Monthly Archives: February 2013

Knicks end 4-game skid behind another big game by Stoudemire

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Both the Knicks and the 76er’s entered Sunday, on a 4-game losing streak. Only one of them could put it to an end. The Knicks came out victorious behind a solid performance from Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench.

Amar'e Stoudemire

In 22 minutes of playing time, Stoudemire scored 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the field, to go with his 5 rebounds. He continues his productive play off the bench for the Knicks where it looks as if he might stay for the rest of the season. According to Coach Mike Woodson, Stoudemire is on a minutes limit because of the health of the Knicks superstar.

However the game Stoudemire put together wasn’t the only buzz about the game Sunday night. A skirmish between Tyson Chandler and Spencer Hawes in the third quarter, that Carmelo Anthony seemingly started was much of the talk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mML7s0eOZaI

However this afternoon it was announced that there will be no suspension handed down by the league to Anthony. The Knicks can’t afford to lose Anthony for any games this season as he is their leading scorer. They follow this win with another one against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Last minute moves before the deadline for the Knicks

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As the trade deadline ended this after at 3 pm Eastern Time, the Knicks made only a single move. Their had been talking leading up to the deadline regarding guard Iman Shumpert. But he stays with the team as Ronnie Brewer was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ronnie Brewer

The Knicks didn’t simply trade Brewer away for nothing, in return they received a second-round pick in the 2014 draft. Brewer had started the Knicks rotation as a contributor off the bench. But as the season wore on Brewer saw his minutes drop significantly. Part of the reason is because of the return of Shumpert into the Knicks line-up.

This was the only trade the Knicks made before the deadline, but not the only move of the day. By trading away Brewer for a draft pick it created a space available on their roster to add a player. The Knicks went ahead and took advantage by signing veteran forward Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract.

The hope is that when Martin joins that Knicks, he is in shape and ready to play. The Knicks are in need of rebounding and some added defense off the bench. This will also allow center Tyson Chandler to play less minutes and be more rested for the remainder of the season.

Most important part about these moves is the added and much needed depth that they were lacking for their second unit. This move could potentially give the Knicks that last little punch they need off the bench to compliment J.R. Smith and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Knicks finish the weekend strong even without a win

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Last nights NBA All-Star game in Houston, was definitely a high scoring affair to say the least. Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler represented the Knicks well, proving why they are All-Stars.

Carmelo Anthony

Although the East couldn’t defeat the West, Anthony led the team in scoring finishing with 26 points. He also had 12 rebounds and 3 assists to go with his scoring explosion. If the East had won the game, Anthony definitely would’ve been talked about as the MVP.

Anthony showed no lingering effects from the ‘dead’ arm that he received against the Raptors on Wednesday. Knicks fans have to be ecstatic that Anthony continued his hot shooting through the All-Star game. This will hopefully allow him to continue his pursuit of the MVP award and an NBA championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7_h5lmVm4

Chandler had a game similar to what he has during the regular season. He posted a 7 point and 8 rebound effort in his limited role off the bench. His highlight of the night was an alley-oop thrown to him in transition by Dwayne Wade.

Both Knicks played strong in the game and put up a better showing then James White and Steve Novak did the previous day. The Knicks enter the second half of the season ranked second in the East behind the Heat.

Look for the Knicks to continue their strong first half play and solidify themselves in the East. The road to the championship is just beginning.

 

Weekend is still young for the Knicks

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In the second night of All-Star weekend, the Knicks but up what fans would call a disappointing performance. Steve Novak, participating in the 3-point shootout, and James White, in the slam dunk, both fell short of moving out of the first round of their contests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NduJb9jN1JY

Steve Novak posted a score of 17 falling just short of East teammate Kyrie Irving, who went on to beat Matt Bonner in the championship round. Since Novak failed to score the most points out the Eastern selections, Novak was done shooting for the night.

However he had the support of current teammate, Carmelo Anthony, and former teammate, Dwayne Wade, who were both sitting court side. The two stars were there to congratulate on Novak on the solid performance even though he didn’t advance.

James White put it in a solid first dunk but couldn’t complete his second round attempt. His first dunk he slammed home jumping from just inside the free-throw line. However he didn’t have the same luck during the second round. He failed to connect on any of his attempts to do a windmill from the free-throw line.

A disappointing night for White, who many had thought was the favorite to win the whole thing. Although he had nerves running through him like crazy and couldn’t finish his second round dunk, White still gained the respect of fellow NBA players.

Melo and Tyson

Although Novak and White didn’t finish their All-Star weekend experience with a trophy in their hand, teammates Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler still do. Anthony was named a starter for the East, while Chandler is a reserve. Tune in and watch what should be an offensive explosion.

Carmelo Anthony unsure about the All-Star game

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In last nights loss to the Toronto Raptors, Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony injured his right arm. He collided with Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan in the first quarter and apparently felt discomfort throughout the game.

