Posting and Toasting

On the Outside, Looking In

2009-12-09T17:12:52Z

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

I may or may not be quoting Staind in the headline, but the fact of the matter is that the Knicks have strung together a nice stretch of wins with Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson on the sideline. The Nate-less and Curry-less success has made for some mixed feelings in two of the longest tenured Knicks.

Nate Robinson, as we know, has been a regular DNP-CD for over a week now. The benching certainly stings, but as Marc Berman reports, Nate is doing his best to swallow his pride and work his way back.

Privately, Robinson feels D'Antoni treats him with a double standard and gets punished for transgressions teammates get away with. Because Robinson signed a one-year, $4 million contract days before training camp, he can't be traded until Dec. 15 and needs to approve any trade.

Since the benching, Robinson's pre-game preparation has been ultra serious. He's on the court 90 minutes before tipoff, usually performing a series of intense shooting drills with assistant coach Kenny Atkinson. It's all business.

Again, Nate has every right to be hurt, but it's an excellent sign to see that he's taking the demotion in stride. Robinson isn't a kid in this league anymore, and the fact that the Knicks are thriving without him seems to have affected his habits. Personally, I'm not dead-set on using Nate's expiring deal as a trade asset just yet. We've long considered him to be one of the most talented Knicks, and it might be worthwhile to let this benching play out and see if he can't earn his spot back and turn over a new leaf on the court.

In a similar vein, a Knick with different issues and a very much opposite personality from Nate's is Eddy Curry. Curry made a spirited, if not entirely compelling, comeback from injury several weeks ago. His appearance was short-lived, though, and he's been rehabbing his sore legs while the Knicks have been winning. Eddy's just about healthy enough to return (again (again)), but worries about messing with a good thing. From a separate Berman article:

"I want to try to blend in and not mess them up," Curry said after the Knicks' fourth win in five games Monday night over Portland. "They're really rolling right now. I don't want to be the reason we lose the game. It's going to be touchy for me. I trust Coach puts me in there when he feels I'm ready."

That kind of self-consciousness doesn't exactly scream "dominant big man", but we've long known that Eddy's not a brute or an egomaniac. In fact, he's got a very lucid idea of where he stands:

"Trade bait?" Curry asked. "I'm going to relish any moment I can to play. Whether playing me to trade me, or playing me because they want to win games, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to get out there. Although I don't want to be traded."

As Coach Herman Boone would say, "a self-aware man. I like that".

The point is that Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson have both been absent from the Knicks' recent surge, but both are hopefully on the path to factoring into the winning equation. They approach it from different directions, but both seem to have reached the conclusion that they've gotta fit into the team concept to earn playing time. Curry and Robinson can and should be key factors in the Knicks' success, and both seem to be headed in the right direction.

Sunshine Stickers 12/09/09

2009-12-09T14:00:58Z

Seth said to make these a separate fanpost because they wouldn't be happening too often. Well now Seth's word is NULL.

Is this three game win streak the best three game win streak in the past seven years? I think so!

If there were anyway to make rain clouds and wind happy I would do it, because I'm looking out my window right now and there is no sunshine in sight. I'm actually afraid of what I'm going to have to walk through to get to class.

Anyway, impressive Knicks D brought us an impressive Knicks V. Here are our sunshines.

12/07/09 - W vs. Portland Trailblazers (Trailblazer is a person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness; pathfinder, OR a pioneer in any field of endeavor)

1. Larry Hughes - 21/7/2 10/18FG 4/8 from downtown. www.larryhughespleasekeeptakinggoodshotsandplayingefficientbasketball.com

2. David Lee - 17/10/2 7/8 from the charity stripe. How fucking nice is Lee's midrange jumper looking right now?

I really can't come up with someone who should get the third sticker so I'm going to leave it up to you guys in the poll. I think I offended some people with my Greg Oden knee comment (or lack of knee comment) so here is a family friendly poll, and by tomorrow morning we'll have our three sunshines. Fun!

Poll

Who should get the third sunshine sticker?

Knicks Set to Play Overseas

2009-12-08T14:25:06Z

There were rumors this past year of a preseason Knicks trip to Milan, Italy: the city where Danilo Gallinari and Mike D'Anton honed their games. The unsure status of both Gallo's sore back and the economy, though, made the league think twice. The farthest the Knicks traveled this preseason was to the wild outback of Albany for an exhibition against the Nets. This coming fall should be a different story. From Berman's latest blog post:

The Knicks were informed last week they are tentatively headed to Paris and Milan in October to play two or three preseason games, according to an NBA official.

The Knicks would head to Europe on Oct. 1 and stay until Oct. 5. They are expected to play AC Milan and an NBA team. It is the first time the Knicks have gone overseas under the current NBA Europe format.

Excellent stuff, though I'm still holding out hope that training camp will return to Saratoga Springs this September. Either way, we can look forward to a week of global attention, games at odd hours, and the possibility that children in Europe might learn to do what Toney Douglas do.

