Nets vs. Knicks 11/30--Players to Watch

The Knicks and Nets will look to renew their local rivalry tonight as the Nets visit the Knicks at MSG. Not only are both teams visibly improved on the court this season, but the stakes are higher than ever as the two teams continue trade jabs at each other through various ads, with the Nets looking to bite off a piece of the hometown fan-pie when they move to Brooklyn in 2012.

A pair of former Stanford teammates will find themselves on opposite sides of the court as well tonight, thus beginning a new rivalry. They are, subsequently, Knicks Journal's "Players to Watch" in tonight's game.

Landry Fields, Knicks-- Everyone around the NBA knew going into the season the type of value the likes of Amare Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, and Raymond Felton would have on the Knicks this season. True Knicks' fans, however, are quickly learning the value of Landry Fields.

While the other players may be the more starring attractions, it is Fields who has become the team's "X Factor" almost overnight. Though he has been able to fill out a well distributed stat-sheet the last several games, his presence can be felt regardless. Look for his leaping rebounding ability to be a major factor tonight.


Brook Lopez, Nets-- Unlike his former Stanford teammate, Fields, Brook Lopez is the starring attraction for the up and coming Nets. Often recognized as the steal of his draft class, Lopez is able to use his 7'0 to shoot over his defenders with ease. Tied for the team's scoring lead with 18.2 points per game, look for Lopez to be featured tonight against the Knicks' weaker defensive big men.

Lopez, himself, is also a more than accurate defender, but not as dominant of a rebounder. Luckily for him, many of the Knicks' big men are equally as weak on the boards.

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Will Fields out-rebound Lopez tonight? Will the Knicks come out on top vs. the rival Nets? Tune in to MSG tonight to find out.

Is an Antoine Walker Signing a Positive Development for NBA D-League?

If the rumors are true, former NBA star Antoine Walker is close to signing with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA’s 16-team Development League.

While Walker does have one thing in common with most of the league’s players (he is hoping to catch on with a NBA team), their circumstances are undeniably different.

A bevy of legal issues has made Walker almost an afterthought of the NBA. While his last NBA stint was the 2007-08 season with the Timberwolves, Walker is most known for being the starring attraction of the Celtics during the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as for winning a championship with the Heat in 2006.

Knicks fans will certainly remember Walker, however, as the sharpest dagger in their hearts (aside from Reggie Miller) during his playing days. Although his Celtics did not battle the Knicks deep into the playoffs like the Pacers did, Walker still made his presence felt. He consistently provided the Knicks with heartbreak.

Coming through in the clutch, Walker could always be depended on to hit those stifling three-pointers late in games to pester the Knicks.

Alas, that was often during the regular season, but the three-time all-star certainly made his impression as a thorn in the side of Knicks fans felt to this very day.

Boasting career averages of 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, there’s certainly the chance that Walker, who sources say “looks as fit as he has for some time,” could build on his experience and knowledge to be an effective player again.

But is the D-League the place to start his uphill journey back to the NBA?

Bypassing the route of playing overseas to resurrect his career, like his draft classmates Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury have done as of late, Walker will instead reportedly join a league that features some of basketball’s youngest and/or hungriest players.

NBA prospects, who are not interested in attending college during their one-year mandated moratorium, are also encouraged to participant in the D-League.

Not only are all of the D-League’s players fighting for a chance at the NBA, they are also all looking for ways to improve their game (hence, the league’s name). The D-League is the NBA’s minor league of sorts, where players are often there because NBA teams do not feel that they are ready to play at the higher level.

In that regard, however, the league may be a perfect fit for Walker, who failed to gain a training camp invitation from the Bobcats this past fall.

The D-League could be a good opportunity for Walker to showcase his abilities, should he dominate the various prospects using the skills and instincts he perfected during his 12-year career.

However, should he struggle, getting beat by other players, whom have had trouble catching on with NBA teams as well, would in no way be a good look for Walker.

Barring Walker’s intentions, is letting him play beneficial for the D-League? Sure, all the attention regarding Walker’s comeback may provide the league exposure. But does letting a player like him in the league follow through with their mission?

After all, the D-League prides itself on building up young (many more than 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Walker) prospects, helping them hone their skills as they strive for a call-up to the NBA. Since its inception, the D-League has produced solid NBA players such as Matt Barnes, Kelenna Azubuike and Shannon Brown.

In fact, Barnes and Brown, both currently on the championship-defending Lakers, have come to be two fantastic role players, crucial to what makes a team like the Lakers so successful.

Should a former star like Walker catch on a team like that, his value would figure to be from his veteran leadership, not his ability to willingly and effectively fit into a role.

