Yoots Maneuver

Yoots maneuver 

The Knicks are no doubt in hot pursuit of a championship as long as Carmelo Anthony is on the team.  Say what you want about Melo, but he's a top nba talent and is worthy of being centerpiece on a team.  He gets Alot of flap but he can't win alone.  He definately should not be asked to play  out of position. The investment in him is too great to wear him down. Lebron can play any position on the court.  He's bigger than any of his power forwards. He averages the most rebounds per game on his team. He's also the teams best ball handler and passer. Miami knows enough to play Lebron at his natural position and allow him to do his thing. In turn, you put position players around him playing their roles so their star player can continue to dominate without having to do everything. The Knicks are forcing Melo to do everything and he's taking heavy criticism because of it.  Melo should not be asked to bang with  Tim Duncan and Kevin Love.  The fact that Melo can compete with them is beside the point . Melo needs to go back to dominating small fowards and leave the role playing  to someone qualified to do so. 
                                                                  
That being said,  why is Shumpert  our starting small forward? Why is Felton playing shooting guard next to Priggy? Last season the Knicks had no choice due to injuries.  This year the Knicks have the healthy bodies to match up better than this on paper.  The coach after training camp still doesn't believe it.  That means there is a conflict between the coach and management.  Something should be done and it doesn't have to involve firing Mike Woodson.

In order to do that there has to be a lateral trade forcing Woodson to slide players back into their natural positions. In my humble opinion,  this has to involve Iman Shumpert.  Fans like to talk about his potential,  but what about Tim Hardaway Jr and Torre Murry? I believe both players have just as much if not more upside than Shumpert. Are we grooming talent as a lottery team or are we trying to win right now? The Knicks need to come to grips with this issue and make a move before the season gets ugly.  Melo needs to be playing small forward.  The Knicks have a glaring hole at power foward and center.  We can't afford to harbor 3 point guards and 4 shooting guards. Something had got to give.  The decision to invest in Jr Smith should make him the starting shooting guard   by default.  That is not too shabby especially if you factor in Tim Hardaway off the bench. Woodson seems to like Priggy as the starting point guard.  That's fine because he's been effective running the team.  So your backcourt is Priggy and Jr Smith with Beno,  Hardaway and Toure Murry off the bench.  That's a solid unit.  If you are listening,  our odd men out should be Felton and Shump. This was supposed to be our starting backcourt. Priggy and JR Smith is equal if not better, that's not even a question.  What can we get for Felton and Shump? The Knicks need a solid rotation big man.... in a nutshell,  you have to pursue that and not look back.  This is not a reality show.  The Knicks are trying to win and win big this season.  Time is now to settle this ship and get back on course.  Make that move. Knicks should probably look to Denver, Sacramento or the Bucks for answers.

2013/14 Season Preview: The Media/fans hate us

What team do you know can win 54 games with a #2 seed in the playoffs one year and go into the next season with some media outlets saying the Knicks won't even make the playoffs? Not only in NY, but only when it comes to a NY team. You can see it with the Giants. They won 2 championships in recent years and was not given the credit they deserve. Some say they were lucky. This season they are experiencing the worst start in franchise history and everyone is feasting on their misfortune like someone pawned the championship rings they just won. It's not just the media. I know you true diehard fans out there are going through hell trying to defend your team. Some have probably joined in on the bandwagon burning. It's pathetic guys. Stop it! *Bob Newhart voice*

Back on subject....these Knicks won 54 games with Rasheed Wallace coming out of retirement only to be out for the season and retire again before the playoffs. Jason Kidd clearly had dead legs playing shooting guard of all things. Novak started playing like the specialist he is. Amare was out for most of the year with 2 surgeries. Felton broke both his hands. Melo had a busted shoulder. Kurt Thomas was our best big man all year before he went down the last month or so before the season ended. I'm sure I missed something. Anyway, the Knicks got rid of all that rubbish and added Beno Urich, Metta World Peace, Andrea Bargnani, Tim Hardaway Jr. How did we not get better? Ok maybe we won't win 54 games, but we for darn sure should make the playoffs and fight for top seed in the East division with Brooklyn.

