Amar'e and a Dream

Carmelo Anthony takes the heat for all of the teams misfortunes since being traded to the Knicks. Can he play with A'mare? Can he fit the D'antoni system? Can he pass or play defense? Is he really Jeremy Lin's father?  Its pretty much unfair but that's New York and pretty much the main reason Patrick Ewing was the hard ass he was towards the media. When it comes down to it, you play basketball. Watching the Olympics you realize how good Carmelo really is. He's on par scoring wise with the two big dogs Lebron and Durant. He's a great teamate and he is a willing teacher as proven in the video footage of him schooling Blake Griffin. My theory is you can't ask Melo to do much more than that. Can he do much more? Yes and he does, but the root if his game can't change because that's when you run into problems.

This is where A'mare comes into play. A'mare is a man that likes to think he its an alpha male. He wants to be the best. He gave himself the nickname Stat. He went out of guys way to show he had Jewish roots. He wants to be seen and he wants to be great. Problem is he is not great. He is a one trick pony with a history of injury. His success rest on the shoulders if his coach and point guard. He's always been a pick and roll player. If he's not receiving the ball in a high percentage area he is useless. His jumpshot, rebounding and defensive abilities are directly related to him getting successful oppotuitues in the pick and roll. Glen Grunwald went out and got A'mare 3 proven point guards in Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni. The best gift of all is the challenge his new head coach Mike Woodson presented him. He said A'mare needed to develop a back to the basket game. He prescribed Hakeem the Dream as the remedy. Mike Woodson said the ball will go back inside...essentially that is where it belongs.

Ewing was the last true post presence the knicks have had. Why did Ewing fail to win a championship in New York? It wasnt because he missed a finger roll, got hurt at the wrong time, or the victim of the NBA's leaving the bench rule. It was because in his prime, he never had a guy to give him a break from the scoring load. Bernard King wasn't allowed to prove he can still produce as a Knick. Its one of the a great what ifs in franchise history. Thing is now, history has seemed to come full circle. A'mare in fact needs to assume his role as Patrick Ewing. He already has his Bernard King in Carmelo Anthony. He also has his Charles Oakley sidekick in Tyson Chandler. The stage is set to receive the greatness he desires. The pressure should be on his shoulders to put everything in place because everything should start and end with him.

So we have a Dream. Can A'mare not only learn, but master some post moves to get everything going? In comparison Lebron James took what he learned from Hakim and raised his game to the next level. At the same time, Dwight Howard had the same teachings and applied nothing to his game. In my opinion, A'mare needs a drop step, a spin move with either hand, some pivot moves and Ewings patented fall away after driving across the lane. Can it be done? A'mare is already a gym rat. Could be the biggest offseadon of guys career....and it really needs to be. The knicks time is now.

There are no champions here

In the realm of sports, as soon as you lace up you're sneakers, cleats, or skates you are subjecting yourself to judgment. "You suck", is probably the first thing you hear in the fields of action. What separates the strong from the weak is the determination to get better. What separates that from all else is the heart of the individual. Success is not judged by the pay check. It's judged by your peers, fans and spectators. Your hardest critics should be your family. My son for instance, is trying to destroy me at anything he can. He's only 8 and we have a great relationship but he understands the unwritten rule of sports. Kill or be killed.

Where is the killer instinct with todays basketball players? Im not only talking about the highest paid guys. Just players in general. The greater majority have to be in almost perfect situations to succeed. Alot of times it's opportunity and fit. Alot of times it's lack experience. There comes a time when you have to question a persons heart and how they stand for this thing called pride. It doesn't have anything to do with how many shots a guy puts up in practice or how many rounds of p90x they did in the off season. What matters is, when the sneakers are laced and the ball is tipped, who is going to walk off the court victorious? If the team sucks, each individual has to take that with them. All championship squads had hall of fame talent. That hall if game talent would be nothing without cold blooded role players. Robert Horry, Mario Elie, Derek Fisher, Steve Kerr, John Paxson....Even the clubs that came close had guys that had the heart of a champion just the short end if the stick.

Knick fans out there are out there crying. At the short end of our stick the Knicks have names like X-Man, Oakley, Mason, Starks, Harper, Lj, Sprewell....you know the names. Guys never won a thing but earned the respect of a fan base and their peers that will never be taken away. 
Check the knicks roster after their playoff loss to Miami. Where are your champions? Can you name 3 with a straight face? No matter your opinion of this team....i challenge you to pick out 3 warriors. Not guys that you hope to one day become warriors. Be realistic and you will see what we have to do to improve this team. We are not as close as we thought we were.

Still...the motto is always "go knicks". Show us the pride on the court and the fans will show respect on and off the court.

Off-season starts now for the Knicks

Nothing on the basketball court mattered as soon as Shumpert went down with a torn ACL in game one. That moment was just a testimony for how horrible our team is. It was like the basketball God's smitted the Knicks for thinking they had a "Mobb Deep" bench. Then Stoudamire swings and accidently slices his hand, like he was going walking in the gym dropping 25pts and 10 rebounds a game. It didn't matter if he played or not. Game 3 proved that for the last time. To add insult to injury (baddum bum), Baron completely shatters his knee on a simple drive to the basket. Baron was crowned the savior at the begining of the year. Anyone remember that? Even if Baron stayed healthy...did anyone believe he was going to all of a sudden put on a Golden State Warrior jersey and carry the Knicks on his back (baddum bum)?!?!?

