Tuesday, November 1, 2011
I'm Back... Too Bad the League's Not
Welcome back to In Your Eye NBA! It's been a looooong summer, pretty much the opposite of the Summer of 2010 for the NBA. As you can see the sight is totally redone with a new scheme and layout, my Youtube favorites at the top, and an easier to manage Twitter list on the right side bar. Over the next few days and weeks I'll be bringing you up to speed on the lockout, what issues are currently holding up the negotiations, and we'll take a look at what the 'new' NBA will look like post-lockout - whenever that may be. I'll also take a look back at some of the crazier moments of the summer, from Durant at Rucker Park to the South Florida Invitational and more. For now, stay tuned for new videos, more posts and be sure to check or follow the In Your Eye NBA Twitter list for the latest news and updates. Hopefully, we'll be talking about real, actual games soon enough. Thanks everyone!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Wanted: Youtube Views
This video I took is BLOWING UP the web people. Check it out - I need the views!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
NY Papers
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
NY1 Interview
Just watched LX NY on Channel 4, doesn't like my interview made the final edit, buuuuut I was on NY1 earlier today and the video is below!
Picture of me at Modell's
I am in the background of this picture wearing my Knicks winter hat! Shoutout to @darrenrovell for tweeting (although I did not see him there)
Modell's Times Square
I'm not in this video but I was in line and in the mad pack of people scrambling and waiting at Modell's this morning. More to come...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Melo State of Mind
It's over. I'm overjoyed that I was wrong in one of my preseason predictions! Check out the Twitter bar to the right of the post for some reactions and extra details about the deal.
I'm going to focus on the main question everyone will be asking - did the Knicks give up too much?
In my opinion... the answer is flat out NO.
Melo is a HUGE upgrade over Wilson Chandler
Billups and Felton are a wash, including that both of their deals expire next summer (in time to get D Will?)
Gallinari would've been relegated to the bench even if we kept him after making the deal
Mozgov is no better than someone like Shelden Williams who we're getting back in the deal
Curry's Expiring and Anthony Randolph were complete non factors all season
It's A LOT harder to get a top 10 talent like Carmelo than it is to find role players willing to play around two stars like Melo and Stoudemire. So say what you want about the depth of the team - which I actually don't mind anyhow with Anthony Carter, Williams and Balkman coming back to us - but stars like Anthony don't come available that often. And as we saw from last summer's free agency frenzy, sometimes the bright lights of Broadway aren't enough to lure them here. Now, with Amare and Melo in town the Knicks have two bona fide stars that WANT to be in the Big Apple, that want the pressure of winning in this town, that want to go up against the mighty Yankees for city-wide supremacy, that want the attention, and that want to play in the world's most famous arena 41+ times a year.
Furthermore, we now have Amare and Melo locked up before the CBA expires this summer, meaning that it could very well much tougher for every team in the league, not just the Knicks, to stock pile stars like the Heat did this past summer. Maybe the rules will still allow for them to go get Chris Paul or Deron Williams at the end of the 11-12 season, but at the very worst, it appears there won't be another team that can pull off something like the Heat did with James, Wade and Bosh.
BREAKING as I type this, the Knicks will also be receiving Corey Brewer from Minnesota in the deal, giving them further wing depth behind Carmelo and Landry Fields. Here are your New York Knicks for the rest of the season:
Chauncey Billups
Landry Fields
Carmelo Anthony
Amare Stoudemire
Ronny Turiaf
Anthony Carter
Toney Douglas
Bill Walker
Corey Brewer
Shawne Williams
Shelden Williams
Roger Mason
Renaldo Balkman
Andy Rautins
Kelenna Azubuike
Look for them to add more front court depth in the form of someone like Earl Barron in the next few days as well.
Something else I think is being overlooked is that with Billups and Melo coming over the transition shouldn't be that hard for this team as a whole to mesh. They may not have enough games left in the schedule to move up the Eastern Conference standings, and it still may take a few weeks for them to come together, they should be VERY dangerous in the first round of the playoffs this year. MSG will be ROCKING with the return of big time basketball to the Mecca, and our new 'big three' all have significant playoff experience. I know the match up will be against Chicago, Miami or Boston, but really only Boston 'scares' me as a bad match up for the Knicks there. I'm not saying I think we can beat Chicago or Miami in a best of seven series without home court, but things just got A LOT more interesting.
As I posted on Facebook earlier tonight, Wednesday night versus the Bucks is Legends Night at the Garden. This year we honor the past AND the present.
Let's go Knicks!
I'm going to focus on the main question everyone will be asking - did the Knicks give up too much?
In my opinion... the answer is flat out NO.
Melo is a HUGE upgrade over Wilson Chandler
Billups and Felton are a wash, including that both of their deals expire next summer (in time to get D Will?)
