury free years together..  Additionally, someone needs to pull down some rebounds for this team.  This team can't even pull down a window shade as presently constituted.  Ronnie Turiaf obviously is not an answer at Center and he shouldn't even be a thought anymore.  You don't pump Regular into a Cadillac.  We've up-graded now and Center should be our next area of concern.

Chauncey Billups keeps the plan at point guard the same.  We're just waiting for other players to become available.  He isn't going to give us much defense either, but I have the utmost confidence he can still orchestrate from the point and set-up Amare' and Carmelo with smart professionalism.  That's all I'm really expecting from him.  Let's face it, we haven't been right at point guard since we traded Mark Jackson, so there's no reason for us to start snivelling about it now.



It's a TURF WAR.  It's as Simple as That.

But do you really want to know my unofficial, real reason why Carmelo Anthony is a Knick today?

As I eluded to in my recent post, Knicks-Nets; Tug Of War Spurs Rivalry , James Dolan all of a sudden has an active interest in his team?  With Dolan, it's never that easy.

James Dolan was never one to interfere in Isiah Thomas' affairs for the whole time Zeke ruled his Knicks.  A sexual harassment case brought against MSG, etc...was hardly enough to splinter James Dolan's support for Thomas.  Isiah had run of the ranch.  The only time James Dolan sprung to action is when a proposed West Side Stadium for the Jets was on the City's planning table.  James Dolan and MSG committed vast resources to thwart that from happening and preventing such a Stadium from infringing upon his MSG/Arena monopoly in the area.  Successful at blocking that project, he had no problem letting Isiah Thomas destroy the Knicks for as long as fans kept showing up to MSG with his monopoly intact.  In a city like N.Y. with it's immense population and tourism, not to mention arena events, an MSG void of fans or visitors is hard to pull off.

James Dolan never seemed troubled Isiah Thomas turned the Knicks into an unmitigated disaster.  Never.  The only thing that troubled him was that West Side Stadium and he threw loads of money at that problem.  James Dolan is only recently so concerned about his Knicks because:

ONE:  Like I said, he's a mess without Isiah.

TWO:  Being an owner of a crappy club never bothered James when Zeke was here, so why should he start caring now?  The biggest and real reason James Dolan all of a sudden cares about the Knicks and was seemingly so willing and desperate to trample over Donnie Walsh to get at Amare' Stoudemire; and why he pushed over baby-carriages and knocked over old ladies trying to get at Carmelo Anthony was because of.....

....Mikhail Prokhorov and the threat of Brooklyn infringing on his NYC monopoly. 

It's all Owners really care about.  They are all about the Capitalism aspect of it.  It's all they know and a good businessman can recognize a threat when he sees one.  Another team and another arena within the city limits is why to some extent Amare' and 'Melo are Knicks today.  I'm not saying Donnie Walsh or a good Exec wouldn't have made these moves as Knicks GM.  I'm just merely saying the only reason why James Dolan all of a sudden seems so preoccupied with the Knicks, unlike he was with Zeke around, is because his business is being threatened just like it was when the West Side Stadium talked popped up.  And just like then, he's throwing a ton of money at this problem.  Salary Cap, Shmalary Shnap ~ When Capitalists feel threatened, they throw money at their problems.

It doesn't matter who in the Knicks' Front Office collaborated on the Melo trade.  It doesn't matter if Zeke was in on it or not.  James Dolan the Entertainment Mogul was looking out for his business that's about to be faced with stiff competition.  For James, It's all about paying for a seat at MSG.  He didn't seem to care when the Knicks sucked and he was the only game in town though. 

Prokhorov hasn't spent anything yet.  But from one business man to another, Dolan knows his day is coming.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. KNICKS ~ Knicks Lasso NBA's Best Team

NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS:  It's Cool To Be Right Sometimes.  But Tonight, It Was Even Better To Be Wrong.

First, the straight version.

