Tag: Knicks

NBA Trade Talks

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

The All-Star break has come and gone, and it is now time for the 2nd ” half ” of the season.  With approximately 30 games left for every team, and the trade deadline looming, contenders will be looking to make a move to solidify their playoff positioning.  The trade deadline is this Thursday, February 21st.  There are many talented players names swirling around the trade rumor mill, and certainly some of them will be moved in the coming days.  Most notably the Knicks have been in the midst of trade talks.  Everyone believes that they need to make a trade prior to the deadline to become a real contender.  I do believe that the Knicks are one piece away from being a true contender for a title, however they need to be careful who they trade this week.  The most popular name in these trade rumors has been Iman Shumpert.  He is the Knicks most valuable trading chip because of his potential and inexpensive rookie contract, but he is a valuable asset to the Knicks for the same reasons.  By the way, if I have to hear how much better J.J. Reddick is than Iman Shumpert one more time I’m going to throw up.  Most people are pointing to Shumpert’s knee and saying he’ll never be the same after a torn ACL last season.  It is a serious injury, but how many guys have come back and succeeded after the same injury?  While the Knicks are certainly in win now mode, they need to keep their bright future in mind as well.  The core of their team is young.  Look at their roster: Carmelo Anthony,Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Iman Shumpert(none of these guys are heading out to early bird dinners).  Carmelo Anthony needs to try to convince these guys to stick around for the next five years(that shouldn’t be that hard to do, I mean this is New York).  The Knicks youngest player with the most room for improvement by far is Iman Shumpert.  He is 6’5″ and 220 pounds with great athletic ability.  He can jump out of the gym, he is a phenomenal perimeter defender, and by my opinion is an underrated offensive talent.  Just because the Knicks have the oldest team in NBA history, doesn’t mean they need to dump young talent to try to win this year.  The older players on their roster are all nearing the end of their careers and are simply role players on an overall young team anyway.  Think about the names that we’re talking about: Marcus Camby, Rasheed Wallace, Kurt Thomas, and Jason Kidd.  Everyone can stop pretending these are the guys that are going to make the difference.  When was the last time these guys were on a list that mattered besides a waiting list for a nursing home?  While I think Camby and/or Wallace could solve some of the teams problems, they are ancient and shouldn’t be relied on.  The Knicks have obvious weaknesses and have holes on their roster that need to be filled.    I believe part of the answer to the Knicks struggles is Iman Shumpert.  He should be playing more than Jason Kidd.  Jason Kidd has been averaging 28 minutes per game this season and 32 minutes over his past three games(the three games the Knicks have struggled in most this season), while Shumpert has only been averaging 19 minutes per game.  Plus, Shumpert has only played in 13 games since returning from his injury.  He needs to be given a little time to return to form.  I am a Jason Kidd fan, but Mike Woodson needs to realize that Kidd is 40; not 26.  If Coach Woodson can get over his man crush maybe he’ll scale back Kidd’s minutes a little bit.  If Woodson flips Shumpert and Kidd’s minutes upside down, I bet he’ll be a lot happier.  The bottom line is: DON’T TRADE IMAN SHUMPERT!!  Also, if the Knicks are going to continue to be trigger happy from three point land, why don’t they play their best shooter, Steve Novak?  I know he doesn’t play a lick of defense, but right now neither does anybody else.  Right now, Kidd is out there as the Knicks shooting guard(taking up precious real estate).  Also, when did we start confusing Jason Kidd with Steve Kerr?  Kidd was one of the best point guards ever in his prime, but he was never a great three point shooter.  Kidd needs to play less minutes which will keep his legs fresher come playoff time, and he needs to be an extension of Coach Woodson on the floor.

