The Knickstape Podcast Episode 4 - NBA is finally back after a way too long break

Listen to "Knickstape Podcast Episode 4 - Post All-Star Break" on Spreaker.

We Talk:

- Fergie vs. Blac Chyna. Whose performance was better?

- Fixing the Dunk Contest

- Will the Uncle Drew Movie be better than Space Jam?

- Twitter Question of the Week: Best Knicks Announcer (Walt Clyde Won - debate ensues)

- Life Question: Accidental Venmo. Are you obligated to return money on apps?

- Knicks Throwback Shitty Player of the Week

The Knickstape Podcast Episode 2 - The Aftermath (KP Injured / Trade Deadline Insanity)

Listen to "Knickstape Episode 2 - The Aftermath (KP Out / Trade Deadline)" on Spreaker.

- KP out, where do the Knicks go from here?

- Trade Deadline Insanity - Mudiay to Knicks, Cavs trade everyone not named Lebron or JR

- Luke recalls witnessing Kemba Walker ask for a bottle of Grey Goose at the divey-est bar in America

- Where in the world is Eddy Curry?

The Knickstape Podcast Episode 1 is here!

Listen to "Knickstape Podcast Episode 1 - How'd we get here?" on Spreaker. Meet Mike & Luke your hosts of the Knickstape Podcast. In this first episode we talk the Knicks trade situations (prior to the deadline), if they have a shot at the playoffs, best Knicks moments (from the few to choose from), Super Bowl LII reactions and we wrap with the Knicks Shitty Player of the week!

Brutal showing in Indiana, Back to the Garden hosting Memphis

Whats up everyone, hope you all enjoyed that shit show of a game last night. I really thought the Knicks had a shot against the Pacers after a decent performance the other night, but the Pacers offense clearly overmatched the Knicks. Pacers shot 53.5 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from beyond 3-point range. Tough to come out with a win when the opposing team shoots that well. On top of the shooting clinic the Pacers put on, the Knicks turned the ball over 18 times, 18! Can’t expect to win games with that many turnovers. Lastly, the Pacers are known around the league as a fast pace team, pushing the ball down the court, and scoring points on fast breaks. They stayed true their reputation by outscoring the Knicks on the open floor 31-5. 

The Knicks dug themselves in a hole early going down 31-19, and could never dig themselves out of it. The Pacers lead was up to 38 at one point in the game, which at that point is almost unbearable to watch. Miserable game overall, and with an off day today, the Knicks travel back to New York City where they play the Memphis Grizzlies, who broke their 11-game losing streak last night against the Timberwolves. 

Want to read more about the game? Go on the KnicksTape blog or Twitter account and checkout our blogger, Aden Tempsick, for his breakdown of the Knicks dreadful loss the the Indiana Pacers. 
---> http://knickstapeny.blogspot.com/2017/12/no-porzingis-no-hardaway-jr-big_5.html

Some things you need to know about the next game 

Memphis Grizzlies (8-15) at New York Knicks (10-11)

• Kristaps Porzingis (Sprained right ankle/illness) is probable to play tomorrow, per New York Knicks Twitter 

• Tim Hardaway Jr. (Lower left Leg) has begun treatment and will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks , per New York Knicks PR

• Mike Conley still injured and Chandler Parsons is day-to-day battling a knee injury 

• Marc Gasol leads the team in PPG (18.1), RPG (9), and APG (4.2)

• Enes Kanters struggled against the Pacers (7 points 6 rebounds 1 assist), may see more Willy Hernangomez after a 10 point 14 rebound 3 assist night.

• Kanter -34 in 19 minutes on the floor

• As stated above, Grizzlies snap 11 game losing streak last night against the Timberwolves

Here's how the Knicks and Grizzlies matchup. (Credit to NBA.com) 

Can y'all come back now? Im tired of losing #KnicksTape pic.twitter.com/rOBu1zUqbH

— KnicksTape (@KnicksTape) December 5, 2017

Oh yeah, and this happened. Some food for thought.

TREY BURKE HAD A 39 POINT NIGHT AND WE THINK EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IT. pic.twitter.com/FfYga3qJ4U

— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) December 5, 2017

BUY A SHIRT >>> http://knickstapeny.blogspot.com/p/shop-now_29.html

No Porzingis, No Hardaway Jr. = Big Problems for the NYK

The Knicks are officially below .500 after last night’s beating courtesy of the Indiana Pacers, the final score being 115-97. The absence of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. proved to be too much for the Knicks to overcome once again. Indiana saw seven different players score in double figures. The Knicks have now lost five of their last six games. Last night’s game couldn't have started any worse. The Pacers made five of their first six shots and we all thought, “oh Christ here we go.” 