Knicks 93, Trailblazers 84

2009-12-08T04:20:07Z

Editor's Note: Just finished watching the game tape myself. I said somewhere today that the recent streak has been the Knicks realizing they can get away with bad defense if they make their shots. Tonight, they got away with poor shooting because they locked down the Blazers. It was beautiful. Thanks to Ray Smuckles for his speedy recap. Here's Ray:

Greetings children of America! Knicks looked good from start to finish in this one (minus the start of the 4th quarter when they gave up 14 straight, and had a 23 point lead trimmed to a modest 9). It looked for awhile that we might be on the plus side of garbage time, but alas, not tonight. That aside though, the effort was there, with help defense looking especially good, and the cock strutting his crunch-time stuff.

Who says white men can't jump? (See: Lee denies Pryzbilla, old school)...

- Everyone's favorite second year rookie Danilo got some nice minutes tonight (35:40). He had the icewater flowing in his veins when he knocked down a deep 3 to end Portland's almost-miracle run, then led the break and got it to Hughes for a 3-pt play on the next possession. Gallo didn't start, with Coach D' opting for Harrington instead, but we saw more of Gallo down the stretch thanks to some timely buckets, enthusiastic D, and Harrington's poor shooting night (4-15). Don't get me wrong though, Al was hustling his headband off.

- Speaking of awkward hustle, Jared Jeffries was running around possessed tonight, but the headless chicken comparison should be upgraded to blind ostrich. His length was a noticeable deterrent to a lot of Portland's efforts to score in the paint, and though he fouled out with 5 minutes to go, most of his hacks were important ones, especially a nice effort to get back in transition and stop Jerryd Bayless from converting a breakaway. Good work all around, even doing it on the offensive glass (4 off. reb).

- Any loyalty that MSG fans have for Krypto-nate may be starting to wane, as the guard play was more than passable (discussed in a moment), and no "We want Nate!" chants were flying from the rafters as he recorded his 4th straight DNP-CD. Instead, a "Jor-dan Hill" cheer gained steam for about 6 seconds, and I feel this shows that the older, wiser crowd has the Knick's best interest at heart.

- Passable guard play indeed! Duhon was a mediocre 2-7 (1-3 from downtown), but posted 9 assists and just 1 turnover while repeatedly driving and looking to keep the defense honest. His improvement in playing style is commendable over the last 3-4 games. Larry Hughes logged an 'MVP of the game' performance with 21 points, 4 treys, and 6 boards in only 31 minutes, doing a nice job running the offense at times, and keeping guys involved.

via theburningriver.files.wordpress.com

"I have earned these."

- Toney Douglas had a solid 8 minute stint in the first half, with a three, steal and 2 assists, but his return in the second half lead to an unfortunate turnover, then a shooting foul on a Brandon Roy and-1, after which the rookie was pulled. No doubt he'll learn from it, while at the same time keep doing what he do.

- Wilson Chandler was in and out of the lineup tonight, but some positives turned up while he was on the court: Only 2 3-pt attempts, of which he made both. Also, he was willing to attack the rim during the Blazers' run, and while he was only 2-5 at the line, this change of pace helped slow the opponent's momemtum. Smart decision making.

- David Lee, as noticed by someone in the game thread, recorded one his quieter double-doubles with 17 and 10, but his hustle was inspiring, as was his crunch time block of Joel Pryzbilla trying to take it to the house during Portland's late charge. He keeps the offense mixed when NY is jacking up too many 3's, with his ability to finish at the rim.

- Seemed like tonight Philly drew a lot of the stars for the unsuccessful return of A.I. to the Sixers, but we did have Rihanna, who looks even hotter when sitting in MSG. Chris Brown declined to comment.

Had Oden been present (our sympathies to Portland), it might have been a different story for the Knicks, as their greatest weakness as we know is defending the post game, but tonight they were able to "shoot 'em up and sleep in the streets," while holding Portland to mainly mid-range attempts. New York has won 4 of 5, and heads to New Orleans Friday.

Keep believing (talking to you, Sir Lawrence). We're one of the hotter teams in the East right now, and that eighth seed is only 2.0 games away...

Team basketball makes a welcome return to the Garden.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Blazers- 12/7/09

2009-12-07T23:09:49Z

Evenin', piglets. The Knicks play the second of a back-to-back tonight, following yesterday's win over the Nets with an evening affair against the Portland Trailblazers. Portland's fallen on some hard luck lately, with Greg Oden's knee explosion punching holes in the Blazer depth chart and the hearts of fans everywhere. Even without Oden, though, Portland's a tough opponent for our Knicks. This match-up has blown a few of my fuses before, and the Blazers' abundance of competent scorers should pose problems for New York's notoriously permissive defense.

Because my professor feels he should punish us when he misses class, I will miss the entirety of tonight's game. If one of y'all (preferably someone literate) wants to pen a recap of the action, that would be marvelous. Otherwise, stop by this thread for comments, and check out Blazersedge to see the absolute height of sports blogging. There might not be a better team site on the internet.

Tipoff's at 7:30. Comment away.

Sun to the Shine 12/07/09

2009-12-07T14:39:34Z

I have a question before I bring the ray of light on to our beloved Knicks. 95 people said that Chris Duhon would return to pissing us off during yesterdays game. How do you all feel today? Seth's right, he did drive to the hoop and he was taking the shots that you would like him to take. I'm still hesitant towards being pleased with his performance though. An off ~~night~~ afternoon like the one Du Du had yesterday could be understandable if he was having even a semi-good year, but I don't think anyone is being a downer when they say that the game Du Du had against Atlanta was a once in a month type game and that the Nets game was a regression towards what we've already been seeing. Just a thought.