Numero Uno...Landry Fields is a bum. When guys start getting hurt, other guys need to step up. That guy should be Landry Fields. 15pts a game is all I ask. He should already be walking in the gym dropping 15pts a game even with Melo and Stoudamire out there. You just watch him looking for someone to pass it to. You look at him cringe at the sight of contact. You see his broken jumpshot. You see is horrible beard. How can you expect the team to have heart when a major rotation player, a starter, has the heart of a slug. If the Knicks had Mike Dunlevy, Jamal Crawford or anyone else with comparable size and skill to Landry the Knicks would have had a better chance. The Knicks must replace him. The Knicks are not in a position to give guys another chance. We know what we have in him. I would give him a qualifying offer for a million and nothing more. You do not lock him up for more than that. It's roster suicide, unless you plan to trade him.

Numéro deux...Amar'e Stoudamire can't rebound the basketball. He doesn't control the paint unless guys are letting him bully them to the basket. Effort kills Amar'e. Every team has thrown an effort guy at Amar'e and he continued to get killed on the boards. It really doesn't matter who it is. New Oreans, the Bucks....they throw no oame guys out there and they make Amar'e look washed up. I hear alot of excuses from Amar'e, from injuries, to coaching, to the death of his brother. He's got to play his position and control the paint. That's his job. He has to do his job, period. If he can't? They he shouldn't play. How do you fix that? The Knicks must find a back up power fwd that the Knicks can lean on to produce when Stoudamire disappears. You can't put this on the fact he doesn't have a point guard since Jeremy Lin went down. Will a point guard help him rebound? That's the point I'm trying to make with him. Knicks might already have the answer in Josh Harrelson, but they have to play him more minutes.

3號...The Knicks can't go into the year with the future resting on Jeremy Lin's back. Shumpert is going to come back strong. That kid has the heart, determination and confidence to do it. What he doesn't have is the ability to play point guard when Lin is not in the game. His rightful spot is at the shooting guard spot next to Lin. With this said, the Knicks need a proper backup. Mike Bibby deserves brought back after not laying down against Miami. Still the Knicks need a guy that could start on any team in the league if they had to. The Knicks don't have the cap space, but they do have shot at getting guys like Johnny Flynn, JJ Barea or Kyle Lowry due to their injuries, etc. It doesn't have to be them but it has to be someone that could start. I would try to move Landry and the chicken without a head Toney Douglas to get this point guard.

That to me is it. The Knicks need to find Amar'e and understudy, aka a spot starter that can clean up Amar'e's shortcomings. Carmelo Anthony needs another guy to help take the scoring pressure off him. The Knicks need to solidify/strengthen the point guard situation. They simply can't continue on with the limited players they have now.

In Grunwald we trust...

Knicks need to cash in reality check

A'mare Stoudemire was "stat city"....he put the city and the team on his back and said "the knicks are back". It was all good just a year ago.

A'mare ruined his back trying to touch the top if the back in last years series against Boston. This year he punches a fire extinguisher case and almost bleeds to death. He might have seriously ruined his hand in the process. Was he mad because he disappeared against Miami? Is he mad because he can't seem to grab rebounds? Is he mad that Haslem, Bosh and the rest were beating him to every ball? Was he mad he wasnt getting touches?

This is where we are. The reality now is this is Carmelo  Anthony's team. This is not a bad thing. The bad thing is the team is not functioning properly around his talents. Landry Fields is the hands down X factor in this series but the man is scared to death to make an impact on the game other than moving the ball. Knicks need him to drop double figures attacking the rim and making shots. He's been a like a basketball wife, a non motherf'in factor. Poor Chandler has been sick but has been giving more effort than anyone not named Carmelo. Baron Davis had been horrible and the guy everyone has written off in Mike Bibby has been steady at point guard. Jared Jeffries is playing his best basketball right now in short minutes.

With A'mare now out with Shumpert, perhaps the knicks need to utilize a bully in Dan Gadzuric. Dan has a mean streak and will protect the rim and rebound. Toney Douglas needs to be used at shooting guard finally. Shump going down is a sign to play Toney in his natural position as a chucker. Knicks need someone to get hot. Knicks need someone that is going to put someone on the floor when they drive the same way Miami is doing it to them.

Bottom line: Start Melo at the 4 no matter if A'mare its healthy or not.  Landry at the 3. Chandler at the 5. Start Baron and Jr Smith in three backcourt. Put Toney back out there in an instant offense role off the bench. Utilize Bibby more. Let Gadzuric and Jared foul out rebounding and defending.

Protect our house and beat the Heat....we'll deal with A'mare after the series.

Knicks vs. Miami: its only right

I'm to nervous to give an in depth analysis of this prophesied playoff meeting between Knicks and the Heat. Not nervous in my confidence that our Knicks can win the series in 6 games ;-) ....I'm more worried that my words will somehow cause a reign of bad luck and it would be my fault! Ah such is the life of a fan of sports.

I got my gear on and I will be gathered in front of a TV like the rest of you. Let no negative thought cross your mind my good people. Our boys will be ready.

The 5 year season

What a year we've had! Its great to be finished with it and exhale a bit as we prepare for the playoff showdown with the Miami Heat...its almost like it was meant to be. Its only right that the Knicks face off against the three queens(lower case on purpose). After the season we've had? Man listen....