Gallinari would've been relegated to the bench even if we kept him after making the deal
Mozgov is no better than someone like Shelden Williams who we're getting back in the deal
Curry's Expiring and Anthony Randolph were complete non factors all season
It's A LOT harder to get a top 10 talent like Carmelo than it is to find role players willing to play around two stars like Melo and Stoudemire. So say what you want about the depth of the team - which I actually don't mind anyhow with Anthony Carter, Williams and Balkman coming back to us - but stars like Anthony don't come available that often. And as we saw from last summer's free agency frenzy, sometimes the bright lights of Broadway aren't enough to lure them here. Now, with Amare and Melo in town the Knicks have two bona fide stars that WANT to be in the Big Apple, that want the pressure of winning in this town, that want to go up against the mighty Yankees for city-wide supremacy, that want the attention, and that want to play in the world's most famous arena 41+ times a year.
Furthermore, we now have Amare and Melo locked up before the CBA expires this summer, meaning that it could very well much tougher for every team in the league, not just the Knicks, to stock pile stars like the Heat did this past summer. Maybe the rules will still allow for them to go get Chris Paul or Deron Williams at the end of the 11-12 season, but at the very worst, it appears there won't be another team that can pull off something like the Heat did with James, Wade and Bosh.
BREAKING as I type this, the Knicks will also be receiving Corey Brewer from Minnesota in the deal, giving them further wing depth behind Carmelo and Landry Fields. Here are your New York Knicks for the rest of the season:
Chauncey Billups
Landry Fields
Carmelo Anthony
Amare Stoudemire
Ronny Turiaf
Anthony Carter
Toney Douglas
Bill Walker
Corey Brewer
Shawne Williams
Shelden Williams
Roger Mason
Renaldo Balkman
Andy Rautins
Kelenna Azubuike
Look for them to add more front court depth in the form of someone like Earl Barron in the next few days as well.
Something else I think is being overlooked is that with Billups and Melo coming over the transition shouldn't be that hard for this team as a whole to mesh. They may not have enough games left in the schedule to move up the Eastern Conference standings, and it still may take a few weeks for them to come together, they should be VERY dangerous in the first round of the playoffs this year. MSG will be ROCKING with the return of big time basketball to the Mecca, and our new 'big three' all have significant playoff experience. I know the match up will be against Chicago, Miami or Boston, but really only Boston 'scares' me as a bad match up for the Knicks there. I'm not saying I think we can beat Chicago or Miami in a best of seven series without home court, but things just got A LOT more interesting.
As I posted on Facebook earlier tonight, Wednesday night versus the Bucks is Legends Night at the Garden. This year we honor the past AND the present.
Let's go Knicks!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Dunks From the Rookie-Sophomore Game
If you didn't watch the game or catch the highlights on SportsCenter it's DEFINITELY worth watching this Youtube video of the Highlight of the Night from the Rookie-Sophomore game. The dunks are insane, and check out Melo's facial expression after the James Harden throw down! Obviously, there's a lot of Blake Griffin (for good reason), but a guy with two less ACL's than Blake also has a nasty off the glass slam.
Friday, February 18, 2011
All Star Parties
Page 2's recap of some of the All Star parties from Thursday night. I love this kind of crap hahaha.
All 137 Blake Griffin Dunks
A two minute NBA.com video showing each and every one of Blake Griffin's 137 dunks. AMAZING!
Subway and Blake
This is one of the BEST promos I've ever seen. Way to go Subway and way to go Blake Griffin. Looks like I know what I'm doing with my weekend!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Go NY Go NY Go
Everybody's favorite... KEENAN CAHILL with Landry Fields and Andy Rautins. Chavo and I were there LIVE when this debuted during the Knicks-Lakers game last Friday.
GO NY GO NY GO!
GO NY GO NY GO!
More Melodrama
Thankfully the trade deadline is a mere 8 days away which means that the season long Melodrama will finally fade away (at least until the draft). Just to bring everyone up to speed, here's a quick recap of where things stand with each team involved.
Denver - Melo said he would take a long hard look at signing at the extension with the Nuggets if a deal cannot be reached by the trade deadline. They're still taking offers from all suitors and even made their own offer to the Knicks that was turned down by New York, most likely just as a negotiating ploy.
New York - Turned down an offer of Gallinari, Felton, Chandler/Fields, and a #1 pick (as reported here by the NY Daily News) for Melo and Chauncey Billups. Most likely this was just a negotiating play by the Knicks, although I don't think they want to bother with the Billups-Felton part of that trade. Clearly, the Nuggets are just trying to unload some extra salary, so this was a good move by the Knicks given the time still left on the clock to complete a deal. I suspect that if it comes down to this deal or no deal New York will make the deal, but they'll try and make the Nuggets blink first.
New Jersey - Pulled out of talks at the wishes of owner Mikhail Prokhorov. They remain a player in the trade because they still have the best assets available for a deal. Still though, Melo has given no indication he'd sign the extension with them.
