(Source: nbaoffseason)

Jeremy Lin Takes His Talents Down to Houston.

It really sucks to see Jeremy leave the Knicks since he was one of the bright spots of this franchise’s entire history. Particularly, in the last decade, the Knicks have had NOTHING to cheer for. Then comes this Asian dude out of nowhere that not only saves the Knicks’ season and playoff chances, he went on to become a cultural phenomenon in a matter of weeks. His season would end abruptly, missing the playoffs that he almost single-handedly earned for the team (thanks D’Antoni). 

Many Knicks fans are hating on him right now because they see him as a traitor, taking the big money and leaving to Houston to play for a dead end team that dropped him like a hot potato because they overlooked him (it was a smart choice at the time since they had both Dragic and Lowry, who are both gone now). The Knicks were the one team that gave him a chance, but James Dolan let him go splash his feet in the free agency market when he could have signed up for like 5 mil a year for 4 years. What did he expect would happen? This guy went to Harvard and majored in Economics. He’s also a cash cow as Dolan would know better than anybody, so it’s no surprise to anyone that Lin would leave. Don’t even get me started on how Dolan was off trying to get Nash with the garbage pile of Landry Fields, Dan Gadzurich, Toney Douglas, and Jerome Jordan, and essentially cast Lin aside as a backup plan. 

From a basketball standpoint, the decision to get Felton in the trade with Portland was smart. He was formerly a Knick two years ago and thrived in the D’Antoni offense with Amare. He averaged like 17 pts and 9 asts or so. Pretty impressive, but last season he took a dip. He clashed with his coach, Nate McMillan, who didn’t believe in his abilities, and put brick-shot Jamal Crawford in the PG position a lot. His stats and confidence both suffered as a result. Then, his mom became ill and he had to take some games off to tend to her. To finish the season, however, he was putting up awesome numbers. Nearly triple doubles every game (I would know, I had him for fantasy and even dropped him at one point out of frustration). One massive (foreshadowed pun) gripe about him is that he is out of shape and looks like a choad. He absolutely has to get in shape prior to training camp to be effective, otherwise this whole thing would be a bust. He comes a lot cheaper than Lin does and has a championship pedigree under his belt, winning the NCAA championship in 2005. He’s a veteran and knows what it takes to win. The downside is that he’s most likely reached his full potential as a player and has no room to grow, while Lin has the potential to blossom into a top 10 point guard, he certainly has the tools to do so. I mean, come on, he dropped 38 on the Lakers.

It’s hard to make a decision on whether the Knicks made the right move in acquiring Felton and letting Lin leave with nothing in return, as getting Lin back is a big time gamble. He only played like 26 games so it’s hard to go all in on a player you’ve seen so little of. We know what we’ll get with Felton and he fits in more with Woodson’s system. Either way, this Linsanity shit was unbelievable to witness and be a part of and it sucks to see him leave my team. Every feel good story has to come to an end, as perfectly scripted as it may seem. Good luck to Jeremy in Houston, and let’s just hope Felton doesn’t turn out to be an underachiever.

The Mike D’Antoni Effect: Kobe Bryant Edition

Mike D’Antoni has been notorious for running his players into the ground. Starting with the Phoenix Suns (my favorite team in high school), he coached games with 7-8 player rotations all while having them play a run n’ gun style. You could be the fittest person in the world, but you still wouldn’t be able to keep it up. Steve Nash’s back was always an issue back then during those Phoenix days and it still is to some extent, though more low key. Amare Stoudemire came into the league destined to be a top 3 big man and ready to steal the spotlight from Kevin Garnett as the premiere power forward. BAM! The man’s knees and back have crapped out on him. D’Antoni following him to the Knicks was just the cherry on top of a very unfortunate partnership. As if it wasn’t enough that D’Antoni and his system destroyed his defensive instincts and fundamentals. He was essentially taught to lay down and give up easily on defense. As a current Knicks fan, I am bitter about him. Let’s not forget what he did to Jeremy Lin. Poor Jeremy, he bailed out D’Antoni when the team was just absolutely atrocious last year. With Carmelo and Amare both out, he leaned on someone who prior to his coming out party, played only garbage time minutes. He couldn’t even finish the season in tact after playing 40+ grueling minutes every game carrying a team that contained the likes of Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Bill Walker, others, and nearly fooling everyone into thinking Jared Jeffries was a solid offensive player. It was the perfect time to resign from the Knicks when all your players have pretty much been worn out and you ran out of talent. Hey, if he couldn’t win it with an ideal team like the Phoenix Suns of 8 years ago, he sure as hell wouldn’t do it with a superstar that was too lazy and out of shape to run his system (my boy, Carmelo).

