D'Antoni Did The Right Thing

Mike D'Antoni knew his time was up in New York.  The Knicks had lost 6 games in a row.  They were falling out of the playoff standings, and the player-coach relationship was not there.  Carmelo Anthony was opening his mouth,  and D'Antoni was firing back.  On Wednesday, D'Antoni called it quits.

The Knicks have underachieved for the most part of the 2011-2012 season.  They started the season 8-15 before Jeremy Lin came in and took over as point guard.  They would then win their next seven games in a row during Lin-sanity.  The Knicks would then start to struggled once Carmelo Anthony returned from injury.  The style of play had changed completely and the team had no chemistry.  D'Antoni clearly had trouble working with the new offense and it showed in their play.

Now, assistant coach Mike Woodson takes over for the rest of the season and Woodson know what he has to do with this team.  It all starts with Stat and Melo.  Amare Stoudemire has been nowhere near what he was last year and it is time for him to be more aggressive and look for his shot more.  Jeremy Lin can take less shots and the Knicks can move the ball more.  Woodson knows exactly what this team has to do to win games.  Woodson has been there and in the playoffs before.  He is a defensive-minded coach, something that the Knicks lacked with D'Antoni.

The Knicks needed a change and they needed it quick.  Mike Woodson is going to send this team in the right direction the rest of the way and help the Knicks get back to the playoffs.  We are going to see the Knicks playing hard-nosed basketball the rest of the season headed into the playoffs.  The talent is there for the Knicks to get to the playoffs and to make noise in the playoffs.  With 23 games remaining and the Knicks tied for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, there is still time for the Knicks to get back to the team we saw in February that had Madison Square Garden going Lin-sane and ticket prices off the charts.

Just Shut Up and Win

The Knicks have gone from a team that had all of the NBA talking for all the right reasons just two weeks ago.  They now are being talked about for all the wrong reasons.  New York is on a six game losing streak, Carmelo Anthony won't keep his mouth shut, and Mike D'Antoni has lost control of his team.  The Knicks chemistry is at an all time low as fingers are being pointed in all different directions.

Coach Mike D'Antoni has lost complete control of his team.  Carmelo Anthony has commented putting blame on the coach, while D'Antoni has done the same on Anthony.  Clearly, the relationship between the coach and his players is horrific right now.  The Knicks are not worried about winning and are more worried on blaming each other acting like children.  It's about time for them to just shut up and win ball games.  The Knicks are on the verge of missing the playoffs as they have fallen into a tie for the eighth seed in the east with the Bucks.  The Cavaliers are sitting right behind the Knicks just one game back.  If the Knicks cannot get a win in the next couple of games, D'Antoni's time in New York may be up before his contract expires at the end of the season. 

The Knicks clearly have the talent and a deep bench to get to the playoffs and do the damage.  This team needs to get their act together off the court and play the kind of basketball we saw in the month of February.  The team has struggled mightily since the return of Anthony following his injury.  Anthony cleared up the rumors of him wanting to be traded by saying he wants to remain a Knick.  Most Knicks fans at this point would have no problem trading Anthony, but there is nowhere he could go right now.  The Knicks gave up a ton to get him and he is not going anywhere. (at least not this season)  

The Knicks need to stop the talking and get back to their winning ways before it gets out of hand more than it has already.  The Knicks will face the Blazers at the Garden tonight and are in need of a huge win.  It's time that the Knicks win games, play team basketball, and stop pointing fingers at each other.  The Knicks have 24 games remaining, with 14 of those being against teams over .500.  

Sanchez Strikes it Rich

This might just say it all.....Mark Sanchez will be making two million dollars more than Aaron Rodgers next season.  The Jets extended Mark Sanchez's contract three more years.  The total deal comes out to be five years, $58.25 million.  The deal includes $20.5 million in guarantees in 2012 and 2013.  It includes $40.5 million in "new" money and Sanchez can make an additional $10 million in escalators.  The deal gives Sanchez the seventh highest overall contract amongst NFL quarterbacks.  This obviously bows the Jets out of the Peyton Manning sweepstakes as well as Manning had no desire to play for the Jets.