LA Lakers - A Bynum for Melo deal was rumored but the Lakers quickly squashed it and then started there seven game road trip 4-0 before dropping the next two. If they continue to stumble maybe this becomes a reality once again but this seems like a big long shot for either side.
Mavs/Rockets - The Mavs may do a rental deal to try and finally win a title. The Rockets appear out of the mix because they'd want Melo to sign the extension with them, something he's given no intention of doing.
The negotiations and offers should really pick up steam over the next week and hopefully Melo will finally come home to New York and team up with Amare Stoudemire for a serious playoff run!
Denver - Melo said he would take a long hard look at signing at the extension with the Nuggets if a deal cannot be reached by the trade deadline. They're still taking offers from all suitors and even made their own offer to the Knicks that was turned down by New York, most likely just as a negotiating ploy.
New York - Turned down an offer of Gallinari, Felton, Chandler/Fields, and a #1 pick (as reported here by the NY Daily News) for Melo and Chauncey Billups. Most likely this was just a negotiating play by the Knicks, although I don't think they want to bother with the Billups-Felton part of that trade. Clearly, the Nuggets are just trying to unload some extra salary, so this was a good move by the Knicks given the time still left on the clock to complete a deal. I suspect that if it comes down to this deal or no deal New York will make the deal, but they'll try and make the Nuggets blink first.
New Jersey - Pulled out of talks at the wishes of owner Mikhail Prokhorov. They remain a player in the trade because they still have the best assets available for a deal. Still though, Melo has given no indication he'd sign the extension with them.
LA Lakers - A Bynum for Melo deal was rumored but the Lakers quickly squashed it and then started there seven game road trip 4-0 before dropping the next two. If they continue to stumble maybe this becomes a reality once again but this seems like a big long shot for either side.
Mavs/Rockets - The Mavs may do a rental deal to try and finally win a title. The Rockets appear out of the mix because they'd want Melo to sign the extension with them, something he's given no intention of doing.
The negotiations and offers should really pick up steam over the next week and hopefully Melo will finally come home to New York and team up with Amare Stoudemire for a serious playoff run!
Best Pass Ever?
In case you missed it... this may very well be the BEST PASS EVER made in the history of the game. This is what we imagined (for better or worse) when LeBron and Wade teamed up.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Amazing Video Site
HUGE shoutout to Brendan Kamm for finding this link on Hoopism. It's a collection of 65 of the greatest and/or most memorable shots in NBA history. Just some great stuff, especially in the mid 80s through the Jordan years. Definitely worth killing an hour or so over to scroll through these.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Leeroy Jenkins at Modell's
Awesome video of Landry Fields trying to push his jerseys and t shirts at a local Modell's.
The Dog Days Are Ending
It's been almost a month since my last post, a cardinal sin for a blogger. I apologize for abandoning what few loyal readers I do have. Unfortunately, not a lot has changed in the league anyhow. These are the 'dog days' of the NBA season, similar to August in baseball. We've identified the contenders and pretenders and now we're just stuck in All-Star Game build up purgatory. Worse yet we still have nothing to report on the Carmelo trade front, as rumors continue to swirl about the Knicks and now the Lakers. Even the All Star selections didn't have a lot of drama. The biggest snub was who? Maybe Steve Nash, but name a point guard in the West that should be taken off the team in order to make room for Nash.
Anyway, now that we're caught up on the state of the league we can finally begin projecting to what may happen in the future as we close in on the All Star Game, trade deadline, and serious playoff considerations regarding seeds and match ups.
On a side note, and one of the things that has changed since my last post, Jerry Sloan, Jazz coach since 1988 resigned this afternoon. Reports indicate it was a fall out of sorts with Deron Williams, with Sloan being left in a 'him or me' position. I don't really care about the Jazz one way or another but it will be interesting to see how this move affects the playoff chase in the West, and more importantly how it affects where Deron Williams ends up playing. He has another year and a half left on his contract. Has D Will 'won out' in the battle for Jazz management, or will they go in a completely different direction with a new coach and personnel that fits that style? I immediately went to the trade machine and put this goodie together that lands D will AND Melo in New York.
I won't get bogged down in Melo trade scenarios too much right since the landscape changes every day. I will be updating more frequently like I was doing during the beginning (and more exciting) part of the season. The dog days are coming to a close and now the real basketball can begin!
Anyway, now that we're caught up on the state of the league we can finally begin projecting to what may happen in the future as we close in on the All Star Game, trade deadline, and serious playoff considerations regarding seeds and match ups.