Our sunshines:

1. Al - 26pt 14 reb!!!!!!!!!!!! 5ast. Only three shots taken from beyond the arc.

2. David Lee - 24pt 9reb. Typical efficient game from Lee. Even though Lopez ran all over him on the other end in the 1st half, Dave didn't let it hinder his offensive game.

3. Larry Hughes - 25/4/4. 14/17 from the FT line. Hughes getting to the hoop in the second half is a big reason why we came back.

Overall Sunshine Rank:

1. David Lee - 6

2. Al - 4

3. Du-Du and Hughes - 3

4. Gallo - 2

Poll

Win Tonight?

Knicks 106, Nets 97

2009-12-07T04:11:22Z

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - AP

Browse more photos »

Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Nets-12/6/09

2009-12-06T16:54:55Z

Morning, babies! It's bright and early on a Sunday, and why not accompany your brunch with a match-up between two of the league's worst teams? The Nets, for their part, recently ended a record streak of early-season losing, so the Knicks don't have to worry about making history. We're not interested in giving NJ their first win streak of the year, though, so let's hope the guys can take care of business today at the Garden.

Comment along if you're watching, and bring your friends, too. Check out Nets are Scorching for a little previewing action from the opposing perspective.

Sunshine Stickers 12/04/09

2009-12-05T20:19:01Z

Editor's Note: Willy's gonna be handing these out after every win. Pay attention. You just might learn something.

Knicks 114, Hawks 107

What I plan on doing is photo shopping our top "sunshines" face on to the sticker. However, seeing that our top sunshine this past game was Chris Duhon, I refused. He still makes me sick like the flu. What makes me even more sick is, according to the sunshine rank, when Duhon plays well, the whole team plays well. Last night was a great step for Du, but hopefully he doesn't stumble against the Nets tomorrow. Anyway, the rewards.

1. Du-Du (24pts 10ast 0 TOs!!!!!!!! 4/8 from 3)

2. Al (25 pts 5 rebs 4/8 from 3)

3. David Lee (18 pts 17 rebs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! +7)

Overall Sunshine Rank

1. David Lee - 5

2. Al and Du-Du - 3

3. Hughes and Gallo - 2

I think we can all agree that the sunshine rank is properly showing us our MVP to date.

Poll

Will Chris Duhon piss us off tomorrow?

Knicks 114, Hawks 107

2009-12-05T04:06:47Z

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

I would've liked to include a picture of Chris Duhon, but all photos taken of him scoring tonight are apparently being analyzed by the AP to guarantee authenticity. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

Browse more photos »

That was confusing. After a three months of berating Chris Duhon and a full night of fawning over Al Harrington trade rumors, those very two Knicks co-piloted a convincing win tonight in Atlanta. Harrington dominated the first half with 25 points through the opening quarters, while Duhon was steady throughout, dropping a cool 25 and 10 in jaw-dropping, head-scratching, brain-melting fashion.

Details on those fellas and much more after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari sat tonight because of a sore forearm. You might remember Matt Barnes decking Gallo into the Magic bench on Wednesday. Well, that apparently didn't feel too good on Danilo's shooting arm. The word is that there's no serious damage and Danilo should be back soon. In related news, I didn't commit infanticide this evening.

- The Knicks started this game down 11-0, at which point many people probably turned off their televisions. I, in fact, had yet to turn on my own. I arrived mid-way through the first, when the Knicks had nearly erased the deficit. That being the case, I feel no responsibility to go back and watch those first few minutes and rehash them for you, and I'm very happy about that.

- After all that, the Knicks actually finished the first quarter leading the Hawks 35-34. Once the Knicks started hitting, it became an old-fashioned shootout. The killer combo of Al Harrington and Chris Duhon had 28 of the Knicks 35 points in the first quarter. They each hit 3 three-pointers. I couldn't make this up.

- Harrington, overall, did his part to answer a lot of the criticism that's fallen upon him since the Tyrus Thomas rumors blew up. Al didn't suddenly become unselfish or anything, but he did manage to drain a lot of the shots we tend to scold him for taking. Al finished with 27 points on 11-17 shooting, including 4-8 from three on the night, and was nothing short of brilliant in the first half. If there's anything to buoy our demands that he be dealt, it was his stark drop-off in the second half, in which he was 1-4 by my count. Sticking with the here and now, though, Al Harrington was key in the New York victory tonight, and we thank him for that.

- Chris Duhon was something else entirely. First, let me remind everybody that Du has caught two months of grief not because he's a bad player, but because he consistently failed to flex his muscles and assert his bounty of point guard talent when it counted. At least that's how I've felt. Anyone who saw his stretch of brilliance early last season or his passionate play in training camp this September knows Chris possesses the skills to be an effective lead guard. For perhaps the first time this season, he showed that. Duhon not only ran the pick-and-roll brilliantly, he looked for his own shot both from the outside and, most importantly, at the rim. When David Lee's roll to the basket was shut off, Du would take off and glide to the rim for acrobatic lay-ins. It was a sight to be seen, and something we've been waiting on for months. Hats off to Chris Duhon, and here's hoping his newfound mojo is here to stay.

