With 14 wins and just 4 losses, the New York Knicks have the best record in the Eastern Conference and are a win away from being tied for the best record in the entire NBA. Ah it feels so good to say that. But as long-suffering Knicks fans know too well, it’s too early to get overly excited. In the mean time repeat the first sentence of this article until it sinks in. I for one cannot stop smiling and I am even being friendly to strangers on the subway. Strangely it isn’t coming from the giddiness of holiday spirit. It comes from being a fan of a team that is finally making me proud after a decade of torture.  

I will summarize our games from November 15th through December 7th:

Win @ San Antonio - Knicks showed grit and determination, making a late comeback and beating a contender who hasn’t lost to us on their home floor in almost a decade. Melo was being trapped, bumped, and harrassed on defense but showed off his newfound leadership skills by showing trust in his teammates. Jason Kidd hit some timely 3′s and Felton made Parker work on both ends of the floor. 6-0.

Loss @ Memphis – It’s tough playing back-to-back away games against 2 of the best teams in the NBA. A 1-1 split is a big coup, considering we would never have expected that to happen with last seasons team. We went toe-to-toe with a Grizzlies team that recently blew out the Miami Heat and was playing in front of their home crowd. The officiating was questionable but the Knicks let it get to them by arguing, racking up technical fouls, and frustration fouls. Besides for their abysmal 3rd quarter, they showed again that they can hang with the elites. Rasheed Wallace showed some flashes of his old self by dominating in the low post, so that was a positive takeaway. Every team is hungry to beat the only undefeated team, so there is no shame in losing to the Grizzlies. 6-1.

Win vs Indiana – Winning home games is what Woodson is preaching since that’s what dominant teams do. NY wowed their home crowd and showed the Pacers what an elite team looks like. Tyson Chandler made All-Star center Roy Hibbert look like a rookie again by shutting him down and forcing him out of his comfort zone. 7-1.

Win @ New Orleans - A 22 point win against a bad team without its best player is not a huge statement but it is an away game and the Hornets are well coached. This is what good teams do, they win the winnable games. 8-1.

Loss @ Dallas – After beating Dallas at home they wanted to return the favor. Another back-to-back away game clearly showed how tired the Knicks were. The Knicks calling-card is to hold teams under 90 points and not turn the ball over (lead the league). They played sloppy and gave up 114 points instead. This was a close game that could have been won if not for a late whistle on a questionable offensive foul called on Melo. A spoiled homecoming for Kidd and Chandler. 8-2.

Loss @ Houston – This was supposed to be Linsanity meets the new bad-boy Knicks. It ended up being the James Harden show. Chandler Parsons is having a breakout year and the Knicks clearly did not gameplan for him. Omer Asik was a rebounding monster and out worked Chandler on every play. NY just didn’t bring any energy. Melo is the only guy who came ready to play. The result: giving up 131 points to an average team. Woodson chewed out his team after the game, challenging them to see what they are made of by responding to adversity. This is a fairly old and worn team so there will be bad stretches. 8-3.

Win vs Detroit – Protecting home court and beating bad teams is just what the doctor ordered. The Pistons are good to play against recently, as the Knicks keep blowing them out, giving needed rest to their starters. 9-3.

Loss @ Brooklyn – On a back-to-back night in a crazy and loud atmosphere, the Knicks nearly beat a very good Nets team that wanted to win the first subway series on their home floor. The crowd obviously was torn between fans of both squads. Jason Kidd sat out against his former team and the lack of chemistry showed. Melo started playing hero ball in front of his hometown crowd and nearly won the game on a makeable jumpshot in the closing seconds. The Nets won a tight battle in overtime with Raymond Felton having a rare off night and Woodson experimenting with a short rotation. He regretted that decision as he realized our depth must be utilized to get the most out of our veterans’ minutes. Tyson Chandler was flawless. Moral victory. 9-4.

Win @ Milwaukee  - Novakaine numbed his home-town crowd with his shooting barrage. NY showed a Bucks team that was a thorn in their side last year that they are no longer all fluff, they are all substance. 10-4.

Win vs Washington – The Wizards had not won a game all season and the Knicks weren’t going to let them get their first W on their home floor. Another blowout of a bad team. 11-4.

Win vs Phoenix – The Suns gave NY all they had. Every time the Knicks took a big lead they kept coming back. They have a below average team but enough veterans and heady players to make teams work for victories. Chris Copeland gave a much needed boost by doing it all in his limited minutes after Sheed was tossed for his 2 quick techs. Cope deserves a shot but Woody makes his rookies work hard and prove themselves. He was a scoring machine in the preseason and looks good whenever he plays. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get minutes later on in the year in place of Kurt Thomas. Unfortunately he’ll have to battle Thomas, Sheed, Melo, Amare, Brewer and Novak for minutes. Good win nonetheless. 12-4.