On a side note, and one of the things that has changed since my last post, Jerry Sloan, Jazz coach since 1988 resigned this afternoon. Reports indicate it was a fall out of sorts with Deron Williams, with Sloan being left in a 'him or me' position. I don't really care about the Jazz one way or another but it will be interesting to see how this move affects the playoff chase in the West, and more importantly how it affects where Deron Williams ends up playing. He has another year and a half left on his contract. Has D Will 'won out' in the battle for Jazz management, or will they go in a completely different direction with a new coach and personnel that fits that style? I immediately went to the trade machine and put this goodie together that lands D will AND Melo in New York.
I won't get bogged down in Melo trade scenarios too much right since the landscape changes every day. I will be updating more frequently like I was doing during the beginning (and more exciting) part of the season. The dog days are coming to a close and now the real basketball can begin!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Kanye and LeBron
Scoop Jackson with one of the best articles about LeBron I've ever read. It's a different take that hasn't been talked about before that totally makes sense. A must read if you listen to Kanye and watch the NBA.
Knicks Makin Moves!
Tonight rumblings surfaced that the Knicks have reached out to the Grizzlies to include them in on a deal with the Nuggets that would land Carmelo Anthony in New York and OJ Mayo in Denver. Mayo is no Derrick Favors in terms of upside, but he might good and young enough that Denver softens its stance on the Knicks assets.
There have also been rumors floating about that the Knicks will covet Marc Gasol this summer.
Here's a trade I put together in the trade machine that would bring the Knicks both Carmelo and Gasol. While Anthony would be a simple extend and trade with Denver, it's unclear if the same would happen for Gasol. I'm not even sure of the contract details for Gasol and how he'd fit in from a salary perspective for the Knicks. But either way, this was a pretty fun trade to put together.
Knicks get Carmelo and Gasol while sending Chandler, Fields, and Eddy Curry's expiring contract to Denver, and Gallinari to Memphis for Gasol.
Denver would receive Mayo and Sam Young for salary purposes from the Grizzlies.
Memphis would take on Al Harrington's roughly 4 years and $22 million remaining on his contract. This was a late addition to the the Nuggets talks with the Nets that the Grizzlies could take on. They also take Melvin Ely for salary matching purposes.
Denver would get four solid players to build around in Chandler, Fields, Mayo and Young, while unloading Al Harrington's contract. Memphis gets something for Marc Gasol (essentially Gallinari straight up), and gets rid of the under performing Mayo. Harrington would come in and add depth and scoring to the roster. Then of course the Knicks not only get Carmelo but they also get a true center to put next to Amare and do the dirty work.
As far as the draft picks go, the Knicks would send their 2014 first round pick to the Nuggets as well as a number one pick they'd obtain from a Anthony Randolph trade. They'd also send a second round pick to Memphis for their troubles.
So in all the Nuggets haul would include two first round picks, Mayo, Chandler, Fields, Young and Curry's expiring contract. Compare that to the Nets two first round picks, Derrick Favors and Devin Harris. The new Nuggets would have Chauncey and Ty Lawson as the point guard of the future with Fields or Mayo at the other guard, Chandler at the three and Nene at center.
Even though the Knicks would be gutting their roster to make these moves they'd have Felton, Carmelo, Amare, Gasol, with Douglas, Shawne Williams, Bill Walker and Ronny Turiaf on the bench. Kelenna Azubuikie would be the starting two guard when he comes back from injury.
I'd take that nine man rotation against anybody in the league.
There have also been rumors floating about that the Knicks will covet Marc Gasol this summer.
Here's a trade I put together in the trade machine that would bring the Knicks both Carmelo and Gasol. While Anthony would be a simple extend and trade with Denver, it's unclear if the same would happen for Gasol. I'm not even sure of the contract details for Gasol and how he'd fit in from a salary perspective for the Knicks. But either way, this was a pretty fun trade to put together.
Knicks get Carmelo and Gasol while sending Chandler, Fields, and Eddy Curry's expiring contract to Denver, and Gallinari to Memphis for Gasol.
Denver would receive Mayo and Sam Young for salary purposes from the Grizzlies.
Memphis would take on Al Harrington's roughly 4 years and $22 million remaining on his contract. This was a late addition to the the Nuggets talks with the Nets that the Grizzlies could take on. They also take Melvin Ely for salary matching purposes.
Denver would get four solid players to build around in Chandler, Fields, Mayo and Young, while unloading Al Harrington's contract. Memphis gets something for Marc Gasol (essentially Gallinari straight up), and gets rid of the under performing Mayo. Harrington would come in and add depth and scoring to the roster. Then of course the Knicks not only get Carmelo but they also get a true center to put next to Amare and do the dirty work.
As far as the draft picks go, the Knicks would send their 2014 first round pick to the Nuggets as well as a number one pick they'd obtain from a Anthony Randolph trade. They'd also send a second round pick to Memphis for their troubles.
So in all the Nuggets haul would include two first round picks, Mayo, Chandler, Fields, Young and Curry's expiring contract. Compare that to the Nets two first round picks, Derrick Favors and Devin Harris. The new Nuggets would have Chauncey and Ty Lawson as the point guard of the future with Fields or Mayo at the other guard, Chandler at the three and Nene at center.