The New York Knicks beat the NBA's Top Team tonight 128-115 and improved their record to 20-14.
The fans at Madison Square Garden celebrated their 10th home win but got to participate in yet another uproarious night against the NBA's elite.

One thing I said about the Knicks still holds true.  If Ray Felton and Landry Fields do not score in double digits together in the same game, the Knicks don't win.  Felton scored 28 and Fields dropped 13.

But tonight Wilson Chandler was The Dude.  He dumped 31 points all over the Spurs.  Amar'e said it best after the game, "They didn't have an answer for him tonight."  But part of that was because Amar'e kept making passes.  He had 6 assists tonight.

Here's another...!  Wilson Chandler and Stoudamire were high rebounders tonight with both getting 9 boards apiece.

Oh wait!  Here's another...  No GALLO tonight!  He's hurt.  Remember?

WAITER?!    Some Crow please?

I believe in my last Knicks posting, I said Tim Duncan was going to put on a clinic in MSG tonight.  I was questioning if the Knicks would have an answer for the Big Guy.  I said he still has a whole-lotta Ball in his big body.

The Knicks didn't just have an answer, they took the NBA's best team, at the moment, completely out of their game.  Coach Pop was upset!  

But I couldn't be more happier being so wrong, not necessarily about Tim Duncan, but about the Knicks' chances tonight.

How about these guys..huh?!



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: "The Stretch" is Over; How Ya Like Me Now?

NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS: 
The Media dubbed this "THE STRETCH".

So what do you think about 'em now, Knick fans?


If anything, we were entertained; and I think that's understating things..  There were definitely moments, plays, quarters, very good halves and some complete Basketball games over the last eight scheduled match-ups dubbed The Stretch that truely excited, and during the home games, shook the roof.

We held our own to start things off on the right "Chuck Taylor" against 'Melo and the Denver Nuggets.  Maybe seeing how well the Knicks played them will dissuade him from ever signing that extension with Denver.  We followed the Nuggets game with a gripping Regular Season Classic that put everyone through the ultimate high and disappointing low with a last second thriller against Boston that had everyone feeling good about the Knicks despite losing a very exciting, near-buzzer beating contest at the Garden.  And who wasn't feeling even better about our situation during the first half against the Heat?

OK...So the next six quarters weren't as good.  The second half against the Heat and the entire game against the Cavs kinda sedated fan enthusiasm a bit.  Actually, that Cavs game was rather disappointing.  Don't ya think?

But the Knicks returned with wins against Oklahoma City and Chicago before we got singed by the Heat again for Christmas.

If I remember all the scuttlebutt correctly, I recall the experts saying if the Knicks could manage a 3-5 record over That Stretch, it would have proved the Knicks indeed made real strides.  Anything above 3 wins and the Knicks would have to be considered as a legitimately competitive playoff team.  They were all calling this a litmus test to see how they stacked up against the League's better teams.

Well?  What do you think?  We went 3-5.  Who's saying they went 3-4 with a push against Boston?

We beat Denver when they weren't at full strength.  They didn't have Kenyon Martin (he's one of my favorite players) on the floor but their best player was.  So it was a victory well earned.  Wins against Oklahoma City and the Bulls were, I think, appropriate.  We've handled the Bulls and Derrick Rose quite well this season.

Are you going to give the Knicks an E for Effort against Boston?  I'm willing to.  C'mon, just compare that game to any game prior to this season and going back ...how long?  The Celts didn't have all their guys for that game like the Nuggets didn't.  Is a win just a win?

Was getting BURNED by the Miami Heat twice expected?  Be honest...it was right?  Sure it was.

The only real point of contention I think we will all agree on was that no-show against Cleveland.  It will stand out as the low point, for me anyway, of the last 8 games (including tonight's game with Orlando).  What would the high point be?  You know what?  They did a lot of things well worth mentioning.