This year was suppose to be D'antoni's year. He was a coach that had a rep for being an offensive genius. He is the offensive coordinator for team USA and had a book written about his philosophy for crying out loud. He was made to play babysitter all these years with the promise that he would eventually get the talent he needs to succeed. 2010 was the year son! Knicks didn't get the biggest prize but they did get A'mare Stoudamire and eventually Carmelo Anthony. To his credit he never had a real training camp with players that were actually in the plans for the future. Kinda hard to win like that. Fans and "experts" killed him daily about his approach especially on defense. The knicks held him down though and brought in Mike Woodson this year as an assistant coach to handle the defense. Its sad though....cuz Carmelo Anthony threw D'antoni under the bus by not playing his hardest. Melo did not want to play D'antoni's style. A'mare, Chandler kept hinting that guys weren't buying in. The only player that could possibly be the culprit was Melo because the rest of the team proved they can win in D'antoni's system.

Anyway, D'antoni was sure to get fired and his body language and babbling in pre/post game interviews suggested that he have up as well. Then came the emergence of Jeremy Lin like a Phoenix rising from the Ashes....Phoenix? How ironic? All of a sudden the system worked again. Is it a coincidence that Melo was hurt at the time? 7 game winning streak...Melo comes back? 6 game losing streak. Disgusting if you ask me. Bam down goes Frazier...I mean D'antoni. Enter Mike Woodson as coach. That was destined to happen as soon as he was brought in. Since he has been the cook stirring the pot, the knicks were 19-8. That's good for second best during that stretch....in the league.....sigh.

What can we do now? Finally we can focus on the task at hand....winning this championship. Knick fans have seen it all. The last 10 years have been hard on the soul. This past season seemed to be the worst yet because we finally have all world talent yet we saw then underachieve. We lost a good 4-5 years to the 2010 plan. This year was suppose to be ours straight out the gate. Everything seems to be in place now. The Knicks are a 7th seed that should be the 3Rd seed at least. We have that lightning in the bottle. We do have the worlds most famous arena....and yes we have the best basketball fans on the planet. We got this....we damn sure deserve it.

Go Knicks!

Its a star stunted league

Something big happened in knickland. I guess its time for another blog. After almost coming to the brink of doomsday, Linsanity rose from the Ashes like a Phoenix to save the season. The drama thickened as a injured Carmelo Anthony lurked on the bench through our 7 game winning streak. When he came back they still won a little...then came a 6 game losing streak lead by Carmelo acting like the Grinch that stole Christmas. There's quotes in your favorite paper where he denies being a "coach killer". At the same time he talks about getting back to letting the scorers dictate the game. Now, I'm not retarded by any stretch. I'm hoping my readers aren't punch drunk either and just taking his word for it. Carmelo says its "not fair" to talk bad about him. At the same time please buy his Jerseys and hang his posters up in your kids rooms. Don't forget to buy his sneakers and his cell phone too. Remember you have to understand....its a business.

In the end of it all, this is a superstars league. The ownership do not dictate what happens on the floor. The players are not the same group we all grew up watching. There is no loyalty. There is no honor. What rests in its place is alot of ego, alot of drama and alot of bullshit. The day the knicks traded the farm for Carmelo they should have fired Mike D'antoni. It was a joke to think Carmelo would play the team game and sacrifice for the sake of winning. No he is not good enough to be coached. No he doesn't want to fit in to a team concept. He is the team. I am not a D'antoni guy. I saw him as stubborn, yet too friendly with his players. He was too loyal and too old school. Its a new day.

This is the age of the AAU camps/tournaments. You do not coach any more. You get God gifted talent and you put their friends around them and you shower them with gifts. In the AAU circuit, you give them free sneakers, pay their parents bills, and give them pocket money to buy new gear and tattoos. As a pro, you give them max money and endorsements. They ride that train until they become Allen Iverson. Staying on topic, this is what we all have created. We can't get upset when Melo comes in and hijacks our team. You can't get mad when losing games on purpose so you can get your way is more important than playing to win. That is very fair. After all its a business that we all created.

Now what do we do now? We watched Lebron James hijack the league with his espn special announcing that he was taking guys talents to South beach. This season we had to hear all the drama surrounding Dwight Howard. Our knicks even after 10 years of disaster, we still have more room for Melodrama. What do we do? Do we forget? Do we cheer? Will winning make us forget these sucka moves  because of our need to birth superstars in our society? If Melo brings us a championship do we forget this drama the same way we forgot the slap and dash he did to Marty Collins? Do we honor him the way we do warriors like Ewing, Oakley, Starks, and other guys from the 90s era? This era crowns the death of team. No more Willis Reed and Clyde.

I blog for fun. Its not really fun if the play on the court is just as embarrassing as their "basketball wives" counterparts. Don't even get me started with that. In the meantime, I will continue to teach my kid and future kids pride and humility. After all these years Charles Barkley was right. He is not a role model. His generation gave birth to this one.

Let's go knicks! Never lose focus. Win you cocky pricks!....but you will still get the side eye from this knick fan.