- Josh Smith got pretty frustrated with Al Harrington's savior-like play in the first half, and eventually blew his top. Smith's already got a chronic case of Meanface, but he took it to another level after a non-call and eventually got tossed by Bob Delaney. That didn't help matters for a Hawks team that just couldn't get it done on offense.

- Oh, can we all agree to call Josh Smith "The Flying Pug"? I'd really like that nickname to stick. My attempt to anoint Marvin Williams "Milk" (since he was a bad choice over Chris Paul and Deron Williams) didn't really pan out. I need at least one of my Hawks monikers to amount to something.

- That "Two Generations of Cool" thing with Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z concerts is on MSG tonight, and Walt Frazier and Kenny Albert had the following conversation in that vein:

Kenny: "Clyde, did you ever see Frank Sinatra in concert?"

Clyde: "Once, I did."

Kenny: "And how was it?"

Clyde: "Asdfasdfasdfasdf"

- The Knick defense and shot selection was superior to their previous game against Atlanta and, well, about 15 other games this season, but the Hawks also deserve recognition for failing to make shots from absolutely everywhere on the floor. They shot 4-23 as a team from downtown and I'm pretty sure I saw someone miss a tip-in from inside the basket. Sometimes the rim's got a lid.

- I don't think I'd want to play pick-up ball with David Lee. At least not in a game where you call your own fouls.

- Just to emphasize how well Duhon played tonight, I should mention that he personally generated two of Clyde's favorite rhymes. Du was both "swishing and dishing" and "driving and thriving" this evening, whereas he'd spent the first 19 games totally rhyme-free. If anything, he was "chucking and sucking" or something.

- Also, Clyde used the phrase "scoring extravaganza" twice tonight, which is exactly two more times than that phrase has been used by any other announcer in the history of color commentary.

- Shit, Clyde was on fire tonight. "Ain't that Pachulia"? That's goddamn brilliant.

- There was a fun little stretch in the third quarter during which Al Horford and Al Harrington kept going one-on-one with each other to determine who was the superior "Al H.". If I could pick one adjective to describe the showdown, it would be "mouthguard".

- We shouldn't forget Wilson Chandler in the midst of all this Harrington and Duhon hooplah. Wil put in hard work against Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, and finished with 18 points on 8-17 shooting. He kept himself to 1-3 from downtown, and instead did a nice job attacking the rim. He even caught an alley-oop at one point, which made me feel a little like the announcers in Semi-Pro. I hadn't seen an oop in a long time.

- A monstrous 17 and 18 for David Lee. Top-notch, David.

- Larry Hughes had 10 in the fourth quarter. Marvelously done, Lawrence.

- Other than Hughes, D'Antoni kept his bench rotation typically short. Tonight, it was just Marcus Landry, who did nothing of note in 6 minutes, and Toney Douglas, who played some excellent off-the-ball D, shot 3-5 for 6 points, and pretty much did what Toney Douglas do.

In summary, I can't say I saw that coming, but I'm plenty happy with the results. Next game's Sunday against the Nets, who thankfully recorded their first win of the season tonight against the Bobcats. Consider that a bullet dodged. Everybody have a splendid night and I'll talk to y'all tomorrow.

Game Thread: Knicks at Hawks- 12/4/09

2009-12-04T23:07:43Z

Good evening, you rascals. In the midst of some tantalizing trade rumors, the Knicks are in Atlanta tonight to face the high-flying Hawks. New York played half a solid game (the first half, oddly) against ATL last time, but crumbled in the latter quarters en route to a double-digit loss. Unless they can sharpen the poor perimeter defense and abysmal shot selection they showed in Orlando, we're in for another rough night.

I've got some obligations to take care of, so I'll likely be missing about half this game. Nonetheless, come on by to discuss the action with your fellow rascals, and one of you could even try your hand at a recap if you're feeling brave. Spend your night here, and stop by Peachtree Hoops to taste what it's like to win, then come back and remember what it's like to suffer. Peace.

Rumor: Knicks in the market for Tyrus Thomas?

2009-12-04T04:21:48Z

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Browse more photos »

This sort of came out of the blue, but Adrian Wojnarowski's a reputable fellow. From Yahoo Sports, Woj's most recent piece focuses on the Bulls' options to ditch Tyrus Thomas. Sure enough, the Knicks are mentioned.

Several sources believe the Bulls are agreeable to a package of Thomas and Jerome James for Knicks forward Al Harrington. Thus far, Walsh has resisted parting with Harrington, but discussions are still active and the teams have explored different combinations in recent days that would ultimately deliver Thomas to the Knicks.

"Nothing is imminent, but both sides would like to figure out a way to do this," one league executive briefed on the talks told Yahoo! Sports.

The Bulls are determined to shed more salary-cap space for the summer of 2010, and believe Harrington’s ability to score coupled with a $10.2 million expiring contract make this a worthy exchange. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has long been fond of Thomas, a 6-foot-9 forward whose nimbleness and athleticism makes him an intriguing fit for New York.