Jets fans are sitting around scratching their heads wondering why GM Mike Tannenbaum is throwing more money at Sanchez, who looked to have regressed as an NFL quarterback last season.  The Jets did not beat one team that finished over .500 the entire season.  After going 8-5, Sanchez and the Jets lost their final three games to finish with an 8-8 record and missing out on the playoffs.  Sanchez was hard to watch throwing seven picks in the final three games as the Jets saw their playoff hopes fade away. 

Sanchez did have a good start to his career leading the Jets to two consecutive AFC Championships.  Sanchez did have a tremendous defense and running game as well those first two seasons.  Sanchez was extremely clutch in the playoffs both seasons playing mistake-free football and nearly getting the Jets to the Super Bowl.  Many thought that Sanchez would continue to improve this season, but he seemed to have gotten worse and faced much scrutiny from the media.  

In all fairness to Sanchez, the Jets did not have as good of a supporting cast as Sanchez had the prior two seasons.  The Jets defense clearly was nowhere near what it was the prior two seasons.  The offensive line also was extremely disappointing this season and injuries troubled the Jets as well.  The Jets defense struggled mightily forcing nearly no pressure on the quarterback after losing defensive end Shaun Ellis to the Patriots in the offseason.  The offense was forced to do more than it had to in their two seasons making the AFC Championship game.  

There are many Jets fans who are frustrated right now.  Jets fans need to realize that there are bright spots to look forward to.  Yes, the Jets may have overpaid a guy who struggled last season, BUT they did free up over six million dollars in cap space for 2012 from this deal.  Also, they will have a fresh start and a new playbook offensively as Brian Schottenheimer will not be back next season.  Schottenheimer was very conservative with his play calling at times and in the matchup against the Giants had Sanchez throwing an astounding 64 times.  A new season and a new playbook and some time to develop in the offseason will be pivotal for Sanchez in getting better and helping the Jets get back to the playoffs again.  

There has been a lot of ups and a lot of downs with Mark Sanchez under center.  Jets fans need to take a deep breathe and give Sanchez a chance next season.  The Jets have some cap room and will make this team better any way they can, especially on that defensive line as well as the offensive line.  Tannenbaum, Woody Johnson, and company believe in Sanchez.  Jets fans need to have some hope and confidence as Sanchez will be under center for at least the next couple of seasons.  

Nets Should Be in Desperation Mode

The NBA Trade Deadline is just 12 days away.  Rumors have been circulating around several players with the big name being the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard.  The soon to be Brooklyn Nets are sitting in a tough situation right now.  Their star point guard Deron Williams will be a free agent this summer.  The only way Williams stays as a Net is if GM Billy King can bring in another star such as Howard.  Besides Williams, currently the Nets have one of the worst rosters in the league as their 11-26 record shows.  The Nets have got to be in desperation mode as the trade deadline is under two weeks away.

The Nets have the possibility of losing out on the chance at Williams and Howard if King and company do not become aggressive in the chase for the star center Howard.  The Nets do have a shot this summer as well at Howard as he becomes a free agent, but many teams are going to be in the market for the superstar who is averaging an astounding 20 points and 15 rebounds a game. 

The Nets got their center, Brook Lopez back just in time from injury to audition him for a trade.  The Nets have the pieces to move to get Howard.  The question is if they want to pull the trigger and if the Magic would be willing to deal Howard before free agency.  The trade package would most likely build around Lopez and possibly rookie Marshon Brooks who has had a surprising and overlooked rookie season.  The Nets have one of the better deals that could be put in place for "D12" as Lopez is still young and continuing to get better and Brooks is just a rookie.  

If the Nets want to sell tickets and bring in new fans into their new Brooklyn arena next season, they are going to need to get in the driver's seat and make a push for Howard.  If they can get a deal done before the March 15th deadline, they would sign Howard to an extension and most likely be able to sign Williams to an extension as well.