Caremlo Anthony vs Toronto Raptors

After sustaining a ‘deep’ right arm contusion Anthonys shot was clearly effected. He shot 5 of 24 from the field and just couldn’t seem to get in a groove. Anthony stated that it felt like he had a dead arm. Every time he took a shot he was trying to get the feeling back in his arm. But it never came and neither did the Knicks.

Anthony is scheduled to play in the All-Star game in 3 days. If his arm isn’t feeling better by that time then he won’t play in the game. He is a 6 time All-Star with more to surely follow after this year. While it would suck not to be able to see one of the best players in the league playing every one understands his reasoning.

The Knicks are in the middle of one of their better seasons as of late and he doesn’t want to put that at risk. Winning a championship is more important to Anthony then any All-Star game.

Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler

Even if Anthony decides to sit out the game the Knicks will still be well represented in Houston, by Tyson Chandler, James White, and Steve Novak. With players in 3 different contests the Knicks are in pretty good shape to come back home with at least one victory.

With the deadline looming do the Knicks make a move?

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The countdown until that trade deadline in the NBA has already begun. With 10 days left before teams can longer make a move until the off-season, rumors are flying. Knicks guard Iman Shumpert is a player being talked about for the Knicks.

Ima Shumpert

However teammate Carmleo Anthony doesn’t think he is going anywhere. The Phoenix Suns have thought very highly of Shumpert since he came out of college last year but failed to pull the trigger on him when they had the chance. The rumored deal would send Iman Shumpert to the Suns in exchange for Jared Dudley with potential other players involved.

Anthony doesn’t only think that Knicks shouldn’t trade Shumpert but that they shouldn’t make any changes to the roster what so ever. But with a lack of depth at the point guard position and center position a move to bolster their bench might be just what they need to get over the hump.

Starting point guard Raymond Felton was out for much of the month of January after breaking his pinkie on Christmas against the the Lakers. While he was gone the Knicks struggled going .500, but since returning the Knicks have gone 6-3. There is no denying the importance of Felton, but a solid back up is something that hampered the Knicks in his absence. With the potential for his pinkie to become a lingering injury it is important to have the right person ready to replace him.

With two injured veterans riding the Knicks bench, Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby, the Knicks should look to acquire more front court depth. These veterans aren’t getting any younger as the season goes on and aren’t going to heal like what they used to. The Knicks are a poor rebounding team as a whole, and even worse once Tyson Chandler goes to the bench.

Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby

With these holes in their bench the Knicks front office could be in for a busy 10 days. Not only will the front office be busy but so will us fans trying to keep up with all of the rumors that swirl the team. We can only hope as fans that we make a good move that will help us solidify us as a legitimate contender.

Novak and White hope to join All-Star weekend

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Knicks Forward, Steve Novak, and Guard, James White, could join teammates Carmelo Anothony and Tyson Chandler in Houston, TX for All-Star weekend. Novak who is known as a 3-point specialist hopes to be picked to compete in the shootout. White hopes to participate in the Dunk contest claiming that he has big things planned.

Steve Novak is having another great season from behind the arc, shooting 45%. This is just about his career average with just over half the season left to play. Novak thinks he has a good chance of competing in the shootout because former Marquette teammate Dwyane Wade is the captain for the East. Wade has already recommended Novak as a participant for the shootout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kngr0C2ZZGU

James White, who is in his first year with Knicks, and is known for explosive dunking ability, thinks that he can win the dunk contest. His teammates believe that he is one of the best dunkers that people don’t know about. This wouldn’t be White’s first appearance in a dunk contest, in 2009 he participated in the D-League dunk contest and won it on the following dunks.

Hard to deny that both Novak and White have the skills to win their respective competitions if chosen. The Knicks could potentially end All-Star weekend with a roster that includes the 3-point shootout, and dunk contest champions. Along with All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. That is quite a roster to head into the second half of the season with.

Knicks blowout Kings behind 82 bench points

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J.R. Smith led the Knicks in scoring Saturday in a win over the Sacramento Kings, with 25 points. Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Novak scored 21 and 15 points, respectively while coming off the bench as well. The bench combined for a total of 82 points, outscoring the entire Kings roster.

J.R. Smith slams it home

This type of explosiveness off the bench is more then the Knicks could’ve ever dreamed of when they entered the season. J.R. Smith is a dynamic scorer for the Knicks who can shoot from behind the arc and take his defender off the dribble.

Smith is becoming a more consistent scoring threat for the Knicks off the bench and gives Coach Mike Woodson the majority of the credit. Since entering the NBA right out of high school in 2004, Smith has been a problem for his coaches. But under Coach Woodson and the multitude of veterans on the Knicks roster, Smith is finally starting to grow up.

Smith wasn’t the only one to score as Stoudemire had yet another great game off the bench for the Knicks. He totaled 21 points on 10 of 10 shooting with 6 rebounds in 21 minutes. He continues to have explosive games off the bench for the Knicks since coming back from injury.

Amare Stoudemire throwing down

With this kind of explosion off the bench for the Knicks on any given night, teams should be scared. Very few teams have a second unit that can come in and out score their starters any given night. Watch out for the Knicks as they continue a strong push for the Championship as they pull within half a game of the defending champion Miami Heat.