That being said, the D-League has employed the likes of Randy Livingston, a struggling NBA guard, who at 32 became a D-League MVP. His experience prompted his former team, the Stampede (ironically, Walker’s potential team), to hire him as their current head coach.

The Nets recently sent rising star Terence Williams to the D-League as a means of a demotion for disciplinary reasons.

Also making D-League headlines this season is Antonio Daniels, another 12-year NBA veteran who caught on with the league hopeful for a NBA return. He is averaging close to a triple-double during 42 minutes per game through the first three games of the season.

Is it right for players past their prime, like Walker and Daniels, to be eating up minutes originally primed for much younger players, arguably with brighter NBA futures? Whether it is right or wrong, teams are surely to take notice of the bigger and more familiar names.

Should they both succeed, the two could be seeing NBA returns this season.

Landry Fields: Why He's Been Crucial to the Success of the New York Knicks

While not far into his rookie season, Landry Fields has already accomplished something rather significant; he’s gone from being unrecognized by ESPN’s Chad Ford, to becoming rapidly known as one of the league’s best rookies.

Fields, selected by the Knicks with the 39^th overall pick of this past summer’s draft, was nowhere close to being put on Ford’s well recognized “Top 100” prospects board.

As Fields has successfully been doing all the little things for the Knicks this season, it may have been reasonable to say that the type of impact he makes could not measured in statistics, had he not led the Pac-10 division in scoring as a senior at Stanford last season.

Though his scoring was evident at Stanford, Fields has settled in perfectly on a Knicks squad that already includes multiple offensive weapons. Instead, he has earned a starting nod every game thus far this season by being the ultimate team player.

Fields is proving to be the type of player every good (or even great) team needs, perhaps ala Shane Battier. His offensive skills may be more fine-tuned, and he may not be as lockdown of a defender quite yet, but the intangibles he provides results in Fields and Battier being quite similar.

In fact, Fields may be more of an aggressive rebounder as well. So far this season, he has had no problems leaping up for boards, often connecting on put-back buckets on the offensive end. That type of rebounding (especially for a player his size) is something the Knicks have sorely missed for several seasons. It shows, too, as Fields’ 7.2 rebounds per game is second on the team, only to Amare Stoudemire.

On offense, Fields is quickly figuring out his role. While the Knicks have other primary options, the fact of the matter is Fields can certainly shoot the basketball. Often forgotten about and/or left open when opponents set to double-team Stoudemire or Danilo Gallinari, Fields has been able to knock down jumpers time and time again, shooting 55% from the field this season. His aggressiveness towards the hoop, in addition to those put-back buckets and converted jumpers, has also led to an 11.1 point per game average going into Tuesday’s game against the Nets.

As the team’s starting two-guard (essentially in place of Wilson Chandler, whom is highly regarded as the Knicks best wing defender), Fields has often been tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player, so far able to hold his own, even as a rookie.

Coming from a Stanford program led by Coach Johnny Dawkins, Fields has an extremely high basketball IQ. His instincts have certainly proven that they can be trusted. In fact, he constantly looks calm on the court and his fundamentals can sometimes appear to be in place more so than Gallinari, who may still yet be adjusting to the American game. The Knicks drafted Fields after he spent the full four years at Stanford, a rarity among young players coming into the NBA these days. His maturity is visibly sky high.

Among rookies this season, Fields is a top-three player in several categories (if not, then a top-10 player in the rest), including points, rebounds, and double-doubles. It should be noted that Fields often trails in categories to Blake Griffin, who sat out last season, his supposed original rookie season, due to injury. Knicks fans should not be surprised if Fields finds his way to NBA All-Star Weekend (for the Rookie-Sophomore game, of course) in Los Angeles before the likes of Stoudemire and Raymond Felton.

Regardless of whether or not Fields is a rookie, he is undeniably making a serious pro-level impact on the Knicks. He truly is doing it all for the Knicks; a little bit of everything as he has quickly become of the team’s all around better players.

While Stoudemire may be the team’s star, and Felton their floor general, it’s a player like Fields that will help elevate the Knicks to a consistent winning mentality, playing a major role during crucial moments of big games as he has already proven to do thus far into the season.

Knicks Win Double OT Nail Biter Over Pistons

The Knicks 125-116 win against the Pistons was truly a nail biter; not only because it took them two overtimes to come away with the victory, but because that same victory almost alluded them numerous times.

The team failed to put the game away from the beginning, never pulling away from a Pistons team that the ever improving Knicks should expect to beat. Instead, four out of five Knicks' starters played 50+ plus minutes as they grinded out a win, fighting tooth and nail with a Pistons' squad that is led by aging stars Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince.