The Nets could possibly have one of the best point guards and the best center in the same lineup opening up the Barclays Center this fall.  That would not be a bad way to start off the franchise in their new dwellings.  If the Nets cannot trade for Howard in these next 12 days, their last hope would be to sign him as a free agent this summer.  As we all know from the past (cough cough Lebron James), that is not always the best option.

Baron Davis Thriving in New Role

For his entire career, Baron Davis has been more of a scorer and a bit of a selfish player.  He is used to taking a good amount of shots per game and throwing up threes from different area codes.  As a Knick, Davis has a new role, and so far since returning from injury, he has thrived at it.  Davis is now looked at as the guy to come in and distribute the rock when Jeremy Lin gets rest.  He knows that the Knicks have so many threats and he has been finding them all.  Davis does not come in and play with an ordinary group of bench players.  The Knicks have one of the best benches in the league.

Davis has guys like Steve Novak, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert he can get the ball to off the bench who are all guys who can knock down shots.  As seen last night, Novak was draining threes from all over the place.  Novak made clutch three after clutch three in the fourth quarter helping put the game away in a 120-103 win against the Cavaliers.  Shumpert and Smith are guys who can also finish big close to the hoop.  They were the recipients of a couple of dazzling alley oops courtesy of Davis as well as Lin.

 The key to the Knicks success off the bench all starts with number 85.  Davis has changed his game up in a way that has made the Knicks extremely successful.  He knows he does not need to put up many shots for them to be successful.  He just needs to continue to be a catalyst and find the open guys because someone is going to knock down the shot or get a tremendous pass inside for an easy finish.  Davis was even finding Jared Jeffries for easy finishes last night.  Jeffries is more known for his defensive abilities.  Davis found him a couple of times last night for easy finishes making it look easy.  Lots of credit has got to go to Baron for the Knicks superb bench play over the month of February.

This Could Be the Knicks Year

Since Jeremy Lin's emergence on February 4th against the Nets, the Knicks have turned into an entirely different team.  They are playing with much more energy and playing team basketball.  Now, everything is starting to come into place.  The Knicks are getting healthy and are starting to get everyone back.  Sunday, the Knicks proved that.  J.R. Smith made his Knicks debut Sunday against the Mavericks scoring 15 points.

Tonight, against the Nets, the Knicks should get back Carmelo Anthony.  Also, Baron Davis will be in uniform ready to play.  The Knicks are getting everyone back just in time.  With these new additions, the Knicks are undoubtedly one of the deepest teams in the league.  They have Lin, Landry Fields, J.R. Smith, Baron Davis, and Iman Shumpert as their guards.  There are not many teams that are that deep in the backcourt.  They have Anthony, Stoudemire, discount double check Novak, and Bill Walker at forwards and Tyson Chandler and Jared Jeffries as centers.  They are still missing Josh Harrelson, who has been out with an injury.

The Knicks have all the weapons in place to make a deep playoff run this year with the way they are playing.  They hope to continue the Lin-credible team play with the return of Anthony tonight.  They also hope for some solid bench production from Baron Davis, who has been sidelined all season due to injury.

Yesterday afternoon at Madison Square Garden was a playoff atmosphere.  MSG has not had this much excitement and hype in too long.  Knicks tickets have skyrocketed from what used to be an easy $50 ticket on game day to $200 and above.  I think most Knicks fans will take the continued success over cheaper tickets.  It has been a LONG time since the Knickerbockers were as fun to watch as they are now.  Lin-sanity has truly created an atmosphere that has Knicks fans feeling nostalgic.

This roster is built to win.  They have had superb bench production from guys like Novak as seen yesterday making clutch three pointers in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away.  Jared Jeffries has come in and played hard-nosed basketball drawing charges, grabbing rebounds, and even scoring a little.  J.R. Smith is another shooter the Knicks have to come off the bench and drain a clutch three pointer.  Every night, the story continues.  After an 8-15 start, this team has turned into a completely different team.  This could just be the Knicks year to make that run for an NBA Championship.  The Lin-probable run continues tonight at the Garden.