Even though the Knicks would be gutting their roster to make these moves they'd have Felton, Carmelo, Amare, Gasol, with Douglas, Shawne Williams, Bill Walker and Ronny Turiaf on the bench. Kelenna Azubuikie would be the starting two guard when he comes back from injury.
I'd take that nine man rotation against anybody in the league.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thumbs Up Birdman!
Quick follow up on my my original Birdman tat post, I found out I have a friend of a friend out in Denver that was able to get this taken. AWESOME! Well done!
Latest Melo Deal
Here's the latest Melo deal in Trade Machine form. Will Melo sign his extension to play with Billups, Rip, and Lopez? And what if Billups holds to what he said about wanting an immediate buyout from the Nets? For the Pistons, they save $17 million long term by dumping Hamilton's contract but seem reluctant to take on Johan Petro for three more years. The Nuggets get all the picks discussed plus Favors, Harris and Morrow. It'll be interesting to see if Melo really wants to ride with Hamilton and maybe Billups versus Felton and Amare.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Trade Exception Follow Up
Great article by Brian Windhorst of ESPN talking about the state of the league's trade exceptions with a summary of the biggest available. Nice follow up to my Carmelo Rumors article from last night.
100% Knicks Post
Ok folks, I managed to go through the first week of January without dedicating a single post to my Knicks. Yes, I've mentioned them numerous times, but haven't really talked about any of the games I've been at or what I think of the season so far.
I'll start by talking about the games I've been at so far this season. I've seen the Wizards, Warriors, Celtics, Heat, Thunder, and Spurs, the last four of which were AMAZING games to be at. The atmosphere at the Garden is unlike anything I've been seen in going the past four seasons. Everything I read has said MSG has been at near-playoff levels in terms of buzz and crowd noise and believe me I've been apart of that!
Obviously, the Heat game was by far the biggest party atmosphere game, with Drake taking the best celebrity row seat for that one. The first half of that game was just amazing with both teams shooting the lights out. Unfortunately, the Heat turned up the defense in the third quarter, held us to 17 points and the fourth quarter was just a showcase for LeBron to get his triple double.
By far the two best games from start to finish have been the Celtics and Spurs games. Both of them had amazing energy in the building and both games were shootouts. The C's and Knicks went punch for punch for the entire game right down to the buzzer when Amare's potential game winner was waved off. It was the type of game that you weren't even mad or disappointed about the outcome. You could tell you had just witnessed something incredible, the type of game that's the reason you pay so much to go to games. When Amare's three went in just after the buzzer the entire crowd stood and cheered at the exact same time. It instantly reminded me of this. Of course the stakes were MUCH bigger back then, but look at the replays that clip shows and watch how all the fans react at the exact same moment... that's how it was on Amare's shot.
The Spurs game was exactly like the Celtics game in terms of pace and scoring. The Knicks led 71-68 at halftime! Chandler had 31 points, Amare and Felton both had 28 apiece. But again, both teams went punch for punch the entire game with leads not getting to more than 6-7 points for New York. Then with under four minutes to go in the game they stretched it out to 10, then 11 on a series of amazing plays by Felton and Stoudemire. With just over 3 minutes left in the game the Spurs pulled their starters and the celebration was on. The rest of the game was spent standing and cheering as the Knicks handed the Spurs just their fifth loss of the season.
There's no more talk of 'if' this team can make the playoffs. It's a given that barring catastrophe, the worst the Knicks will finish is 6th in the weak Eastern Conference. The question now is if they can add some more impressive wins over the league upper echelon and truly contend in the Eastern playoffs this season. Yes, the Heat and Celtics seem to be a collision course in the East Finals, but an opening series win over the Magic or Bulls doesn't seem so far off, and certainly is a far cry from the expectations set at the beginning of the season. While the Knicks have had one of the easiest schedules in the league so far, they do have two signature wins over the Bulls, plus wins over the Thunder and Spurs. They played the Celtics down the last second and other than the awful third quarter against the Heat were very much in that game.
January will continue to test the Knicks as they hit the road for a four game Western Conference road trip that started tonight with Amare's return to Phoenix (I'm watching on DVR while typing this). After tonight they have games at the Lakers, Blazers and Jazz before coming home for the Kings and a return game with the Suns. Then they hit the road again for the Rockets, Spurs and Thunder. The end of the month softens a bit but is highlighted by LeBron's second and last trip to the Garden this season on January 27th.
If they can get through the road trips with a 4-3 or 3-4 record, then take care of very winnable home games against the Kings, Suns, and Wizards, they should be in great position heading to the last few months of the season. Plus who knows... maybe they'll add that Carmelo guy sometime between now and then too!
LET'S GO KNICKS!