There have been a few other teams in the trade rumors along with the Knicks.  The Jazz have an overloaded front court, and I believe Paul Millsap will be moved before the deadline.  The injury prone Celtics should look to make a trade before Thursday, but it doesn’t appear that will happen.  Kevin Garnett will not waive his no-trade clause and Paul Pierce is a big name still.  Even though he is past his prime, the Celtics are looking for way too much in return for Pierce.  Another player who’s name has been all over the news is Josh Smith.  In my estimation, he is very overrated, but someone will trade away too much to get him and will be moved before the deadline.  At the 23rd hour, there are always surprise moves that happen.  Stay tuned to see what goes down before the trade deadline.  Enjoy the rest of the NBA season.

If you enjoy my writing here please go check out more of my work @ intheneutralzone.com.  I am a contributing author there.  Thanks and enjoy!

The ugliest thing on TV since Sarah Jessica Parker

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

What an ugly game!! This game was sloppy to say the least. NO check that, this was literally the ugliest basketball game I’ve ever watched. Even when the Knicks got to the basket they forgot how to make layups!! I’ve never seen a professional basketball team miss so many layups. It was embarrassing. This was by far the Knicks worst loss of the season.  In case you missed the game, they lost to the Toronto Raptors 92-88 on their own court.  On top of the horrid performance, the officials in this game were horrible!! Do you want to know how you can tell the officials had an off night? When there are FIVE technical fouls given out in one quarter, that’s how. See, what happens when you let the “players play” is the game gets physical. And when the game gets too physical, it gets out of hand. That’s what took place in the 3rd quarter of this game. Frustration also set in with Carmelo Anthony. Melo became upset in the 1st quarter when he took the ball to the hole on two separate occasions looking to attack the basket. The defender attacked his arm instead, but the refs let each play go. From then on Melo became his own worst enemy. He proceeded to pick up a technical foul(his 10th if the season), and his rhythm and shooting stroke were both negatively effected. Do you know what Melo blamed for his worst game of the year(5-24 from the field)?!?!? He said he was playing with a dead arm. What the hell does that mean?? Everyone has been talking about his maturity, and is overall improvement this season. I have to be honest I don’t see a difference between 2013 Melo and 2008 Melo. He is still making excuses for his poor play. And if he really had a legitimate injury, then he shouldn’t have taken so many damn shots. He could have tried this thing, it’s a new concept called relying on your teammates. I know, that sounds wild. The bottom line is if he has really changed he would have stood up to the microphone and said, “I stunk it up tonight. This is my team so I put the blame for this loss totally on my shoulders. If I play better, we win, period.” That’s what I want to hear from the “new and improved” Carmelo Anthony. On a quick side note, where did Jason Kidd go and who is this guy wearing his jersey? This guy has been awful! I haven’t seen shooting this bad since Shaq at a free throw line. If there is one positive that can be taken away from this game it is that Iman Shumpert’s intensity seemed to be sky high. He played solid defense, attacked the boards(grabbing 7 rebounds in only 21 minutes), and pushed the ball nicely up the floor. The only question is why Mike Woodson isn’t playing him more than Jason Kidd??

I’ve been telling everyone for weeks that the Knicks are not as good as their record. That certainly is coming to fruition. Nothing has gone right for the Knicks as of late, and this break couldn’t come at a better time. The Knicks need to take some time off, clear their heads, and be ready to kick up their intensity. This will get them back to their winning ways. By the way, Melo is an underrated passer I just don’t think he knows that yet. He draws a double team virtually every time he gets the ball inside 18 feet. Like I wrote in my blog weeks ago, the best play I’ve seen from the Knicks is when Melo is penetrating and dishing to wide open players. Melo is still going to get his 20 shots a night, and believe it or not when you start passing more it opens the floor up for better looks for you too, not just your teammates. Then maybe they will have a balanced attack. I put the majority of the blame though on Coach Woodson’s shoulders. If you want to play a style of basketball that calls for a collaborative effort on both ends of the floor, then you better get your players to buy into that concept real quick. Come on Mike, do you want to take a trip to the NBA Finals, to be coach of the year, and to get a nice pay raise next year?? Then you better earn it!!

I am also a contributing author @ intheneutralzone.com. If you enjoy my writing then follow me over there to see more of my work.

