JR Back for the Showdown in Indy

via vlsportysexycool.com

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 Got Their Swagger Back...For Now That Is

“I guess I got my swagger back!”

Those are the words of New York’s resident mogul Jay-Z and the phrase the Knicks were saying after a colossal win over the reigning champion, Miami Heat, last night. Carmelo Anthony and his squad passed every test with flying colors. Matched up essentially one-on-one with LeBron James, Melo held his own and put up 29 points on 50 percent shooting from the field in addition to eight boards and five dimes. James outscored Melo by 3 putting up 32-5-6. Without their defensive captain on the floor for a second straight night the Knicks frontline came up huge. Amar’e Stoudemire had his best game of the season putting up 14 points and 11 boards to help out Melo and Kenyon Martin. Even Raymond Felton added 14 assist and continued his success against the Heat.

The most impressive performance of the night belonged to Mike Woodson. I’ve given the coach a lot of (well deserved) criticism the past few weeks. Last night Woodson ruled with an iron fist benching team clown J.R.Smith. The benching caught everyone off guard (even J.R. himself) and was Woodson’s first real stand against Smith. Woodson has had an equator-long leash on the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, but it looks like Smith has finally reached the end of the road. In addition to the Smith benching Woodson gave his young guns those precious minutes we have all been hollering for. Toure’ Murry played well in his ten minutes of action, picking up two nice steals and slowing down those quick Miami guards. Tim Hardaway Jr. played 13 minutes and had the highlight of the night, baptizing Jesus himself: Jesus Shuttlesworth that is. The rook soured for a put-back slam that punctuated a 32-23 quarter for the Knicks.

The Knicks look to keep the momentum going Saturday in Philadelphia against a Sixers team that’s looking forward to the lottery more than a division crown. If Anthony and the Knicks continue to play like an actual team there is no way in hell they should lose in Philly. Anthony has taken a full leadership role and is navigating hiss team out of the abyss that they drove themselves into with a nonexistent end to 2013. Since coming back from injury the Knick captain has averaged 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and a whopping 53.8 percent from downtown. With the supporting cast starting to find their roles watch out...the Knicks may in fact be back (fingers crossed). 

Heat will Prove to be Melo's Biggest Test Thus Far

via USA Today

Late Oakland Raiders Owner, Al Davis, said it best, “just win baby”. Last night the Knicks did just that, getting a much needed home win against the Pistons. It wasn’t the prettiest win in the world, but it got the job done. 

You aren’t awarded style points in this league, just wins and losses. Carmelo Anthony proved for a fourth straight game that he is the leader of this team. Without the Knicks only real rebounder, Tyson Chandler, they were able to hold off the big front line of the Pistons. When those tough minutes reared their ugly head late in the fourth Anthony kept his team’s head above water. He hit the big shot, made the big stop and grabbed the game sealing rebound. That’s what Melo was brought here to do. When Dolan gutted his nucleus to get him from Denver it was with the expectation that he could be the man that leads New York out of basketball irrelevancy. Last night was a reminder of that potential.

Tomorrow night is the ultimate litmus test for Anthony and his squad. LeBron James and the Miami Heat come to town and all bets are off when someone with James’ stature comes to the Mecca. If the Knicks do not come out crisp, James and the Heat will laugh their way to a blowout victory. Melo has quietly played well against James throughout his career going 10-7 against the King in the regular season. If Chandler is a no go once again Kenyon Martin and Anthony will have to pick up the slack on the interior. On the perimeter J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have to get going in The Garden. The duo shot a combined 4-14 last night. Shumpert, coming off a hot streak in Texas was unable to recreate a similar shooting performance, but still managed to make an impact in the game. J.R. on the other side is still struggling shooting the rock, but has also taken notice of his slump and reduced his shot attempts.

The recipe for a Knicks victory is simple, hit threes and control the glass. The Knicks will not win if Anthony is the only person scoring. The second leading scorer last night was Andrea Bargnani with 13 points. That’s not going to cut it against the defending champs. Coach Woodson is going to have to mix it up (FOR ONCE) and will need to go back to the rotation he used in Texas. giving Torre Murry and Tim Hardaway Jr. at least 15 minutes. Murry only played five minutes on Tuesday comared to Raymond Felton's 30. Felton played well last night, but the only thing he can stay in front of is a refrigerator. Quick-footed guards blow by Felton with such ease it’s a joke. Woodson needs to give Murry those minutes, let him slow down those quick Miami guards and force them to beat you shooting jump shots. The Knicks have given us a reason to believe in 2014 and tomorrow night will show us if this turn around is real or just a smoke screen. 

Kyle Lowry to Knicks, THJ May Need to Be Dealt

Multiple sources, first ESPN's Marc Stein and now the NY Daily News, are reporting that the Knicks are aggressively pursuing a trade with the Raptors that would send point guard Kyle Lowry to New York in exchange for the always-traded Raymond Felton and most likely another player. 

