Slumping Knicks, Celts may have buyer’s remorse

Friday night in the NBA was all about trades.

Trades that were made. Trades that weren’t made. Trades that players want. Trades that might be made.

Like the trade the New York Knicks made last February. You remember that one, right? Half their team to the Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony. How’s that one working out?

Let’s check in with Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: “The chants ranged from “Fire D’Antoni” to”Phil Jackson” to “Let’s go Giants.” This is what happens when fans are bored and frustrated. The Knicks specialize is doing this to their paying customers. Carmelo Anthony expressed his frustration by taking too many shots and trying to pick a fight with everyone on the Bucks from Carlos Delfino to Brandon Jennings. Anthony was eventually ejected after picking up his second technical foul and was around to watch the final 93 seconds as another hapless team, this time the Milwaukee Bucks, came into Madison Square Garden and beat the Knicks 100-86. The loss was the Knicks’ fifth straight heading into Saturday’s home game with the Denver Nuggets, Anthony’s former club. Since that celebrated trade 11 months ago, the Knicks are 20-27 including the playoffs. Denver is 30-16. Anthony led the Knicks with 35 points but he made just 11 of 26 shots and is now shooting 25 for 75 in the three games since he sprained his left wrist.”

Want more? The Bucks had been a league-worst 0-8 on the road. Milwaukee was without second-leading scorer Stephen Jackson, who was benched by coach Scott Skiles for missing shootaround. New York is 3-5 at home, with four of the losses to Toronto, Charlotte, Phoenix and Milwaukee, who are a combined 7-29 on the road. And under offensive genius Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks are averaging 88.4 points during their current slide.

The advocated solution is Baron Davis, an aging point guard who has made a habit of arriving at training camp out of shape and is currently sidelined with a herniated disk. Davis is still unable to take contact and there is no timetable for his return.

Even at his best, Davis was not a great pick-and-roll player, which is what the Knicks need to jump-start Amar’e Stoudemire. STAT’s stats are startling; his scoring (18.3), rebounding (7.5) and shooting (.400) all are his lowest since his rookie season.

Moke Hamilton of SheridanHoops explained the difficulties: Although Stoudemire is a unique offensive force, his best attribute is his ability to finish plays. He needs to get the ball in the spots where he is comfortable and right now, the Knicks simply aren’t delivering. His frustration boiled over after the Orlando loss. In one of his only opportunities down the stretch, Stoudemire drove across the lane on Glen Davis and threw down a thunderous dunk to give the Knicks an 85-83 lead with a little over 7 minutes to go. He wouldn’t score again and got very few touches. After the game he expressed his frustration. “At that point in the game, I wanted the ball. I was ready to dominate, because that’s what stars do,” he said.”

The Knicks are a distant second in the Atlantic Division at 6-9, a half-game ahead of the rival Boston Celtics, who also are experiencing some buyer’s remorse and may be returning to the swap meet.

It was also last February when Boston traded center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. Green is out for the season following heart surgery and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Krstic is playing overseas.

The trade of Perkins left the Celtics with their aging “Big Three” and Rajon Rondo, who sat out Friday’s 79-71 home loss to Phoenix with a sore wrist. And when Rondo sits out, Boston looks like the guys at the Y.

The Celts are 26th in scoring and 28th in rebounding. Their next quality win will be their first, having beaten Detroit, Washington twice, New Jersey and Toronto. Boston has lost six of seven and has failed to break 88 points in each loss. In the 24 quarters of those six losses, it has been held to 20 points or less 15 times, including all four Friday.

From Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “All-Star balloting is under way, and based on who was absent last night, it’s not difficult to determine the only Celtic currently worthy of a trip to Orlando on Feb. 26. Rajon Rondo, his sprained right wrist in a brace, watched from the bench as his teammates went into the fray without a compass. They fell to 5-9 with a turnover-gorged 79-71 loss to Phoenix at the Garden. As Rondo-dependent as the Celtics [team stats] now appear, their coach isn’t letting them, or himself, off the hook that easily. “I told the guys this is more of me and my staff,” Doc Rivers said. “We’ve got to figure out something with our offense. The offense is awful.”

It’s nice of Rivers to fall on his sword; he’s been doing it almost nightly. But the truth is Kevin Garnett has no lift, illustrated when his reverse layup easily snuffed by Marcin Gortat. Paul Pierce is still trying to get into shape after missing most of training camp and the first three games with an injury. Even Ray Allen, who broke quickly out of the gate, had three straight single-digit games this week.

On Wednesday, Danny Ainge indicated he would break up the “Big Three” for the right deal. Garnett and Allen are free agents this summer, and Pierce may be the only one capable of sustained All-Star caliber play – which is why he may be sent packing.

From Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe: “Paul Pierce spoke with the media for the first time since team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Globe he would consider breaking up the Big Three in the right deal. Here are a few nuggets from the interview. “You can’t pay attention to that, that’s part of the business. You’ve just got to continue to do your job as a professional each and every day. What makes we want to play well is our record. That’s more than anything. I don’t read the papers. I really don’t buy into everything that’s been said. I just more concerned about this group and what’s going on in this locker room.” Pierce has had a rocky tenure in Boston at times and was almost traded to Portland on draft night five years ago. “I understand,” he said. “What the Celtics have done for me throughout my career, I’m more than happy. They’ve kept me this long and I’ve been able to play in a lot of good situations and you gotta understand the business. It’s been a while since I’ve been down that road. But I don’t think about it actually.”

The biggest trade chip remains Dwight Howard, who has told the Magic he would like to be traded to the Mavericks, Lakers or Nets. Earlier this week, Chris Sheridan reported exclusively that Howard had added the Clippers to his wish list, a report that was confirmed Friday by Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. On Friday, a team or two may have dropped off the list.

Howard rang up his third 20-20 game in his last five outings, overwhelming Andrew Bynum with 21 points and 23 rebounds as the Magic manhandled the Lakers, 92-80. Howard may have undermined his own future, because he showed every Magic fan dreading his departure that a trade package built around Bynum – who has been prominently mentioned in Magic-Lakers trade rumors would leave Orlando with the short end of the stick.

From Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The highly anticipated matchup between Howard and Andrew Bynum never materialized. Bynum was whistled for two personals 12 seconds apart midway through the first quarter. Both fouls were caused by Howard. The Magic center drove toward the hoop on both plays, and Bynum struggled to match Howard’s quickness. Bynum left the game with 6:11 remaining in the first and returned to begin the second. But Bynum earned his third foul just 2 minutes, 48 seconds later. He sat the rest of the quarter. In all, Bynum logged only 26 minutes, scored 10 points and gathered 12 rebounds. Howard, meanwhile, looked like he had something to prove after Shaquille O’Neal had said a couple of days earlier on TNT that Bynum was the sport’s best big man.”

It’s hard to imagine Magic GM Otis Smith watching what unfolded Friday and believing Bynum alone would be a fair return for Howard. Before the game, Smith told Robbins he still does not know whether he will trade Howard before the March 15 deadline, saying, “I’ll still explore, like I always have. So nothing really changes. I wouldn’t be shocked. I wouldn’t be shocked either way.”

The idea of Howard hooking up with buddy Deron Williams and the Nets gets slimmer every day, mainly because Brooklyn-bound team is awful. Now comes a report that unless Howard joins the Nets, Williams – also a free agent this summer – won’t be sticking around.

From Chris Broussard of ESPN.com: “Deron Williams’ first choice is to stay with the Nets and to build something special in Brooklyn, but if it doesn’t work out with his current team, his short list of desirable destinations includes the Mavericks, the Knicks and the Lakers, according to sources close to the situation. While the league’s post-lockout trade buzz has been centered on Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, little attention has been paid to Williams, who like Howard can opt out of his contract and become a free agent after this season. Williams has publicly stated his desire to re-sign with the Nets, and New Jersey, which views him as a building block for next season’s move to Brooklyn, has refused to entertain potential trades involving Williams. Yet both sides know their future together is tied to Howard. If the Nets are able to obtain Howard, either through a trade before the March 15 deadline or in free agency this summer, Williams will re-sign. If Howard goes elsewhere, Williams is likely to leave New Jersey, according to the sources.”

Elsewhere …

• The Timberwolves rallied from 15 points down to beat the Clippers 101-98 in LA. Ricky Rubio was 0-of-10 from the field when he tied it with a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. After Chauncey Billups missed a runner, Kevin Love drilled a 3-pointer at the horn.
• One day after we said the Wizards beating the Thunder would be the most shocking result of the season, the Kings won on the road, 88-86 against the Spurs, who had been 9-0 at home. The Sixers bounced back from their first home loss of the season and notched another double-digit win, this one against the Hawks, who lost for the first time in five games without Al Horford. Philadelphia leads the Atlantic Division by five games; the margin between the top two teams in the other five divisions combined also is five games.
• The Bulls handed the Cavaliers their worst home loss in franchise history, 114-75. Did we mention that Derrick Rose didn’t even play?
• LaMarcus Aldridge joined Howard as the only players with 30-20 games this season, dropping 33 with 23 boards as the Blazers defeated the Raptors 94-83. Toronto has lost seven in a row. The number of bad teams in the NBA this season is frightening.
• Don’t look now, but the Grizzlies are in second place in the Southwest, even with the Spurs in the loss column. Still without low-post meal ticket Zach Randolph, Memphis won 98-81 at Detroit, its fifth straight victory.
• The Nuggets primed for their visit to New York with a 108-104 win at Washington despite playing without Nene, who sat out with a bruised heel. Denver guard Ty Lawson, listed at 5-11, had nine rebounds. Washington center JaVale McGee, listed at 7 feet, had seven.
• The Pacers put their best foot forward in a 94-91 road win over the Warriors. With the game tied in the final seconds, George Hill got away with a kick ball while defending Monta Ellis and sped ahead of the field for the go-ahead and-one with 1.8 seconds left. Stephen Curry, playing for the first time since Jan. 4, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.