Tag Archives: Amare Stoudemire

J.R. Smith earns player of the week honors

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The Knicks are in the middle of an 8-game win streak, in part behind J.R. Smith. And because of his efforts he was given Eastern Conference Player of the Week today.

This past week the Knicks have gone 4-0 beating Boston twice, Memphis, and Charlotte. During this span Smith has been averaging 29.8 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 steals a game. He had three straight games with 30-plus points, a franchise record.

J.R. Smith

He has evolved into a solid second scoring option for the Knicks behind Carmelo Anthony. Anthony returned from an injury just before the Knicks started this win streak. Smith has taken his game to the next level this season becoming a more consistent player.

Smith has had trouble in the past with his coaches, George Karl of the Nuggets to name one. He has admitted to doing certain things back in Denver just to make Karl mad. But he doesn’t feel the same way about current coach Mike Woodson. He told Newsday,

More than anything, if I go out and do something I’m not supposed to be doing and not preparing right for the game, not only do I feel like I let my teammates down, I feel I let my coach down. It’s the first time in a long time I really care about not letting my coach down.

When he is as locked into the game and everything that comes with it as he is right now he can make these types of things happen.

With Ama’re Stoudemire currently sidelined for what looks to be the remainder of the regular season, Smith needs to keep up his play. His productive play and energy off the bench is needed for the Knicks to make any sort of noise in the playoffs.

The Knicks look to keep their momentum going full steam ahead behind Smith as they play the Heat in Miami tomorrow night. Look for Smith to continue his hot play as he’s making his way into the sixth-man of the year conversation.

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

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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.

Knicks lose second superstar in the past week

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Knicks are now playing without Carmelo Anthony and Ama’re Stoudemire. Anthony went down with an injury Monday March 4th against Cleveland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9vw7X2JAhQ

After going down in the second quarter of the game, Anthony has yet to return to the court. He has been diagnosed with a form of knee tendonitis, that he says he has been dealing with throughout the season.

The Knicks managed to comeback to beat the Cavaliers and have gone 3-2 with Anthony out of the lineup. Now the Knicks learned that they will be without their other superstar for an extended period of time.

Stoudemire will be out for 6 weeks, the remainder of the regular season. While this is his second knee operation this season alone, one has to question what state he will be in if he returns.

The Knicks are in an important stretch of their schedule where they are on the road. They need to keep winning in order to make sure they don’t drop in the Eastern Conference standings.

Anthony and Stoudemire

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 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.

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.