Without KP and THJ, the Knicks two best players are Courtney Lee and Enes Kanter. But in typical Knicks luck, or lack thereof, there was something wrong with these guys as well. Lee is battling a virus, flu whatever it is. He looked a shell of himself all night, which Mike Breen repeatedly reminded us of. He was so ill in fact that one play in the 2nd quarter, Lee’s pass hit the rim and led to a Victor Oladipo dunk down the other end. That was one of his three consecutive TO’s in the 2nd quarter. One of the best hockey assists you will see all year in the NBA. Kanter was battling a sore back, therefore carrying the team was not going to be his thing last night. The two combined for 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. These guys simply weren't close to 100% but hey at least they went out there and tried to compete. I'm giving these two a pass. Both have shown when healthy that they can be solid pieces for this Knicks team going forward. 

So that left the Knicks with one hope, Michael Beasley. Let's just really sit back and think about that. Michael Beasley. Anyway, Beasley actually came out of the gates hot. He was the only threat early on in the game for the NYK. In the NYK’s last game, Beasley scored 21points. However, with Beasley comes turnovers and fouls. He registered two quick TO’s in the game, and in the 2nd quarter, picked up his third foul. At that moment, he had 13 points on 6-8 shooting but was forced to sit. You can say the Knicks were finished before that, but his third foul was the icing on the cake for Indiana. They went into the half up 66-40 on the NYK. 

This game of course featured the antics of Lance Stephenson. The infamous Lebron James ear-blower danced with the ball every time he had it. After a couple horrible possessions, he would finally get it going when he blew by Frank on a sick move which he finished off at the rim. Every time he did something on the court he was dancing and making sure everyone watching in person and at home knew he was in the game. Typical Lance Stephenson. You either love or absolutely hate this guy. There is no in between. This game also had some other bizarre moments such as Enes Kanter forgetting a shot clock existed. He was mid post-move when the 24-second horn went off and he wasn't close to finishing his move. Joakim Noah was legit triple teamed one play in the 4th quarter. And finally, Willy Hernangomez was the leading scorer for the Knicks. He recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knicks return home tomorrow night with a matchup vs the (8-15) Memphis Grizzlies who last night finally ended their 11-game losing streak. Memphis is without Mike Conley, but it is still unclear how long KP and THJ will be out. Without these two, along with Lee and Kanter not being close to 100%, it will continue to be an uphill battle for the Knicks vs most teams. 

Knicks lose by 18 to the Pacers and are now under .500 (11-12). #KnicksTape pic.twitter.com/tHzY5Zqals

— KnicksTape (@KnicksTape) December 5, 2017

BUY A SHIRT >>> http://knickstapeny.blogspot.com/p/shop-now_29.html

Vucevic and the Magic atop the Knicks 105-100

Whats up everyone, Deven Del Priore here reporting from Point Pleasant, NJ. My twitter handle is DevenDel_18, follow up. Excited to have this opportunity to be apart of KnicksTape, and hope you enjoy the content as much I enjoy producing it. I’m going to try and keep most of these short and sweet, give you guys some notables of the game, and games that are coming up. So, without further ado, lets get it going.

After 4 days off, the Knicks took on the Orlando Magic at home yesterday in a game that everyone expected them to win… That was before Porzingis (ankle/sickness) and Hardaway (leg) were ruled out out for the night. Obviously those two are the heart of this team in every aspect of the game, but like every team, the next man in line has to step up. The three players that stuck out to me were Courtney Lee, Enes Kanter, and Michael Beasley. In my opinion they did their job, Lee playing 35 minutes with 19 points on 19 shots with 5 boards and a couple assists. Lee is a shooter, and #shootersshoot. Kanter with 18 points on 13 shots, gobbling up every board possible, battling with Vucevic all night. Definitely got his moneys worth, Vucevic is solid, definitely a player to look out for as the season goes on. Beasley had a surprisingly good night, looking like he was playing back at Kansas State dropping 21 points on 19 shots. Those guys took the opportunity with Zinger and THJ out and ran with it with it on the offensive end.

The Knicks got absolutely torched by Nikola Vucevic, who what seemed like did he whatever he wanted against Enes Kanter on the Offensive end, putting up 34 points and 12 boards. Gordon and Fournier were doing their thing per usual, but the rest of the Magic are obviously very very average and their record shows it at 10-14.

With basically the Knicks B squad (A squad is with Porzingis and THJ plus B Team), the outcome wasn’t so bad. The Knicks erased a 17 point deficit going into the middle of the 4th quarter of the game, and had a chance to sneak out a win toward the final minutes of the game, obviously didn’t happen, but had a chance. Bottom line is, with the starters put out there today, you cant be competitive. Not for a whole year, not if you want to make the playoffs. Lets chalk this up to the easiest possible thing there is to do, and that is that both Porzingis and Hardaway didn’t play. Which is exactly what I’m going to do every single time the Knicks lose when that duo is inactive. Ill take a healthy Knicks team over the Magic any day of the week.

Knicks take on the Pacers tonight at 7:00pm. Tune in, and don't forget to turn this post notifications on @KnicksTape Twitter to get input on everything Knicks!