Forgive me for getting caught up in the fine print, but...Jerome James!?

As for the actual meat of the deal...I just don't know. Harrington's an expiring contract and Thomas is, I believe, a restricted free agent this summer. If the Knicks were to trade for him then let him walk, it could be a wash financially, though it's hard to see the logic of making such a move unless you're actually interested in keeping the incoming player. As far as actual output, Harrington's tendency to swallow the rock on offense has had P&T up in arms all season. Thomas is more athletic and capable of blocking a shot now and then, which is something we've been missing. Very interesting. Does this sparkle with all you crazy kids? Tyrus has always struck me as someone either love or hate, although I've never really felt that strongly one way or the other about him.

In closing...Jerome James!?

Update: I forgot to mention that Thomas is a few weeks away from returning from a fractured arm. Also, adding two more players with last names that end in "S" might make me rip the apostrophe key off my computer.

"Man, it’s hard to sell a Knicks ticket out here," the scalper lamented.

2009-12-04T02:51:44Z

"Man, it’s hard to sell a Knicks ticket out here," the scalper lamented.

NY Times

Yeah, I'll probably be skipping this one.

2009-12-04T01:05:45Z

Yeah, I'll probably be skipping this one.

One of these upcoming 30 for 30 movies looks pretty rough...

"Winning Time:
Reggie Miller vs.
The New York Knicks
Directed by Dan Klores
Premieres Sunday Mar 14 9PM ESPN"

Magic 118, Knicks 104

2009-12-03T05:25:45Z

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

This game was ugly. Can't blame either of these guys for crying. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

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Well, that wave of competence didn't ride long, did it? In fact, the Knicks picked up just about where they left off on Sunday against the Magic. After keeping things relatively competitive in the first half, New York once again allowed the Orlando gunners to shoot the game out of reach. After a brilliant performance last night, tonight was more of the usual. The defense was consistently a step slow, the shot selection was poor, and the team-wide verve from Tuesday had completely faded. Much of that can be credited to the Magic, who moved the ball briskly on offense, defended superbly on and off the ball, and generally made the Suns look like a gaggle of chumps by comparison.

Some notes, after the jump...

- Tonight's big story was the full-on explosion of something that smoldered and sparked last night. Nate Robinson did not play. Not a single minute. Alan Hahn just tweeted D'Antoni's explanation of the benching, and it's equal parts vague and threatening:

"It’s just something we’re trying to build a winning group and you have to go with that."

"We want to win and if he’s conducive to winning then he’ll obviously be back in the lineup. If not, then not."

Coach has been peeved by Robinson's flimsy defense and occasional displays of immaturity, and this is clearly his way of sending a message. Particularly following Nate's torrid fourth quarter on Sunday, that's a strong message to send. And you know what? As much as Nate's presence is missed, I'm on board. It's refreshing to see someone really challenge the little dude- who's now in his fifth year, mind you- to focus and play to his potential. If benching is D'Antoni's best answer, then so be it. I ask only that he be even-handed. If Nate has to ride the pine for stretches, then Al Harrington should probably take a seat as well, and Chris Duhon should be hit over the head with a chair. Each of those guys has been equally disappointing in the talent-to-output ratio.

- Harrington, Robinson, and Jared Jeffries were seen dancing and singing along to "We Will Rock You" during the pre-game festivities. Toney Douglas did not look impressed. Listening to Queen is apparently not what Toney Douglas do. You're all on notice. More on TD later.

- The earliest indicator that Orlando wasn't going to fold defensively like Phoenix did was the way they covered baseline cuts to the basket. Larry Hughes got his early assists against Phoenix because he repeatedly hit Knick forwards in stride off of backdoor cuts. Dwight Howard et al., though, did a superb job of identifying and reacting to any off-the-ball movement, and Hughes repeatedly had to swallow his pass when Howard flashed in front of the cutter. This made for some rather unsightly outside shots.

- On the other end, Howard simply couldn't be stopped by any combination of miniature Knicks. Guys doubled, but they couldn't really use the baseline properly or close him off from passes except for a few instances. Whatever. It's not like we have to worry about that matchup in the postseason.

- Danilo Gallinari, for his part, did not return to his comfortable corner hideout, but he did post a prolific but sub-optimal shooting night. Gallo buried a three within 15 seconds of tipoff, and didn't stop shooting after that. As the game progressed, though, Danilo's shots grew more and more forced, and he ended up with an unsightly (but not awful) 5-14 line. I was happy to see the kid get that many shots up, and ecstatic that he attempted 10 free throws, but he's gotta strike a balance between coasting and chucking. It feels weird to say that after lamenting Danilo's lack of shots in previous games, but I really expect the best from him.

Meanwhile, Gallinari's simply got to adapt better on defense. We know Danilo is athletic enough to defend capably (see Tuesday's game), but he doesn't always have his head on straight. Case in point: If Mickael Pietrus has just hit three straight three-pointers, CLOSE OUT. Let him beat you off the dribble. Bite on his pump fakes. Just make him do something different. I guess that comes with familiarity and coaching, but like I said, I expect the best from Danilo Gallinari. Not a terrible game for The Cock, but there's room to improve.