A'mare is NOT real

What kind of power forward that makes the money he makes, with the resume he has, ends up with 4 rebounds in any game when they aren't in foul trouble? It makes you wish that you had David Lee out there again. At this point, I'd rather have Jared Jeffries out there. It pains me to say it but if you watch games you believe it too. A'mare is absolutely useless to the knicks unless he's getting the ball on the move. He doesn't compete for rebounds and he's a non factor on defense. He is a liability out there. There were two plays where he  ignited the crowd and his teammates.  One where he made that flip shot while falling underneath the basket, and that dunk he caught on Humphries off a Carmelo Anthony lead pass. Other than that he was invisible. Humphries beat him to every rebound last night and that cost us the game. 

Is that pointing fingers at one player and accusing them if letting the team down. Yes. A'mare is the one that proclaims who he is. He made up his own nickname "Stat" and said he was a beast before the year started. His focus has to change because he is not going to get a zillion pick and roll touches like in the past. He's got to reinvent himself and make things happen off of rebounding and defense. Right now Jared is out playing him. Poor Jared was not blessed with coordination and power. One thing he does know how to do is play this game of basketball. He rebounds, draws charges like crazy and blocks shots off his help defense. If Jared had A'mare's gifts he'd be the best power forward today.

In this league if stars, guys are more concerned with stats. Deron made a point last night to prove he was better than Lin. He over played Lin on defense and was looking to score every time he had it. The coach even ran plays where Deron tried to camp out in the pain waiting for a pass for chippy baskets. Lin, unflappable, never lost focus and continued play the team game and finished with his regular linsanityesque stats. Deron scoring 38 pts was not the reason the knicks lost. The game was lost inside the paint. Tyson Chandler was fighting for his life inside. He was battling Humphries inside, and banging with Sheldon Williams. A'mare was content with just being out there. Close games are win on the boards. You can't complete the comeback without the ball.

If A'mare wants to keep his self proclaimed nickname he's got to start trying to get 10 rebounds per with the same ferocity Deron had trying to make his point on Lin. That's his domain. Tyson and A'mare should make a game out of it. Whoever gets the most rebounds gets a cookie, or wherever motivates a millionare basketball player. Bottom line he's got to get the job done. Can't win games without the ball.

D'antoni: The heart breaker

Call D'antoni what you want but the dude is loyal to a fault. Its not enough that he rides or dies with his coaching system. He will give you an opportunity to play and have more confidence in a player than they have in themselves. Such was the case with Toney Douglas. The man tried but he just isn't capable of being a point guard. Not even for short stints. D'antoni rode him out until he was forced to give Lin a shot to prove he is worth sticking around. The rest is history as they say.

History is doomed to repeat itself. Carmelo Anthony and A'mare Stoudemire both went down at the same time to injury and out from the ashes grew two improbable rotation guys in Novak and Jared Jefferies. D'antoni played the 3 full in guys and produced a 7 game season saving winning streak. You can't make it up. I'm glad that the Knicks got a little taste of luck and magic these lay few weeks. With the loss to new orleans, the first one in the Jeremy Lin era, its time to start earning that pay check again.

Jeremy Lin buried Toney Douglas in the dog house. Carmelo Anthony will hopefully bury Bill Walker right next to Toney. This is where it gets crazy. The knicks just signed J.R. Smith. He's gonna bury someone. That someone is going to be either Landry or Shump. You can't take either our of the equation, so someone is going to have to take a bench role. Landry Fields is the likely candidate because he can't handle shooting guards and guard duties in general on a nighty basis. If you bench Landry and play him at small forward behind Carmelo, then Novak gets buried next to Walker and Toney. Did we forget about Baron Davis? He's gonna cut into Lin's minutes and put Bibby in a suit for the reminder of the season. Where does Jorts fit in?

Who wants to be D'antoni right now? Call him casanova because he will have to break a lot of hearts the next few Weeks. A lot of fans are gonna be pissed. Coach had gotta learn from this Lin situation. He's gotta play what works. He's got to play guys at their natural positions. Landry was never a shooting guard. He's a glue guy that should be playing forward with guys that are his size and skill level. All the shots that Landry misses and all the drives that Landry  butchers, J.R. Smith will dominate. As fans we have the best seat in the house. If D'antoni starts playing the dating game with his players, the boo birds will be back. We don't have time for loyalty. Knicks are like the only team in the league that are on such a roll, but have talent like Carmelo, Baron, and J.R. Smith just waiting in the wings. If the knicks get it right even Charles Barkley will be talking championship for the  knicks.

Knicks still Linning, haters still hating

I had to take one for the team last night because of Valentines day. Saw "The Vow". It was surprisingly good. I still checked in on the Knicks box score off and on.  The knicks were down by 10 all night. Ironically I made "The Vow" not to ever give up on my Knicks again. I saw Lin had 12 and 8 half way through and said to my lady, "the knicks are gonna win tonight." Even with 8 minutes left and no TV in sight, I knew the Knicks defense still had enough time to apply the clamps and give Lin a chance to make a play. I get home to a steal and a dunk by Shump, and a cold blooded 3 pointer by Lin Legend for the win. 

I didn't have the best end to my night. Sports is that release from reality and I wanted to crack open my morning energy drink, kick back and read the bandwagon fluff on the NBA Cinderella. On my conmute, in my locker room at work, and in the office and break rooms...all I hear is, "the knicks won't be winning like that when Carmelo gets back....", and "you think this kid is gonna average 25 and 8 for the season? If so you got a 1st team all NBA guy. You think he's better than Rose?"

