In the brave new world of basketball analytics, trends and modules, a simpler stat surfaced this week that was utterly inexplicable. Two teams have lost 10 games this season in which they led after three quarters. One is the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers, who have no one on their roster who knows how to win a game. The other is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two of the supposed best closers in the game in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. [Read more…]
The New York Knicks have run the Love Triangle offense off the court better than Phil Jackson’s version on the court thanks to coaches Derek Fisher and Kurt Rambis. Will this be the final straw for Carmelo Anthony to waive his no-trade clause and for the Knicks to scrap the Triangle offense for a proven winner in former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, the best available coach on the market? Speaking of the Bulls, Derrick Rose is averaging 26 points, 5.7 rebounds
TORONTO– Carmelo Anthony is sick and tired of losing with the Knicks, but not yet tired enough to do something about it. Or so he says. New York stands at 23-32 at the All-Star break, 12th in the Eastern Conference. Unless the Knicks’ fortunes change rather dramatically over the final 27 games of the regular season, Anthony will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season. “It’s tough,” Anthony told a horde of reporters in the basement of the Sheraton in downtown
“I’ve been through worse.” That four-word answer from Carmelo Anthony about his no-trade clause, sticking with the New York Knicks and continuing to trust team president Phil Jackson, perfectly describes the current state of both player and franchise. Of course, it had nothing to do with the question he was asked rather directly — “Would you consider waiving your no-trade clause? — but ‘Melo’s instant tangent was revealing nonetheless. Anthony, the 31-year-old All-Star forward with a sore, surgically repaired left knee, can waive his
There is one way — and only one way — for Phil Jackson’s reign of error with the New York Knicks to take a turn for the better. It is time to trade Carmelo Anthony. Period. The Knicks haven’t won with Melo. They aren’t going to win with Melo. They need to turn their one desirable veteran asset into the tools that will enable a viable rebuilding effort centered around Kristaps Porzingis. And they have to make peace with the fact that
This is the time of year when we give out our midseason awards. But before we get to the drudgery of Sixth Man Award and Most Valuable Player, let’s start the festivities with a special award for individual achievement that goes to Rashad Vaughn. Vaughn is a shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks and the second-youngest player in the NBA. He is one of the dozens of rookies who have made virtually no impact in their first season. He is averaging 2.5 points
NEW YORK –The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, as Rocky Balboa once said. Just ask New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher. The Knicks were coming off Wednesday’s season-opening 25-point win at Milwaukee. New arrival Derrick Williams scored 24 points. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis shot 12 free throws. Heck, Carmelo Anthony had five assists. One night later, the Knicks laid an egg in their home opener with a 112-101 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. They allowed Atlanta to shoot better than 50 percent
There was a train wreck at Penn Station last season. It was known as the New York Knicks, who endured the worst season in franchise history. It happened under the watch of Phil Jackson, one of the franchise’s heroes and a name synonymous with winning in the NBA. Jackson and the Knicks went to work this offseason in the draft and in free agency to get the team back on track. Despite concerns from fans about drafting the next Frederic Weis, the