JR Back for the Showdown in Indy

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The Knicks were brought back down to reality Tuesday night, falling to the Charlotte Bobcats 108-98. This game could be categorized as a schedule loss as Gregg Poppovich would call it. The Knicks may have been looking ahead to Thursday night's match-up against the rival Indiana Pacers. The Knicks started out nice, but as the game progressed the lackadaisical effort kept getting stronger and stronger.  Coach Woodson’s team didn’t have much interest in defending, letting AlJefferson and Kemba Walker go off for a combined 60 points. Tyson Chandler played only 15 minutes scoring 5 points and pulled down 4 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony struggled from the floor scoring 20 points on 9-22 shooting.

There was not much to talk about from this one other than, you guessed it, J.R. "Tweeting Asses, Smoking Weed, Untying Shoes, Etc." Smith. To the surprise of many Smith got his second DNP in four games. According to Frank Isola of the Daily News Smith’s benching comes after he and Woodson got into a confrontation regarding Smith’s minutes or lack thereof in overtime verse the Suns the night before. Woodson has seemed to reach his end with Smith and has him on a leash shorter than his brother Chris’ basketball career. According to various sources, Smith will play on Thursday in Indiana, and it will be interesting. Will we get the J.R. who doesn’t shoot the ball at all? Will we get the efficient Smith we got in Philly? Either way, expect a lot more Tim Hardaway Jr. who has been proving himself as a legit player since the season began.

The Knicks passed their first home test of 2014 in flying colors. Tonight they get their first road test of 2014 going to Indiana where the Pacers are close to unbeatable. Chandler and Kenyon Martin need to play their toughest game of the season with Hibbert and West always looking to bang in the paint. Anthony will have Paul George on his case and Shumpert will have to fight off the pesky New Yorker Lance Stephenson. The match-up that will swing the game is Raymond Felton vs. George Hill. If Felton can recreate whathe did against Miami the Knicks will pass another big test and take a gigantic step in the right direction.

Knicks Hold Off Suns, Move Into Playoff Position

Tina informs Melo that he's in the middle of a back-to-back. Melo's reaction is priceless.

You can officially take your hand of the panic button if your heart is still beating after another nail-biter at The Garden. With last night’s win against the Phoenix Suns the Knicks are now 6-1 in 2014. They're on a season-high five game winning streak and have moved into the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Carmelo Anthony continued his dominant play putting up 29 points and 16 rebounds in addition to 4 assists and a steal. Outside of Anthony scoring was hard to come by with Raymond Felton being the second leading scorer with 19 points. Felton got to the basket relentlessly and knocked down a huge corner three to give the Knicks a two-point lead late in regulation. The Suns were relentless all night, pulling down board after board and hitting big shots to keep them in the game.

Goran Dragic led the Suns with 28 points and 8 rebounds giving the Knicks all they could handle. Veteran guard Leandro Barbosa torched the Knicks for 21 points, putting up 14 in the fourth quarter alone. The bench did not have the stellar performance it has had of late, but provided some clutch buckets from the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr. and J.R. Smith. Iman Shumpert and Andrea Bargnani shooting woes continued, but also provided some energy plays and big shots. Kenyon Martin did his best to hold down the defensive side of the ball without Tyson Chandler for a fourth straight game. Martin had 8 points and 9 rebounds with some nice tip-in slams. Chandler spoke with reporters yesterday and said he was optimistic that he will be back in the line-up Tuesday against the Charlotte Bobcats.

This hot streak could not have come at a more opportune time. After Tuesday’s game in Charlotte the Knicks will head for Indiana on Thursday to take on rising-star Paul George and the Pacers, seeking revenge for a memorable overtime loss at The Garden back in November.  The team then returns home on the back end of a back-to-back against the Clippers. With Chandler back and every one starting to buy in, these next couples of games will be crucial if the Knicks want to steal back the Atlantic crown from the first place Toronto Raptors.

The biggest difference from the 2013 Knicks to the 2014 Knicks has been their resiliency late in games. When the Suns fought back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Anthony and company persevered and eked out another victory. The Knicks team from the end of 2013 seemed to always fold the tent and lose a close game (see the Washington Wizards game in December). The 2014 Knicks have more resolve and are finding ways to navigate the storm and get the job done. Maybe the team is tired of the trade rumors, coach firings and being the butt of every of joke. Maybe Coach Woodson and company have righted the ship. Only time will tell. 