There's no denying the Garden was electrified during the Boston game.  We lost, but we got OUR HOUSE back in order.  MSG became a mecca again that night.  And like I said, that first half against Miami on our court was furious too.  Is that odd I picked two games we lost?  No.  It just shows we are doing things correctly, more often.

Tonight, the Refs kept themselves front and center.  They ruined what could have been a great game-within-the-game between Amar'e and Howard.  But instead of letting them play and the fans getting to enjoy a great match-up,  Stoudemire remained in foul trouble all night.  Amar'e was playing with five fouls while Howard still only had three called against him by the fourth quarter.  Both he and Howard were served with Technicals in the first half also.  Incidentally,  Howard and Amar'e are one and two in the League receiving Techs.

After Amar'e received his third foul in the first half and had to take a seat, we found Wilson Chandler and Shawne Williams playing center?  Really?  Don't get me wrong.  Wilson Chandler is winning-over more and more people everyday, but he's no center!  Tonight he was carrying the Knicks.  We have to give him that.  But then Shawne Williams at Center?

Let's be happy with the way this stretch of games went.  There were an awful lot of positive things to converse about.  But this stretch was also a reminder Donnie Walsh still has some work to do.  Of course, my biggest hang-up is not having a legit center.  But something has to give.  Ray Felton and Amar'e need help from this bench.  That's Donnie's job.  This team needs another piece...obviously.  I said it once before, I Tweeted it tonight and I'll say it again now. When Ray Felton (14 points) and Landry Fields (zero points) do not score in double digits together, the Knicks do not win. Period.


Donnie has gotten us to this point; to the point where apathy isn't welcome at the Garden anymore.

Does Donnie Walsh have something brewing for the very near future or will a move have to wait till the deadline?  Both are fine by me.  Donnie Walsh deserves as much credit for the last eight entertaining games as the players and Coach D does.  Put the "L's" aside for a sec on this one.  Yes, more moves must be made but we all saw the Brand is much better.

Back to the litmus test?  The Knicks-Magic game just went final.  Knicks lost 112-103.  The Knicks got as close as 2 points with 4:10 to go.  But the Magic maintained a 10 point lead on the Knicks for most of the night.  If you want to connect Stoudemire's foul troubles with the Magic 6, 8 and 10 point leads, I'm definitely game for that.

I think The Stretch turned out to be an accurate barometer of who the Knicks are and where they are as a team.

We could very well be on-par with Denver and we have a couple of wins over the Bulls now.  I'll say we are better than the Thunder, and if it weren't for too many whistles, Amar'e and Howard may have banged bodies towards a closer score.

Are we as good as Miami or Boston?  No.  But we did show if they aren't careful, we can give them a lot of problems.  I also think we proved we can now "talk without laughing" about securing one of the eight playoff spots in the East.

Next month, the New Year gives us a little dose of the Western Conference.  That means the Lakers and Spurs.  I'm a big Tim Duncan fan, and I'm dying to see if we have an answer for him.  Quite honestly, I think there's still a lot of great Basketball in his big body and I feel like he's going to put us through a clinic.

I welcome you to prove me wrong Boys!


Let's Go Knicks



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks ~ A Celtic Win Is A Huge Knick Victory

NEW YORK KNICKS:  For Five Minutes, The Knicks and Amar'e Achieved Sweet Victory Over The Celtics as Madison Square Garden Roared Again!

**Savvy and Experience Were Only Two Points Better Than The Knickerbockers Tonight.


This is the stretch of games when the Knicks will finally be tested.  A more accurate analysis of this new Knickerbocker team now begins in earnest.  They started off well beating the Denver Nuggest and Carmelo Anthony last Sunday.  Next up would be the Boyz from Beantown.

The Boston Celtics came into Madison Square Garden tonight sporting the Eastern Conference's best record built on the strength of a 10 game winning streak.  The Knicks have a little streak of their own winning their last 8 games in a row. As of tonight, the Knicks are the team closest to the Celtics in the division standings with a 16-9 record and 4 games back.  The first place Celtics were 19-4 before tonight's game.