The New Look Knicks

The Knicks have become an entirely different team than the team we saw just seven games ago when they were an abysmal 8-15.  They were a couple losses away from Mike D'Antoni being jobless, Jeremy Lin being cut, and Carmelo Anthony banging himself up even more.  The Knicks were being led by a banged up Anthony and a struggling Amare Stoudemire.  Two men were attempting to carry the team on their backs.  It just could not be done.  They needed a change.  That's when the Knickerbockers would make a Lin-probable return to winning basketball and an excitement in New York that we have not seen since the days of Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Latrell Sprewell.

The Knicks are now at .500 at 15-15 and in the thick of the playoff race securing the eight seed in the Eastern Conference right now.  Lin has helped lead the Knicks putting up unbelievable numbers.  Lin has scored at least 20 points in six of the seven games and has had at least seven assists in every game.  Three of the games he has recorded a double double.  Lin dropped 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in front of a packed Madison Square Garden without Stoudemire and Anthony.  It has been a story that has gotten Lin several endorsement offers and the financial assets to move him off his brother's couch and into his own place.  Lin has thrived even with all the attention he has received.

When everyone thought the Lin-sanity would take a halt for a game against the Raptors in Toronto, Lin scored six points in the final minute including a game winning three pointer with less than a second to go.

This story has been one of the most inspiring stories and one that has Knicks fans believing in a championship this season.  Just today, the Knicks signed J.R. Smith hoping he can add some depth from the shooting guard position.  When Smith is on, he is an explosive scorer.  Him and Anthony played together in Denver as well.  The Knicks have a potential starting lineup of Jeremy Lin, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler.  That is arguably the best lineup in the NBA.

The question is whether Anthony will be able to co-exist with Lin and the rest of the team.  Melo will have to do a lot more passing and less shooting.  This Knicks team has thrived moving the ball and getting everyone involved.  They have gotten great bench play from Steve Novak as well as Jared Jeffries and Bill Walker.  The team has played superb team basketball since Anthony has been out.  The Knicks need Anthony to return, be healthy, and move the ball with this new look team.  If this team can co-exist and continue their unselfish play, we might just see a deep playoff run and MSG rocking come late May for the first time in over a decade.

Lin-Credible

One man has single handedly saved the job of head coach Mike D'Antoni.  Carmelo Anthony you say? Amare Stoudemire you say? Maybe Tyson Chandler? Nope. Jeremy Lin.

Since Jeremy Lin has taken over as the Knicks starting point guard the Knickerbockers are 5-0.  They have beaten the Nets, Jazz, Wizards, Lakers, and the Timberwolves.  All of New York has been going absolutely Lin-sane as Lin has been the biggest contributor for the Knicks since the Harvard graduate got a chance to get key minutes.  Lin's most dazzling performance came on the biggest stage.  Lin dropped 38 points on a Friday night at Madison Square Garden on ESPN against the almighty Lakers.  The spotlight does not get much bigger than that. (in the regular season at least)  The second year point guard put on a show against future hall of famer Kobe Bryant.  Lin, who did not play much for the Warriors and was cut by the Rockets in December is finally getting his chance to shine in New York.  In just five games he has Knicks fans on the edge of excitement for the first time this season.  Until Lin's surgence the Knicks were playing bad basketball.  They were 8-15 coming into last Saturday night against the Nets when the Knicks would make a Lin-probable comeback.  The Knicks now are the eight seed in the east taking a leap in the standings since their abysmal start.

The Knicks have played much improved team basketball with the absences of Stoudemire and Anthony.  Stoudemire will return to action Tuesday against the Raptors following his absence due to the loss of his brother.  The Lin story has truly been one that has millions of people going Lin-sane.  The Knicks are back to being the fun team to watch as Lin's thrilling play has had MSG ticket prices through the roof of late.  If the Knicks can continue to play good team basketball when Stoudemire returns and Anthony eventually returns, this team might just be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time in the eastern conference.