Win @ Charlotte – Kemba Walker was running circles around the Knicks but hometown hero Raymond Felton pushed back and fought through a wrist injury he sustained against the Suns. The Cats are actually a solid team and can no longer be looked at as an easy win on the schedule. J.R. Smith hit the first game-winning buzzer beater of his entire NBA career (which is hard to believe since the man loves to shoot). 13-4.

Win @Miami – on a back-to-back night after a hard fought, down to the wire win, the Knicks enter into the lions den. The defending NBA champions always look to stick it to the Knicks by bringing their A-game (remember when they put and end to Linsanity?). They wanted to avenge their earlier 20 point loss in NY and this game decides who will have the best record in the east. Melo sat out with an injury. Camby, Amare, and Shumpert are on the injured list. The Heat just lost to the lowly Wizards and are hungry to move on and make a statement against a beaten up Knicks team. But this is a different Knicks team. The crisp passing, deadly shooting, and excellent defense of the Knicks proved too much for the Heat. Raymond Felton has his best game of the season and wowed the crowd with his array of crossovers and long range bombs. Novak killed it from downtown. Tyson Chandler led the defensive attack by shutting down Bosh. Ronnie Brewer and Kidd frustrated D-Wade. LeBron was dominant as usual but the Knicks wore out his teammates. NY sits atop the conference by blowing out the champs on their home floor (without their best player, mind you) in yet another 20 point blowout. Remember, this is a Heat team that manhandled the Brooklyn Nets in 2 meetings thus far because they wanted to send a message. Oh hell yeah. 14-4.

In closing, we have the best record in the east while playing without 3 important regulars in Amare, Shumpert, and Camby. We will have our ups and downs this year but we have proven we have a tough, gritty, smart, playoff tested squad that will make noise. Now, I leave you with words that warm the heart:

Chris Bosh: “I was telling people the Knicks were going to be good. I felt they were going to be a very good team and were going to challenge us. I was thinking about them all summer because I know they were thinking about us.”

LeBron James: “We already thought they were going to be a better team. We haven’t went into the first two games doubting them or underestimating their ability…They pretty much just kicked our ass in two games.”

Dwyane Wade: “In the Eastern Conference you would have to look up and say they’re the measuring stick right now, and they would say the same about us.”

Jason Kidd: “This is a dress rehearsal, that’s all it is. You guys (the reporters and media) do the hype and everything, but this is just a dress rehearsal for the playoffs…They’re still the champs. We haven’t done anything…It does feel good, but we can’t be satisfied. We’ve got to stay hungry. We can’t fall into the trap because we really haven’t accomplished anything yet.”

NY fans enjoy your New New York Knicks. You deserve it!

#KnicksTape

The Knicks move to an impressive 5-0 but this game was closer than it should have been. The Knicks were not attacking basket (they only got to the line 11 times the entire game as a team, whereas Carmelo Anthony should be getting those numbers all by himself), settling for too many threes in an attempt to make a comeback and luckily it worked out. However they can’t rely on that strategy working every game, especially against better competition. If they are going to play that way they better find a way to get Steve Novak some open looks because he is not getting up enough shots to get into rhythm, something that made him thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Also, Carmelo Anthony and Rasheed Wallace (and soon Amare Stoudemire) need to be featured more in the low block in order to draw contact or kick the ball back to shooters and utilize this team’s knack for ball movement.

A storyline that continues to bring smiles to the faces of Knicks fans is that they only had 9 turnovers and forced 20, which has been the key statistic that lead to all 5 double-digit wins. However, losing the rebounding battle (particularly offensive rebounding) is not going to cut it. Luckily the return of Amare will help – as strange as that sounds. Of course he is known as only a decent rebounder at best (8.7 RPG for his career) and could learn to box out more, but it would improve the size of this team since Melo is a more effective rebounder and banger at the SF position. However this scenario is a double-edged sword since Melo is more efficient on both ends of the floor at PF, which makes Amare best suited for a backup role.

The Knicks need Sheed and Marcus Camby to get fully healthy and in shape as soon as possible. Camby’s offensive rebounding and weak side D along with Sheed’s post D are really going to help Tyson Chandler, who is battling all alone in the paint. Speaking of Tyson, I am glad to see his is taking and making jump-shots which will cause defenders to play him closer, leaving them even more vulnerable to his rolls to the rim on pick-n-rolls.

Many fans instinctively felt like the Knicks were going to blow this game due to the low energy they exhibited in the first 3 quarters against the lowly Orlando Magic; after all, letdowns have been their calling card for the last decade or so. A Mike D’Antoni-led squad would emphatically beat a playoff-bound team one night and then follow it up with losses to the Bobcats and Cavaliers.