And so, the championship calibur squad from Boston visited the new, re-formed Knicks in a good old- fashioned Atlantic Division match-up.

Amar'e Stoudemire topped thirty points for the 9th consecutive game (he finished with 39) and Ray Felton ochestrated what is becoming routine quarterbacking with a snarl.  The Knicks took the lead in the opening minutes and clinged to it dearly all night long.

It appeared as if Boston was just rope-a-doping the Knicks, and that their defensive would rise-up to take over late in this game.  The Celtics stayed close all night and tied it a few times.  But this squad of Knicks never gave up against the Legendary Green Shamrocks.

The Knicks held a two, four, six and eight point lead for the majority of the night.  With ten minutes left in the 4th period, Amar'e Stoudemire blocked two consecutive shot to protect a Knicks' two point lead.  The Knicks would turn that into a four point lead again but then Ray Allen dropped a three on the Knicks and the lead was down to one again.

With six minutes left the Knicks were still clinging to one and three point leads.  At 5:45 D'Gallo dazzled by driving baseline for a dunk to make it 102-99 and then Ray Felton burried a three his next time up the floor.  The Celtics kept trading baskets them but Ray Felton and Stoudemire kept making shots also.

At 3:52, the Knicks called a time-out.

At 3:11 Amar'e Stoudemire scored his 39th point of the night giving the Knicks 111 points; the most the Celtics would allow this season to any team.  It appeared as if the Knicks had the vaunted Celtics' D taxed.

With 2:18 left in the game the Knicks were still holding on tightly to their slim lead.  Amar'e and Felton kept on surging and gave every impression they were practiced at the art of closing out games.

With 2:00 left the Knicks led 113-111.  And at 1:29, after a foul to Garnett and two made free throws, the game was tied 113-113.

Ray Felton drove the paint but ended up wildly out of control trying to penetrate.  He lost his dribble and the ball.  The Celtics returned up court where Ray Allen burried another three for the Celtics.  The score was now 116-113 Boston.

D'Gallo made a left handed lay-up after driving the left side of the paint off a Felton pass and got fouled....116-116 ~ 0.44 left.

Soon again, it was Knick ball with 20 seconds left.  Felton found Stoudemire down low but Amar'e could not convert as the shot went in and out.  The Celtics rebounded and promptly called for a time out with 0.12 seconds left.

Having won much credibility tonight, the Knicks had their eyes on winning this game.  A Boston possession and 0.12 seconds stood between over-time or defeat.

It wasn't the Celtics defense that would bury the Knicks late.  Instead, it was Paul Pierce who burried a shot from just to the side of the high right elbow.  All that was left on the clock for the Knicks to attempt a shot to tie or win this game were four-tenths of a second.

The Knicks inbounded to Amar'e who promptly put up a shot from above the three point line and HIT It!
Incredibly, an Amar'e Stoudemire three point shot won the game for the Knickerbockers....But only for a few minutes until the refs checked the replay and confirmed that Amar'e got the shot off too late.  The buzzer went off; the back-board light went on, and Amar'e still had the ball in his hands.

The Celtics win 118-116 tonight in Madison Square Garden.  In this game, savvy won-out over youth. 

Before the game, Coach Rivers said there'd be no trophies handed out after the game for who ever won.  The comments stemmed from being asked about "the Knicks/Celtics rivalry".  Well, Doc Rivers was right about not recieving trophies, but he and his team were lucky to leave NYC with their streak extended.  Luck may not be a correct word to use as perhaps savvy is the better way to descibe Boston's last second "comeback" win.

The Knicks are clearly an emerging team as evidenced by tonight's effort.  But they are still learning how to gel together and close games out.  But there is no Knick fan tonight who left MSG who could have possibly been upset with tonight's game in spite of the loss.