Mid-Season NBA Awards

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 3 Comments

It’s that time of year again. We’ve played about 50 games so far, and it’s time to gear up for the All-Star Game. It is also time to dish out some mid-season awards. The awards to be given out are MVP, Sixth man of the Year, Defensive Player of the year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Some of these races have clear cut winners at this point in the season, and some are so difficult to differentiate a front-runner that we need to delve further into each category. I am here to clear up any confusion as to what you’ve seen thus far in the 2012-2013 NBA season.

Let’s start with the easiest debate, Rookie of the Year. If the season were to end today, the obvious winner for this award would be Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers. There are some other nice rookies this year(Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, and Dion Waiters come to mind), but Damian is head and shoulders above everyone else right now. He has started every game this season for the Trailblazers. In those games he is averaging 18.2 points on 42% from the field in 38.5 minutes per game(not to mention he’s shooting an impressive 85% from the charity stripe). That is the easiest award to give out, but the rest are a little tougher. Don’t be scared. Just close your eyes, count to three, and rip off that band-aid.

Let’s move on to Sixth Man of the Year. For me this is a two man race between Jamal Crawford and JR Smith. Both have been instant offense off their teams bench. They have both been an integral part of their teams success this season. As much as I love the Knicks, this award has to go to Jamal Crawford. Not only did he outplay JR this past Sunday in a head to head match up, but he has been the better player all season, barely.