Time to Press the Panic Button

It might be time to push the button. After yet another loss in Washington Saturday night, the team is now 3-9 and heading into a tough west coast road trip. On Monday the Knicks go to the Rose Garden to take on a sizzling Blazers team led by Damian Lillard. John Wall destroyed the Knicks with not much of a jump, so you can imagine what last season’s Rookie of the Year will have in store for Beno Udrih and Pablo Prigioni who will be taking the place of an injured Raymond Felton.

After a heart-breaker on Wednesday night when the Knicks were a finger-tip away from beating the best team in the Eastern Conference - the Indiana Pacer -  they followed that with a loss to the Wizards. The Knicks defense in the second half was terrible as Wall, young sniper Bradley Beal and Martell Webster had their way, scoring 31, 18, and 19 points respectively. It was very familiar to Wednesday night’s game when Paul George torched the Knicks in the second half scoring 23 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime alone.

The team simply has not been on the same page on either offense or defense. The buckets aren’t dropping. The rotations are too late. Coach Woodson has to grab control of this spiraling team before those Calipari whispers become chants. Woodson’s favoring of playing Smith with a big lineup and putting Shumpert on the bench is just not working. Last year’s team was at its best when they had Melo at the four, Shump at the three and Smith at the two. These big lineups are too clunky. For a second straight night Andrea Bargnani did not shoot the basketball well, putting more pressure and double teams on Melo. Smith was especially awful, missing all four of his free throw attempts in the fourth quarter in addition to a couple of mental mistakes that cost the team late. Amar’e Stoudemire had his best game of the year posting 12 points, but only two of those coming in the second half.

This upcoming week the Knicks face two top Western Conference teams in Portland and the Clippers followed with a Melo homecoming at Denver. If Woodson doesn’t make some changes and get everyone on the same page the Knicks might be 3-12 heading into December.

Time for a change. Woodson out? Calipari in?

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The Knicks are in the throws of 4 game losing streak. They will end November without a win at home, and are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. This is a lot to swallow for a team that ended last year as the Atlantic Division Champions with 50 plus wins. If you ask any avid Knicks fan, things need to change.

Trade rumors are swirling through NYC and the blogesphere like a F-5 tornado. New trades involving every player, other than Carmelo Anthony, seem to crop up daily. Us die-hard Knick fans need to see a turnaround and we need to see it fast.

Yesterday’s battle with the Eastern Conference leading Pacers could have been a win that began to right-the-ship. The Knicks were finally playing with some intensity. Beno Udrih, who was starting at point the for an injured Raymond Felton, was able to move the ball and even made a couple circus shot himself. Melo was on his grind; finding his stroke and pulling down a game high 18 rebounds. But it all came crashing down in the final seconds of the fourth quarter when Shump committed a questionable foul on Paul George. The three foul shots allowed the Pacers to bring the game to overtime, where George willed his team to a comeback win.

Many fingers can be pointed at the beginning of this young season, but it all falls down on the coach. Woodson is obviously on the hot seat. Some of his coaching decisions are making all us scratch our heads. On the offensive side of the ball there is no continuity and the lack of ball movement is cringe worthy. I often wonder if Woodson is even calling plays. Much of the time it looks like this team is running a schoolyard pick-up game, rather than an NBA offense. Per ESPN, we are ranked 25^th in points per game and 26^th in assists, a HUGE drop from last years high fly, three-ballin' offense.

Defense, where Woodson used to hang his hat, is severely lacking. We have given up big lead after big lead. Without Tyson Chandler, out for at least 3 more weeks with a leg injury, there is no defensive floor general. No post threat to contend the layup. Players are standing around missing assignment. It’s confusion all around, and Woodson shouldn’t be allowing it.

If the losing streak continues into Washington on Saturday night, Woodson’s time as Knicks head coach will most likely be cut short. I’ve heard a lot of rumbling, first through SI’s Chris Mannix on the Artie Lange Show, and today through CBSSports, that University of Kentucky head coach, John Calipari, is interested in coming back to the NBA and the Knicks may be at the top of his calling card. I don't think this will be a good move for the Knicks. He failed in the NBA before and he will probably fail again. Mike Woodson’s time may be up, but I’d rather have Phil Jackson patrolling our sidelines than a failed Nets coach turned recruiting scammer.