Category: New York Knicks Blog

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Knicks handle Sixers in New York

It wasn’t a pretty game, but Friday night in Madison Square Garden the New York Knicks, thanks to a balanced scoring effort and a good game from Zach Randolph, beat the Philadelphia 76ers 89-81.

For the Knicks, who have played well lately, Jamal Crawford (just 6-of-19) had 18 points and 5 assists. Zach Randolph (8-of-12) had 16 points and 15 rebounds. David Lee (6-of-8) had 14 points, Nate Robinson 13, and Eddy Curry 11.

For the struggling Sixers, Andre Iguodala (10-of-20) had 24 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, Willie Green (just 5-of-13) scored 13 points, Samuel Dalembert 12 with just 5 rebounds, and Andre Miller had 10 points with 6 assists.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line and three-point range. The Knicks controlled the glass. And they had 22 assists, while the Sixers only totaled 14.

“I just think, right now, we are playing again with a lot more trust,” said Knicks president and head coach Isiah Thomas. “We have good shot distribution. Everyone feels a part of the game.”

Randolph was especially impressive. “He had a nice offensive game,” said Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks.

Iguodala recognized Crawford’s scoring ability: “Crawford is good. He can shoot.”

Crawford continues to nail tons of tough, off-balance, outside jumpers, often with time running out on the clock. It’s an impressive skill.

Fred Jones didn’t play for the Knicks. He has flu-like symptons. Also, Stephon Marbury is out for a long time after surgery.

The Knicks are now 10-14 at home. And the Sixers have now lost 7 of their last 8 road games.

New York now heads out West for a five game road trip. They face tough competition and could rack up several losses.

Only the Miami Heat are lower than the Knicks and 76ers in the Eastern conference standings.

Larry Brown says Knicks spied on him

The AP reports: Coaching the New York Knicks made Larry Brown feel like he was being watched. Brown accused the Knicks of having “spies throughout the arena” during his one season with the team in a story in the February issue of “Philadelphia” magazine. Brown also complained about the way he was treated by the organization. “Imagine when you get to work, they don’t talk to you,” he said. “They had security people standing close to me in press conferences, and spies throughout the arena.”

Barbosa victim of trade hoax

The East Valley Tribune reports: By the end of the day, Leandro Barbosa was laughing about a practical joke that had him scurrying around the team’s Beverly Hills hotel Thursday. But for a while, a phone hoax that had Barbosa believing he was traded to the New York Knicks was no laughing matter. Barbosa, who made the mistake of registering under his own name, was in his room when he received an anonymous phone call “informing him” of a trade, and telling him he needed to meet Suns general manager Steve Kerr in the hotel lobby.

MSG-produced Knicks game to be in HD on NBC4 HD

This is local news for the NYC area:

MSG, a premier sports and entertainment network, will partner with NBC4 HD in New York to air the New York Knicks game against the Boston Celtics on Monday, January 21 at 1:00 p.m.

The matchup will be produced by MSG and air in high-definition. MSG announcers will call the action, with Mike Breen on play-by-play and Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier serving as analyst. After the game concludes on NBC4 HD, a half-hour post-game show will air on MSG followed by an “In 60” version of the matchup.

New York Knicks basketball is directed by Howie Singer and produced by Spencer Julien. Jeff Filippi serves as coordinating producer for the Knicks.

Wizards-Knicks connections

Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld was formerly the Knicks’ top personnel executive from 1991-99…  Knicks forward Jared Jeffries was drafted by Washington 11th overall in 2002…  Eddie Jordan was an assistant coach in New Jersey when current Knicks guard Stephon Marbury was a Net…  Antonio Daniels was teammates with Knicks forward Zach Randolph in Portland in 2002-03…  Daniels and Knicks forward Malik Rose were teammates in San Antonio from 1998-2002…  Daniels and Jerome James were teammates in Seattle from 2003-05.

Chauncey Billups On The Knicks:

The question was put to Chauncey Billups after Detroit was beaten by 24 points on Sunday at MSG.

“Are the Knicks really as bad as their record indicates?”