Do I believe in moral victories?  Not really.  But I do have strong convictions about improvement and a strong appreciation for competing.  The Knicks are presently engaged in both processes.

We fell two points short tonight or we just ran out of time; Take your pick.  Or you can look at things this way.  Tonight was a win-win.

December games against the League's best is a fair barometer to guage this team and the readings after the last two games are favorable.  The Knicks and Celtics may very well be two teams passing and waving to each other in the night.  The former Champions are practiced at the art of picking their moments and closing-out games.  But Boston's Big Three's last days will be coming sooner than later in a figurative sense.  They may have pushed their team to a 10 game winning streak and a 5 game lead over the Knicks in the standings.  But the truth is tonight, they were only two points and a second better.  Even Kevin Garnett knows that's too close for comfort.

The Knicks are just arriving and haven't even un-packed their bags yet.  Tonight they made Boston and the rest of the contenders in this League understand the Knicks should no longer be viewed as one of the NBA's door matts.  There's still much more work to do but this team looks like it intends on staying around for a while.  And after one look around Madison Square Garden tonight, it was clear the fans were back HOME and planned on staying a while also.

Next up....Bring the HEAT; The Miami Heat!


*LINK:  TRADE RUMOR*
From: Examiner.com  Minnesota
Article: "Timberwolves Guard Telfair Could be Traded To New York Knicks"
By: Matt Krumrie; Minnesota Timberwolves Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/minnesota-timberwolves-in-minneapolis/reports-timberwolves-guard-telfair-could-be-traded-to-new-york-knicks



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks ~ Wild Seventies and Crazy Eights; Knick Win

NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS: 
"Crazy Eights and Scoring Like The Wild Seventies"
* Amar'e Stoudemire sets a Club Record.

The New York Knicks started their eight game journey through the rest of December against the NBA's first division with a tough win against the Denver Nuggets in a game that got a little chippy.  Denver Center Hilario Nene antagonized the Knicks all afternoon, not only backing 'Melo's 31 points and 13 rebounds with a pounding 26 points, 8 rebound, 2 blocked-shot performance of his own, but he also shared in some wrangling between him, Turiaf and Amar'e Stoudemire as elbows were flying freely.

Amar'e Stoudamire composed his play and temper enough to stay in the game after a possible Tech-Foul could have been called against him and possibly ending his day prematurely when he and Nene locked high elbows.  But he smartly ceased engagement and stuck around to drop 30 points.  With today's thirty point effort, Amar'e Stoudemire set a N.Y. Knicks' club record for most consecutive games scoring over 30 points by doing it for the eighth time.  He was fittingly given today's game ball.

Behind Ray Felton and Wilson Chandler's 12 points in the 1st quarter, the Knicks got off to a fast start and "sustained and maintained" their play through the next three quarter on their way to a gritty victory.  The Knicks won their eighth consecutive game today; 129-125. 

These scores are starting to look a little "late-1970s'ish" aren't they?  Oh, you don't remember those days?  OK, it was the opposite of the "1990's-like", low scoring, grappling defensive games.  Oh, you don't remember those days either?

If you're only now turning twenty years old, take my word for it.  Life is a cycle.  Eventually, everything that's old is new again at some point.  But if you see a pair of  "bell-bottoms"....run!

Next up...Boston Celtics.  We need a big man in the middle.  That's my biggest thing.  Win or lose, this game will expose that fact...I think.  Don't take that as a complaint.  I'm cool.  Everything comes in time.

Actually the biggest problem I have right now with the Garden being such a hot spot this afternoon is, as I type, The Garden is being re-configured for tonight's Rangers game against Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.  That means a bad ice surface, crazy bouncing pucks and unfortunate bounces.

Ugh!

Bring on the Celtics!  Let's Go Knicks!