The Knicks also received a blast from their not so pleasant (yet, not so far behind) past as Tracy McGrady scorched them for a season-high 13 points, all in the first half. T-Mac looked the best he's looked dating back to his Knicks debut of 26 points in February.

It was Prince, however, who was the thorn in the Knicks' side late in the game. On his way to 31 points (his highest scoring output since a career-high 34 points during his 2007-08 season debut), Prince knocked down jumpers and drove into the lane again and again, connecting on each shot almost unconsciously. He also single-handedly kept his team in the game, hitting clutch shots to send the game to an initial overtime, and then a second one after that.

The Knicks are lucky Prince and the Pistons finally ran out of gas in the second-overtime, as the Knicks looked equally as exhausted towards the end. Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields, and Wilson Chandler all hit big time three pointers to finally put the Pistons away.

With Ronny Turiaf and Toney Douglas both sitting out due to injury, Coach D'Antoni was forced to play his starters (whom included Wilson Chandler, in for Turiaf) extra minutes, seemingly overexerting them all.

Amare Stoudemire led four Knicks with 20+ points, scoring 37 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and dishing out a season high 7 assists in a career high 54 minutes. Gallinari and Chandler both added 20 points a piece.

Raymond Felton, the Knicks rapidly improving floor general, played through a stomach flu of his own, dishing and swishing for 23 points and 11 points in 53 minutes. It will be interesting if Monday's day off will be enough for Felton to be ready again to play against the Nets on Tuesday.

The lack of bodies did, however, mean increased time on the court for non-rotation players Roger Mason Jr. and Anthony Randolph. Shawne Williams also made his Knicks debut, tipping in a basket for 2 points in six plus minutes.

Rookie Racket: Landry Fields continued his impressive play as an unsung hero for the Knicks, scoring 16 points, also contributing 11 boards and 6 dimes in 51 minutes, the most by a NBA rookie since Derrick Rose's 55 in 2009, the latter part of his rookie year.

As impressive as Fields has been, that's how detrimental Timofey Mozgov has been. Mozgov continued to rack up the turnovers with three (and three fouls, too) in just 8 minutes. He does the Knicks more bad than good on the court. The D-League and/or more developmental time in practice should seriously be considered.

Knicks Look to Avenge Loss to Hawks

With the Knicks already underway in Detroit against the Pistons, take a look at their loss to the Hawks from yesterday that snapped an impressive five game winning streak.

via NBA.com

Hawks-Knicks notebook

By Mike Vorkunov, for NBA.com Posted Saturday November 27, 2010 4:09PM

THE FACTS: Behind Jamal Crawford's 21 points off the bench, the Atlanta Hawks withstood a spirited third-quarter run and took a Saturday matinee 99-90 from the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

QUOTABLE: "I was talking a lot of trash to the fans and they made me look good." -- Hawks forward Josh Smith about how his teammates picked up the win despite him playing only 23 minutes due to foul trouble.

THE STAT: In his first appearance in New York since flirting with them as a free agent this summer, Joe Johnson didn't make them forlorn for failing to sign him. He shot just 3-of-15 from the floor and missed all six of 3-point attempts. Johnson scored seven points, after averaging 24.5 against them last season.

TURNING POINT: With the Knicks on a 9-0 run and having worked their way back from an 18-point halftime deficit, the momentum was all theirs despite the Hawks having a 75-71 lead. But when Crawford nailed a corner 3-pointer with 10:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Atlanta took back control of the game and never let it back up.

QUOTABLE II: "That's the one that can keep the pressure off of you." -- Jamal Crawford on the 3-pointer he made that was the turning point of the game.

NOT: The Knicks have found themselves an identity this year: they tend to live and die by how well they shoot from beyond the arc. During their five-game winning streak, they hit at least 40 percent of their 3-pointers in every game. But against the Hawks they hit just 4-of-15 from long distance (26.7 percent).

Fields and Turiaf Come Up Big as Knicks Beat Bobcats

During the Knicks' 3-1 road trip, Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton each received high praise for their strong play.

On Tuesday night, however, when the Knicks returned home to host the Bobcats, it was a couple of unsung heroes who led the team to victory.

Rookie sensation Landry Fields and Ronny Turiaf both came up big in the 4th quarter as they helped the Knicks seal a 110-107 win.

Although the Knicks led the Bobcats the entire game since early in the first quarter, their control on the game seemed to waver in the 4th quarter as the Bobcats made an offensive run. With a double-digit lead, Knicks' coach Mike D'Antoni played a lineup that included Timofey Mozgov, Bill Walker, and a struggling Wilson Chandler as the team's lead quickly began to quickly slip away.