I try to keep this space as positive as I can, but the haters have gone too far! Instead of learning to believe again. Instead of pointing out the great example to your family. Instead of enjoying the magic ride and excepting that the kid Lin is for real...the haters have gotten stronger. I could understand if we were in Boston on the bean line, or in Philly on the cheese steak line. Not in NY...not on our streets and in our places if business. Its a damn shame how our fans can be so blatantly ignorant and downright pathetic. We are a town that likes to claim that we come together in tragedy and stand with each other in the face of adversity. That is a bunch of poo.

You read this spot because despite the spelling errors, you love the kool aid. I appreciate the hits and please keep reading. I'm not pushing an agenda. I'm not trying to exploit the Knicks or even trying to make money off this blog. I love the knicks and want to play a part in planting the seeds of future diehards to come. I want to champion against haters, talk about the game and the magic of sports. 

We've been through alot as knick fans. I challenge all to just tune out the negativity. Don't even engage or defend your team. Believe what you see. Watch games. Don't follow the media circus. Follow what made you become a knicks fan. My draw was seeing Bernard King destroy whoever dared to guard him like a real life superhero from Brooklyn. He was immortal to me. When he went down, Ewing came up and the legend continues. This new chapter is called "Linsanity". Ride this kid till they run out of band aids to patch this kid up. From the Ashes rises the Phoenix.

Nah Mean?

From myth, to Lin Legend

Live on espn, in front of a  national audience. The knicks played the lakers with their "JV squad" and beat them like they were supposed to do that. The hero, the player that led all scorers was the man, the myth, now legend...Jeremy Lin.

I had the Knicks losing by alot. I'm to embarrassed to say by how much. My girlfriend looked me in the eye and told me the knicks would win by 3. She never really played basketball but she understands what she sees. What she also understands is the power of positive energy. Lin was going to do what he's been doing and the knicks were gonna pull it out at home. Who would have believed that last week? Who would have believed that Bynum and Gasol would be non factors offensively and defensively against the team we put out there? The presence of Lin has changed everything. Can you believe it.

I haven't had the chance to hear what the goons on TNT have been saying, but im surprised our own Kelly Tripuka won't submit to the Linsanity out there on the court. Its as if he is waiting for Lin to have a bad game so he can say I told you so. Its unfortunate because what the Giants should have taught us all these years is you never give up even when everyone else has. You gotta believe, as my girlfriend said to me last night. I forgot, and isn't that why we follow sports? Not to drool over superstar players, but to believe that your team can beat the odds and win. Lin is not just a savior on the court but a savior to the culture of new York city sports. Let's go knicks for once and enjoy this ride.....

Besides....the knicks may not be able to afford this kid if he keeps it up. I'm reading conflicting reports on Jeremy Lin's early bird rights or restricted free agent status. If the knicks still have those rights then the knicks are good. If those rights were dropped when Lin got waived than the knicks are gonna risk losing the kid. He's worth at least 5 mill at this point. Worry about that later. Right now...wow!

I told you Lin could ball!!!

"Lin doesn't stand a chance...." - Mike Green call as Deron made just a couple dribbles shortly after Lin first came in the game

Eat it Mike Green!!!!

I told you here....yes right here on this blog that Jeremy Lin could play and should play meaningful minutes as a NY Knick. If you missed it, check my archives. You only have to go back as early as my last two blogs. Can I toot my own horn? Should I toot my own horn? Let me ask you now....should Lin play or even start now for your beloved NY Knicks?

This wasn't a fluke. Mike Green has always been absolutely horrible calling Knick games. I'll save my opinion on him for another blog. Last night Green was calling it like Jeremy had "the glow", or "the touch". He made it seem as if the game Jeremy Lin was having was something that was impossible or being made possible through some kind of miracle. Its just the straight up ignorance of this man and shows his taste for brown nosing the stars of this league. Deron Williams was the demi-god and Lin was the humble hobbit overachieving in a once in a life time event. Lets get this straight...Lin is a 23 year old man. He dominated the Ivy League, he played toe to toe against Wall as a rookie, he played extreamly well in the d-league last year and dominated the one game he did play over there this year. This is not a fluke!!!

The testiment to this kids game being for real is his defense. He was not fooled by Deron Williams dribble. He contested every jumper Deron took and forced him to go short every time. He stayed in front of him and prevented him from penetrating. Deron only scored if Lin wasn't on him when they switched off on defense. Offensively Lin put on a show. Its the same show he put on against college opponents, John Wall, and the d-league. I feel sorry for fans that hear a scouting report and use it as fact and spread the lies when they never seen the dude play. He can't shoot? He is right hand dominant? He shot the ball pretty well when the defense dropped off him. He split the defense with his left hand and went all the way to the rim on a huge play in the fourth quarter. Seeing is believing and if you saw the game believe me you believe.

I don't want to bash my fellow fans because you are just as arrogant as I am. I believe I know the game better than pro athletes know the game. You don't have to play pro to know the game of basketball. Just ask your favorite announcer. Mike Green for one ethinks he knows more than Clyde. I won't let Clyde off the hook either because he was shouting. That Lin needed to shoot it to make ttghe defense honest. A top 50 NBA player, point guard for that a matter, is telling the point guard he needs to shoot it just to prove it. A poi t guards job is to find the scorers and take what the defense gives them. Lin shut Clyde right up as he sank a few perimeter jumpers. Bottom line you want your point guard to pass first and create second. Shooting or calling their own number should not be the first thought in their mind. Lin understands that.