“No, no, no,” he replied adamently.  “They’ve got some really good players over there.  Really good players.  For them, it’s just about finding the right mix.  They are as talented as anyone in the league -from 1 to 15.  But, talent [alone] don’t win too many games around here.  You’ve got to become a unit.  That’s what makes a great team.  

“When I got here [2002], Detroit already had what it took to be a great team; that’s the reason I came here.  I felt like I was one of the players who could continue what they had going on.  The year before, they had won 50 games.  They had the Coach of the Year in [Rick] Carlisle, Sixth Man of the Year in Corliss [Williamson], and Defensive Player of the Year in Ben [Wallace].  They were on the way up; personally, I was on my way up, too.  I thought it would be a perfect marriage.  As soon as I got here, man, I realized the culture in this locker room, and how Joe Dumars did it.  There’s a trickle-down effect.  I have believed that ever since.

[Note: Dumars would win Executive of the Year the following season]. 

“I don’t know what [the Knicks] have got going on over there.  So, I can’t speak for them.  But, they have talented players, and they’ve got a coach in Zeke, who has seen every battle, and every war.  They can learn from him.  That’s all I know.  I’m on the outside looking in.  I can’t speak for anything else, to be honest.”     

          

Another Gem From The Prophet Isiah…

“The bright spots still come from our younger guys, in terms of their energy and effort.  How long will it be [before we are successful] ?  I can’t answer that.  What we will continue to try to do throughout the remainder of the season is set the standard of work ethic in terms of who plays out on the floor, and how hard they play.  If we can continue to try to build on that, and find players who just want to give all out effort on every single play, future generations will reap the benefits from this culture we are trying to build here.  Hopefully, there will be a championship that follows that, but we have to build a culture.”     

Random Thoughts on Isiah, Knicks

Recently, Isiah Thomas said the NBA is geared toward smaller, quicker teams.   Thomas, with a propensity for going against the grain, decided it was prudent to team Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry.  Thomas’ statement seems to contradict his logic, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Randolph’s acquisition has defied expectations.

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More on Curry and Randolph.  It seems to me that there is only one tangible resolution for working these two in the line-up.  Play them separately, and have D Lee on the floor with Curry to protect the boards.  It is clear that Randolph and Curry each need the ball to be effective.  While neither one passes particularly well, at least they’ll both be interested parties instead of watching what the other will do.

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I asked Thomas two questions over the last two pre-game conferences, and each question was promptly rejected by the coach.  On Friday, vs. the Raptors, I wondered [aloud] if he has any intentions of playing Wilson Chandler or Randolph Morris any time soon.  I thought it was a fair question. 

“Not right now,” Thomas said without much thought. 

After all, Thomas did tout these kids as 1A and 1B among his draft picks.  With the Knicks currently at 10-26, and not on the playoff map, wouldn’t he want to know if these guys can play?  

If they haven’t shown much during practice, it could be because some athletes are just better ‘game’ players than ‘practice’ players.  So, why not give ’em some playing time?  There is absolutely nothing to lose -aside from more games, which the Knicks will more than likely do anyway. 

Same ol’ story.  The guy with the big contract will usually get the big minutes.  If Thomas feels obligated to play the guy who makes more, that’s certainly his perrogative.  

But, keep in mind, that during Lee’s breakout season [2006-07], he was the second lowest paid player on the Knicks.

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The other question was asked yesterday, before the tip vs. the Pistons. 

“Have you regretted any moves in assembling this present roster?

“We can talk about that in the summer,” Thomas replied.  “Not tonight.”

I’ll be there to ask the question again.  But, will he be there to answer?

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Judge dismisses petiton against future Brooklyn arena

The AP reports: A judge threw out a petition by neighbourhood groups to stop the US$4 billion redevelopment of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards, where construction of an arena for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets is planned. U.S. State Supreme Court Justice Joan Madden ruled Friday that developers of the 22-acre site did enough studies on the impact of traffic, crowds, potential terrorism and other environmental factors on the area to satisfy legal requirements. The petitioners, a coalition of 26 neighbourhood groups, had claimed they would be “directly affected” and “harmed by the substantial adverse environmental impacts of a project of such enormous scale.”