While some may praise Mozgov's defense in his nine-plus minutes on the court last night, others will find it appropriate to criticize his high level of confusion on the court. Clearly not yet comfortable with Coach D'Antoni's system, Mozgov is constantly stagnant while on the hardwood. He slows up the entire offense, and his confusion is apparently infectious. He is becoming a liability on the floor and it showed as his team struggled late in last night's game.

With Stoudemire in trouble with five fouls and Felton experiencing some back pain, D'Antoni depended on Fields and Turiaf late in the game. While not usually a part of his coach's 4th quarter rotation, Fields went on an offensive spurt, scoring 7 straight points (for a total of 14), helping the Knicks' regain a more comfortable lead.

Turiaf, whose energy level has not yet ceased to excite the Garden this season, continued to be a forced to be reckoned with on defense; he once again threw his body around all game on his way to two blocked shots. More surprisingly (but just as clutch, of course) was his season-high 12 points on a very efficient 6-6 from the field.

Moreover, after knocking the Bobcats' Gerald Wallace down on defense, Turiaf lent a helping hand, offering to help his opponent up, rather than run down the court on offense. Some may criticize him for helping the enemy, but that immense display of sportsmanship was classic Ronny Turiaf.

Struggling throughout the game, Stoudemire added 17 points and 7 rebounds. Playing through back pain, Felton added 16 points and 9 assists, and furthermore, is expected to play in his hometown against his former team, the Bobcats, tonight.

Toney Douglas continued to regain his impressive offense form, quietly leading the Knicks in scoring with 22 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 7 shots from down town.

Bobcats vs. Knicks 11/23--Players to Watch

The Knicks will look to continue a three game winning streak as they return home to host the Bobcats tonight. Here are some players that figure to be key in tonight's matchup.


Raymond Felton, Knicks-- The Knicks' point guard faces his former team for the first time tonight, and will return home to North Carolina tomorrow night as the Bobcats play the Knicks, this time hosting them.

The momentum is certainly flowing in Felton's favor, as he is proving that when he begins to gel, so do the Knicks. Playing his best basketball of this season during the team's road trip, Felton will certainly set out to prove that he is better suited for the Knicks' uptempo system, rather than the paced offense ran by Coach Larry Brown in Charlotte. Should he succeed during this split-turf doubleheader, his new team should as well.

Gerald Wallace, Bobcats-- One of the best defensive players in the league, Wallace figures to be a thorn in the Knicks' side tonight as they look to continue their offensive onslaught. Wallace is the type of player that will throw his body around, leaping in all directions if it means he can throw his opponents off balance.

While the Knicks may be able negate the impact of players like Stephen Jackson and D.J. Augustin by simply outscoring them, Wallace is a player the team will truly have to overcome by altering their game plan if the team wants to win.

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Welcome Back, Nazr!

Knicks fans should remember Bobcats starting center Nazr Mohammed, who spent parts of two seasons with the Knicks in 2003-2005.

Mohammed, who is having a solid campaign thus far for Charlotte, can perhaps best be remembered for actually being relatively successful during the pick and roll (something the Knicks' are still currently striving to be) with the then-Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury.

Mohammed was traded by the Knicks to the Spurs prior to the 2005 trading deadline for veteran Malik Rose and a draft choice that turned out to be David Lee.

Raymond Felton Evolving Into Prime D'Antoni-Esque Point Guard for the Knicks

At the beginning of this past summer, signing a point guard was not in the Knicks’ plans. The team obviously had eyes for LeBron James, who in addition to being able to run the floor himself almost at all times, would have also demanded a major chunk of the Knicks' cap room. Toney Douglas (coming off an impressive but raw rookie season) was set to occupy a place in the starting lineup next to LeBron.

Instead, the Knicks signed Amar’e Stoudemire (and various role players) and used the rest of their remaining cap space on Raymond Felton.

Not completely sold on the idea that Felton was their point guard of the future, the Knicks only granted him a two-year guaranteed contract.

While things may have gotten off to a shaky start, the Knicks may want to start thinking about making a longer investment on the newly appointed [Coach Mike] D’Antoni-disciple.

Although Stoudemire was just named “Eastern Conference Player of the Week” for his stellar play during the Knicks’ 3-1 Western Conference road trip, one could argue Felton actually led the way.

In addition to elevating his offensive game by averaging 22.5 points, Felton was able to effectively get his teammates involved, averaging eight assists. Not to be overlooked, he was also a pest on defense, averaging 3.3 steals—a statistic that surely led to more offensive opportunities for the Knicks. The team certainly felt his impact.

In fact, it was NBA veteran-turned analyst Kenny Smith who said prior to the season (referring to Felton’s performance) that "17 points and eight assists will get the Knicks over the top." While his numbers during the Knicks’ recent surge certainly more than reflect Smith’s prediction, Felton’s overall season numbers are not too far off. Though he is actually superseding Smith’s suggested point average at 17.6, Felton is averaging just a hair under eight assists.

