What made Mike D’Antoni and the Phoenix Suns such a threat in the Western Conference was the fact that he had an arsenal of shooters at his disposal. But when D’Antoni first arrived in New York, his best three-point threat was Al Harrington. That’s not good. Last year, Toney Douglas was the only player on the Knicks to hit more than 100 three-pointers, finishing the season with 143. They also had sharpshooter Andy Rautins on the roster, but never used him. Finally, it appears D’Antoni has found his man. Read More »

New Jersey will be coming for that NYC crown soon enough, but at least for now, the Knicks are still the big brother. Even if it was preseason, New York gets bragging rights for at least a few more weeks, beating the Nets in Newark 92-83. While we can’t take too much away from a preseason game – c’mon, Renaldo Balkman led everyone with 20 – both teams got some nice contributions from their role players. Rookie Iman Shumpert (16 points) outplayed every other perimeter player for the Knicks, and rookie Marshon Brooks (10 points) and Anthony Morrow (15 points) put in work from the perimeter … At least offensively, Amar’e Stoudemire (10 points) and Carmelo Anthony (17 points in three quarters) looked pretty in-tune for the first preseason game. Read More »

What we got on Friday night in MSG was a tale of two oddly similar yet completely different teams. Arizona has the hype, and the high ranking. They came in at 4-0 but still playing a little bit over their heads, a good team that appeared to be playing better than they actually were. On the other side was Mississippi State with enough talent that most experts see them as one of the most dangerous unranked teams in the country. Despite that, they started the year somewhat unassumingly. So if you told us pregame that the Bulldogs would finish with a flurry and take over the game late to win by 10, grabbing the 2K Sports Classic, we wouldn’t have been surprised. Read More »

If there’s one thing fantasy basketball owners should know, it’s that a team coached by Mike D’Antoni is a team to embrace. While his attention to offense and disregard for defense bring up valid concerns about the New York Knicks‘ real-life success, it’s pretty much gold for fantasy basketball purposes. There are two players driving the bulk of this team’s fantasy appeal, and in this type of offense there’s always the possibility of plug-and-play success for guys who fill in for injured players, especially in the backcourt. Still, as currently constructed, the Knicks do have some potential issues that diminish their fantasy luster, though not by much. Read More »

Usually there is no “D” in D’Antoni, however a few minor moves seem to indicate that the Knicks are finally committed to stopping their opponent on the defensive side of the floor. Although the Knicks head coach has had plenty of both regular season and postseason success, his lack of an NBA Finals appearance has caused the public to dub him as too offensive-minded to ever win a championship. For all of those D’Antoni doubters, help is finally on the way. Read More »

So what do you do if you’re Denver big man Nene? You’re right in the middle of working out an extension with the Nuggets, when the motherland comes calling for you to represent at an international tournament. Do you jeopardize your health (and your free agency if the extension doesn’t get consummated) to assist the Brazilian national team in qualifying for the 2012 Olympics? Or do you “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?” It looks like Mr. Nene (or Mr. Hilario or whatever) is taking the former – dropping out of Brazil’s bid at the FIBA Americas Championship. Read More »

Donovan McNabb. The real macaroni. Dyed hair. Angel-haired pasta. Rastafarian. 20 seconds, that’s all he needed to somehow connect the dots. Yep, Shady is back, finally barging through once again with his good friend and heavyweight lyricist Royce Da 5’ 9” on their new EP, “Hell: The Sequel.” The reunion of Bad Meets Evil was a long time coming, and whether or not it lived up to the expectations doesn’t really matter. Read More »

I’m coming home. I’m coming home. Tell the world I’m coming home.

These lyrics are forever etched in Knicks’ fans memories after the numerous commercial plugs on the MSG Network for the return of Carmelo Anthony to New York. What you don’t know is that the ad was also intended – whether knowingly or not – for another guy who came over in that trade. I’m talking about Staten Island-native and 2006 Knicks draftee Renaldo Balkman. Read More »

Sometimes it’s so simple that we get caught up over-thinking, trying to find the complicated part.

According to rumors and reports far and wide, the New York Knicks have a chance to acquire Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups this week, and all it would cost them is a point guard who isn’t as good as Billups, a small forward who isn’t as good as ‘Melo, a borderline starter/backup swingman, and a draft pick that won’t be made for another three years. And maybe it will cost them a 7-foot rookie whose NBA highlights so far include destroying the Pistons one time and getting Blake Griffin‘s palm-print on the back of his head. And why hasn’t this happened yet? Read More »

Life is all about change, but there are still some things we always expect to be the same. I cannot imagine the day when Coach K leaves Duke. It will be surreal when Joe Paterno is not on the sidelines for Penn State. And I’m sure, for most of us, the same can be said for Jerry Sloan‘s absence from the Utah Jazz bench.

After 23 years in the same place, what could make the Hall of Fame NBA coch resign in the middle of a season? The rumors are swirling that Sloan’s relationship with Deron Williams was the culprit. Read More »