Last night’s win shows that the 2012 Knicks are a brand new team with a coach that holds his players accountable and will grind out wins even when many things go wrong. This win is not as impressive as the Nets blowout of the Magic recently, but let’s not forget that teams that get embarrassed like that get chewed out by their coaches and bring in the energy in their next home-stand. And that is exactly what they did. The Knicks were admittedly lackadaisical in the first half. The lowest scoring team in the NBA scored 53 points in the first half against the Knicks – that is unacceptable. But you can’t expect this Knicks team to win every game with 4 perfectly executed quarters. With only 6 returning players from last year (2 of which haven’t even played in one game so far), chemistry and communication will take some time to develop. We got spoiled by the way the Knicks won their previous games. Every opponent that faces NY wants to be the team to hand them their first loss, so the Magic were understandably pumped for this game.

The Knicks made the proper perimeter defensive adjustments in the second half and were carried by the brilliant play of J.R. Smith in the 3^rd quarter. After the game coach Woodson said “This is the fifth straight game we haven’t allowed over 40 points in the second half. That just tells me our defense is right where it needs to be.”

Other game notes:

• Iman shumpert’s absence was really apparent in this game, as Jason Kidd could not keep up with J.J. Redick’s craftiness moving around screens on the perimeter. Shump is expected back in January, barring any unforeseen complications.
• Ronnie Brewer’s surgically repaired knee swelled up during the game, which is a cause for concern, but he nipped it in the bud by saying he will be ready for action next game against the Spurs.
• I thought Raymond Felton played a great game, especially with his penetration, but he shot a bit too much for my taste.
• Jason Kidd needs to develop more chemistry with J.R. Smith. His lobs are missing the target for whatever reason, unlike with Baron Davis who had it down to a science last season with Smith.
• It looks like J.R. is primed for a breakout season, as he looks focused, less out of control; he is defending, rebounding, and just playing smarter than I have ever seen him play. Talent-wise there aren’t many SGs in the NBA who can do what he does, but it has always been a mental thing with him. I don’t expect him to sustain his staggering 72% accuracy from downtown, but his numbers across the board (18.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 49% FG, 89% FT) would be a source of pride for most starters, and this guy is coming off the bench. Somewhere, John Starks must be proud. Clearly he’s the early favorite to win 6^th Man of the Year. I attributed his newfound focus and leadership on both ends to his relationship with coach Woodson, who is the first coach who embraced his game instead of trying to change it.

Overall I am ecstatic about our start to the season but the Spurs and Grizzlies are coming up and expectations will start coming back down to earth. Losses are needed for this team to make adjustments and work on their weaknesses, but let’s hope we can steal at least 1 win from those teams. NY hasn’t faced a fully healthy squad (not that the Knicks are fully healthy either) since opening night against the Heat and the next 2 opponents are healthy and playing as good as any team right now, so it is a good barometer for the Knicks to see where they stand amongst the contenders.

The New York Knicks have started the 2012-2013 season with a bang. It’s not that they are winning, it is how they are winning.

After their back-to-back losses to the Knicks, Sixers coach Doug Collins said: “They are really playing as well as anybody in the NBA. If Miami is the No. 1 team, New York just beat them by 20. They right now do not have a weakness. They defend, they have size, shoot the three, have a great, great player in Carmelo Anthony. They have depth. If they continue to play like this, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the East.”

The scary part is we haven’t seen the full potential of this team. Chemistry should have taken time to build considering that there are so many new faces – just ask the Lakers. These guys are different though, as they have great off-court chemistry and compliment each other on the hardwood. The injured Marcus Camby, Iman Shumpert, and Amare Stoudemire are all going to make this team deeper and more versatile on both ends of the floor when they return. Keep in mind that Ronnie Brewer is coming off knee surgery, Rasheed Wallace has returned after a 2 year layoff, J.R. Smith is coming off a sore ankle/Achilles, Tyson Chandler has been weakened by a cold, Pablo Prigioni is adjusting to the speed and spacing of the NBA, and Chris Copeland is gaining more confidence with every minute played. Come playoff time everyone will be in proper physical condition – barring injuries.

Amare’s injury is a blessing in disguise, as Carmelo Anthony is proving yet again that he is most effective at PF. Amare will be brought back slowly and eventually should put his ego aside by accepting a bench role if winning is truly his top priority. I trust that coach Mike Woodson will handle with care, and so far it looks like his players respect him. Gone are the days of the empty rhetoric of ”let’s go, let’s go” matador defense and free-wheeling offense instituted by Mike D’Antoni. Woodson won a title as a defensive-minded assistant coach for the 2004 Detroit Pistons, and a winning pedigree resonates with players. So much so that it only took a friendly phone call for him to get Rasheed Wallace to un-retire.