Smith also went on to mention that he felt as though Stoudemire, on his own, would add five victories to the Knicks’ win column. However, Felton is proving just as important to the team's win total as STAT as of late.

The two had struggled to build chemistry on the court early on, but Felton’s ownership of the importance of a point guard in D’Antoni’s system has already benefited them both.

Embracing his role as his new coach’s floor general, Felton is learning how to be an effective leader. As the season has progressed, he has visibly grown more confident and aggressive. While that confidence has to do with forming a sense of comfort with his teammates, it also has to do with Felton taking smarter shots for himself. By being aggressive, he has also been able to drive to the basket with ease more so than any Knicks point guard in recent seasons.

The point guard and power forward positions are the keys to success in D’Antoni’s system. Communication between Felton and Stoudemire is crucial. However, the mutual understanding between the Knicks has not always been present this season. The team appears to set up plays too quickly at times, with not enough players on the floor ready to execute.

With time, the pick and roll will come to be as effective as it should be in this system. Should the Knicks’ co-captains begin to lead by example, teammates like Landry Fields and Timofey Mozgov (who are both, granted, learning the NBA game in general as rookies) will cease to clog up the lane, no longer preventing a more fluent pick and roll.

That being said, in two seasons under D’Antoni, even Chris Duhon and David Lee made the pick and roll look like a thing of beauty at times. The problem was that the fluidity was not consistently there.

And that is where Felton becomes so important, because he is undoubtedly an upgrade over Duhon at the point. While the learning curve may not be lightning-quick, the increased success for Felton under D’Antoni is evident. As the team continues to improve, there is no reason why the communication between Felton and Stoudemire cannot be as strong as the type Stoudemire had with Steve Nash while on the Suns.

That type of coherent communication is bound to lead to win thing for the Knicks: success.

Rautins to Play in D-League?

Although Knicks' coach Mike D'Antoni said during preseason that his team was deep enough for him to play up to eleven players per game, he has since trimmed his rotation down to a more common nine guys, and rookie Andy Rautins seems to be one of the odd men out.

via MSG.com

One player you might not be seeing on the Knick bench for much longer is rookie Andy Rautins. D’Antoni told reporters yesterday that the team is considering sending Rautins to the Knicks’ D-League affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts so he’ll have an opportunity to get some experience playing point guard. Any such move probably won’t happen until the Knicks return from their current West Coast trip.

With the Knicks already loaded at shooting guard (Kelenna Azubuike is set to return from his knee injury and players like Roger Mason Jr. and Bill Walker are still sparring for minutes in the rotation), the team was hoping Rautins could eat up some minutes at the one and evolve into a more traditional point guard.

Unfortunately for Rautins, Raymond Felton and Toney Douglas have been more than sufficient taking up all the time at the position thus far. Here at Knicks Journal, I have been raving all week about the kind of leader Felton has become on the court. Douglas, however, is more of a scoring guard, so there is certainly the opportunity for Rautins to play, should he develop more of an effective passing and strong ball-handling centered skill-set.

Until then, while Rautins may be known as one of the team's purest shooters, the minutes simply are not there.

More to come on Felton's evolution and whether or not the D-League is the right place for Rautins this week on Knicks Journal.

Until then, follow Knicks Journal on Twitter!

Blake Griffin Dominates Knicks But Clippers Come Up Empty

On Friday night, Raymond Felton displayed remarkable athleticism in one of the flashiest performances of this young NBA season as the Knicks defeated the Warriors.

Perhaps the Clippers' Blake Griffin had heard all about it, because when he and the Clippers hosted the Knicks Saturday night, Griffin turned up one of the most physical performances the NBA has yet to see this season.

While the stats are truly outstanding: 44 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, they do not in the least provide justice to Griffin's unbelievable athleticism against the Knicks. In addition to delivering Timofey Mozgov's unofficial "Welcome to the NBA!" message (multiple times), Griffin dunked and powered over the likes of Amar'e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, and Raymond Felton. He truly took advantage of the Knicks' lack of a (defensive) dominant big man and defensive intensity.

The caveat, however, is that Stoudemire and the Knicks would not stand for his dominance, defeating the Clippers 124-115.

Stoudemire, in fact, set out to match Griffin's performance, almost matching him dunk for dunk on his way to a 39 point performance of his own. Gallinari recorded a season-high 31 points, and Felton continued his D'Antoni point guard-evolving season with 20 points, 7 assists, and a career-high tying 7 steals.