I’ve grown up to dislike the Lakers, especially Kobe Bryant. I’ve never been a fan of them since Shaq was around either. Year after year, I watched them knock out all my favorite teams from the playoffs. Iverson and his Sixers, Jason Kidd and his Nets, Rasheed Wallace and the Blazers, Chris Webber and his Kings, Kevin Garnett and his Wolves. Finally, the Detroit Pistons and my other boy, Chauncey, took ‘em down. Still though, my resentment towards them lived on even until now. As a Kobe “hater,” I certainly respect him for his work ethic and as a basketball talent. No basketball fan wanted his Achilles tendon ruptured. No basketball fan wants to see the NBA playoffs not feature one of its best players (slowly forgetting about Derrick Rose because of his extended absence though). D’Antoni coaching the Lakers was something I welcomed, but I didn’t want this. I guess he just happens to find a way to destroy everything for everybody. I shake my head at his existence. Hiring him was a head-scratcher for everybody and it’s pathetic he couldn’t coach this team into a top 4 seed when on paper, it’s an NBA finals contender. All year long, the Lakers endured key injuries (injuries would only be to key players since he only gives minutes to key players). They had it arguably harder than my Knicks who basically played well even without any centers. NO CENTERS NO PROBLEM! It almost feels as if Nash, Gasol, Howard, hardly even got to play and when they did, they just weren’t in sync and were often misused in a system that didn’t suit its personnel. Kobe had no choice, but to play 45 minutes a freakin’ game. It was bound to happen. I was constantly checking my nonexistent watch just waiting for the moment when something in either of his legs to snap. If you didn’t see it coming, you either put Kobe on a celestial pedestal or you have no basic knowledge of the human body. The Western Conference just got significantly less interesting.

Godspeed, Kobe Bryant. Living in Los Angeles, it is perverse that I have yet to see him play at Staples. I hope I haven’t lost that opportunity. 

A New York Knicks Championship Caliber season?? And Melo for MVP?!

Wow this season is just a dream come true. I haven’t even ever been a fan of a team that went to the NBA finals barring Allen Iverson’s Sixers when they went to the finals against the Lakers in 2001. Since then, it’s just been playoffs and then first round eliminations more or less. I was a Kings fan because of Chris Webber. I loved how they played too and that playoff atmosphere in Sacramento was amazing even though Sac-Town is notoriously known as a boring place. Lakers schooled them in what seemed like for years through tough heartbreaking games and dagger game-winning shots (fuck you Robert Horry). Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves brought me some okay years. At least they made the playoffs and got pretty deep with the help of Sam “Alien Head” Cassell and Latrell “I Can’t Put Bread on the Table with $15/year” Sprewell. It was the year when they got to the Western Conference Playoffs and then lost to the Lakers in a mismatch series. After, was when I followed the Suns with Nash and Stoudemire. That resulted in me hating the Spurs after a bunch of bullshit series with bad officiating and bad luck. Then the Nuggets with Melo and my then favorite player, Chauncey Billups. They brought me a really good season in 2009 when they got to the Western Conference Playoffs and lost to the Lakers in 6 games. I hope you can really see why I really hate the Lakers even though I live in Los Angeles. 

So now, after following the Knicks closely for the past 3 years, I’m being rewarded. Props to all the die hard fans who have been there since the beginning and all that shit, but let’s face it: half of them were against the Melo trade and I swear 75% of Knick fans don’t know shit about basketball or the Knicks based on what I see in Robin Lundberg’s segment where he just goes around New York interviewing random fans for their opinions on issues surrounding the team. While we’re talking about the media, seriously, fuck you Stephen A. Smith. If I ever see a column of you where you are back on the Knicks’ bandwagon I will go over to New York and bitch slap you myself. Keep on riding the Brooklyn hype (I know they’re good, but look, we just spanked them again). 

I’m just going to analyze some key players and their importance to the success:

Carmelo Anthony: To me, and most of the league, it comes down to Carmelo and Kevin Durant for MVP. It’s pretty early to say, but man, Melo is really stepping it up. He’s playing defense, he’s scoring more than KD, he’s lost weight and become faster, yet somehow stronger. His 3 point shooting is unbelievably lights out with a noticeably more quick release. He does all the little things now and I would say the Knicks can actually beat the Thunder. I REALLY CAN’T WAIT FOR THAT MATCHUP TO HAPPEN THIS SEASON. Most important player on the best team in the league goes to Melo, sorry KD.

J.R. Smith: He’s the new Jamal Crawford. Jamal Crawford was a good offensive player who used to chuck up some bonehead questionable shots. His FG % was something like 37%. I had him for fantasy basketball in ‘08 and he would straight up run that category into the ground. Nowadays, he won Sixth Man of the Year with Portland (though now he’s on the Clippers and still playing incredibly well). This is largely in part due to his much improved shot selection. J.R. Smith is that more mature version of Jamal Crawford now, but Smith has more talent. He’s taking much better shots and his maturation as a player just escalates the Knicks dramatically, when Melo is on the bench. Good job, J.R. 

Jason Kidd: When the Knicks acquired him over the offseason, first thing that happens is he gets a DUI. All that has been forgotten now as he is one of the main reasons the Knicks are so great this year. He shows that age is just a number. His intelligence makes up for any lack of athleticism. His great hands make up for any lack of speed. His 3 point shooting has improved so much that the commentators never shut up about it. 

