Welcome to the starting lineup Mr. Douglas! posted by Paul Stengel

Welcome to the starting lineup Toney Douglas! The Knicks are 2-0 in games Douglas has started, and he has clearly given the team a spark it was missing when it started Duhon and Sergio Rodriguez. Douglas has averaged 20 points over his last three games, and has brought great energy to the defensive end. His three steals against Philadelphia and clutch three point shooting helped keep the 76ers from coming back.

 Another big contributor to the Knicks lately has been Bill “Sky” Walker. Walker’s high flying dunks and surprising outside touch have been on display of late. He’s shooting near 60% as a Knick and has been a pleasant surprise in general when considering he was originally a throw-in in the Nate Robinson trade. Tracy McGrady’s frequent injuries have opened up minutes for Walker and he’s taking advantage.

The Knicks have overall become much more watchable with Douglas leading the team. Hopefully Gallinari will continue his aggressive play, and the Knicks can continue their winning streak against Boston.

The Need for Relevance posted by Micky Deming

As a Pacer fan, the obvious highlight of my season was the ESPN 30 for 30 story on Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks. I loved every second of the documentary. I thought it was put together very well, and the best part was all of the memories it brought back.

On the other hand it was bitter-sweet in some ways. The Pacers have been awful for the last few years, but I have still enjoyed the NBA and told myself, "It's OK that the Pacers aren't competitive because it is still great to watch all of these high profile teams go at it in the Playoffs." 

 But that was wrong. There is something incredible about living and dying with every point in an NBA Playoff series. And Pacer fans got to experience that excitement consistently from the mid 90's to the early 00's. Honestly, I took it for granted. And seeing those old games again, I remembered how much I hated the Knicks and how much I cared about how those games turned out. It reminded me that the Pacers used to matter. And I want that again so badly. I want our games to be meaningful; relevant. I want to sit at work all day and be thinking about what is going to happen in the game tonight.

Which brings us to the lottery. The Pacers have never been a serious contender for the top pick in the lottery. In fact, the last two years they finished 9th in the East, just out of the playoffs, and a long way from the top talent in the draft. To me, it seems silly to act like a top pick in the draft is the only way the team can get good, but a glance at the top of the league shows that you have to score big with a superstar or you will never be good.

New York Knicks, what the salary cap future holds posted by Paul Stengel

CLAAAANG!!!  Another errant Knicks shot glances off the rim.  The New York Knickerbockers have mastered the art of losing for the past 10 years.  The only silver lining after this season is the possibility of signing two big name, “max contract” players.  The Knicks traded away their upcoming draft pick (along with Jared Jeffries and others) to Houston,  to free up more money for these players.  Nothing is guaranteed, the Knicks aren’t necessarily getting anyone for their trouble. 

The losing that the Knicks have been doing is a relatively new experience for their head coach, Mike D’Antoni.  D’Antoni came over from Phoenix, where he had an outstanding winning percentage, playoff appearances every year, and usually a late-season meeting with the San Antonio Spurs that ultimately would decide who would come out of the west.  Before he coached Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Shawn Marion to 60 wins a year.  Now he leads Al Harrington and a band of inexperienced, below average knicks to likely two 30 win seasons. 

The Knicks have been on a downward spiral since they decided to trade away their franchise player of the 90’s Patrick Ewing.  They have been compiling bad contracts ever since, and it wasn’t until Donnie Walsh became the active general manager that their attitude toward free agents began to change.  Starting with the trades of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, Walsh has managed to free up more and more salary cap space, and with it, the possibility of greater things in the future. 

Cetlics Knicks make moves posted by john howard

The Boston Celtics made a move that they hope gets them to the title.  They traded for Nate Robinson, a point guard that can score.  Here is how it breaks down:

Celtcis get ;   Nate Robinson, Marcus Landry

Knicks get:  Eddie House, JR Giddens, Bill Walker

They Celtics give up a hot shooter in House.  I hate to see him go.  But, they gain much needed depth at the point guard spot.  They can even use both Robinson and Rondo in the back court and really go more up tempo if needed.  They may be the biggest advantage for acquiring Robinson. They become quicker and more athletic.  It's also good for Robinson because he goes to a title contender.  He also gets a 1 million dollar bonus if they make the playoffs.

 The Knicks get rid of more cap room to sign big names this year.  Also, House played for D'Antoni in Phoenix.  So, he will fit in the system and get to play a lot. Giddens and Walker are young players that still may develope but may not.  So, it wasn't a loss for Boston and a potential for New York.

I give both teams thumbs up on this one.

Jared Jeffries - Undeniably the WORST player in the NBA posted by Marija kero

I ran out of words, so I now use BBM faces to express my hatred towards Jared Jeffries of the New York Knicks.  

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DxBwQIOKeM

McGrady sweetstakes---Knicks? posted by john howard

Houston has been shopping Tracy McGrady all year and something is a about to happen.  The leading candidate is the New York Knicks.  McGrady could be a 20pt scorer again with the up tempo style of play New York has. I think he would be a perfect fit for them. 

A third team may have to be involved and latest rumor has the Wizards.  Houston might get Caron Butler from Washington and the Knicks would send much traveled Al Harrington to DC.  Sounds like a swapping of big salaries and not much improvement.  There will be other players involved and draft picks for sure.  But, the main thing is McGrady in the biggest market.  If he could stay healthy for any length of time, he could really profit well.  He might be enough of a surge to get them into the playoffs this year. 

