A depleted Knicks team puts a stop to their 4 game skid

The Knicks entered Monday nights game against the Utah Jazz, on a 4 game losing streak. All of these loses have come on the road and have been embarrassing to say the least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5id5ML9HJwk

The Knicks had faced the Warriors, Nuggets, Trailblazers, and Clippers previously. They had lost all of these games by an average of 20 points. For a team that was once right behind Miami in the East, the Knicks have now slipped to third behind the Pacers.

There is no denying the fact that this severe drop off as of late is due to the lack of star power. The Knicks are without Carmelo Anthony, Ama’re Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler. Coach Mike Woodson has been forced to adapt and play around with the starting line up.

Last night the starters for the Knicks were Raymond Felton, Pablo Prigioni, Iman Shumpert, Chris Copeland, and Kenyon Martin. Not the lineup you expected to see on the floor for the Knicks to start a game before the season started.

Chris Copeland and Woodson

Chris Copeland finished last nights game with 14 points and 6 rebounds. He has started to emerge as a real scorer for the Knicks in the absence of Anthony and Stoudemire. Copeland, a rookie out of Colorado, has shown flashes of promise for the team.

While he might not be the most efficient scorer, he has been able to score when needed.

The Knicks will need production out of players like Copeland not only until the stars comeback, but for the rest of the season. The more firepower off the bench for the Knicks better. What they can’t afford is another losing streak.

Madison Square Garden

The seasons end is near and the Knicks are in danger of dropping lower then just to the 3 spot. They head back for a much needed game at home against a struggling Orlando Magic team tomorrow night.

Last minute moves before the deadline for the Knicks

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.