Not to be forgotten, Toney Douglas, who has struggled to regain his fine offensive shooting touch over the last few games, quietly broke out of his slump with 12 points, connecting on 4 of 6 six shots from downtown.

For the Knicks, who will return home to play the Bobcats this upcoming Tuesday, a win is a win. Bouncing back from a six game losing streak to go 3-1 on a Western Conference road trip is impressive by any standard.

Nevertheless, it has to be concerning that the now 1-13 Clippers (the league's worst team) gave the Knicks so much of a fight, even without two of their best players in Baron Davis and Chris Kaman.

The Clippers began to fight back in the 4th quarter, cutting down the Knicks' lead. That is, of course, what many teams have been doing against the Knicks this season. However, the team has been able to put a stopgap to such runs during their 3 game win streak.

The team will look to continue that streak in Felton's first game against his former team on Tuesday.

Felton Helps Knicks Topple Over Warriors

Raymond Felton seemed primed to try out for the circus last night during the Knicks' 125-119 win over the Warriors.

Felton, who made his best bid to participate in the NBA's official game of "H.O.R.S.E." during its All-Star weekend, could not miss. He launched three-pointers from thirty feet away, and hit remarkable trick shots, ranging from off balance runners to uncanny shots off the backboard glass--all en route to a career high 35 points to lead the Knicks to victory.

He did not, however, stop at simply just scoring the basketball, proceeding to be the effective floor general the Knicks' desperately crave in order to win. Felton's impact was felt, dishing out 11 assists (in addition his 4 steals) as Amar'e Stoudemire added 26 points (to go along with 11 rebounds) and Danilo Gallinari poured in 23.

While Gallinari played steadily well throughout the game, it wasn't until the fourth quarter that he embraced a "Mr. Clutch" identity. As the Warriors began on an offensive rampage, Knicks fans all over certainly flashed back to last Friday night's loss to the Timberwolves, where the team let a 21 point lead evaporate into a devastating loss.

However, Gallinari and the Knicks would have none of it this time, as Gallo put the Warriors out of their misery by hitting three corner shots in the closing minutes.

The Knicks' undoubtedly felt the presence of their defensive quarterback, Ronny Turiaf. Turiaf, who told 1050 ESPN Radio's Bill Daughtry that it felt good just to be back (from injury) to throw his body around and help out his teammates, has led the Knicks to a 2-1 record (since returning) after a six game losing streak. Starting his second straight game, Turiaf tied a career high 8 assists to go along with his stat-sheet stuffer of 7 points, 4 rebounds, and a team-leading 3 blocks. A former Warrior, Golden State surely knows full well the type of impact Turiaf can have.

Turiaf was the only player involved in the David Lee to Golden State blockbuster to play last night. Prized prospect Anthony Randolph received a "DNP-CD", and Lee and Kelenna Azubuike sat out for their respective teams while nursing nagging injuries.

The Knicks will visit the Staples Center tonight to take on Blake Griffin and the Clippers, the NBA's worst team at 1-12.

New York Knicks' QB of the D: Team Depends on Ronny Turiaf To Lead the Defense

Upon being acquired from the Warriors, Ronny Turiaf was expected to be the Knicks’ starting center. Known for his intense defense, Turiaf had immediately garnered comparisons to other Knicks’ big men greats such as Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason. The team was optimistic he would deliver such a presence.

Instead, Coach D’Antoni went with a young prospect, naming Timofey Mozgov the team’s starting center to start the season. While Mozgov has proven to be highly ineffective thus far, Turiaf made his impact coming off the bench, self proclaiming himself as the “quarterback” of the Knicks’ defense.

The ironic thing is, Turiaf is right. After lacking a defensive intensity for so many seasons, Turiaf enlists a different mentality for the Knicks. Besides simply being a big man who throws his body around (and that he does), Turiaf shot-blocking ability and rebounding constantly gives the team a boost.

During Knicks’ recent six game losing streak, much of which Turiaf sat out of with an injury, the team certainly felt the void.

Coach D’Antoni has since conveyed that he was unaware of the type of role Turiaf would have played entering the season, the fact of the matter is, Turiaf’s specialty is the type of impact he makes. He won’t score 20 points, nor is he a stat sheet stuffer. He will, however, be seen diving for a loose ball, lunging over an opponent to block a shot, or even pumping his fists and patting his teammates on the block after a score.

After being inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season, Turiaf played 30 minutes, recording 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, during the Knicks’ 113-106 victory over the Kings. The long losing streak was finally broken. Defense wins ballgames, and that’s what Turiaf is all about.

Turiaf is sure to be in the starting lineup again Friday night as the Knicks visit his former team, the Golden State Warriors. The same cannot be said, however, for Turiaf's former Warriors teammates Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike. Randolph is at risk of receiving a "DNP-Coach's Decision" after falling out of the rotation, and Azubuike is out nursing an injury.