It's a shame how they do us, but nothing compares to the BS that Carmelo has to deal with. Carmelo is as real as they come in the NBA. You ask him a question and he will answer it truthfully. Everyone knows he is going to be a free agent and will opt out. Carmelo was asked will he opt out....the man gave an honest answer. "I wants to be a free agent". Now drop the gasoline firemen. What is wrong with what he said? He explained that he wanted to stay and dreams about himself winning a championship in NY. He's not afraid of the pressure and wants the pressure. A few days later he stepped that up even further saying he will recruit players to come here. Bottom line? Carmelo's only leverage with the Knicks is to sit in front of them and ask the question, "How are we going to win this thing?" If he signs the extension outright, he commits the same mistakes that Patrick Ewing made in his day. Ewing had to put the whole NY on his back and management sucked him dry. The only real help they gave him his whole career while he was in his prime was a dude that was bagging groceries before he was called up, John Starks. Don't even mention Johnny Newman, Kiki, X-man, Houston or Sprewell. Any of these guys were either not that good, way past his prime or coming up when Ewing was in the twilight of his career. So yeah, get off of Melo's back. I believe the brother is genuine is his intentions and will be here and will be a huge part in the next reloading phase in 2015.

2013/14? Who knows? Understand that we....as in us....our team, the New York Knicks got better. Our projected starting 5 will consist of Melo at the power forward, Metta at the small fwd, Tyson at Center, Raymond and Shump at the guards. We can surely compete with that. It's definitely a stronger starting 5 than we start last season with. Our bench is golden, with Bargnani, Kmart, Beno, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Prigioni. That knuckle head JR Smith is out 5 games due to suspension and Amare is probably being help out the first game because its a back to back. We are good. It's time to let the BS go and just enjoy these Knicks. Our team needs us to back them especially with the fake Brooklyn Net fans out there. It's going to be a fun ride.

Go Knicks!

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Just another way to stay connected to the Knicks. I don't get any info quicker than the average fan, but I may be a little bit more obsessed than the average fan, lol. Have the blog fan page on your timeline and cut the middle man. I post whatever I find immediately as long as I pay my phone bill and have 4G service. Join in the conversation with the 5 other fans that frequent the page. At least you won't have to fight hundreds of posters to get your point across. Go Knicks, Like David Lee used to say.

Early look at the East

Everyone's top 5 teams in the East are the Heat, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn and our beloved Knicks. The teams in my opinion are still very close. That's why we play the games.


Miami:
Haslem, Lebron, Bosh, Chalmers, Wade
Key reserves: Ray Allen, Battier, Cole, Birdman


Bulls:
Boozer, Deng, Noah, Rose, Butler
Key reserves: Taj Gibson, Dunlevy, Hinrich


Indiana:
West, Granger, Hibbert, Hill, George
Key reserves: Stevenson, Copeland, Watson


Brooklyn:
Kg, PP, Lopez, Deron, Joe
Key reserves: ak-47, Jason terry, Evans, Blatche


Knicks:
Melo, Nani, Tyson, Felton, Shump
Key reserves: amare, MWP, jr smith, priggy


Health will play a big part in all this....
The knicks if healthy and clicking coming out of training camp we should be damn good. Same ifs on every other team.


Biggest headaches will come from teams like these below. Any of these teams could surprise all of us....


Wizards:
Nene, Webster, ok4, Wall, Bradley beal
Key reserves: seraphin, ariza, maynor, and their youth


Cleveland:
Earl Clark, Gee, Bynum, Irving, waiters
Key reserves: zeller, Tristan, jarred jack, varejao, cj miles


Detroit:
Josh smith, singler, Monroe, knight, chancey
Key reserves: Drummond, will Bynum, stuckey, jerebko (plus all the pieces to make a rondo deal happen)


Charlotte:
Mc Roberts, MKG, al Jefferson, kemba, (resigned Gerald Henderson?)
Key reserves: sessions, Gordon, Cody zeller


This will probably be the eastern conference playoff picture next season. Gonna be a lot of fun games. A lot of high level teams. Tons of wild cards.

Flip the script: Knicks up, T-town down

It takes two to tango. The knicks made a trade with Toronto but the argument over the trade is negative only on the knicks end. What about Toronto? You can say Toronto got a first rounder and two second rounders for a guy they were going to amnesty anyway. If that's fair to say then excuse me while I relieve myself on the rest of this blog.