Next let’s talk about Coach of the Year. This is a tough one, so let’s throw all the potential candidates out there and then break them down until this makes sense. The candidates are Mike Woodson, Mark Jackson, Frank Vogel, and Tom Thibodeau. If you read my blog you know I am a die hard Knicks fan, and while Woodson has done a phenomenal job with the team so far, their most recent struggles against good teams might hurt him for now.  He did, however, do a great job right from the start of the season.  He was motivating Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith, Jason Kidd, and even Rasheed Wallace to maximize their potential out on the floor.  He had everyone buying into his concept of team defense and an uptempo offense.  It was working perfectly until Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert came back from injuries.  I believe it will work out in the end for the Knicks, but there is definitely a growing period that the Knicks and Woodson are going through right now.  The final chapter for the Knicks will determine whether Woodson is the Coach of the year or not.  As of now, I say he is not.  As for Tom Thibodeau, he has impressed by continuing to succeed without his superstar.  For the second straight season Derrick Rose has missed a significant amount of time, yet the Bulls continue to put up winning records. His team plays a defense first, physical brand of basketball that creates nightmare match-ups for smaller teams and turnover prone teams.  It is also extremely impressive to win with Luol Deng as your best player(no offense to Luol he is a nice little player, but let’s be real, he is NOT a #1 guy). With all that being said Tom is still not the coach of the year. Who is? I’m getting there just calm down! The popular pick right now is Mark Jackson.  I like what Mark Jackson is doing with Stephen Curry and the rest of those boys, but his team is not good enough to push him to the top of this debate. While I always liked him as a player, and I personally always thought he would make a good coach some day(ahem, Jason Kidd, ahem), he is not the coach of the year at this point of the season.  My pick for coach of the year right now is Frank Vogel.  I bet most of you don’t even know what team he coaches. That is part of the reason why he is coach of the year right now.  He is a nobody to most people, and he is succeeding with nobodies.  Even his best player who is not playing right now due to injury is a nobody amongst the ranks of superstars. I like Danny Granger’s game, but he like Luol Deng is not a #1 guy. The only problem for the Indiana Pacers(ohhh that’s who Vogel coaches) is that Granger IS their #1 guy. Frank Vogel is my pick for Coach of the Year.
There could have been a nice segue into this next category, seeing as The Pacers have two candidates for Most Improved Player, George hill and Paul George. They have both vastly improved their games, but I think this award is a two man race. Greivis Vasquez and Jrue Holiday have both taken their game to the next level. They have both increased their points and assist totals tremendously from a year ago, and they both have bright futures ahead of them. No disrespect to Greivis, but Jrue Holiday has taken his game into another stratosphere. He has quickly become one of the premier point guards in the NBA, and the league recognized this by selecting him to his first all-star appearance. My award for most improved player goes to Jrue Holiday.
This next category is the toughest for me to choose. It is difficult to find a clear cut winner for Defensive Player of the Year. There are many worthy candidates so far this year that include: Tyson Chandler, Serge Ibaka, Larry Sanders, Lebron James, and Joakim Noah. Larry Sanders and Serge Ibaka will most likely be battling each other for this award for years to come. They are both physical presences underneath the hoop and both block approximately 3 shots a game. It is not due to their lack of defensive effort that they aren’t going to win this award, it’s because someone else on this list has managed to stand out above all the rest. This is me building suspense. Next, what else can you say about Lebron James? The guy is as physically gifted an athlete as anyone who has ever stepped foot on the hard wood. He can guard 4 positions at anytime while still managing to dominate on the offensive end. He is not going to win this award though(at least not this year), but don’t feel too bad for him I’m sure he’ll win another award real soon(hint hint). The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Tyson Chandler, has yet again found his way into contention for this award, however when he played the Bulls earlier this season he learned why he isn’t going to repeat as DPOY(he would get my vote for the most intimidating man on the planet though if that was a real award). Joakim Noah has placed himself at the forefront of defensive forces in the NBA. Man is he ugly!! Anyway, as much as I dislike Noah, he does anchor the best defense in the NBA. When he’s on the bench they give up 10 more points then when he’s on the floor.  Joakim Noah gets my vote for Defensive Player of the Year.
Finally, last but not least, the MVP award. This is always a fun debate because people think it’s strictly about offense. It mostly is, but you really need to look at the overall skill-set of a player plus his impact on his team to measure the MVP. The candidates this year are: Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony. There are two honorable mentions for this category, Chris Paul and Tony Parker. Parker is doing spectacular things that go mostly unnoticed, especially with a banged up Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli on his team. Chris Paul will be in this conversation at the end of the year because he is clearly the best point guard in the NBA. For right now though he has missed too many games to be considered for this award. I love what Carmelo Anthony is doing this season, and I hope he can sustain his outstanding play throughout the whole season, but he doesn’t do enough of the little things to make his teammates better. Let me see if I can use an analogy that makes sense for this argument. Kevin Durant is like The Utah Jazz in the 90’s. If it wasn’t for that Jordan guy and the Chicago Bulls, they might have a couple of rings right now(sorry John, sorry Karl). Get it? Not yet? See, Kevin Durant has improved every facet of his game this year. The problem is that there is this guy named Lebron James in the NBA. As good as Durant is(28.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 51% from the floor, 43% from three point range, and 90% from the free throw line), Lebron is better. Sorry Kevin, I know I’m pulling for you because I certainly don’t like Lebron “I can’t win a title without an all-star roster” James, but Lebron is on his way to another MVP.  As much as I don’t like Lebron, I must give credit where credit is due.  My vote for MVP and best player on the face of the earth is Lebron James.

Who knew Carmelo Anthony’s kryptonite was Grant Hill???