.@zteusa Final 📊@Michael8easley: 21p@Enes_Kanter: 18p | 16r@MrLance42: 11p pic.twitter.com/a15CcNhpqd

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 3, 2017

7 out of the 8 next games for the Knicks are against teams under .500... Just something to look forward too. #KnicksTape

— KnicksTape (@KnicksTape) December 3, 2017

So the Knicks head to Indiana without KP and THJ who average 43.6 points total. They are bottom 3 in the league with scoring on the road (96.6). Oh and I forgot they're also 1-6 on the road. #KnicksTape pic.twitter.com/TNKpKS43tf  — KnicksTape (@KnicksTape) December 3, 2017

Lets eat tonight NYK #KnicksTape @KnicksTape @TalkinKnicks pic.twitter.com/lv2CL3K15m

— Ralph Cox (@DevenDel_18) December 4, 2017 

✈️➡️🏡➡️✈️➡️🏡. Join us @thegarden - tix at https://t.co/fn85V5Hfi8. pic.twitter.com/RxQO4NVWQh

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 4, 2017

New York...We Have a Problem.

In the midst of a four game losing streak it is time for the Knicks to change course. This team is not cut out to compete. The Tin Man has more heart than this team. It is time for the Knicks to realistically look ahead for once. No more pipe dreams please. They need to cut their losses early.  Selling a Rondo, Love and Melo nucleus is a dream, not a reality. To help make that a reality Steve Mills and company need to blow this thing up and go into all out reconstruction mode. There are two routes the Knicks can go at this: with Carmelo Anthony or without him. Let’s map out which ways the Knicks can take this. 

Route 1: Anthony on Board

Let us not forget that the reason the Knicks are in the predicament they are in is because Anthony was hell bent on getting his money sooner rather than later. Instead of waiting to sign in the offseason Anthony told the Knicks now or never. You know the rest of the story. If Anthony is still about his money the Knicks give him the max contract this summer. On the trade front every player not named Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway Jr. should be for sale. It was reported last week by Frank Isola of the Daily News that teams have inquired about Chandler, but the Knicks are not interested in dealing him. The team owes it to Chandler that he no longer has to suffer with being the lone defender and deal him to a contender.

A team like the Clippers or Trail Blazers would be nice trade partners for the Knicks. The ideal scenario would be for one of these teams to take Chandler and J.R. Smith’s contract in exchange for a young player or draft picks. However, getting any team to take on J.R.’s contract is as likely as someone taking Amar’e Stoudemire’s. This is where the team would have to part ways with a Shumpert or Hardaway Jr. Teams have already inquired about Shumpert and the Knicks have already shown they are willing to part ways with their best two way player. Shumpert will likely yield the greatest return, but they should make that trade only if there are no takers for Smith (a likely case). Mills can add Felton to any offer with the point guard making a paltry $3 million over 3 years. If Mills can somehow unload Bargnani he should get the key to the city and free up even more cap space to go after Love and maybe entice LeBron James to jump ship. It’s a stretch, but so is saying the Knicks are a playoff team.

Route 2: Anthony Flees

If Carmelo Anthony has finally had enough, which it looks like he has, then the Knicks need to start shopping their star. Anthony is easily their best asset and can flip him to a contender that is willing to roll the dice on him re-signing in the summer. In this scenario the Knicks objective is get young players and draft picks. The building blocks would be Shumpert, Hardaway Jr. and maybe even Jeremy Tyler and Toure’ Murry depending on how they perform down the stretch. The team has treated draft picks with little to no importance and its big reason why they are where they are right now. If the team can turn Melo into a draft pick for this year or next year’s draft (both expected to be deep drafts) then they have to pull the trigger. If Mills can make the team eat Smith’s contract then it’s an even bigger win. Chandler would be the second player traded, if not included in a deal with Anthony. Chandler’s contract is good enough for teams to make a trade with Felton attached. Shedding Bargnani and Stoudemire would likely happen in the summer or next season when they become expiring deals.

Best Route?

Whichever route the Knicks decide if they actually go into reconstruction mode will be dependent on how successful Mills is in the trade market. If Mills can’t wheel and deal then keeping Anthony is unlikely and will have to build with younger guys like Hardaway Jr. and Shumpert. If the Knicks bottom out and get a high pick next year they can run out a nucleus of Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid, two players who have been indecisive of whether they are going to declare for the NBA Draft. This may be another pipe dream, but Parker is more likely to stay at Duke another year giving the Knicks more incentive to bottom out and hope they strike gold.

If Mills is able to wheel and deal, shedding Smith’s contract in a Chandler deal then convincing Melo to stay is the best option. Kevin Love and LeBron James are free agents in 2015 and a core of Melo, Shumpert and Hardaway Jr. doesn’t sound bad. Lakers Nation reported that Love intends to become a free agent and his hometown Lakers and Knicks are two likeliest destinations. Stephen A. Smith said on First Take that if LeBron James leaves Miami the Knicks and Cavs are only places he would consider going. Whatever James Dolan ends up deciding let us pray he lets the basketball people do what he pays them to do.  It’s time he gives the loyal Knick fans a straight answer. We’re tired of dreaming.

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 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. 

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).