Depending on who they would give up, this could be a very smart move by the Knicks, who are severely lacking in the point position as Felton has regressed and has been bothered with the injury bug through the beginning of the season. Lowry, will provide some much needed defense, scoring and passing (averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.7 APG) and has become expendable with the Raptors acquiring Sacramento guard Greivis Vasquez, in the trade that sent Rudy Gay to the Kings last week. 

One obstacle in this scenerio is the fact the Toronto is also looking for a 1st round pick - something that the Knicks don't seem to hold until the turn of the next decade. Stein has reported that in-lew of a 1st rounder, Tim Hardaway Jr. may be included in the trade, making this a tough one for many to swallow. 

According to the NY Daily News, the Nets and Warriors are also interested in acquiring Lowry. Only time will tell. 

Kyrie-Bynum Offer Tough Task for Confused Knicks

via the Daily News

Just when you thought they turned the corner, following back-to-back wins, the Knicks got blown out of their building by their bitter foes the Boston Celtics. So much for them being an easy win this year. Maybe the Knicks can’t perform in those hideous orange alternates. Maybe the Knicks just haven’t figured it out. Maybe Boston is not as bad as we thought. Whatever the reason was for that disgrace of a performance doesn’t matter. Let’s move forward.

The Knicks try to add one to the win column tonight against an equally disappointing Cleveland team. The Cavs are coming off an impressive home victory against the Clippers. Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson both had bounce back games after scoring a combined 9 points in a blowout loss to Atlanta. Andrew Bynum has been quietly playing well for Cleveland this year and has scored 20 points in back-to-back games.

The Knicks are coming off yet another dud of a performance. Boston shellacked the Knicks 34-11 in the first period and never looked back. Raymond Felton has lost a step. J.R. and Iman are too streaky and Mike Woodson seems hell-bent on not giving Toure Murry a legitimate shot.  The lone bright spot was Amar’e Stoudemire’s 17 points on 7-10 shooting. Against Cleveland the Knicks need to come out and punch the Cavs in the face like what they did to the Nets on Thursday. This game won’t be won in the first period, but it sure as hell can be lost.

For the Knicks to win the backcourt has to play great defense and knock down some shots. Last game the backcourt combined for 5-25 (20%). Coach Woodson really needs to find out if Felton is slumping or has he regressed back to his old Rip City self. You know the overweight and overmatched point guard who Portland fans hated in his one year there? I’ve been saying this for weeks, but with Kyrie Irving on the other side Coach Woodson has to look at another option. If he doesn’t want to put Toure' Murry in for whatever reason at least shift Shumpert to the point and platoon Smith and Hardaway Jr. at the two.

Up front Melo and Bargnani should be able to hold their own as long as they’re physical. We know Bynum can quit when the going gets tough and Thompson cannot carry the frontcourt load especially while defending Melo or Bargnani. This is an extremely winnable game if the Knicks show up. Everyone needs to show up, from Coach Woodson all the way down to Cole Aldrich. If they do that the Knicks will get a much needed win and if they don’t? May Jim Dolan have mercy on their souls.

Blazing out of Hell? Let's hope.

Can the Knicks escape the depths of NBA hell tonight?

The great Winston Churchill once said “If you’re going through Hell, keep going”. This is also an appropriate message for Coach Mike Woodson and his Knicks. Tonight the Knicks (3-9) visit Rip City to take on a Blazers team (12-2) that has not lost since November 5^th to Houston. For the fourth straight game the Knicks signal caller Raymond Felton will be out leaving the nightmare of guarding PG and reigning Rookie of the Year, Damian Lillard, to Beno Udrih and Pablo Prigioni. It is unclear whether Amar’e Stoudemire will be given the green light for the second straight game, something the Knicks’ staff has been against all season.

With or without Amar’e the Knicks will be fighting an uphill battle from the get-go. Aside from the dynamic Lillard the Trail Blazers have one of the top power forwards in the game in LaMarcus Aldridge, lanky small forward Nicolas Batum and shooting guard Wesley Matthews. Andrea Bargnani will have to shoot himself out of his slump and play competent defense against a Portland front line that will crash the glass if not boxed out. Expect Kenyon Martin and his high energy to play a big factor early to getting the Knicks going.

One dirty secret about Portland is that they start off slow, being outscored in the first half in three of their last four games per NBA.com. If Melo and the Knicks can start out hot and build a nice first half lead they can steal a win before heading to LA to meet the Clippers. The backcourt is long overdue for a good game especially Iman Shumpert and reigning Sixth Man J.R. Smith. I feel like we haven’t seen the same J.R. from last year since Game 3 in Boston before that Terry elbow. If Smith can finally help Melo on the scoring end and play hard on defense the Knicks can start to get on track.

In the end it boils down to effort, the theme of this early season. If the Knicks show up against Portland like they did against Indiana a Knicks win is in sight. The team has shown that they play up or down to the competition so expect this one to go down to the wire. If the defense finally gets that late stop the Knicks will be one step closer to getting out of basketball hell.