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 2 Comments

The Knicks weaknesses were highlighted very brightly in their loss to the Clippers on Sunday. We saw how bad the Knicks are in defending quick point guards. We saw how being out-rebounded by a taller front line effects the outcome of the game. And, if they don’t play team defense for 48 straight minutes they can’t beat good teams. Chris Paul has missed some action this season, but today was a prime example as to why he is just as valuable to his team as anyone in the league. Don’t be surprised when his name is in the mix for MVP with Lebron, Durant, and Melo. Carmelo Anthony as usual was fantastic, but when it mattered most he was shut down by the 40 year old Grant Hill. This goes to show you that if the Knicks don’t get production from JR Smith or Amare Stoudemire, they have a very hard time out scoring solid offensive teams. Raymond Felton played a solid game and continues to be a great orchestrator for the offense when Melo isn’t going one-on-one in isolation. One of the Knicks bright spots this season has been their depth and outstanding bench play. Today they were completely outmatched by the Clippers Bench. Eric Bledsoe and Jamal Crawford were too much for the Knicks to handle combining for 40 points(on 18-28 shooting). JR Smith and Amare Stoudemire usually bring instant offense off the bench, but today were nonexistent scoring a combined 15 points(on 5 of 18 shooting). A game like this against a top tier team in the NBA is sure to bring about a lot of questions about the Knicks. Are they as good as their record would indicate? Can they realistically make a run at a title the way their roster is built? These are all valid questions, and I think the answer can be yes to both of those questions but a lot of things would need to fall perfectly into place. The Knicks would need the entire roster to shoot lights out at the same time. The Knicks live and die by the three, and they would need to stay lights out from behind the arc while out scoring the opposition. I’d think this franchise learned from the Mike D’antoni era that you don’t win titles by trying to run up the score. Now in no way shape or form am I comparing Mike Woodson to mike D’antoni. Woodson is a defensive minded coach, but he needs some bigger bodies down low if he wants to succeed NOW. The other question that is being raised is whether the Knicks should look to make a trade for a low post presence? I definitely think they should do that but it all depends on what they would need to give up. If they can add a power forward who’s strengths are defense and rebounding without having to give up one of their top 5 players, they would be primed for a title run. The Knicks will look to get back to their winning ways Wednesday night @ 7:30 P.M. against the Toronto Raptors. This is their final game before the All-Star break.

Hey ‘Melo?? Does your back hurt??

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

The Knicks are lucky they played a bad team yesterday. They are also lucky they have a superstar on their roster. After a decent overall first half the Knicks took a 7 point lead into halftime. They didn’t play great, but they looked like they were on their way to another easy victory. Then the 3rd quarter happened. They were out scored by 12 and found themselves down 6 heading into the 4th quarter. Luckily Carmelo Anthony came through in the clutch, putting up 14 4th quarter points. He did get a little help from J.R. Smith, who had 8 points of his own in the 4th. However it was Carmelo putting the Knicks on his back and carrying them through the finish line(I think most guys backs hurt today from shoveling a foot of snow, not giving an NBA roster a piggyback ride). We’ve seen the Knicks win while Carmelo has an off night, and we’ve seen them NEED Melo’s production to even have a chance in some of their games. They will need the entire team firing on all cylinders this Sunday as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Let It Snow….As Long as My Cable Doesn’t Go Out I’m Good

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 1 Comment

Snowed in this weekend??  No problem.  Here’s what’s on TV to keep you company:

(MSG)Friday @ 8:00 P.M – Knicks @ Timberwolves

Being a big Knicks fan, I will definitely be watching this game.  As I highlighted in my previous post, I believe the Knicks are going to blow out the Timberwolves coming off a bad loss.  I’d look for something else to watch by 9:30.  This game should help the Knicks get back to their winning ways and carry some momentum into their tough match-up with the Clippers this Sunday.

(ESPN)Friday @ 8:00 P.M. – Clippers @ Heat

Here you have a battle of East vs. West.  Two of the premier teams in the NBA meet in a mid-season showdown.  Even though the Heat sit atop the East and the Clippers are currently in 3rd in the West, they actually have a better record than the Heat by 2.5 games.  This game should come down to the wire, so you might want to switch over from MSG once the Knicks game gets out of hand.  I like the Heat in a close game, but they don’t win because Lebron hits a last second shot(as usual).  They win because Lebron puts his team in front by about 5 early in the 4th, and they sustain the lead throughout the rest of the game.

(ESPN)Saturday @ 6:00 P.M. – Pittsburgh(23) @ Cincinnati(17)

This is the first of of 3 match-ups between college basketball’s top 25 teams this weekend.  A Big East match-up between two solid teams.  Pittsburgh is currently tied for 5th in the Big East with a 7-4 record in conference and 19-5 overall.  Cincinnati is currently tied for 6th in the Big East with a record of 6-4 in conference and 18-5 overall.  Cincinnati won their last meeting(70-61) in Pittsburgh on New Years Eve, so Pittsburgh will be looking for revenge tomorrow night.  Shovel Snow or watch college basketball??   Hmmmmmm.  Enjoy!