I'll start by talking about the games I've been at so far this season. I've seen the Wizards, Warriors, Celtics, Heat, Thunder, and Spurs, the last four of which were AMAZING games to be at. The atmosphere at the Garden is unlike anything I've been seen in going the past four seasons. Everything I read has said MSG has been at near-playoff levels in terms of buzz and crowd noise and believe me I've been apart of that!
Obviously, the Heat game was by far the biggest party atmosphere game, with Drake taking the best celebrity row seat for that one. The first half of that game was just amazing with both teams shooting the lights out. Unfortunately, the Heat turned up the defense in the third quarter, held us to 17 points and the fourth quarter was just a showcase for LeBron to get his triple double.
By far the two best games from start to finish have been the Celtics and Spurs games. Both of them had amazing energy in the building and both games were shootouts. The C's and Knicks went punch for punch for the entire game right down to the buzzer when Amare's potential game winner was waved off. It was the type of game that you weren't even mad or disappointed about the outcome. You could tell you had just witnessed something incredible, the type of game that's the reason you pay so much to go to games. When Amare's three went in just after the buzzer the entire crowd stood and cheered at the exact same time. It instantly reminded me of this. Of course the stakes were MUCH bigger back then, but look at the replays that clip shows and watch how all the fans react at the exact same moment... that's how it was on Amare's shot.
The Spurs game was exactly like the Celtics game in terms of pace and scoring. The Knicks led 71-68 at halftime! Chandler had 31 points, Amare and Felton both had 28 apiece. But again, both teams went punch for punch the entire game with leads not getting to more than 6-7 points for New York. Then with under four minutes to go in the game they stretched it out to 10, then 11 on a series of amazing plays by Felton and Stoudemire. With just over 3 minutes left in the game the Spurs pulled their starters and the celebration was on. The rest of the game was spent standing and cheering as the Knicks handed the Spurs just their fifth loss of the season.
There's no more talk of 'if' this team can make the playoffs. It's a given that barring catastrophe, the worst the Knicks will finish is 6th in the weak Eastern Conference. The question now is if they can add some more impressive wins over the league upper echelon and truly contend in the Eastern playoffs this season. Yes, the Heat and Celtics seem to be a collision course in the East Finals, but an opening series win over the Magic or Bulls doesn't seem so far off, and certainly is a far cry from the expectations set at the beginning of the season. While the Knicks have had one of the easiest schedules in the league so far, they do have two signature wins over the Bulls, plus wins over the Thunder and Spurs. They played the Celtics down the last second and other than the awful third quarter against the Heat were very much in that game.
January will continue to test the Knicks as they hit the road for a four game Western Conference road trip that started tonight with Amare's return to Phoenix (I'm watching on DVR while typing this). After tonight they have games at the Lakers, Blazers and Jazz before coming home for the Kings and a return game with the Suns. Then they hit the road again for the Rockets, Spurs and Thunder. The end of the month softens a bit but is highlighted by LeBron's second and last trip to the Garden this season on January 27th.
If they can get through the road trips with a 4-3 or 3-4 record, then take care of very winnable home games against the Kings, Suns, and Wizards, they should be in great position heading to the last few months of the season. Plus who knows... maybe they'll add that Carmelo guy sometime between now and then too!
LET'S GO KNICKS!
Addressing the Melo Rumors
I finally have enough to time to really kick out another long post. Apologies for the delay but between the holidays, watching and attending games, and bowl season, I've been glued to the TV for the past three weeks or so. Time to take a Friday night in and catch up on all the Carmelo Anthony rumors that have surfaces as of late.
Things have been pretty quiet until this week with Melo. And I have to stay I'm really going to be devastated if he agrees to an extension and ends up with the Nets. In case you missed them, here are the details behind the last two deals to be reported. They all really suck if you ask me, and not just because they mean Melo ends up in Jersey/Brooklyn instead of MSG, but because the third team being included isn't really getting anything significant for participating.
According to ESPN, there was a potential deal with Cleveland joining the mix as the third cog to help facilitate the Denver-New Jersey swap. Here's the ESPN Trade Machine breakdown with details below also.
Nets receive: Carmelo Anthony, Al Harrington, and the Cavaliers' trade exception they received from the sign and trade of LeBron James this summer
Nuggets receive: Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and three first round draft picks
Cavs receive: Troy Murphy's $12 million expiring contract with about $8 million still owed, and one or two first round draft picks
There were some sticking points that kept the trade from coming to fruition, but I'd rather focus on the assets involved in the deal.
First some background. In the original LeBron sign and trade Cleveland received two first round picks, two second round picks and the massive $14.5 million trade exception. I'll explain briefly without getting too in depth and boring you with all the rules behind a trade exception. A trade exception is like a credit that a team has one year to use in another trade to acquire a player so that it doesn't have to send matching salaries back to the team its trading with.
