Amid its myriad injuries, its dozen teams below .500 and its 44-98 record against the Western Conference, there is a looming question regarding the Eastern Conference: Can the East even field an All-Star team? A year ago, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler, Kyrie Irving, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday were among the East’s All-Stars. You can make the argument – irrefutable in some cases, strong in others – that none of those players should be invited back
While the news of the day is most certainly that Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook will be sidelined until after the All-Star break due to an unexpected arthroscopic knee surgery, life in the NBA must go on. And on it will go for the New York Knicks, who according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, will remain intact for the time being: [Read more…]
Can money buy happiness? If you’re the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, the answer is no. The Nets have the league’s highest payroll, while the Knicks rank second. The combined exorbitant payroll has produced a deflating 18-38 record and proven any championship aspirations were merely a pipe dream. Ironically, speaking of the pipe, J.R. Smith was the first Knick to panic back when the team was only 3-8 at the time. Now, it appears Smith’s anxiety was warranted. Thanks to injuries, a lack
In his stated effort to upstage Knicks owner James Dolan, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has become him. Like Dolan, Prokhorov desperately wants an NBA championship. Like Dolan, he has pursued that desperation with financial abandon, giving his GM an open checkbook. Like Dolan, he has overspent on overvalued big names. Like Dolan, he has mortgaged his team’s future by giving away multiple draft picks. And like Dolan, he appears headed down the abyss. In two months, the Nets have gone from contenders with
Throughout the mess of the New York Knicks’ season thus far, one person who has remained essentially blameless is coach Mike Woodson. The Knicks – now 7-17 and 13th in the Leastern Conference – have fallen victim to poor roster construction, injuries, selfish play and bad luck, none of which could be pinned on Woodson. Not anymore. Monday’s 102-101 home loss to Washington gets dropped squarely in Woodson’s lap. And the next thing dropped in his lap may be a pink slip.
One year ago, the Knicks had the best record in the East and the second-best in the NBA. Today, they’re fighting to stay above the absolute bottom-feeders. So where do they go from here? Up is the only answer, right? Well, probably not too far up. Of the 16 teams that were in playoff position on December 14th last year, 14 made the playoffs. The only teams to crash the party were the Lakers and Rockets, who got the bottom two seeds in
With the New York Knicks struggling to find any sort of consistency at the point guard position this season, they have reportedly been looking to trade for Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. That would be a fantastic addition, as his presence would provide some toughness and generate some easier baskets for a team that relies so much on isolation plays. But what is the price of acquiring a guard of his caliber? Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has the details
Season-long unhappiness and the recent addition of Greivis Vasquez—who came in the Rudy Gay trade with the Sacramento Kings—to the Toronto Raptors backcourt now have point guard Kyle Lowry’s name being discussed in trade talks with the New York Knicks, among other potential suitors. The Knicks could use Lowry’s services with their leading point guard, Raymond Felton, having left hamstring problems that have lingered since the beginning of the season and now have him missing the next 2-3 weeks of action. Twitter