(ESPN)Saturday @ 9:00 P.M. – Louisville(11) @ Notre Dame(25)

Here you have your second of the 3 top 25 match-ups this weekend.  Louisville is currently in 2nd place in the Big East  with a record of 7-3 in conference and 19-4 overall.  Notre Dame is currently tied for 6th in the Big east with a record of 6-4 and 18-5 overall.  Big East battles are always tough to predict, but I like Louisville on the road in this one.

(CBS)Sunday @ 1:00 P.M. – Indiana(1) @ Ohio State(10)

Finally, you have the third of 3 top 25 match-ups this weekend.  Indiana is currently tied for 1st in the Big Ten with a record of 8-2 in conference and 20-3 overall.  Ohio State is currently tied for 2nd in the Big Ten and 17-5 overall.  This should be a tough conference battle.  You’ll have Indiana looking to bounce back from a buzzer beating loss to Illinois last night.  What a tough way to lose!  In case you didn’t watch it, Indiana had the ball tied at 72 looking to take the last shot.  If they make it they win if not no big deal, they’ll go to overtime.  What happens? They turn the ball over with about 4 seconds to go.  Illinois drives down for a last second shot that gets blocked out of bounds wit 0.9 seconds on the clock.  Then what happens??? Illinois makes a game winning buzzer beating layup to win 74-72.  Now that is a heartbreaking loss.  Ohio State is also coming off a tough overtime loss to Michigan this past Tuesday.  Look for a closely contested ballgame.  I do like Indiana in this one in a down to the wire 3 point victory.

Enjoy the snow!!  It’s the weekend, and if you have kids take them out in the snow once the storm passes and have fun with them.  If you don’t have kids go outside and act like one.  Most importantly, everyone stay safe out there!!  And for the love of god please stop lining up down the block for gas 2 days before a little snow is coming to town.  I get that it’s better to be safe than sorry, but if you happen to get 2 feet of snow this weekend you’re not going anywhere anyway!!  Just make sure you have a little bit of food and water in the house.  A flashlight or candle wouldn’t be a bad idea either just in case we lose power, since it should be pretty windy.  Have a nice weekend everyone!!

In a word ——> Pathetic

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 3 Comments

Well, the New York Knicks blew a very winnable game last night.  They lost to the Washington Wizards by a score of 106-96.  As you can see from the title, I thought their performance was pathetic!!  This is their worst loss of the season.  If you look at their schedule so far, this is only their 2nd BAD loss of the season though, the other being a loss in Sacramento against the horrid Kings.  That loss was a one point game on the road, but the way the Knicks pummeled them at the Garden last week, they made that loss look even worse.  To the Wizards credit, they are a much better team with a healthy John wall and Nene on the floor.  However, it is the way the Knicks played that really has me fired up today.  I will elaborate on why they played so poorly but to sum up their problems in one word: DEFENSE(or lack there of).  They looked lazy and uninspired on the defensive end.  Guys were getting beat off the first step, and there was no help defense occurring in the paint.  Side-note: I did like Amare’s block on John Wall in the 2nd half.  I need to see a lot more of that when they’re getting broken down by opposing teams point guards.  Let me see that or knock a little guy on his ass once and they’ll stop coming down by the trees real fast(trust me, I was that little guy in high school).  However, at one point in the game it looked like John Wall was out there by himself doing lay-up lines.  One of the Knicks biggest weaknesses is their inability to contain quick point guards.  We saw it last night with Wall, we definitely saw it with Jrue Holliday two weeks ago, and even Jameer Nelson picked apart the Knicks last week(even though we won that game).  The Knicks have a very good record this year, but it’s the games where they play solid team defense from the opening tip until the final buzzer that they look impressive.  It’s in those wins that they look like a team that should compete for a championship.  Last night was not one of those nights.  They allowed Washington(the worst scoring offense in the NBA) to pretty much score at will.  Their 3-point defense was atrocious as well.  Now, I know they can’t win every game and it was just one game, but if they’re going to lose close games I’d like it to be against a formidable opponent.  We might have lost to the Washington Wizards(just as the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder did), but do you know who I really feel bad for??  The Minnesota Timberwolves.  I foresee a massacre in Minnesota, while the Knicks take out their frustration from a terrible loss.  Only time will tell.  Tune in to New York Knicks basketball as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday night at 8:00 P.M.