In essence by making this trade, the total worth of LeBron for Cleveland would be the two first rounders and two second rounders in the original deal with Miami, and then Troy Murphy's expiring $8 million contract, and another one or two first rounders. In total, 3-4 first round picks, 2 second round picks, and $8 million off their salary cap. There's no better way in the NBA to rebuild than in the draft, and there's certainly a premium on first round draft picks (second rounders don't really matter). So in using their trade exception to help send Melo to the Nets, the Cavs essentially receive one or two additional first rounders. I could understand if it was 100% two first round picks, but if it was really just one I think this deal is pretty crazy for Cleveland. The haul from the original deal with Miami was pretty decent for the Cavs, but I think they can do much more in terms of player acquisition with that large of a trade exception. With Cleveland looking to totally rebuild and no untouchables on the roster, I think they could use this trade exception in combination with other assets to maximize its value. It just seems like Cleveland is making the deal to get another draft pick which it can get in any other trade down the line anyhow.
The second trade that was just reported tonight involves the Pistons. I researched as much as I could but these were all the details I could get. Obviously, this can't be the whole picture because the Nets are taking way too much money in this scenario according to my trade machine work.
Nets receive: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and Richard Hamilton (more on this in a minute)
Nuggets receive: Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first round picks
Pistons receive: Troy's Murphy's expiring contract and Johan Petro (for salary matching purposes)
Yes, Hamilton has one of the worst contracts in the league for a team trying to rebuild such as the Pistons. But there are A LOT of teams in desperate need of a veteran two guard (see: Dallas, Chicago, to name two) that would be willing to take on that contract to try and win a title in the next few years. According to the reports, this deal is still being worked through and I can understand why. The Pistons can't be happy to unload Hamilton for an expiring deal, a back up center and some sort of draft compensation (assumed). It would also require the Nets to move more pieces in the $7 million range, which would then further require movement for the other teams. I'd be very surprised if this one went through.
On a side note, the trio of players the Nets would receive in this deal is exactly the same core the Pistons could've built around starting in 2003 if they would've just drafted Carmelo instead of Darko Milicic.
In the end, of course I'm ridiculously biased when it comes to Melo coming to the Knicks. Even if the teams above do come to some sort of agreement no deal will be finalized until Melo agrees to sign an extension with the Nets, which all sources indicate he isn't willing to do. If an agreement can be put in place, then Nets' owners Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-z will have a chance to wooo Melo on the merits of coming to Jersey for a couple years before heading to Brooklyn. Hopefully, it doesn't even get to that point and Melo continues to say he'll on sign an extension with the Knicks.
Things have been pretty quiet until this week with Melo. And I have to stay I'm really going to be devastated if he agrees to an extension and ends up with the Nets. In case you missed them, here are the details behind the last two deals to be reported. They all really suck if you ask me, and not just because they mean Melo ends up in Jersey/Brooklyn instead of MSG, but because the third team being included isn't really getting anything significant for participating.
According to ESPN, there was a potential deal with Cleveland joining the mix as the third cog to help facilitate the Denver-New Jersey swap. Here's the ESPN Trade Machine breakdown with details below also.
Nets receive: Carmelo Anthony, Al Harrington, and the Cavaliers' trade exception they received from the sign and trade of LeBron James this summer
Nuggets receive: Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and three first round draft picks
Cavs receive: Troy Murphy's $12 million expiring contract with about $8 million still owed, and one or two first round draft picks
There were some sticking points that kept the trade from coming to fruition, but I'd rather focus on the assets involved in the deal.
First some background. In the original LeBron sign and trade Cleveland received two first round picks, two second round picks and the massive $14.5 million trade exception. I'll explain briefly without getting too in depth and boring you with all the rules behind a trade exception. A trade exception is like a credit that a team has one year to use in another trade to acquire a player so that it doesn't have to send matching salaries back to the team its trading with.
In essence by making this trade, the total worth of LeBron for Cleveland would be the two first rounders and two second rounders in the original deal with Miami, and then Troy Murphy's expiring $8 million contract, and another one or two first rounders. In total, 3-4 first round picks, 2 second round picks, and $8 million off their salary cap. There's no better way in the NBA to rebuild than in the draft, and there's certainly a premium on first round draft picks (second rounders don't really matter). So in using their trade exception to help send Melo to the Nets, the Cavs essentially receive one or two additional first rounders. I could understand if it was 100% two first round picks, but if it was really just one I think this deal is pretty crazy for Cleveland. The haul from the original deal with Miami was pretty decent for the Cavs, but I think they can do much more in terms of player acquisition with that large of a trade exception. With Cleveland looking to totally rebuild and no untouchables on the roster, I think they could use this trade exception in combination with other assets to maximize its value. It just seems like Cleveland is making the deal to get another draft pick which it can get in any other trade down the line anyhow.
The second trade that was just reported tonight involves the Pistons. I researched as much as I could but these were all the details I could get. Obviously, this can't be the whole picture because the Nets are taking way too much money in this scenario according to my trade machine work.