Toronto gave up on a former #1 overall pick after two injury plagued seasons. Its not like the guy was a complete bust. The dude averaged 17pts while being Chris Bosh sidekick his last year in Toronto. He followed that up with 21 and 19 points per game in consecutive years after Bosh went to Miami. Last season he was hurt and ended up averaging 12 points per game in less minutes. How do you just give up on a talent that easy and for nothing? He's making half as much as Amare, who is untradable and a poster child for the amnesty clause. You can still get good value for Bargnani. So argument says Toronto found a sucker in the Knicks by getting a 2016 first rounder that can be switched with Denver due to  a previous trade, and two second round picks. What's the hoopla? They traded a guy they were rumored to amnesty? So they traded him for two horrible contracts just to get one first rounder, who is probably a high  school senior right now or some European kid playing in an under 18 league somewhere. In other words, its a meaningless pick at this point until the day of that draft. The knicks pick will fall somewhere between 21-30. The knicks lucked out picking Shumpert in that range, but Shump tore his acl in his rookie year, and spent half of his second year rehabbing. Lucky us. This years pick was Tim Hardaway Jr and aside from the knicks staff, everyone else call this kid a d-league prospect. So where is the value with that pick? The second rounders? Teams sell them every year. If the knicks want one they could buy one. Also who needs a second round pick when first round talent can go undrafted like CJ Leslie?

Enough with the draft pick talk. Let's talk about the fact that the knicks got rid of two mistake contracts of Steve Novak and Marcus Camby! Novak is  a 3pt specialist that got paid like a everyday rotation/starter in this league. People argue that a similar player to Novak would be Kyle Korver. Korver is more than a 3 pt specialist. Dude has a solid build, is an adequate defender and can put the ball on the floor and shoot on the curl play or off screens. He's also averaged double figures in scoring more than once in his career. Novak can do and has done none of the above! He was exposed by Miami in the playoffs and the rest of the league followed suit and made Novak completely useless in an nba game. Dude has 3 years left in his contract at 4 million per. Toronto has Rudy Gay and another over paid player in Landry Fields ahead of him on the depth chart. Marcus Camby's contract is virtually identical to Novak except he is going to be 41 when his contract is over! Not to mention he can't stay healthy. Explain to me what the hell is Toronto doing up there?

The bright side of this trade is currently shining on the knicks side. Bargnani has already proven he can play winning basketball along side a perennial all star in Chris Bosh. He fits well between Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler in the front court. The knicks finished the season last year playing Carmelo, Shumpert, Tyson, Prigioni, and Felton as the starters. You mean to tell me the knicks didn't get better with a new probable starting line up of Carmelo, Bargnani, Tyson, Felton and Shumpert? Gtfoh! in my James Gandolfini voice (rest in peace Tony).

Fuggetabout it! Knicks kool aid is in the fridge everyone, help your self.

Nani in the city, Shump' no "rook"

The Knicks started this off season with a full circle revamp of the team that started the season last year. ¿Que? You say? Rasheed Wallace entered the start of last season as the stretch 4 that perfectly balanced the front court. Melo essentially was allowed to score inside and out, while Chandler lurked for opportunities with the pick and roll and clean up dunks. When you talk about stretch 4, Andrea Bargnani is the poster boy for that term. He's not a elite post defender like Sheed, but he brings offensive talent similar to what he did in the past. Rebounding is about the same as well because historically Rasheed was never a big rebounder. Bargnani will give you 5 a game. With coaching and playing with better talent around him, maybe he can improve in that category for the Knicks. Bargnani, Melo, and Chandler up front is very good especially considering A'mare in the equation off the bench. The knicks have Alot of question marks concerning health with all four players. If they can play a considerable part of the season together, the knicks will be very good next year.

Enter Shumpert. "Rook" is no more. The kid is a three year nba veteran. He showed flashes in the playoffs but he needs to shine this year and take in the role that Jason Kidd had at the start of last year. He's got to hit the open 3 and help Raymond Felton lead the team. Shump will play point guard in summer league so he must take that experience into the year because Felton can't do it by himself. Felton's biggest knock is his self hate. He gets too down on himself and allows the referees to get into his head. That in turn corrupts the team. In a recent video posted to the "bleacher report" site, Shump talked about doing a better job of policing themselves. That's the point guards job. If the knicks can't get a guy in here to do that, someone has to do it in house. Shump should take that into his own hands. If he wants to win like he says he needs to take that leadership role.

