New York Knicks Blog – Page 55 – NBA Blog

Carmelo Anthony wishes he could attend Super Bowl

Even NBA stars sometimes suffer off-court disappointments, people. Here’s New York Newsday with an item on Carmelo Anthony:

Carmelo Anthony can’t believe the Super Bowl is so close to home and he won’t be able to go to it.

The Knicks play the Heat at Madison Square Garden Saturday night, but will fly Sunday to Milwaukee. They play the Bucks Monday night, but according to NBA rules teams have to be in the city the night before the game.

“We got to go, man,” Anthony said. “I wish we can go to the Super Bowl. Rarely do we get a chance to participate in the Super Bowl and the events and stuff that’s going on around here.”

Photo: Melo and Kobe talking in New York

Sunday in New York the Knicks hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. With Kobe Bryant and several other Lakers out injured, the Knicks, led by Carmelo Anthony’s 35 points, came away with a 110-103 win.

Will Melo someday bolt New York and join up with Bryant and the Lakers? For now, that’s just baseless speculation, and there’s no concrete reason to believe it’ll happen. While you ponder this, enjoy this photo of Melo and Kobe saying hello after the game:

Beno Udrih may want trade from Knicks

Here’s ESPN New York reporting on the latest Knicks fun:

New York Knicks point guard Beno Udrih has requested a trade, sources told ESPNNewYork.com.

League sources say the 31-year-old veteran communicated his wishes to the Knicks in recent days and the team will try to honor the request.

Udrih signed with the Knicks over the summer for the veteran’s minimum at $1.27 million. At the time, Udrih hoped to be a part of the Knicks’ three point guard rotation along with Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.

Udrih filled in as New York’s point guard while Felton and Prigioni were out with injuries but hasn’t been in the team’s rotation on a consistent basis when both point guards were healthy.

Deron Williams may return today for Nets

Here’s ESPN New York on Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams, who may return today as the team heads to Manhattan to face the New York Knicks:

Deron Williams said he plans to make his return from injury on Monday when the Brooklyn Nets play the New York Knicks.

Williams has missed the last five games since having cortisone shots and platelet-rich plasma injections in both of his ankles. The point guard practiced on Sunday in hopes of returning against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

“That’s the plan,” Williams said.

Coach Jason Kidd said Williams will be a game-time decision and that the team wants to first see how the point guard feels in the morning after practicing.

Tyson Chandler getting over bronchitis

Here’s the New York Post reporting on Knicks center Tyson Chandler having to get rid of an annoying illness:

Knicks center Tyson Chandler revealed he had bronchitis and may make his return Tuesday in Charlotte as a tuneup for Thursday’s showdown in Indiana against rival Roy Hibbert.

Chandler missed his fourth straight game Monday when the Knicks topped the Suns 98-96 in overtime for their fifth straight victory, but finally showed up at the Garden to work out on the court. The Knicks public relations staff had called the illness “an upper respiratory infection.’’

Chandler had been mostly bedridden since the Knicks returned from Texas, a trip during which he pulled himself out of the game in Dallas in the first quarter. The Knicks hadn’t lost since, as they carried a four-game winning streak into Monday’s game.

Melo, D-Cousins receive Player of Week honor

Look. The New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings may not be having the greatest of seasons, this is true. New York is 14-22 this season; Sacramento is 13-22. But both teams have played solid basketball lately. And now the star of each team has received some recognition for their success this week.

Full item: Carmelo Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins named NBA Players of Week

J.R. Smith uncertain of his future with Knicks

Here’s ESPN New York on Knick shooting guard J.R. Smith, who has always been a bit of a loose canon but recently is catching more heat than usual:

In the last two days, J.R. Smith has been benched by the New York Knicks and fined by the NBA.

Suddenly, he is unsure of his future in New York.

“Honestly, I don’t even know at this point. At one point I was for sure, and now it’s rocking the boat,” Smith said after he was benched for the Knicks’ 102-92 win against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. “But it is what it is. It’s the nature of the business.”

The benching came one day after Smith was fined $50,000 by the NBA for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” stemming from his recent shoelace antics.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson wouldn’t comment on why he decided to bench Smith against the Heat. Smith said he showed up to Madison Square Garden expecting to play and never was told by Woodson that he wouldn’t.

Rumor: New York Knicks exploring possible deals for J.R. Smith

Here’s ESPN.com with an update on Knicks guard J.R. Smith:

Knicks may look to trade J.R. Smith later this month

While they acknowledge that a trade may be difficult to pull off, the New York Knicks in recent days began exploring the potential market for guard J.R. Smith, ESPN.com has learned.

Sources close to the situation said Wednesday that the organization has become increasingly frustrated with Smith’s on- and off-the-court transgressions and may feel that a fresh start would be best for all parties.

Smith was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” following his shoelace stunts in the Knicks’ past two games.

Wednesday’s fine didn’t necessarily push the Knicks over the top, but one source with knowledge of the team’s thinking said the organization has become “fed up” with Smith’s erratic behavior.

J.R. Smith fined $50,000 by NBA for trying to untie the shoelaces of opposing players

New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith has been fined $50,000 for recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

During the Knicks’ 92-80 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 5, at American Airlines Center, Smith untied the shoelace of Mavericks’ forward Shawn Marion during a free throw attempt. After Smith was warned by the league office to refrain from further conduct of this nature, he attempted to repeat the action last night during New York’s 89-85 win over the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden.

Metta World Peace has procedure on knees

Here’s the New York Post with an update on New York Knicks forward Metta World Peace:

Metta World Peace said he’s already feeling the good effects from the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) blood-spinning procedure he underwent on his knees Monday.

World Peace, who has played just two games since Dec. 21 because of an arthritic left knee, said he plans to return to the Knicks lineup in two weeks.

Each injection took 30 seconds, and World Peace said he decided to have both knees done.

“It felt pretty good,’’ he said before the Knicks’ 89-85 win over the Pistons Tuesday night at the Garden. “It was weird. It was weird. I was like ‘Wow.’ When I was walking home I said, ‘Wow, it’s kind of cool.’ But I don’t want to test it yet.”