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.

Iman Shumpert is taking his career beyond the boundaries

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Second year guard, Iman Shumpert, suffered a torn ACL in the Knicks visit to the playoffs last season. During his time away from the game not only was he working on getting healthy, but also his rap career.

Shumpert has already made a great contribution to the Knicks back court his his intense defense and energy. He has also begun to do so in the music world by making his first official mixtape. The mixtape was released December 21, 2012 including 5 different tracks. Like many other artists Shumpert goes by a different name in the music world, calling himself 2wo 1ne. The name is representative of the number that he wears for the Knicks.

Nearly a month after the mixtape was released Shumpert made his return to the court for the Knicks. After making the All-Rookie first team last year, he can only hope to continue to improve his game from where he left off last season.

Iman Shumpert

In his second year in the NBA, Shumpert is in the starting line-up but is getting the minutes of a player who is coming off of the bench. Coming off of a serious injury like his, Coach Mike Woodson doesn’t want to risk him aggravating it. The Knicks can’t afford to lose a key piece like him if they want to make a run for the Championship.

The Knicks can hope that Shumpert still has the same defense intensity he had before he went down with the injury. But also that his role in the offense will expand with more time. He ended last season averaging just over 9 points per game. If his offensive presence in the offense expanding it could bring a whole other dimension to an already versatile New York Knicks offense.

Anthony lifts the Knicks over the Hawks

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Born and raised in a New York State of Mind, the Knicks were the only basketball team to follow. And this season is no different as they are second in the Eastern Conference behind only the defending champion, Miami Heat.

The Knicks are playing some of the best basketball to date under head Coach Mike Woodson, since the height of former All-Star center Patrick Ewing‘s career in the 90’s. Ewing, led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994 and 1999, and while the new look Knicks have gotten bounced in the playoffs in the first round the previous two seasons they look to be back in contention.

Knicks Forward Carmelo Anthony has been nothing short of amazing for the team in including a recent game against the Atlante Hawks. Anthony tied a Knicks record for 3-pointers in a game with 9. Those alone accounted for 27 of the 42 points that scored in the game including the go ahead bucket with seconds left.

While Anthony put up one of his best performances of the season, the game put together by Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench can’t go unnoticed. Coming off surgery on his left knee in October, Stoudemire put up arguably his best performance of the season so far since returning to the team. With 18 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes, he was very productive shooting the ball, going 6 of 9 from the field.

Stoudemire is a key component to any Championship run the Knicks are hoping to put together this season. Whether it is coming  off the bench or eventually being moved back into the starting line-up, he will need to continue his productive play. While Stoudemire seems to be making the most out of the minutes he gets off the bench, one must wonder what him playing in the starting line-up would do for the team.

Knicks Forward Amare Stoudemire

With the way the team is operating under Coach Woodson, us as fans can only watch as he continues to make the right moves. These are the moves that has the Knicks sitting amongst the best East and in good title contention, despite their age.

The Knicks are the oldest team in the history of the NBA. However, if they can get healthier and stay that way towards the end of the season, come playoff time they will be poised for a run in the East.