Of the bench, the knicks look competitive. A'mare whether he likes it or not will be in minutes restriction the rest of his career. He's still highly talented and will do well as a sixth man. Tim Hardaway Junior well contribute right away. Kid can shoot, he's poised and athletic. Cj Leslie will factor in behind Melo as well. With the talent available in free agency the knicks will definitely find suitable subs at the back up center and pg spots.

As the Bargnani trade suggests, anything can happen in this league  via trade. The knicks could very well tack on two rotation players with Tyson contact. There's a market for Felton and Shump a well. Stay tuned as they say and stay classy. Never estimate the power of positivity. 

Knicks have to be Creatively Superior

To quote rapper Special Ed, if the knicks are Creatively superior yo, they'll never lose. At least they'll have it made. Knicks need that old school rap to take them to the next level. Not old school like Camby, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace. They need to be unconventional. You can't get anymore unconventional than some of the names I'm going to mention here. Case in point. The number one off season acquisition absolutely must be Andre Blatche. Read....

Andre Blatche was amnestied by the Washington wizards after signing a lucrative deal the year before. What that means for any team that he signs for, they are off the hook as far as paying him what he is really worth on the open market. By being amnestied, the wizards still have to pay the reminder of the contact. What that means for Blatche is he can't make anymore than what the wizards are paying him, unless a team wants to sign him to more than what the wizards are paying. Ain't nobody got time for that! So in essence, the knicks could sign Blatche to a minimum deal, and Blatche would still be getting his wizard money regardless. Point being? Andre Blatche should be the knicks number one off season target by any means necessary! The Knicks only have the tax payers exemption which is only a little over 3 million. A veterans minimum contact does not effect that. So in turn, the knicks should be at Mr. Blatche's front door on day one of the off season with a proposal that specifically states that the knicks want him to be their fulltime starter at the power forward position. I know I blog about the Knicks, but as a basketball fan and Brooklyn native, I had to take a look at my new hometown team from time to time. Blatche's time with the Nets was nothing compared to his stint with Washington. He admitted he was embarrassed by that situation and vows to prove he belongs in this league. If you took a look at that Brooklyn/Bulls series you know what kind of player we would be getting in Blatche. He's a natural scorer inside and out with an emerging presence inside on the other end. Placing him in a mix with Melo, Amare, Stat, Kmart and Chandler and the knicks have already upgraded the roster immensely.

The Knicks have other holes and question marks. The knicks have to make a decision on whether or not they will make a financial commitment to JR Smith. He proved in the playoffs that he can be a distraction on and of the court. Can you rely in him? That answer at this point is no. You also have to ask yourself how good will Shumpert be? He came alive in the playoffs and proved he will show up ready to play no matter what. Depending on who you believe in you make your next move. Right off the bat, the knicks could sign a guy like Alan Henderson or Mickael Pietrus who both played on a crowded Toronto back court last season. Both might be candidates for a league minimum deal. They both can easily replace Jr Smith. Not by becoming an 18pt per game 6 man, but allowing Shumpert to become what he is destined to be and give him an adequate backup. You hear players talk about the business of basketball. Knicks have to be more business savvy as well.

Other options for the knicks inside could be found in players like Sam Dalembert who was the victim of poor coaching and management in milwaukee. Jason Maxiel of Detroit would be a great pick up as well especially if Kmart wants out. On the perimeter, Nate Robinson is out there. He had a superb playoffs but he's still a 3rd string point guard in a healthy Chicago lineup. He might have priced himself out, but a player very similar to him in Will Bynum of Detroit could probably be had for cheap.

These are just a few names out there. We have to remember that the knicks are a 50 win team. We are attractive again. Guys want to come to a winning organization. We'll get better easily thus of season. For instance, if the knicks sign some of the guys I mentioned we could have a starting line up of: Blatche, Melo, Tyson, Felton and Shump....with A'mare, KMart, will bynum, pietrus and maybe Copeland off the bench. Not sexy but that's a 50 win team. What more can you ask? A trade? That's for another blog....soon come brethren, soon come!