The defensive potential of this team may even exceed that of the Pat Riley era. Woodson’s slowed down, half-court offense is very well suited for the playoffs, when the action gets more physical and the grind of the long season begins to wear on the players. One key anchor will be Ronnie Brewer, an athletic swingman who learned the ropes from defensive gurus like Jerry Sloan and Tom Thibodeau. Ronnie Brewer’s defensive tenacity has almost made us forget about Iman Shumpert’s absence. His slashing, passing, and commitment to improving his jump-shot is making it easier for Melo to pass out of double-teams with confidence. His new success with his shot is attributed to assistant coach Dave Hopla, which may also explain the teams’ overall accuracy from deep. Jared Zwerling of ESPN reported that “in 2005, Hopla says he hit 35,332 out of 35,979 shots (98.2 percent), and this past summer, he set a world record by sinking 18 straight 3-pointers in one minute during a clinic in Portugal.”

It also helps having 2 great passers and willing defenders in the backcourt, Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton, which makes ball movement contagious from the get-go and inspires shoot-first guys like Melo and J.R. to make smarter decisions.

The advanced age of this team is a concern for some fans but this fear is just propagated by the media. Other NBA teams are not overlooking the potential of this squad, as Chris Bosh said before the season: “I just wanna say — the freakin’ Knicks, man. I think they’re going to be a good team,” Bosh told ESPN.com. “Nobody’s really talking about them, and I don’t like it. They’re flying under the radar right now. I think the Knicks are gonna be a very good team.” It was only fitting that the Knicks went on to send a message by beating the defending champion Heat by 20 in the season opener, holding them to a measly 84 points. Calling this team old and experienced is a compliment. The OKC Thunder lost last year because of youthful inexperience not lack of talent. The core of this roster (Chandler, Anthony, Felton, Amare, Brewer, Shumpert, Smith, and Steve Novak) are actually young, while the role players (Kidd, Wallace, Camby, and Kurt Thomas) are old. Whereas contenders such as the Lakers and Celtics have old core players with much mileage on their tires, being supported by less experienced role players.

The fact is Melo is showing true leadership for the first time by heeding the advice of former champions like Woodson, Chandler, Kidd, and Wallace. That is why he is trusting his teammates, diving for loose balls and working hard on D for the first time. It pains him to see his fellow lottery draftees LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh joined forces to win a title, while he continues to struggle to shed his image of being a one-dimensional scorer and perennial loser. Now he is in the best shape of his life, gets in early for drills, stays late to watch film, is being more vocal, and wants to add an NBA Championship ring to his mantle, which already boasts an NCAA title and Olympic gold medal – quite the trifecta for a Hall-of-Fame campaign.

Knicks fans, there is finally a reason to be excited. Bask in the moment, let it sink in because we waited 13 years to have a great team again. The Last time the Knicks had an undefeated start to the season after 2 games was in 1999, which was also the last time we made the NBA Finals. If Patrick Ewing hadn’t gone down with an injury they could very well have been champions. Let’s hope we have better luck with the injury bug. In the mean time, GO NEW YORK, GO NEW YORK, GO!! 

MVP: LEBRON JAMES

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: DAMIAN LILLARD

6TH MAN OF THE YEAR: LOU WILLIAMS

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: GLEN DAVIS

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DWIGHT HOWARD

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RASHEED WALLACE

COACH OF THE YEAR: DOUG COLLINS

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: MITCH KUPCHAK

SCORING LEADER: KEVIN DURANT

REBOUNDING LEADER: KEVIN LOVE

ASSISTS LEADER: STEVE NASH

BLOCKS LEADER: SERGE IBAKA

STEALS LEADER: RAJON RONDO

E.C. CHAMPIONS: MIAMI HEAT OVER N.Y. KNICKS

W.C. CHAMPIONS: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER OVER L.A. LAKERS 

NBA CHAMPION: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

The following are realistic goals for each player on the roster judging by their weaknesses (since we already know their strengths):

C Tyson Chandler – Take jumpers outside 5 feet from time to time in order to keep the defense guessing. Play aggressively on D knowing there is quality depth at the position so he can afford fouling. Step out of the way when Amare has to roll to the basket.

PF Amare Stoudemire – Find his midrange stroke again. Get acclimated to the new pick-n-roll PGs. Look for cutters on drives when the defense closes in on him (Chandler, Brewer, and Anthony are lethal cutters on the baseline). Box out and keep hands up on D, it is mostly about focus. Do not switch to another man on D when the opposition sets picks. Stay healthy and away from off-court stunts that will lead to injury. Offer to come off bench if that proves to be more effective. He is the X-factor who will ultimately decide the fate of this team.

SF Carmelo Anthony – Look to make the extra pass without forcing offense. Set up Amare and Tyson on pick-n-rolls. Post up more in order to get to the line. Focus on D, although showed improvement. Keep an eye out for spot shooters like Novak and Kidd on the swing. 