On a team that is similar to the Knicks in regards to how much offensive firepower they have, Turiaf is sure to lead the way in stopping such offensive prowess.

Nuggets' Al Harrington Still Has Emotional Ties To New York Knicks

Al Harrington really wanted to come back to the Knicks this season.

After a successful 2009-10 campaign as the team’s sixth man, Harrington hoped that he would stick around to play alongside the likes of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to finally bring a winning mentality back to New York City basketball.

Instead, the New Jersey native was told he was no longer in the Knicks' plans. Harrington’s rights were renounced as the team signed players like Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov.

No help to Harrington this past summer was his special relationship with Knicks President Donnie Walsh, who has acquired Harrington a total of three times. After drafting Harrington out of high school with the Pacers, Walsh reacquired him for a second run with the Pacers after previously trading him away. Finally, Walsh traded for Harrington once more with the Knicks.

Despite appearing like the kind of player Coach Mike D’Antoni would favor in his system (Harrington is a lengthy forward who can play multiple positions, run the floor and shoot the long ball), the two never seemed to build a positive rapport.

"The writing was on the wall," said Harrington. "I wasn't his type of player. I know there were some people who didn't want me there, some who did but the coach didn't."

Perhaps it was Harrington’s sometimes erratic shooting or his less than stellar defense (some may wonder when that’s ever stopped D’Antoni from playing someone) that worked against him, but in any event, Harrington was still rewarded for his near "Sixth Man of the Year" season, signing a five-year deal worth approximately $33.4 million with the Nuggets.

Denver has seemed to use Harrington’s plentiful skill set to its advantage. In addition to letting him shoot the three ball, the Nuggets are using Harrington more often under the basket as a post player, where he has been able to capitalize on easy hoops and fight for rebounds.

With their big men Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen nursing injuries, Harrington has had to play a fair amount of time at center but has yet to disappoint. After scorching his former team for 22 points in just 21 minutes during the Nuggets' 120-118 win over the Knicks Tuesday night, Harrington is averaging 14.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game thus far.

While he hoped to play with multiple superstars in New York this season, Harrington has instead joined forces with another major star in Carmelo Anthony. Although he’s getting tired of the Melo-to-Knicks rumors, Harrington has made it no secret that he has had conversations with Anthony about his time in New York, which could work against the Knicks.

It’s possible that Harrington praised the professionalism of Knicks management (Donnie Walsh), but then again, he is also almost sure to recount his turbulent relationship with the Knicks coaching staff.

Harrington would not reveal what exactly he has addressed with Anthony regarding New York, just simply that such conversations have already occurred. He did mention, however, that he felt as though Danilo Gallinari was given favored star treatment by Knicks brass, which led to tension in the locker room.

Although Harrington praised Gallo for not letting the immense praise go to his head, he certainly won’t let that stop him from attempting to convince Anthony to stay with the Nuggets.

If Harrington and the Nuggets can play well enough to stay in contention for the NBA title, perhaps they can convince Anthony to stay. Currently, the Knicks are not proving to be in contention for anything more than the NBA Draft Lottery.

Despite experiencing those same types of struggles during his two seasons in New York, Harrington wanted to show loyalty and was willing to stay in New York until the team finally found success.

Instead, he has already seemingly found success elsewhere as the Knicks still struggle to get wins.

All Eyes On Carmelo Anthony As Nuggets Defeat New York Knicks

With the new-look Knicks struggling to get into a rhythm, fans cannot help but wonder if Carmelo Anthony would be the answer to their long awaited prayers for success.

Anthony left a three year, $65 million extension with the Nuggets on the table with the plan of exploring other options next summer as a free agent.

Anthony has not been shy about his desires to potentially play elsewhere. His highly preferred destination: New York. He would be the Knicks’ highly most coveted free agent since LeBron James, whom the team unsuccessfully courted this past summer.

Unable to sell LeBron on the bright lights of its big city, the Knicks were snubbed as he chose to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

Fortunately for the Knicks, if Anthony, the local product who played his college ball at Syracuse, chooses to use LeBron’ team selection strategy (of joining forces with serious competitors), it could this time work in the team’s favor, as they now are led by Amare Stoudemire.

However, if the Knicks were trying to sell Anthony on what he could be a part of, should he choose to don the orange and blue, they did not do a good job of it in the team’s 120-118 loss to the Nuggets Tuesday night.

While the score may certainly appear close, the Knicks had to overcome atrocious shooting, unnecessary turnovers and stagnant ball movement just to simply play catch-up and get back into the game.