- Al Harrington is dedicated to keeping the memories of past Knicks alive. Not only does he pull the chair like Malik Rose used to, he's resurrected Quentin Richardson's tendency to scream "HEY" whenever he feels contact.

- 8 first quarter turnovers is probably not an ideal statistic if you're trying to win a basketball game, especially when you shoot as poorly as the Knicks do. Can't waste possessions.

- In Nate's absence, Toney Douglas was the first guard off the bench. In the second quarter, and also in garbage time later on, Toney DWTDD like he's been known to. Toney scored a quick 17 points on 7-11 shooting in 20 minutes. I'm still not blown away by his passing, but the rook's range and intermediate game (such a pretty floater!) make me drool just a little. I continue to be impressed by his D as well, though someone needs to tell him to use his forearms, not his hands.

- Remember that time David Lee told me he intended to keep his mouth shut amongst the replacement refs? Well, we've got regular refs now, but Dave ain't exactly minding his manners. Lee bitches constantly, and it got to the point that D'Antoni scolded him for dawdling up the court because he was chewing out an official. I don't especially care...just saying. I don't like getting LIED TO, David.

- While we're talking about him, I was happy to see Lee drag Dwight Howard out of his domain by making catches near the perimeter, but I found myself wishing he'd take Howard off the dribble instead of attempting jumpers.

- It's weird how much Jared Jeffries's jumper form has regressed since he was wetting J's in preseason. It's like the warm weather loosened up some ligaments in his wrist that have since reverted to a state that causes his shots to spin in three different directions simultaneously.

- At the risk of sounding psychotic, I'd really like to cook and eat Dwight Howard's shoulders, and then do the same with Brandon Bass's to compare taste and texture. I'd bet Anthony Johnson would make a fine cut of meat as well. Word has it they hand-feed him beer and massage him daily to marble the fat.

- Rashard Lewis is probably kinda gamy. I'm sorry. I'll stop.

- Wilson Chandler might not be rising as high as he was last season, but his second jump is pretty quick for a guy who recently had ankle surgery. For a guy that takes a lot of tough shots near the rim, the ability to get his own rebound and stick it back is prized. 24 (10-18) and 5 for Wil, by the way, though it seemed like all of that came in garbage time.

- This movie Brothers looks really rough. Similar story to Pearl Harbor, but probably a lot less funny when you're high.

- Mickael Pietrus shimmies? Nobody informed me that Mickael Pietrus shimmies. Do other people in Guadeloupe shimmy? Did a Guadeloupean invent the shimmy? I always thought the shimmy was strictly American. If that's a foreign import, than what else have we got? Monster trucks?

- Speaking of Pietrus, MSG accidentally displayed his game stats alongside a photo of Donté Greene, which is their subtle way of reminding us that all sorts of fringe starters have looked like All-Stars against the Knicks this season.

- Chris Tucker was at Amway Arena tonight. King Kong ain't got shit on him, if you catch my drift.

- I was really psyched for extended garbage time, but Toney and Wil were the only two to really have an impact. Marcus Landry missed a bunch (1-5), and Jordan Hill was a little less trigger-happy than last night. He hit one of two jumpers and got the wind knocked out of him by Brandon Bass's ass a few times.

- Darko Milicic was bench-bound again tonight, which would qualify as a DNP-BMDISETDHITTSOAK. Enjoy. (Incidentally, your winner from last night is FreeBradshaw. Well done, sir.)

Anyway, after last night's sudden and overwhelming majesty, tonight was a hasty retreat to mediocre Knicks basketball. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Next game's Friday in Atlanta. We'll talk before then.

Game Thread: Knicks at Magic- 12/2/09

2009-12-02T23:05:07Z

Buenas noches, puppies. The Knicks are in Orlando tonight to face the league-leading Magic for the second time in the past week. In the previous meeting, D'Antoni's li'l rascals hung around for about a half, but eventually succumbed to Orlando's three-point shooting. It'd be fantastically well if the Knicks could continue this wave of giant-killing and upset the Magic, but I'm not counting on it. Nevertheless, I forgot to mention that I sat in a different chair for last night's game, and will do the same tonight. If my new seating choice begets a second victory over a contender, it's gonna be a monumental turn of events.

Stop by at 7:00 for comments (I'd love if we could get as many as last night, if not more), and check out 3QC for some truly superior blogsmanship.

Meanwhile, a brief and pretty poor joke of mine opened the floodgates of creativity in the recap comments section. Per the request of users, I'm gonna open up the pre-game thread to voting and discussion for last night's ideas of what Darko Milicic's DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT last night.

The actual answer? After the jump.

Darko Milicic- Did Not Play- Because He Would Choke Somebody If You Made Him Play Garbage Time

Told y'all it wasn't that funny.

Poll

Darko Milicic was a DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT last night. What does that stand for?