SG Ronnie Brewer – Do not take 3 pointers. Cutting, ball handling, rebounding, passing, and D are his forte so try to stick to what works well instead of trying to do too much. Needs to hit the open J and focus at the line. Hold down the fort till Shumpert comes back and don’t complain about lack of minutes when he does.

PG Raymond Felton – Attack the D by getting into the paint, which opens up shots for others. Utilize speed to get to the line. Don’t start the game overly aggressive on offense which may lead to unforced turnovers. Keep in shape. Do not settle for off balance jumpers and 3s. Roam the baseline off the dribble the way Nash does, which he does effectively when he tries. 

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C Marcus Camby – Stay healthy. Teach others the art of defensive techniques. Do not look for offense too much and take few jumpers just to keep the D honest.

F Rasheed Wallace – Get conditioning up. Do not be a distraction by arguing with refs. Post up more since he has the ability to do other things besides shooting 3pt shots. Must and will get others to talk on D.

F Steve Novak – Pump fake, dribble and pop when being guarded well or shot is not falling. Hit the weight room and box out for rebounds. Try to get to the line off of fakes.

G J.R. Smith – Do not hold the ball for more than 5 seconds. Show off solid passing and defensive abilities. Take balanced 3pt shots and less fadeaways. Let Kidd and Prigioni set him up instead of trying to always create for himself. Try to get 6-8 hours of sleep instead of tweeting into the wee hours of the morning.

G Jason Kidd – Guard opposing SGs. Control J.R.’s pace. Get chemistry with Amare going. Hit open 3s. Get Tyson and himself to talk to the coaching staff about how to limit LeBron’s effectiveness like they did in Dallas.

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C Kurt Thomas – Be ready when called upon due to injury-plagued bigs on the team.

F Chris Copeland – Must work on rebounding and limiting turnovers if he wants important minutes. Don’t over-dribble.

F James White – Must hit his 3′s if he wants any playing time. No unforced turnovers but just play in the flow of the game. Use athleticism to get to the line.

G Iman Shumpert – Get healthy by not rushing back, then he will be expected to start. Do not elevate too much on jumpshot, which is something he is working on with new shooting coach. Great shooters usually do not jump too high on their shots (besides Ray Allen). Attack the rim and limit turnovers. Needs to regain at least 90% of his old self if this team wants to make serious noise in the playoffs.

G Pablo Prigioni – Hit open shots. Build chemistry with Amare. Improve communication due to language barrier, but basketball is a universal language so it is not much of a concern.

The Knicks have made another surprising offseason acquisition by signing the wild and talented Rasheed Wallace. The team needed a PF/C who would not complain about lack of playing time, get along with his teammates, be content with the league minimum salary (all of which would have been a concern with Kenyon Martin), defend, rebound, lead, and be a vocal veteran presence. With Sheed, they got just that.

Several issues must be addressed first. Sheed is out of shape due to being retired for 2 years and will use training camp, preseason and the early part of the season to get in shape. He has won a title so what is it that is driving him to make a return? It definitely isn’t money.

My guess is that he wants to be around fellow veterans who are in win-now mode. The NBA is a fraternity and he has much respect for his veteran peers like Tyson Chandler, Kurt Thomas, Jason Kidd, and Marcus Camby (in fact he’s younger than the latter three players).

 
As reported by Ian Begley of ESPN, Chandler couldn’t hold back his excitement. ”I hope he stays. I don’t know what the situation is but he’s a great communicator on defense and we know he can knock down the open 3 and the jump shot,” Chandler said. He also added that Sheed “looked good.”  

The “ace in the hole” that lured him to the bright lights of NY is probably coach Mike Woodson, who was an assistant coach during their championship run together in Detroit.

The good thing is he will not be expected to play more than 20 mpg. Carmelo Anthony is expected to see a lot of minutes at PF when the team wants to go small, which is arguably his greatest strength. Sheed will just be asked to spot Amare Stoudemire when he needs a breather or fill in if he gets injured.

His strengths: strong post defense, solid in the high and low post, range extending well beyond the 3pt line, unselfishness, great teammate, and has championship experience.

His weaknesses: age, conditioning, and temper (but in limited minutes these issues will be curbed. As far as conditioning, he is just not in game-shape, but there are recent online videos of him doing difficult dunks in summer play).

Look out Knicks fans, we’re in for a long and fun ride in 2012.