Tyson Chandler: GORILLA DUNKS EVERYWHERE. I love what Tyson has brought to the team these past two years. Defensive anchor, shot blocker (though he can improve, he gets me some fairly weak numbers in blocks), decent FT shooting, alley-oops ALL DAY, he knows his limits and has amazing FG % (because he dunks all day), and so many intangibles such as toughness and that championship pedigree. Keep running train on everyone, Tyson.

Steve Novak: Love him to death with that 3 point shooting. I kind of wish he could expand his game though. In the regular season, it’s all nice and stuff, but it won’t pay off until he does it in the playoffs. He’s getting paid a pretty hefty salary so I feel it’s okay to bash on him OKAY?? Once again, love him to death. I go nuts whenever he swishes a 3, partly because he was on my fantasy team at one point.

Raymond Felton: Obligatory mentioning of Jeremy Lin. Felton has largely made us forget about Jeremy Lin. Yes, Lin’s ceiling is high, but Felton is proven. He’s in shape (no more Pillsbury Doughboy jokes for now), he’s smart, he’s a good passer, a good teammate, and he knocks it down from the 3 point line. He’s exactly what we needed. He can definitely pick up his shooting percentage as of late, though.

Ronnie Brewer: I love his defense. I was glad that we were pursuing him in the offseason. I just wish he was a better shooter from deep. He has such a hanging release too. Oh well, if he plays tough defense, I’m happy as a clam. We have other offensive weapons anyway.

Pablo Prigioni: I liked what I saw from him with Argentina in the Olympics. He’s basically Jason Kidd Jr. He’s not as great of a shooter and he’s pretty reluctant to shoot it at all, but he’s smart, and doesn’t turn it over much. All positives and I’m glad he’s with us as the oldest rookie at 35.

Chris Copeland: I wasn’t really going to mention him much, but just based on his recent success, I will. The night when we lost to the Rockets, he got 29 points filling in for Melo. I remember watching a YouTube video of him when we first signed him and he was a really good offensive player. It showed when he started playing for us, but one thing I will say negatively about him is that he’s very clumsy on defense. He has a hard time following anyone driving in and his footwork and lateral movement look bad to the point where every step it kind of looks like he’s going to trip on himself. At least we have another offensive weapon right?

James White: He gets a lot more playing time than he deserves. Every time I see him play he does nothing.

Kurt Thomas: He can still hit that mid range jumper. Nice. Defensively he’s okay, but very very very slow.

Rasheed Wallace: Love his attitude which we all knew we would get. Can occasionally hit that 3, but just his semi-ability for shooting really gives teams a hard time when they have to respect it and come out instead of boxing out. Defensively, he’s solid because of his length.

The reason why the Knicks are built for a championship run unlike last year is because of the make-up of our team. Grunwald has done an excellent job this offseason. I remember applauding every player we got aside from the draft (which was kind of a waste of a pick). We surrounded Melo with the right players. We didn’t need more ball-hoggers. We needed people to be able to hold their own and shut down defensively and we needed those same players to be able to hit the 3. We also needed people who can rebound and are willing to do the dirty work. Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace, along with Tyson fill that role okay. As a team, we can definitely improve in the rebounding though.

Right now, the Knicks are a top 3 team in the league and let’s keep it that way. It all comes down to whether we can get the #1 seed and optimize our chances of beating the Heat. Every other team in the East are just okay. The Pacers are good, but they’re just not there yet. The Nets are good, but not as good as us. The Celtics are quickly becoming an afterthought. The Hawks are the Hawks. Chicago plays their heart out, but it all rests on the shoulders of Derrick Rose and #TheReturn. Only Memphis, Miami, and Oklahoma City really stand in the way of the Knicks championship in my eyes. All year long even before the season started I was telling my friends how stacked the Knicks are. Then all I hear is “Lakers are stacked.” Well I hate to say I told you so. I REALLY DO. I hate saying it so I won’t say it. I fully expect the Lakers to be there in the playoffs though, which was a conversation I never thought I would have this season…questioning whether they’re making it to the playoffs or not. 

The return of Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert will be interesting. We know for sure that Shumpert, as long as he comes back 100% and ready to shut down the likes of Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Derrick Rose, we should become even better defensively and overall. Amare is the big question mark though. I’m so glad he openly says he’s all aboard with coming off the bench and being our sixth man. Our bench would be amazing. J.R. Smith in the backcourt with Prigioni manning the point, then Amare and hopefully Camby in the frontcourt. Let’s throw in Novak and sometimes Copeland in the 3 spot, but then that would hurt our overall defense. Whatever we should be fine. I CAN’T STRESS HOW STACKED WE ARE!

P.S. This is an extremely long post because I’ve had blue balls for writing about the Knicks since it’s the first time I’ve done so all season long. I haven’t written about the Jets either, but I will probably eventually get to it. God…that’s gonna be depressing.

I can’t even get stats like that in NBA 2K12, man. Took him 14 minutes, too. Get ‘em Melo.