Tag: NBA

[Video] Welcome to NY: A Look at Knicks #4 Pick Kristaps Porzingis

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The boos and groans rained down heavily at the Barclays last night with the Knicks’ selection of 19-year old European prospect Kristaps Porzingis.

All the coaches and scouts seem very high on the kid, touting his 7’1 frame, ability to space the floor with 3-point shooting, and shot-blocking potential. The trepidation with Knicks fans is the fact we’re dealing with a true prospect that needs to grow into a man’s body to guard his position (he’s currently around 220 and rail-thin). With Carmelo in his prime and wanting to “win-now,” most of us were hoping for safer, sure-fire picks like Emmanuel Mudiay at point guard. It also hurt that Philly was just spiteful in taking another big in Jahlil Okafor right ahead of us.

It remains to be seen if the Knicks can create a culture the cultivates Porzingis into a future star. He could soar as high as a Dirk or Garnett, level out somewhere around a Bargnani level or even worse (shudders). The main thing is that we’re patient over these next 2-3 years.

Below are some highlights and background on our new prodigy. He actually wanted to come here and as he put it after his selection, “turn those boos into cheers.” Anyone that willingly wants to come to NY and handle the immense pressure and cynicism deserves our support.

Knicks Trade Pablo Prigioni to Rockets for Alexey Shved

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While other NBA teams are mulling over franchise-altering trades, the New York Knicks made a low-key deal at the trade deadline in moving veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni to the Houston Rockets for Alexey Shved and two second round draft picks.

The 37-year-old Prigioni spent 3 seasons in New York, averaging 4 points, 3 assists and 1 steal in 18 minutes. From the field, Prigioni shot 44% (41% from three).

The 26-year-old Shved was acquired by Houston from Philadelphia earlier this year. In 9 games with the Rockets, he’s averaged 3.2 points, 0.3 assists and 0.4 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per game. For the season, the Russian point guard is averaging 7.6 points, 1.9 assists, and 1 rebound on 39% shooting.

Before the All-Star break, Prigioni had not played in eight of the last 12 games, fueling rumors he was on the trade block.

Prigioni  will be joining a play-off bound Rockets team that is currently fourth in the Western Conference with a 36-17 record.

 

[youtube http://youtu.be/Fvcez3Q4sq4]

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No more sneaky steals and spot-up three-point shooting in NY. Prigioni will be missed, but this is yet another move that benefits both parties. The Knicks get another young point guard to try to mold, and Prigioni gets to join a contender where his sticky hands and floor leadership will be well-served in spot minutes.

Shved is a 6’6 point guard and I’m sure we can put that to good use. His recent teams have given up on his potential, so hopefully he views this as a “last shot” of sorts to show he’s a valuable player.

A toast to Prigioni.

[youtube http://youtu.be/nI61jm3N7zM]

Carmelo Anthony to End 2015 Season for Left Knee Surgery

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Carmelo Anthony will announce the end of his season later today to undergo left knee surgery, per NBA sources.

Anthony has played most of the season with recurring left knee soreness, forcing the Knicks to reduce his minutes and allow sit-outs on back to back games. Before last Sunday’s All-Star game, Anthony told the media that he’d likely forego the rest of the season for surgery.

Anthony’s knee ailment was revealed as requiring left knee patella tendon debridement and repair. Per Knicks president Phil Jackson, Anthony will be sidelined 4-6 months.

What we’re finding out from the medical is on court, it could be four to six months. We can’t put it at a timetable until after the surgery. But that’s what they’re saying. They say it can be anywhere between four to six months for Carmelo to be back on the floor.

But we’re really confident he’ll heal well and he’ll be fine

The Knicks limped into All-Star weekend on a five game losing streak and currently sport the worst record in the league at 10-43.

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I’ve seen some people online trying to spin this into another reason to criticize Melo for being selfish and not looking out for the team. In reality, this is a move to ensure the team’s future.

Even if Melo started playing the best basketball of his life, this Knicks team has no chance of making the playoffs. Further play only risks creating an even more serious knee injury and putting the future production of our franchise player in peril. Letting the team continue on this path sans Melo keeps the Knicks in play for a top draft pick and also opens another roster spot for our young D-League talent to gain experience.

With all that said, the disaster that has been the 2015 season is humbling. JR, Shump, Melo and Stat are all off the floor in a matter of months.

Bon Voyage! Knicks Complete Six-Player Dallas Trade for Felton and Chandler

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Yesterday, the Knicks completed their first big trade under the Phil Jackson regime, shipping out starters Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler for point guards Jose Calderon and Shane Larkin, guard Wayne Ellington, center Samuel Dalembert, and the 34th and 51st picks on tonight’s NBA draft.