(watch the following video to see why we need someone like this to go deep into the playoffs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nvtPGwpNoY)

The Knicks are looking at Sean Williams (not the former-Knick Shawne Williams) to round out their roster. This could be a game changing move. Sound ridiculous? Well, here’s the quick scoop on Sean’s history:

He is still fairly young (25) and big men usually take longer to develop. When he was a rookie on the then-New Jersey Nets, he showed flashes of brilliance on defense and by finishing on high-flying dunks – earning himself a trip to the Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend. He had a reputation of being a troublemaker coming out of college stemming from marijuana charges, so when he threw a laptop computer at an employee of an electronics store while on the Nets, that spelled the beginning of his fall from grace. Williams needed time to mature into a solid citizen while carving out a niche by focusing on what he does best: playing lock-down D. Sean recently played and behaved very well during his stints in Israel and the D-League. The time away from the NBA paid off, as he was rock solid when called upon (albeit very seldom) last year by the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics. Again, the ONLY reason he was ever left off of an NBA roster was because of his off-court antics. Sean was recently cut by the Houston Rockets after coming there in the Courtney Lee trade.

Doc Rivers, his coach on the Celtics last year, said this about Williams: “He has a chance to be a shut-down defender, a shot-blocker, a guy that you can bring in and change the tempo of the game. He rebounds the ball. He has that skill set in him. He has to marry himself to that.”

The Knicks need a backup PF who can give them something Amare Stoudemire does not: rebounding, shotblocking, and hustling - while not complaining about the lack of playing time.

• Chris Andersen is best suited to be a backup C, which NY already has in Marcus Camby.
• Kenyon Martin can be a cancer in the locker room and argue with his coaches, not to mention he has dropped off considerably in production and still expects starters minutes.
• Andray Blatche has less in his offensive arsenal than Amare, although he is a far better passer. He actually is inferior defensively (if that’s possible) and is immature with poor conditioning. He’s better off going to a team that promises him more minutes because he is one of those guys that won’t respond well to limited action, as he needs to find his rhythm.
• Louis Amundson is looking for something in the $3 million range so he’s not in the discussion. Even if he came for the minimum he would improve the bench’s defensive energy but his defensive effectiveness and FT shooting are suspect.

So actually Sean Williams makes a ton of sense since he will likely play anywhere from 5-20 minutes on a given night. The aforementioned free agent big men are still looking for more than the veterans minimum and/or expect consistent playing time. In the right system Williams can turn out to be a diamond in the rough, much like GM Glen Grunwald discovered in Steve Novak and Jeremy Lin.

Williams boasts a career 2.9 blocks per game per-36 minutes. There are not that many current NBA players capable of recording 8 blocks in a game. Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Serge Ibaka are the names that come to mind. Sean did it as a rookie, so he is someone worth taking a gamble on. It is blasphemous to mention him in the same sentence as those guys, but at the very least we can hope for a 2009 Leon Powe-like impact come playoff time. The Heat are also said to be interested in the 6”10 athletic freak so hopefully NY will act fast. Grunwald is banking on finding another hidden gem this year in Williams.

Camby, Tyson Chandler, Iman Shumpert, and Ronnie Brewer are already a formidable defensive bunch, so adding Sean will only make the Knicks scarier. Another plus is that Jason Kidd played with him in NJ and Dallas, so he’s familiar with his game, as both would be expected to come off the bench together in NY. Can Williams be the missing piece of the puzzle? Looks like NYC is ready to find out.

(Take a look at some of the skills he brings to the table: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FK-IBzlavY)

The Windy Apple

There are a lot of reasons to get excited for the upcoming season. One of them is the determination of our starting Power Forward to get back to the elite status he enjoyed in the 2010-2011 season. The fact that Amare Stoudemire spent 3 weeks with Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon shows he is always looking to improve his game. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant learned how to dominate in the post after realizing they dropped off in athleticism and had to make adjustments. LeBron James was likewise willing to work with “The Dream” in order to develop a new facet of his game after realizing raw talent and athleticism alone can only get you so far.

Amare is probably 5 years too late but the good thing is he has all the tools to become dangerous, as post skills often develop over time and adjustment periods. To his credit, he basically never learned the post game or defensive techniques since he came out of High School directly under Mike D’Antoni’s tutelage. All he was required to do was run the pick and roll and he mastered it on a level not seen since the great Karl Malone. Mike Woodson turned the Knicks into a top 5 defensive team when he took over, so I expect him to show Amare a few pointers, which should make him adequate there at the very least.

This new facet of Amare’s game will benefit his teammates as well, most notably Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. The reason being is that Amare has to be respected as a threat in the pick and roll as well as a midrange jump shooter. Last season he dealt with a series of personal issues: a back injury that forced him to put on 15 lbs of muscle which slowed him down, a lockout which didn’t allow him to train with medical staff, the death of his brother, and a new center who clogged up his area since they never had a training camp to learn to mesh together.