I pray this kid continues to get his minutes. He's more than proven he can contribute to the team playing real PG duties. The same way peeps, including me I'll admitt, are crying for Baron to save the day, they need to lobby for our homie Lin to succeed. Lin is not gonna average 25 a night. What he will do is play point guard and he is a natural at that. A player of his skill is hard to contain.he causes havok. If he drives you have to stay with him because he will score. If you stay with him he will find the open man, or make the hockey assist which is a pass leading to an assist. Bravo to Jeremy Lin! I wish the brother luck and hope and pray the kid can continue to show his talent for the NY Knicks.

*Bows*

Amar'e is "back", backcourt is still wack

Amare was looking really slow and out of it for the first 21 games of the season....that's a fact. Everyone had the right to be pissed. The Knicks are a bottom dwelling team righh now....trading Amare was the only option for change because the Knicks don't have any other contracts to trade. That's the end of that convo in my opinion. Its great that on game 22 he finally had his "he's back" game, but truthfully the dude is untradeable especially for a fair deal for the Knicks. Injury, rustiness is not an excuse. As a professional you have to be ready to play when you suit up. We don't know how hurt and out of shape he was. Before the season he was claiming he grew an inch, gained 20lbs of pure muscle and proclaimed that he was a "beast". He probably should have kept that to himself. Hopefully now after 1/3 of a season in the potty, this guy can play ball and just be his frickin self again.

I'm sick of waiting though....the Knicks are approaching the half way mark really fast. The Knicks have got to start winning at a banana clip if they plan to make the playoffs. The Bucks are not gonna be easily moved. They are beating everyone, including the Miami Heat with no stars to speak of aside from Brandon Jennings on the roster. Bogut hasn't even been playing for them. Teams like Indiana have already bumped themselves too high to catch at this point. Boston is gonna come on strong eventually and they are treading water at around. 500. Clevland and New Jersey both have teams that people sleep on and both teams have proven they can beat anyone at any time. They will not just fold, you have to show up or they will beat you. I just mentioned 4 teams that are ahead of the Knicks all fighting for 2....yes the final 2 playoffs. The Knicks still are very much in trouble at this present date and time.

Last night against Chicago, what can I say? The Knicks simply do not have the right mix in the backcourt. The Knicks lost because of the guard play. Not because they simply couldn't guard Rose or hit jumpshots. If you are talking that talk in the lunchroom then you are a Time Warner and haven't been watching games. On paper, Iman Shumpert had 8 assists, and 4 turnovers. He's responsible for at least 5 other ones because of his floor game. He would pass to Amare, then walk his man right into him forcing poor spacing and turnovers. He kept dribbling into his teamates and making thoughtless passes, putting guys in position to fail. Its not his fault. D'antoni is riding and dying waiting for Baron Davis to get ready. Baron isn't stupid. Of course he wants to play. If the Knicks were winning I bet he would be out there getting his 20 minutes playing his self back into shape. At this point, its in Barons best interest to get healthy and be near 100% so he can get his last big contract as a pro next year. Believe that! Can't knock it, especially knowing the pride and passion he has. He does not like to lose.

Back on topic....D'antoni must play Jeremy Lin. I don't understand why he still won't call #17 into meaningful minutes. In his garbage time he proved he can play point guard. I hear raw, weak, d-league scrub, etc as adjectives to describe this guy. If you switched to Fios, you would see that Lin does something at will and that is get into the paint. He also gets the ball to the numbers where guys can do something with it. He plays defense and mixes it up for cheap steals and rebounds. That is a fact. Like what the f-bomb is going on with that? Utah....they were without Devin Harris and Earl Watson. So they had no choice but to start Jamaal Tinsley....not a shooting guard and force them to play point! Tinsley came out there and got 13 assists against those young boys in Golden State. Yeah that back court torched him on the other end but they also couldn't stop him from doing what he does. Why? WHY? Can't D'antoni play this kid? They beat Detroit by 97 points and he still only got 6 minutes! Knicks are on a back to back to back....the coach still keeps a tight 8 man rotation. Give me a break already!

I can't even go on with this anymore because I'm running out of Bill Cosbyesque phrases to cover up my potty mouth. I'm hoping things continue to improve. The Knicks don't have much time to be sagging and telling grown people that pay good money on them, that its called swag....I'm out!

The year of the Dragon: Free Jeremy Lin

First off I want to say he is an American. Brother was born and raised here in California. Not for nothing guys, California is the land of the point guards. Its where ttyhe best point guards are coming from in todays game. New York is no longer producing all world point guards anymore. I think that all died with Sebastian Telflair. What has he done lately? With that said, Jeremy Lin is in this generations group of California dishers and swishers. Their recent legacy? Try Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Deron Williams, Brandon Jennings and our very own Baron Davis. They can ball out there and these are just some of the eguys sthat made it to the NBA. There are countless street legends out there that will forever be on californicationers (©, lol) minds the same way guys like Booger Smith was for Brooklyn when I was coming up. Im from Brooklyn so I saw them all. I know for a fact Jamal Tinsley can ball because he personally bust my tail in a pick up game near Tilden High School. Somewhere out there a guy is saying the same about Lin and wondering why this baller isn't cracking the Knicks rotation. I mean the Knicks need a point guard and at the same time had ttghe audacity to ship Lin off to the d-league. All he did was drop a triple double in his FIRST GAME! It was legit too...28/12/11.