Chandler missed over 30 games last year with injuries and has struggled in recent years to meet the level of play that made him the Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. He has one year remaining on a four-year, $60 million dollar contract.

Felton had one of his worst seasons last year, shooting 39% from the field and posting a career-low in points (9.7). Felton was plagued by off the court problems as well — he was arrested on felony gun charges and last week plead guilty, receiving a $5000 fine and 500 hours of community service.

“The journey to build this team for the upcoming season and beyond continues,” said Phil Jackson in a statement about the trade. “We have added players with this move that will fit right in to our system while maintaining future flexibility. We would like to thank Raymond and Tyson for their time and hard work with the organization over the past few years.”

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Sorry Tyson Chandler — any trade that gets Felton off this team gets the stamp of approval from me. While I’m not particularly crazy about Jose Calderon on the defensive end, he can hit open threes, which makes him ideal for the triangle offense Fisher and Jackson are looking to implement. Shane Larkin also has a lot of potential. I can see him becoming a fan favorite and having a string of breakout games next season. I’d be surprised if Dalembert makes it onto the roster. Ellington I’m not well-versed on, but at least he’s not an injury-prone old vet like most of our signings in recent years.

As for Chandler, I loved him when he was healthy and giving full effort. But when is the last time we’ve actually seen that from him? He seemed to always be injured or sick during the playoffs, and his rim protection has taken a severe nose-dive. Not to mention, the man still struggles to finish point-blank shots at the rim.

Chandler also did a lot of finger-pointing last season, taking jabs at Mike Woodson and subtle ones at Carmelo Anthony. His body language and effort told me Chandler had mentally checked out so a change of scenery, especially back to where he had his greatest success, should be a huge motivator and do him good.

All in all, this is a very good trade for the team. And can you believe we actually got picks back?! In Phil we trust…

[Video] No Country for Old Men – Shumpert Crossover Drops Paul Pierce

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With the Knicks out the playoffs, New York fans will take any small victories we can get over these last two games. Iman Shumpert has been terrorizing Paul Pierce on the defensive end since last year’s playoffs. But tonight, Shump gave old man Pierce the business on offense via this sweet crossover. The Knicks ended up pounding the Nets the entire game and won 109-98.

[Video] For Pride Only: Knicks 100, Bulls 89

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The was an overall somber mode last night at MSG with the Knicks playing their first game since being bounced from playoff contention. It was also the first time in Melo’s career that he hasn’t led his team to the playoffs. So how did the team respond? It’s not a big consolation prize, but New York put together one of their better defensive efforts of the season, holding the Bulls to 39% shooting and getting several emphatic stops in the 4th quarter to seal a 100-89 victory.

Melo, still nursing a bum right shoulder, managed to be very productive in his limited 28 minutes, notching 17 points and 3 assists. He had a lot of help tonight with three additional starters hitting double figure scoring, Iman Shumpert (10 points, 7 rebounds) providing strong perimter defense, and Tim Hardaway Jr. (20 points) serving as a 4th quarter closer by hitting four key free throws and a three-pointer to hold off a late Bulls run.

To contend with Chicago’s frontline, Coach Woodson wisely gave Cole Aldrich 18 minutes. The big man didn’t disappoint with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. It makes you wonder how much of a difference he could have been if Woody has played him more after Kenyon Martin went down.

The Knicks are off to the Barclays Center to face the Nets on Tuesday night.

[Video] JR Smith Sets Knicks Record with 10 Threes Against Heat

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Yesterday’s loss to Miami further dampened the Knicks’ playoff hopes, but that didn’t stop JR Smith from going down fighting. Our streaky point guard made a record 10 three pointers for a new franchise record, and notched an overall NBA record with 22 attempted treys.

The Miami contest caps a three-game stretch which saw JR nail 24 shots beyond the arc. Now if we can only get the team to play some competent defense to go along with this crazy shooting to close out the season…

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This Is Our Town! Knicks Destroy Brooklyn 110-81, Continue Playoff Push

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With the Nets having the best Eastern Conference record since January, a few Nets fans have started to become too vocal. Some even have the audacity to claim they’ve “taken over” basketball in New York. Well, the Knicks had to remind them of their status with a beatdown last night at Madison Square Garden. After going 3-2 on the recent West Coast trip, there is no room for error with less than 10 games left in the season. The Knicks needed to make a big statement on national TV and boy did they ever deliver…

67%: How hot were the Knicks to start? How about jumping out to a 29-20 lead after the first and shooting 67% for the entire first half to hold a 63-38 lead. The ball movement was strong and the Knicks fed the paint (31 points) via Stoudemire post-ups (13 points) and Melo. On the perimeter, Tim Hardaway Jr., Iman Shumpert, and JR Smith all had their jumpers flowing. In addition, all three attacked the old legs of Brooklyn (who were on a back to back without Kevin Garnett) with aggressive drives, including the best finish at the rim Shump has had all year.