This summer he has reportedly lost around 20 lbs and as a result should regain his speed (due to the weight loss) and his patented soft touch on his jumper (due to having a healthy back) that he showed 2 seasons ago as an MVP candidate. It’s also hard to believe but we forget that he and Melo will be having their FIRST training camp together now. When Melo got traded here, he and Amare were both averaging 20+ ppg and even beat Miami in their only meeting but injuries to Amare and Chauncey Billups led to an early 1^st round exit against Boston. Since then they have not had a playmaking PG who knew how to get the best of both forwards, as Jeremy Lin was only able to pad his own stats and elevate the games of Jared Jeffries, Landry Fields, and Steve Novak at the expense of both stars. Once D’Antoni and the spacing were gone he struggled mightily and teams had scouting reports on him in order to force him left. The rest is history.

Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton are proven playmakers who know how and when to pick their spots while being savvy distributors. Kidd has developed as a reliable 3pt threat to go along with his hall of fame court vision, which at 6”4 allows him to slide over to SG where he defends the position better. When Melo was on Denver he thrived with true PGs like Andre Miller and Billups but didn’t flow well with Allen Iverson. Nene, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby also thrived under the same leadership, so the same success should be expected now with Amare and Tyson Chandler.

This Knicks team, as currently constructed, is eerily reminiscent of the Dallas Mavericks team that won it all 2 years ago. There is the perfect mix of veterans, guys in their primes, defenders, shooters, scorers, a deep bench, and a coach that players respect.

Last year the Knicks battled injuries and their core guys never had a chance to develop chemistry because they were rarely healthy at the same time. The team would always struggle when Tyson went to the bench with foul trouble since they had a natural SF in Jeffries guarding the opposing bigs. Now they have a Chandler doppelganger in Marcus Camby and a steady playmaker and winner in Jason Kidd to make sure JR Smith doesn’t try to do too much and Novak gets the ball in the right situations. Ronnie Brewer is a big and strong guard who defends better than Landry Fields and is at a fraction of the cost.

Before this past season, Raymond Felton was annually leading teams to the playoffs (he even got the Bobcats there!). In NY he had better stats than Jeremy Lin did and ran the pick and roll with Amare to perfection. However, he struggled last year since he ballooned 20 lbs. He blames the lockout for coming in out of shape and using the regular season to work him back into shape but ultimately admits it’s nobody’s fault but his own. He has since dropped almost all the weight and knows he has to prove he was worth losing Lin over while not wanting to get traded from the city he never intended to leave in the first place. In terms of defense, ball control, and durability he is an upgrade over Lin, who has yet to prove he can play beyond 25 games, has a surgically repaired knee, is a turnover machine, can’t drive left, has a suspect outside shot, can’t play D, and isn’t a pure PG who padded his stats under D’Antoni like others before him (see Felton’s and Chris Duhon’s numbers under D’Antoni).

Luckily NY kept Iman Shumpert (an up and coming defensive force with offense to boot) and replaced Mike Bibby and Renaldo Balkman with Pablo Prigioni and James White as their emergency insurance fill-ins – and the summer is not over so 2 roster spots are still up for grabs via free agency. So, all in all, this is a much improved team considering the limited assets and cap space Glen Grunwald had available. For a win-now team they made all the right moves, with the majority of their big contracts coming off the books within 3 years.

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There is notable news regarding the Knicks’ final roster spot vacancy. They are showing interest in George Washington University Senior PG Tony Taylor.  He played for a subpar program with low-level complimentary talent surrounding him so naturally the defenses focused in on him and he flew under the radar. He had solid stats but it is his skill set that Grunwald believes makes him NBA material. We should trust the man who discovered Lin and Novak. Taylor has impeccable ball handling, good court vision, solid athleticism and deep range with a quick release. The Lakers, Heat, Celtics, Pacers (among others) – all contenders – are expressing interest, while many D-League teams are already willing to anoint him as their starter. In the right setting and with real talent (finally) around him he might show how dangerous he can be, much like Lin did last year after being disregarded as an Ivy League undersized SG.

Similarly, Isaiah Thomas was the last pick in the 2011 draft and he showed how talent can often go unnoticed when you play for a collegiate system that masks your greatest skills. Ben Howland, the coach of UCLA, is known to have a system like that where players struggle by playing out of position for the sake of the team but then explode on the next level. Russell Westbrook (who played off the ball with Darren Collison as the PG) and Arron Afflalo are names that come to mind who are far better in the NBA game than they were in the shackles of UCLAs rigid playbook. Taylor won’t be as good as Westbrook, but Lin and Thomas type findings are always a possibility. GMs are now trying to get more creative when finding talent, even searching the circuits that were always overlooked. Apparently he killed it in a recent workout with the Knicks, then was called in for another and killed it again. This would give NY 4 PGs but judging by last year it is clear you can never have too many playmakers. Felton, Kidd, Pablo Prigioni, and Taylor would be an upgrade over Lin, Baron Davis, Bibby, and Toney Douglas. Injuries do happen as we saw against Miami in the playoffs but even if NY stays healthy, Kidd and Felton have the ability to play off the ball as well.