Because He Was Callin Shit In Your Mother’s House Pre Game Time (XLII)
DNP - Because He Was Caught Smokin' In Your Momma's House Playing Gran Turismo (Chris Child's Fist)
Did Not Play – Because He Cant Score In Your Monday Heady Parapalegic Group Therapy (spinningandwinning)
Did Not Play Because He Was Calling Serbia In Yellow Mumu Housecoat Pre Game Time (fuhry)
Did Not Play- Balls Hurt When Crying, Serbia Is Your Mother, However Please Go There (mindfeck)
DNP – Because He Was Caught Screaming "I’m Your Mama", Halting Pre-Game Tea. (gbaked)
Did Not Play Because He Was Caught Sniffing In Your Mommas Hefty Purse Goo (nygmp42)
Did Not Play Because He Was Caught Sniffing Isiah’s Yayo Mocking Harrington in a Pre Game Thong (FreeBradshaw)
DNP- Because he was chasing strumpets in your mom’s hot pink Geo Tracker (Anthony Bonner's Subpoena)

100 votes | Results

Knicks 126, Suns 99

2009-12-02T05:06:33Z

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Browse more photos »

Wow. In a season full of miscues and misery, that was just what the doctor ordered. The Knicks invited the Suns into the Garden, spanked them mercilessly, then sent the league's best team packing. Shots fell and the defense clicked as the Knicks built a lead and never really looked back. A number of different players stepped up and filled their roles with aplomb. Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.

Notes, after the jump...

I mentioned that each Knick played his role brilliantly. I wasn't kidding. Check it:

- Wilson Chandler got things started by driving to the basket on offense, getting fouled early and connecting at the line. Later, he canned a couple open threes (2-3) and otherwise let the offense come to him. On the other end, D'Antoni chose to match Wil with Steve Nash, which worked nicely, as Chandler was quick enough to stay near (not in front of. Nobody does that.) Nash, and big enough to disrupt his passes and switch onto Amare' Stoudemire when picks were set.

- Chris Duhon (2-8) didn't shoot as well as he did in the previous game, but hit a pretty big three, dished out 5 assists, and spent 23 minutes on the bench. Perfect.

- Al Harrington (8-14) took a reasonable number of shots and hit most of them. He also pulled down 8 rebounds.

- David Lee registered 24 points and 8 boards, actually made an effort to defend Stoudemire, and didn't get embarrassed on help defense because the Suns hardly attacked the rim. Lee's hands were up, too, as indicated by his 4 steals.

Those Knicks did their jobs. These Knicks went above and beyond:

- Larry Hughes up and stole the point guard reins from Chris Duhon in early going, dropping 8 dimes in the first quarter and finishing with 12 on the night. He demanded the ball, directed traffic in the halfcourt set, and hit cutters with pinpoint passes. It was beautiful. Hughes's 11 points and 4 steals were just gravy. That little display of competent point guard play was tremendous. Not to continue to dump on Duhon after a win, but Larry's leadership made a massive difference. Evidence: The Knicks started the second quarter with Hughes on the floor and won the first 4 minutes 12-10. Duhon then checked in for Hughes, and the Suns promptly went on an 8-3 run. Hughes then re-entered, and the Knicks won the next four and half minutes 17-12. I'm not just saying...I'm just saying...

- I can't say enough about Jared Jeffries's play. He was mostly a garbagebro on offense (4-6, 10 points), and I mean that in the best way possible. The rest of his line, though, is what stands out. 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal are marks of a job well done by Jeffries, and he did that in just 25 minutes. Jared's quiet contributions helped keep the Knicks afloat when it looked like the Suns were poised to strike. Superb game.

- Finally, a big ol' Rooster Salute for Danilo Gallinari. Gallo asserted himself just like we hoped he would, finishing with 27 points, 10 boards, and 2 monstrous Cock-blocks. Gallo was potent from downtown (6-12, and it would've been more with a kinder rim), but didn't just settle for threes. He looked much more confident and made his way into the center of the court to participate more in the offensive flow. There were backdoor cuts, frontdoor cuts, and even a stop-and-pop banker from about 12 feet out.If you're on Twitter, hit up @gallinari8888 and tell him to keep up the great work. Gallo's shot at stardom is tied to the kind of confidence and aggression we saw him from him tonight.

The rest of the notes:

- Billie Jean King was interviewed by Al Trautwig at courtside, and finished her conversation by calling Trautwig "Babes". The following dialogue ensued:

Breen: "Did she just call Al 'Babes?'"

Clyde: "She's from the 70s."

Breen: "Don't you go call Al that now."

- King also took the opportunity to smack some tennis balls into the crowd during a timeout. One of them whizzed perilously close to Channing Frye's head, and Frye reacted with that memorable look of puzzlement we first witnessed in his "sometimes, dinner was just crackers" Garden of Dreams commercial. If you remember that MSG ad, you're officially a pimp by P&T standards (and a moron by everyone else's standards, but forget those guys.)

- Nate Robinson got very little burn in this one. The way Hughes was playing, I guess he wasn't really needed. Robinson didn't show any blatant displeasure, and actually did a nice job pushing the tempo in his 10 minutes.

- Amare' Stoudemire, who I'd typically consider to be a pretty good shot-blocker, didn't even bother to contest a lot of the Knicks' drives into the paint. Either Stoudemire's defense has fallen off or David Lee is contagious.

