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. 

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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.

Continue reading "Welcome to the starting lineup Mr. Douglas!"

 As Danilo Gallinari and Carmello Anthony continued their heated discussion during the third quarter last night, the Knicks found a way to take control of the game.  They have been playing winning basketball lately, since moving Toney Douglas to the starting lineup.  Douglas brings toughness and a lively scoring touch, not to mention a propensity for clutch play.  He seems to come alive during the second halves of games.  He went scoreless in the first half but finished with 16 points. 

 Something seems to have clicked with Gallinari lately as well.  He's become much more aggressive on offense and has been getting to the line with impressive frequency.  Gallinari's development is big for the Knicks, he's one of the few players who will still be here next season, and his sophmore campaign, which started off impressively looks like it's ending with a bang as well. 

Continue reading "The new look Knicks pull out another one"