(Take a look at Taylor’s game:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umw-En_omT8 )

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Now…to address the Brooklyn Nets so-called “victory” over the Knicks regarding offseason roster moves, I will clarify some misconceptions. Deron Williams has the ball on offense most of the times so teammates that move without the ball will always prosper. However, the 2^nd best player on the team is Joe “Iso Joe” Johnson who pounds the ball as much as any PG. This quality impeded the development of Jeff Teague as a facilitator. He is paid like a superstar but is no more a game-changer than Al Jefferson or Luol Deng. The middling Atlanta Hawks realized he is not a superstar and could never get them over the hump so they were willing to take back average guys like Anthony Morrow just to get rid of his albatross contract. Neither Williams nor Johnson are good defenders by any stretch of the imagination.

Gerald Wallace is way past his prime, is injury prone, can’t shoot, and is a concussion away from retirement. The Nets overpaid him (4 years!!!) to justify giving up a draft pick at last years deadline that now became summer league superstar Damian Lillard, who is projected to be neck and neck in the Rookie of the Year race with Anthony Davis according to most experts. This was a desperation move at the time since the Nets needed to show Deron Williams their willingness to bring in a ‘’name’’ before his impending free agency. Gerald Green broke out and looked to be the SF of the future but as luck would have it they could not afford to retain him.

Kris Humphries would be a solid backup as he has been for most of his career, but he is a one-trick pony who rebounds well and does little else, while not having a reliable jumpshot. He too is way overpaid and clearly has the brains of a goldfish. I mean, why is he shocked his marriage to Kim Kardashian was a publicity stunt and a farce? Putting up decent numbers on bad teams means nothing. Remember Eddy Curry was similarly a one-trick pony who averaged 19 ppg on a dreadful Knicks team.

Brook Lopez got a max contract (!!!) after team brass had to go all-in for the following reasons: at the time, the Orlando Magic were not interested in trading Dwight Howard in exchange for Andrew Bynum without an agreed upon extension – so clearly Brook had to be inked to a long term deal. If they weren’t going to get Dwight (and probably realized it was unlikely at that point) then they’d have to do damage control for all the trade discussions Brook was involved in. The best solution was to overpay. If you think Amare Stoudemire (career 8.8 rpg) is a poor rebounder, Brook is one of the worst of all NBA bigs. He averaged 3.6 rpg last season (albeit in only 5 games due to injuries, which is another alarming issue) after averaging 6.0 rpg the year before (over 82 games). He has not developed into the player Nets brass had hoped for, and is often a strictly back-to-the-basket black hole on offense much like the aforementioned Eddy Curry was. To even compare him to Tyson is a joke. Tyson is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and is 1 year removed from a championship. Take a look at his head to head stats against Dwight last year – he made him look like an amateur (notable Howard stats in 3 games vs. Tyson:  8 points, 6 turnovers…12 points, 6 turnovers, 5 rebounds…8 points, 5 turnovers, 8 rebounds). He also rebounds and probably leads the league in smacking loose offensive boards back to teammates – something that does not go on the stat sheet. Oh, and he shot a hairline below (a staggering!!!) 70% from the field. In Brook’s wildest dreams is he in the same stratosphere as Tyson – the consummate teammate, professional, coach’s dream, post defender, and winner.

Their bench isn’t very deep as it includes a washed up Reggie Evans who makes Jared Jeffries look like Steve Novak on offense. Mirza Teletovic is a promising talent who is expected to be Brooklyn’s version of Linas Kleiza – which is solid but unspectacular. CJ Watson is a talented scoring combo guard at a great price – arguably their best offseason move not named Deron Williams. Marshon Brooks is a flashy volume scorer with a poor shot and poor secondary skills in the mold of Jordan Crawford. So they have no size on their thin bench and very little proven talent to go along with 4 vastly overpaid starters.

Ok, the Nets might possibly have a better regular season record than the Knicks because they have younger legs, but they are not equipped for a deep playoff run. The Knicks, on the other hand, have shown they can hang with Boston and match up favorably against Indiana. Let’s face it, Miami can only lose if they beat themselves or if Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen continue to hobble and regress. Also, keep in mind the Knicks are still in the hunt for a backup PF so they will look to add either Kenyon Martin, Louis Amundson, Chris Andersen, Andray Blatche, or DJ White – presumably in that order. This current roster may look significantly deeper at summer’s end.

I also find it hard to imagine the Nets having a strong fan base in NY because New Jersey diehards aren’t making the commute to Brooklyn, a city with decades of strong Knicks support. They’ll sell out the first year just for the sake novelty but I can easily see this blowing up in their faces. If the Brooklyn Dodgers didn’t work I don’t have much confidence in this working either. All in all I expect a fun season for both New York teams. Let’s not get carried away thinking the Nets are the best team in town just yet. I guess we have to wait and see.