- Apparently some sort of rodeo is coming to MSG, and I feel obligated to pass along the information that the Garden will be "filled with the world's toughest cowboys and rankest bulls". I know P&T folks like their bulls rank, so I figured I'd share for those of you who missed the ad.

- P&T hero Frederic Weis coined the term "Knickslexia" to describe the phenomenon of reading a winning Knicks score backwards, because your tendency to assume they're losing overrides what you actually perceive. If you checked out the 71-58 score at halftime, odds are you got all kinds of Knickslexic.

- Robin Lopez is something else. No, really. He's something else.

- Clyde always mocks Mike Breen for being a ballhog on the basketball court. Do we have any evidence that these two have actually played ball together? If so, is it on video? If so, can I have it?

- Goran Dragic probably doesn't wear a diaper on the court, but he might.

- With the season's first real blowout came the season's first real garbage time. It was magical. Toney Douglas DWTDD for a sec, burying two threes and handing out a couple assists. Jordan Hill shot and missed a bunch (2-7) but looked active (to use the adjective that's gradually becoming his middle name) and showed off some of his typically fluid moves, with a jump shot to boot. Jordan Hill is pretty good at basketball. Mark my words. Marcus Landry got to spin as well, and hit a three just to ice the cake.

- Darko Milicic, despite chants from the crowd, was a DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT. See if you can crack that one.

Tonight was marvelous. Thanks go to everybody who commented, and also to the Knicks for putting together a masterpiece of a performance in beating the league's best team. I got a little choked up for a bit there.

I'm sure we'll have video and some more excitement in the morning, but there isn't much time to bask. The Knicks head straight to Orlando for another meeting with the Magic tomorrow night. Could they possibly keep the dream alive?

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Suns- 12/1/09

2009-12-01T22:44:22Z

Evening, bros and broads. The Knicks are at home tonight to face the monstrous Phoenix Suns, owners of a 14-3 record and some talent that Mike D'Antoni must sorely miss. I have a weird feeling about this one, and when I say "weird", I'm referring to the unthinkable. For whatever reason, I think the Knicks are gonna win tonight. I don't know where this feeling stems from, and it's most certainly absurd, but wouldn't I look like a gangster if the Knicks did manage to knock off the league's best team?

Come on by if you're watching and post as many comments as your little fingers can type. After that, head over to Bright Side of the Sun. After that, make a grilled cheese and eat it. After that, go to bed.

Go Knicks. I'm feeling a W.

Mike D'Antoni deserves criticism...but why?

2009-12-01T19:19:01Z

Mike D'Antoni has received some criticism this season. His Knicks are 3-14. That's to be expected. Even within the realm of P&T, the criticism ranges from an assortment of small complaints to outright demands that he be fired. I'm not sure it's entirely clear, though, why there's dissent amongst the fans. Take, for example, Steve Nash's comments to Alan Hahn:

"I don't think anyone expected them to turn it around last year or this year," Steve Nash said at Suns practice in New York on Monday. "Everyone starts getting on top of Mike or the system or whatever they do. In reality, if you said to them, 'Are the Knicks going to be any good before the big free-agent summer? I think everyone would've said 'No, probably not.'

"So I don't know what the big deal is. To me, they're on the same plan, trying to develop young players and trying to wait and see who they can get next summer."

A lot of y'all probably spotted a hole in the above logic, and Hahn catches it as well:

We agree with everything Nash said, aside from the "trying to develop young players" phrase, which, as we've seen in the early part of the season, doesn't appear to be the priority...yet. As we said in the previous blog, perhaps D'Antoni's plan is to give the vets the first half of the season and then turn the season over to the young guys in the second half.

And therein lies my main point. This year's Knicks were probably destined to lose. We weren't expecting D'Antoni to build a well-oiled machine out of spare parts, but we did hope he'd make the best of what he had. That hasn't quite been the case. Toney Douglas's minutes have fluctuated dramatically, while Jordan Hill's playing time has been at a consistently slow burn. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler have been largely mis-used as offensive weapons, while the ball remains in the hands of Chris Duhon and Al Harrington, who, with all due respect, are probably lame ducks. The funny thing is that Hahn rightfully guesses that D'Antoni might grant the youngsters more minutes once the season has been deemed a lost cause. That makes sense, but I think a lot of us would agree that Douglas, Hill, Gallinari and Chandler are actually among the players most capable of making the Knicks semi-competitive right now. Unless the veterans are being showcased, which remains to be seen, I have trouble coming up with an argument against giving major minutes to the Knicks with fresh legs, moldable games, and long-term contracts.

All that said, I don't think Mike D'Antoni should be fired. Not in the slightest. My point is only that my own criticisms, as well as those of fans calling for the coach's head, tend to regard his personnel decisions, not his losing record. D'Antoni's ultimate judgment will come in the next decade, but that doesn't forbid us from critiquing his current body of work.

Game thread cominatcha later.

Editor's Note: Thanks to staypuft for the video. No word on whether Rob's performance was actually...

2009-11-30T22:13:56Z

Editor's Note: Thanks to staypuft for the video. No word on whether Rob's performance was actually an artistic representation of Danilo Gallinari's off-the-ball movement.

Best Thing to Happen At A Knicks Game All Year