BRIEF LITTLE SCARE: In the third, Raymond Felton came down hard on his back and ribs during a rebound, leading to some deep contusions in those areas. His injury seemed to spark a five-minute period of lethargy where the Nets were able to pull within 14-points. The surge was finally put to a halt by a Prigoni three, and key shots from Melo and JR Smith to push the lead back over 20 headed into the fourth quarter.

LOCKDOWN SHUMPERT: Despite picking up five fouls, Shumpert never wavered in his defensive intensity. Everyone he guarded was harassed and forced into bad leads. His work caused him to be a +29 on the court, to go along with 10, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes.

With Shump leading the defensive charge, the Nets were reduced to sub 40% shooting for the majority of the game.

THJ N’ JR: Hardaway got 28 minutes off the bench and was a sharp-shooting 7/10 from the field (17 points). JR was lethal behind the arc (6/12) and had one of his best all-around games with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

NO PRESSURE ON MELO: All the big contributions allowed Melo to take a step back on offense. This allowed him to be highly efficient from the field (8/16, 23 points), get to the line (7/8), and focus on rebounding (10).

IN THE PLAYOFFS…FOR NOW: Atlanta lost to the Bulls last night, allowing this win to put the Knicks into the playoffs. The hold is still very tenuous — New York’s next game falls on Friday against the Wizards, followed by the Heat on Sunday.

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[Video] Walt “Clyde” Frazier Interviews Knicks President Phil Jackson

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Right after the big press conference yesterday, new titled Knicks president Phil Jackson sat down with friend and old teammate Walt “Clyde” Frazier to discuss his new position and the future of the franchise. Jackson spoke about the need to revamp the roster (“the players have to have a certain sense about themselves…”) and the importance of going back to the fundamentals of basketball (read: DEFENSE). Jackson specifically pointed out the problem with our perimeter players being blown by and relying solely on Tyson Chandler for rim protection.

What I already like about Jackson’s approach is the sense of calm and logic he’s bringing to his role. Lord knows the Knicks have been a chaotic, roller-coaster bunch. It’s readily apparent that Jackson already knows what he wants to do with this squad.

Knicks Hammer Celtics 116-92 for 5th Straight Win

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The Knicks extended their winning streak to five games with a wire to wire win over a fiesty but ultimately hapless Boston Celtics team playing without Rajon Rondo. New York was short-handed as well, missing Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, but got a strong double double from an unassuming big man making his first NY start.

ALDRICH DELIVERS: While Melo put up the big points, Cole Aldrich was the game’s most essential player. In 25 minutes, he scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and swatted 3 shots. His presence was a +19 on the floor, and he provided much-needed rim protection in the early fourth quarter when the Celtics made a run behind a monster night from Jeff Green (27 points).

Aldrich isn’t the most polished player, but this game is a good indicator that he can provide solid spot minutes. The early second and fourth quarters, when the Knicks are prone to blow leads, would be an ideal place to incorporate Aldrich.

MELO’S EFFECTIVE AND INEFFECTIVE GUNNING: Carmelo Anthony was gunning for most of this game. In the first half, it wasn’t a problem as he scored 19 points (3/4 from downtown). The Knicks as a whole were pretty much hitting everything, shooting 61% from the field for 68 points.

The shot selection became an issue in the third with Anthony going too heavy into iso mode and chucking well contested shots. On the other end, Green was driving to the rim and hitting jumpers, allowing the Celtics to pull within 9 points (84-75) after being down by as much as 24.

Thankfully, Melo and company settled down early in the fourth. On the first play, Melo drove and kicked to Prigioni for an open trey. Later, a shot-clock beating three from Melo made it 95-77, and the Celtics never fully recovered.

HARDAWAY CONTINUES TO SHINE: After a spell of bad games, Hardaway Jr. looks to have regained his confidence. No longer relying on just threes and aggressive drives, the rookie has incorporated a very reliable mid-range jumper. Last night, he got big minutes (38) off the bench and delivered 22 points on 7/11 shooting.

EVERY GAME CRUCIAL: The Knicks moved within 3 games of the eighth and final playoff spot, currently held by Atlanta. The Knicks will need a lot of help to make it, but their play on this streak indicates they’re up for the task.