They are who we thought they were

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 3 Comments

The Knicks continued their winning ways last night with another victory at Madison Square Garden.  They yet again steamrolled their opponent and have now won five straight games.  This was another solid team effort, and I’m starting to think that the Knicks are reading my blog this year and can contribute their success to my words of wisdom.  No seriously, they are buying what Mike Woodson is selling.  They are sharing the basketball, playing team defense, and showing a balanced offensive attack.  You know what they say, shooting is contagious.  I personally would like to see them jack up less three point attempts so they don’t have to rely on it come playoff time.  However, I’m a firm believer of, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

As for last night’s game, I know everyone is saying, okay great you beat the Pistons.  We can only play the teams that are on our schedule, and it’s only a positive that they continue to beat poor teams handily.  Carmelo looked like Carmelo and scored 27 points on 10 of 17 from the field.  Amar’e continues to impress with his scoring and most importantly his offensive efficiency(he had 20 points on 8 of 14 from the field).  Last but certainly not least, Tyson Chandler has been a beast on the boards ripping down 20 rebounds for the third straight game.  He became the first Knicks player since Willis Reed in 1969 to accomplish such a feat.

It’s all smiles in Knicks land of late, and they need to keep taking advantage of their easy schedule.  They will look to keep the ball rolling against the Washington Wizards, Wednesday night @ 7:00 P.M.

Knicks Roll

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Just as I suspected, the Knicks rolled through the Sacramento Kings en route to a 120-81 blowout victory. Also just as I thought it was a very solid team effort. Amare was a perfect 10-10 from the field, JR and Novak combined for 12 3-pointers, and Chandler ripped down 20 boards. After the Knicks started out as cold as Lance Armstrong’s heart(1 for their first 13 from the field), I don’t think they missed a shot the rest of the way. Now I don’t want to blow this win out of proportion because the Kings are pretty much the worst team in the league, but as a fan it was fun to watch. If you had told me the Knicks would score 120 points with Carmelo only scoring 9 of them, I would have told you you were crazy. That is exactly what happened. They didn’t need Melo do much tonight, which is something I can get used to. Obviously we will need Melo to be at his best come playoff time, but to know that we can rely on our bench to not only hold a lead but extend it is a luxury. As long as Coach Woodson can manage the minutes of this squad, they should be in good shape. Welcome to first place New York Knicks!! Lets see how long we can stay there.

How bout ‘dem Knicks!!

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Another win for the Knicks, and another solid team effort. The Knicks as everyone knows are working their way through an “easy” stretch of games on their schedule. On a night where Carmelo Anthony struggled from the field, shooting just under 32% from the field(7-22), the Knicks showed why they don’t need their superstar to be spectacular every night to win. Amare is getting better every night and dare I say he’s slowly getting it on the defensive end. He needs to continue being fed in the post because he’s a nightmare matchup for just about every forward in the league; especially the 2nd string forwards. Raymond Felton had a big night, and continued to show just how valuable he is to the Knicks. With that being said, he really needs to stop sticking his hand into places it doesn’t belong. All we need is for him to re-break that finger and watch him get shut down for the season. He’s just as important to this cog as Melo, Chandler, and Stat. Tonight the Knicks continue their home stand against another mediocre opponent, The Sacramento Kings. This should be another easy victory, but you can’t underestimate anybody. I’d like to see Shumpert get more involved and show the defensive intensity he showed in the 2nd half of last nights game. Hopefully we see another solid team effort and of course another win. Miami is off tonight so a victory against the kings would bring us to a tie for first place in the east. Let’s go Knicks! Let’s keep the momentum going!

So much for objectivity huh?? Enjoy the game.