Nets receive: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and Richard Hamilton (more on this in a minute)
Nuggets receive: Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first round picks
Pistons receive: Troy's Murphy's expiring contract and Johan Petro (for salary matching purposes)
Yes, Hamilton has one of the worst contracts in the league for a team trying to rebuild such as the Pistons. But there are A LOT of teams in desperate need of a veteran two guard (see: Dallas, Chicago, to name two) that would be willing to take on that contract to try and win a title in the next few years. According to the reports, this deal is still being worked through and I can understand why. The Pistons can't be happy to unload Hamilton for an expiring deal, a back up center and some sort of draft compensation (assumed). It would also require the Nets to move more pieces in the $7 million range, which would then further require movement for the other teams. I'd be very surprised if this one went through.
On a side note, the trio of players the Nets would receive in this deal is exactly the same core the Pistons could've built around starting in 2003 if they would've just drafted Carmelo instead of Darko Milicic.
In the end, of course I'm ridiculously biased when it comes to Melo coming to the Knicks. Even if the teams above do come to some sort of agreement no deal will be finalized until Melo agrees to sign an extension with the Nets, which all sources indicate he isn't willing to do. If an agreement can be put in place, then Nets' owners Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-z will have a chance to wooo Melo on the merits of coming to Jersey for a couple years before heading to Brooklyn. Hopefully, it doesn't even get to that point and Melo continues to say he'll on sign an extension with the Knicks.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Errrrbody Dougie
This is more pop culture related than NBA, but John Wall does make an appearance and if you click through the links in this article you get an awesome string of insults from Colin Cowherd and a Dougie Dance-Off between John Wall and Chris Brown from New Year's Eve.
Aside from that it's just an amazing video altogether, especially when you consider it's from ABC News!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Birdman Tats
The Birdman is getting more and more nuts! I hadn't seen the new 'Free Bird' tat across his neck before, must've gotten that one this off season. Either way, here's a pretty cool look at the evolution of the Birdman.
(Shoutout to Scotty Nems)
Monday, January 3, 2011
This Is Getting Scary
Check out the lovefest between Wade and LeBron in this summary of tonight's win over the Bobcats in front of MJ himself. I normally don't post recaps like this but it's worth the read trust me. Lot's of awesome sound bites from both Wade and James including this awesome one from LeBron... "I guess ESPN needs to make a show with me and D-Wade now, 30 for 30."
Blake Griffin TV
For all my talk about dunks of the year, I've failed somehow to mention that Blake Griffin by far leads the league in dunks and by far leads the rest of the league combined in amazing, rim shaking throw downs. Fear not, there's an entire Youtube channel devoted to Blake's best highlights. This is the type of thing you sat back and enjoy when bored at work...
Celebrity Row
Now that the Knicks are relevant again (say what you want haters but they basically have a six seed locked up which is a FAR cry from anywhere this team has been in nearly a decade), Celebrity Row is also becoming more relevant. Beyond the stalwarts like Spike Lee, Chris Rock and a few others, the big name celebs were only showing up when Lebron or Kobe were in town. Here's a cool look at who attended during the Knicks December games. And for those of you that don't want to click through here's the full list:
Drake, Tracy Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, Trey Songz, Amber Rose, Donald Trump, Liam Neeson, Joe Jonas (I saw the picture and said to 'who' to myself), Craig Robinson, CC Sabathia, Kenan Thompson, Fabolous, Michelle Trachtenberg, John Slattery, Brandy, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Dylan McDermott, Evan Lysacek, Vera Wang, Spike Lee (obviously), Matthew Modine, Lance Bass, Mike D, Seth Myers, Nicole Powell, Padma Lakshmi, The Miz (complete with WWE title belt), and Elmo (not sure why this is included)
Drake, Tracy Morgan, Whoopi Goldberg, Trey Songz, Amber Rose, Donald Trump, Liam Neeson, Joe Jonas (I saw the picture and said to 'who' to myself), Craig Robinson, CC Sabathia, Kenan Thompson, Fabolous, Michelle Trachtenberg, John Slattery, Brandy, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Dylan McDermott, Evan Lysacek, Vera Wang, Spike Lee (obviously), Matthew Modine, Lance Bass, Mike D, Seth Myers, Nicole Powell, Padma Lakshmi, The Miz (complete with WWE title belt), and Elmo (not sure why this is included)
Birthday Cake
I showed you LeBron's Vegas celebration cake but that was nothing compared to his birthday cake! I mean really, this is what the internet and Twitter is all about right? Knowing what kind of birthday cakes our favorite athletes have? Does it get any better?
Another Dunk of the Year Candidate
Took some time off for the holidays but will be back and posting regularly again, especially as we move into the second half of the season. To start off, another dunk of the year candidate from Trevor Ariza...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)