Check his college career...he played for Harvard. That's a joke for anyone who wants to play that ignorant card. Fact of the matter is he dominated the conference and lead Harvard to its best season ever before he went pro. Google that. His NBA career? The NBA slept on him too. He goes out and dominates the summer league. Chris Webber can be heard screaming in the background as Jeremy Lin took it to John Wall. He didn't have just a few nice plays, he came out of that game on par with Wall in every facet of the game. Don't believe me? YouTube it! So why did I he fall into the Knicks hands? Golden State has money and expectations tied up in Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. The kid with the non guaranteed contract is the one that has to go.

So why...WHY isn't this guy getting burn on the Knicks? I mean they need a point guard and he gets shipped to the d-league. There has to be a reason why they signed him. Was it a publicity thing? I'd like to believe D'antoni and the Knicks are better than that. Lets say they believe in this guy the way I do. Did they think they could just stash Lin in the d-league for the future? Lin clearly stated in his first game the future is now. Do ttyhey want to keep his value down so ttyhey don't have to pay him next year? Aside from those questions...think about it. Do you really believe Jeremy Lin wasn't dominating the likes of Mike Bibby and Toney  Douglas everyday in practice? He had to be killing them. Are they trying to hide him, hoping they can keep him from shining? Chinese new year was the other day. Its the year of the Dragon. If that isn't ironic I don't know what is. I'm cheering for this kid to succeed in New York. I want him to stay with the Knicks. Not because we have the cool Asian guy that can ball. I want this kid to succeed because he can and deserves to show that to the NBA audience. The Knicks deserve to have a young talented point guard like this. I don't want him to lose his confidence messing around with NBA politics. This dude needs his shot. Go Knicks!!!

Checkout our Melo D!

“That’s in the back of our mind,’’ Carmelo Anthony said of erasing the no-defense moniker following the Boston sweep. “For me, personally, I’m on a personal vendetta. I get tired of hearing it. We get tired of hearing it. And just bringing Tyson [Chandler] on made it that much better. The last five games we’ve been doing a great job. - Berman,  ny post

What did you see with your own eyes last night against the 76'ers Diehards?

We have been reading quotes like the one above from Carmelo all off-season and pretty much all year so far. The proof that what he's saying is true starts out there on the court. The Knicks have installed a switching/zone defense where guy automatically switch when they reach a certain area. I've noticed it the last few games but it was working perfectly last night. The concept kept Philly from catching any real rythmn all game and it help the Knicks soften the blow on any run they tried to go on. This has nothing to do witty Tyson Chandler or Shumpert individually. The team as a whole seemed to have bought into this new defensive concept and as a fan that enjoys the game on a X and O level, I must say I am thoroughly impressed! This new philosophy makes everyone accountable. These concepts can't work unless the star players take the lead and get their hands dirty. Carmelo can be see throwing signs in the game. One sign that stood out is when Philly brought the ball up and Carmelo could be seen swiping the back of his headband with both hands. When he did this the guys behind him got into position. When did you see something like this in the last 10 years? Seeing is believing and I feel sorry for time Warner cable subscribers because the revolution of the Knicks defense will not be televised for them.

The zone/switching scheme has allowed guys to show off their quick hands on defense. Shumpert has been doing his Derek Harper/Clyde impersonations for fast break layups off the steal. Melo has also been able to get in the lane and steal passes off the switch. If the Knicks don't get a steal, they get the turnover. It happens often enough to keep teams under control therefore surpressing huge runs that plagued the Knicks in the past. Another thing the Knicks are doing is trapping players on the corners out by the 3 point line. It causes the team to make a desperate scramble and the Knicks have been getting the turnover almost every time they do it.

What Knicks are you watching? I can't believe my eyes watching these guys play. The evolution of the team from game one till now is night and day. To think that the defense is what is leading this D'antoni coached team is ridiculous. Credit who you want. Mike Woodson  definately needs the props but the accountability the players are taking, especially with Carmelo taking the lead is monumental. Funny thing about it is the offense right now sucks. They are getting by on talent right now. All the guys need to do is hold on and not listen to the internet destractions. There was a rumor that the Knicks were gonna sign Keith Bogans and we all heard the Dwight Howard rumors. One thing is for sure. Baron Davis will play for the Knicks this year and is about 2-3 weeks away. If the defense can continue to improve with their new concept, inserting Baron will ignite the offense to levels we've seen in the past. We all seen the proof in that with other point guards, especially Raymond Felton. Baron is better than Felton....just saying!

Off to see the Wizards

The Knicks are in a dangerous spot right now as far as confidence and cohesion is concerned. They took out Boston and the Kings because both teams were missing something. Boston didn't have Paul Pierce or "P P man" as I like to call him. Sactown just fired their coach so they are far worse than us as far as being ready to play a nba basketball game. Are the Knicks in trouble tonight against the Wizards? Hell yes.

Public enemy number one on the wizards is their shooting guard, Nick Young. The dude plays lights out when he's playing the Knicks. John Wall understands the lights will be on and he wants them to shine on him so he will be ready to play. Blatche and McGee are two young carbon copies of Amar'e and Tyson Chandler. Only thing is these kids have been playing with each other for a while now. Judging by what Boris Diaw did the other day to the Knicks, how can you not expect the worst? Add Rashard Lewis shooting from the outside as well. Somehow the Knicks always find a way to leave him open. All hell can break loose and we might finally hear a "Fire D'antoni" chant sooner than later.