From an earlier post today:
The next stretch of games will a truer test of where we are.  I'm Not Talking About The Knicks; I'm talkin' about you!
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/12/ny-knicks-gut-check-time-but-not-for.html




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks ~ Gut Check Time, But Not For Team

NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS:  Your team has a tough December test ahead.  But this isn't about them.  This is about YOU!


"Beak-up to Make-up...  That's a game, for fools.."

"Reunited and it feels so good..."

Whatever! 

It's nice being a Knicks fan again isn't it? 

If you didn't treat this team with apathy, ignorance, indifference or with disgust during the latter days of the ZEKE Years OR if you weren't perturbed Donnie Walsh told us to give him two years to get this team in a position to sign big money players (i.e. LeBron) only to not get who everyone really really wanted, well then I give you all the credit in the world.  If you stuck it out through all that and didn't give the team much flack about it, congratulations are in order as you enjoy some success this year and the Garden re-emerges from it's moratorium against having Fun.

If you're the type who tempered your expectations coming into this season and find yourself wonderfully surprised by the play of Ray Felton, the leadership brought to town by your new Star Power Forward, the emergence of Landry Fields from parts unknown, the continued improvement of the Italian Stallion, etc. etc.,  no one has been more rewarded by the Knicks' efforts this year than you have.

The cheers, roars, chants and fan adulation have rained-down again this season inside Madison Square Garden upon their new cast of Knickerbockers.  And why not?!  They are above .500 sporting a record worthy of cheers at 15-9, which entering today's game was good enough for second place.

Our new "Big Guy" and our new point guard are establishing peace, love and harmony playing together.  Landry Fields seems to be doing something every game that makes you wonder "wow" out loud.  He's been outstanding and gaining more of Coach D's confidence every day.

Organizational changes and a roster overhaul have made startling differences from where this organization was three years ago.  Very good right?


If you're not one of those "patient" fans; ~ If you were ranting, raving and chugging on Hate-O-Rade the whole time; if you called into Sports Radio with ridicule, derisiveness and raving lunacy; if at times you found them unwatchable and turned off the game or stopped watching all together; if you were one of those who didn't renew your season tickets...., 

...If you were disappointed we signed Amar'e Stoudemire and not King James;  If you think that's a knock on Donnie Walsh and if you're one of the few who thinks Zeke did a good job....

...If you said to yourself at any time over the last 3, 5, 7 or 9 years, "I can't anymore!" ~ I'm talking to you.

This is December's remaining schedule for your New York Knicks:
* Today's game against the Denver Nuggets is underway.
* Dec. 15 ~ Boston, MSG
* Dec. 17 ~ Miami, MSG
* Dec. 18 ~ @ Cavs
* Dec. 22 ~ Oaklahoma City, MSG
* Dec. 25 ~ Chicago, MSG
* Dec. 28 ~ @ Miami
* Dec. 30 ~ @ Orlando

Obviously this portion of the schedule will test this team's mettle and certainly serve as a litmus test determining where this team really stands in comparison to the more quality clubs in the League.  Five of the remaining games this December are at MSG to include Christmas Day versus Chicago.  But all eyes are no doubt zeroed in on the Dec.17th match-up against the Miami Heat for obvious reasons.  That game is the hottest Knick ticket in many, many years.

So let's finally get right down to "IT".  With five home games against the League's better teams on the docket I want to know do you have tickets...Are you going?

Because let's say the Knicks struggle against these teams, including today's game against the Nuggets and we play towards a deflating 3-5 record during the stretch.  Let's say we get blown-out by the Celtics and that leaves everyone a little ticked off for tip-off against the Heat.  And in the course of that game, things go wrong and the game plays out without us ever really having a chance to win.

What are you going to do?  Boo?

Because if that's what you have in mind with a little down-turn on your hands, fugheddaboudit!  I'm going to have my man "Joe" turn you away at the door before you get the chance.

This is a test for "US" fans as much it is a test for "OUR" team.  What'cha gonna do?




Mike.BTB