By the time the team came to, it was already too late. Multiple missed free throws also prevented a win.

Many members of the Knicks have looked lost while on the floor, the most notably recently being Toney Douglas. After a red-hot start to the season, Douglas’ shooting has cooled off, and he constantly looks confused running the break. Aside from not being able to penetrate to the basket, Douglas’ lack of movement causes his teammates to bunch up around the perimeter and take poor shots.

Although he led the Knicks with 24 points, Stoudemire has lacked that killer instinct that a team’s leading man and go to scorer needs to have with the game on the line in order to help his team pull away with the victory. Through six straight losses, Stoudemire has failed to display such characteristics.

This is perhaps why Anthony and the Knicks are still pushing for a happy union. While he did overcome an erratic shooting performance of his own, Anthony led all scorers with 26 points and hit two key free throws to help seal the victory for the Nuggets.

While his desire to come to New York may very well be at its highest point, it has in no way become a distraction for Anthony, who was averaging 24.5 points, a career high 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game entering play against the Knicks.

That rebounding total would also lead this same Knicks squad, who are desperately lacking in the rebounding category this season.

When and if Anthony joins the Knicks remains to be seen. While he’s certain to entertain the possibly of playing in New York once he becomes a free agent, he and the Knicks have both been pushing for a trade this season.

Not so interested in what the Knicks currently have to offer, the Nuggets may wait until the trading deadline to see if they are still in title contention.

Highlighting any potential Knicks trade package would be Danilo Gallinari, the heavily favored lengthy forward who fought his way through a 21 point, 10 rebound performance against Denver. As Gallo has not yet been enough to catch Denver’s eye, the Nuggets may inquiry about rookie sensation Landry Fields, who certainly turned heads with his 21 points and 17 rebounds Tuesday night.

Although it’s not certain that Carmelo Anthony will eventually play in the city he calls home, one thing is for sure: All eyes in New York were focused on ‘Melo Tuesday night; not as a means of a test, but simply in awe of what the superstar could potentially bring to the Knicks.

Knicks Prove Their Worth in Return to Prime Time

The Knicks defeated the Bulls by a score of 120-112 in the team's first national appearance on TNT since 2007, following an 104-59 loss to the Celtics.

Despite numerous turnovers, namely an atrocious eight by Amare Stoudemire, the Knicks showed enough fight to hold onto the victory. Danilo Gallinari broke out of an early season slump that had carried on from the preseason, erupting for 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Besides the obvious point increase, Gallo's rebounding total is something the Knicks hope he can consistently contribute. With Stoudemire struggling his way into a 5-21 shooting performance, Gallo picked the perfect time to break out of his slump. The Knicks were also led by Toney Douglas, who had a career high 30 points, and Raymond Felton, who powered his way through to a 20 point-10 assist double-double.

The emergence of Gallinari as a consistent second scorer and Stoudemire's right hand man, as well as the Douglas-Felton tandem, are two things that the Knicks' loved in the preseason. Unfortunately, Gallinari was more or less absent during his first three games, and the two point guards had rarely played together.

However, if those three players can seamlessly slide into the roles that are desired of them, they could ultimately catapult the Knicks' into the playoffs. If Stoudemire starts to play like the star the Knicks are paying him to be, the team's playoff chances are golden.

Not to be overlooked, the Knicks "quarterback of the defense," Ronny Turiaf, had a well-rounded all around stat line of 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and one block.

Anthony Randolph, who sat out the first three games with an injury, committed 2 fouls in 3 minutes during his Knicks debut last night.

The Knicks return home to the now asbestos-free MSG to face off against the Wizards tonight.

Will Eddy Curry Be Joining LeBron James in Miami?

via RealGM

""One NBA exec thinks Heat will quickly sign Curry if/when he's waived in March. His playoff drought (504 games) could end b4 Knicks does," Hahn wrote on his Twitter page."


The notion that the Knicks will waive Curry mid-season has been brought up often in the past few weeks, as it appears as though he will continue to have no positive influence on the team. He was also left out of player introductions during the Knicks' home opener vs. the Magic on Saturday night.

Waiving Curry will ultimately also mean the Knicks will have given up on trading for Carmelo Anthony during the season. His expiring contract would figure to be a major component in such a trade.

Playing for the Heat would be a godsend for Curry, as he would presumably make the playoffs while playing alongside "The Big Three." Playing next to such superstars would also give Curry an opportunity to quietly rebuild his image and career. Receiving praise in Miami should not prove to be difficult, as all he would have to do is simply outplay Joel Anthony and the Heat's abundance of aging backup big men, which wouldn't be hard for any average center these days.

Unfortunately for Curry, he is no longer just "any average center." We'll see what happens.