Can the Knicks win? Not just against the Wizards. I'm talking anyone. Right now the Knicks are playing to the strengths of the other team. First off, running the offense through Melo lets the whole defense take a break because whoever is guard in Melo is preparing for 26 points to be put on them anyway. Keeping the ball handling duties on him lets the rest of the team relax. They need to run the offense as if Baron Davis is starting. Toney  Douglas is not a point guard. Yeah we get that. He's still a decent guard. The lame duck right now is Landry Fields. I talked about him in my last blog. Right now the Knicks have Balkman and Novak coming in at small fwd. They have Jorts coming in for the power fwd and center spots. Where is the Knicks weakness you ask? Landry Fields is not built for prime time. His confidence is shot. How you fix a professionals confidence is you take his spot and give it to someone who is playing better. That man is Iman Shumpert. The kid deserves to play 35 mins a game. Landry on the other hand needs to take Balkman and Novak's minutes backing up the forward spots. Landry lead all nba guards with like 7 rebounds a game last year before the Melo trade. The dude is a natural rebounder. Sounds like a forward to me. He practiced the corner 3 pointer all summer? Sounds like a forward to me. Shawne Williams has left a void on the bench when he took the well deserved money from New Jersey. Landry should fill that spot easily.

As far as the back up guards? Well you need to start both Toney  and Shumpert. They are the best the Knicks have. The Knicks don't have the luxury of keeping talent on the bench. If Shumpert or Toney  need to play 48 minutes then so be it. Baron will solve that as soon as he's back making Toney  a deadly 6th man. The bench is not dead though. Billy Walker is not going dunk on anyone any time soon. He is however a legit threat behind the 3 point arc. He shoots the 3 well were the shooting guard usually gets it, straight on or at the elbows. That's a nice contrast to the dynamic play of Shumpert. Walker also has a mouth that makes players want to choke him after games (ask Kevin Garnett). That's highly valuable in my humble and absolutely correct opinion! At this point Mike Bibby is done. Jeremy Lin however is not. The kid needs his little 15 minutes of real playing time now while Baron can't play. Lin is a point guard. If you YouTube the kid you can see how good he is. "Jeremy Lin vs. John Wall" is all you need to search for. Oh snap! How convenient is it that the Knicks are playing John Wall tonight!

Lets hope our team wakes up. I don't need my television filing for another restraining order on me. Go Knicks

Baron Davis: take your time but please, HURRY UP!

Iman Shumpert is a game changer. After what I saw in only his second game, fresh after straining his MCL ligament...this kid is absolutely for real. I'm talking a legit rookie of the year candidate unlike that bum Landry Fields from last year. What a joke Landry is! I hate to bash players in this spot so I'll be clear. I would love to hangout with Landry and throw down some pints of Guiness but no way do I want this dude playing on my professional basketball team! We heard about him practicing his corner 3 point shot and marveled at his new 24 inch pythons he got from training like Hulk Hogan in the off-seaon. What we got as a result is a dude that is absolutely scared to play NBA basketball. Where did he get better? He practiced a broken jumpshot all summer? Nobody tried to fix his mechanics? His shot is flat. I got into it on a message board about it and they brought up Reggie Miller and their favorite awkward shooters. Its embarrassing to even debate that. It doesn't matter how a guy shoots as long as the shot is consistant and has an ark giving it a chance to go in. Landry might as well one arm pitch it to the rim at this point. The dude can't put it on the floor either. His confidence is shot and I've come to the conclusion that this man is not made for MSG. He disappeared ever since the Carmelo deal. Its not the rookie wall. Its not that he doesn't get touches. The dude is afraid of the lights. Trade this guy....Please! At the very least put a real baller in and let Landry fill in behind guys that aren't afraid to play this game and compete. Its Shumpty Shump time!

Toney Douglas is what he is. He is not a point guard the same way Landry Fields is not a shooting guard. Thing is Douglas competes and doesn't give up. When Baron Davis makes his debute, Douglas will florish in the six man role. The same way you saw Iman Shumpert just come in and apply is will on the game, Baron Davis will do pretty much the same thing. Baron is a ball player. I had the privilage of seeing him live at rucker park when they had the tournament putting city against city. He showed up with his California squad and absolutely dominated. The man is a ball player. Nothing more or less. When he steps out we will see what this team is truly capable of. Right now Melo is struggling and working too hard for his 30 plus points. Stoudamire looks lost and laboring as well. Stat's body language to me suggest he isn't having fun out there. Baron takes the ball out of Melo's hands and lets him become more of a reciever where he could have room to operate. Stat will have his pick and roll back. Instead of moving the ball north and south, you will see the ball going east to west and guys will fall into their roles accordingly. Right now everyone is lost trying to do things they have no business doing. As a result the defense is out of sinc. Nobody is having fun out there.

Now fans...I hear you chanting for D'antoni to be fired. At this point, especially after seeing Balkman launch a three pointer last night, I'm ready for him to be fired as well. My thing is don't lose focus. The Knicks aren't stable yet. Shumpty Shump is gonna claim his spot at the starting shooting guard spot. Baron will be here soon running this team to its potential. Then Kenyon Martin will be here in March as soon as he's legally ready to join a NBA team. Don't abandon ship just yet. Our time is coming!