Lebron James will truly be a "King" playing in New York posted by Colin Linneweber

Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said this week that he hopes that Cavaliers basketball icon Lebron James remains in “The Forest City” after this season.

James, 25, the 2009 NBA Most Valuable Player who was born and raised near Cleveland in Akron, Ohio, will be a free agent this summer and many analysts have speculated that the “Chosen One” may opt to sign a long-term contract with an organization located in a larger market.

“Looking at the fact that this is a business, I put that first,” said Brown, 73, a three-time NFL MVP and eight-time First-Team All-Pro selection during his nine-year career with the Browns.

“But having said that, I would love to see him be here. I think it’s a terrific marriage. He does so much for this city and I think that he has an owner (Dan Gilbert) that tries to do everything he can. When you have an owner who is trying to do the best he can do and a player, it’s a terrific set of circumstances. But the business is the business.”

James, currently in his seventh pro season with the Cavs since that franchise selected him out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School with the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, is arguably one of the greatest players in NBA history already.

Brown, who Cleveland chose out of Syracuse University with the sixth selection in the 1957 NFL Draft, was named by The Sporting News as the greatest football player ever.

Brown dominated the gridiron and James is absolutely overpowering the competition on the hardwood.

Playoff Knicks??? posted by john howard

With the Knicks victory over Chicago last night, they pulled to a half game of the playoffs.

David Lee put fourth another solid performance in 18 points and 21 rebounds, along with 5 assists. 

Gallinari had a terrible night shooting, but still managed 7 rebounds, 3 assissts and 3 blocks. 

Duhon and Chandler didn't put up spectacular numbers but had solid performances.  Jarred Jeffries also played well.

Al Harrington also added 20 points off the bench and is bidding for 6th man of the year award.

That is a group that is getting better as the season goes along.  If they can get anything positive from Larry Hughes, Nate Robinson, and/or Eddie Curry, they will be in great shape.  Those players may be traded, but it could be a hard go in finding takers.  Rookies Toney Douglas and Jordan Hill have been early dissappointments, but they are young and will grow.

knicks win!! posted by john howard

The Knicks win over Charlotte isn't the biggest news of the season.  But, there are some things I liked about it.

1) Danilo Gallinari played 36 minutes and had 21 points.  He is maturing by the day.

2)  David Lee is as solid as it gets.  He is going to give you a double double every night.  He was 3 assists away from one against Charlotte.

3)  Wilson Chandler and Chris Duhon are starting to be consistent players.  That gives a nice starting five.

4)  Al Harrington can score and at times score a lot.  Then, you won't see him for a while. This is good and bad.

5)  The player I am most excited about is Jonathon Bender.  He has scored 20 points in 25 minutes the past 2 games.  He could be a very pleasant surprise and success story. 

Knicks Blow Out Best Team in NBA (12-1-09) posted by Paul Stengel

…and we know you don’t care.  This team is not going to trick me into watching it this year.  However, I have decided that I will check in on them, as one would check in on an ailing old friend.  They looked pretty good tonight, beating the Phoenix Suns, 126-99.  I’ll just give my critique of Gallinari’s play, since I know the Knicks arent doing anything this year, and Gallo’s one of the few players I know will be around next year. 

The Knicks and Suns entered the game with records that were the complete inverse of each other (3-14 to 14-3).  Gallinari looked particularly focused on this day, starting the game with a quick dunk, and a reverse layup.  After that his shot was on target the whole night.  In addition, his passing and his defense were excellent.  He never forces anything. 

I think Gallinari stands around too much on the perimeter, passively, away from the action.  Though he was calling for the ball the whole game, there were way too many possesions where he never touched the ball, even in the middle of a scorching hot shooting stretch.   One play that had me yelling at the TV: In the fourth quarter, Gallinari blocked a shot to start a break and clearly shoudlve been rewarded by getting the ball back, yet the thought never crossed any of the other Knicks’ minds.  The other Knicks don’t always look for him, but he also allows himself to fade into the background a little too much.  It seems like the Knicks could really run their offense through him. 

Knicks turningto rookie point guard? (Yahoo! Sports)

Last summer, the New York Knicks were deep into negotiations to sign point guard Ramon Sessions but a deal... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Douglas shines, lifts Knicks again (AP)

Toney Douglas is making a strong case to remain in the starting lineup. The rookie guard from Florida State had a solid all-around effort for the second consecutive game, and the New York Knicks won both of them. Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points, Douglas added 20 and the Knicks won their second straight on the road by rallying past the struggling Philadelphia 76ers, 94-84 on Monday night. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Knicks turning to rookie point guard? (Yahoo! Sports)

Last summer, the New York Knicks were deep into negotiations to sign point guard Ramon Sessions but a deal just... [read full article]

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Knicks end Mavs' 13-game run with rout (AP)

The Dallas Mavericks had the most lopsided victory in franchise history when they beat the New York Knicks by 50 points in the teams' last meeting nearly two months ago. This time, it was the Knicks' turn for a rout. Bill Walker scored a career-high 23 points, Wilson Chandler added 22 and New York snapped the Mavericks' 13-game winning streak with a 128-94 victory on Saturday night. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Ginobili's 28 lift Spurs over Knicks (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports