// // Carmelo Anthony returned, and the Knicks finally won a game. Forgive the cynical New York media if it wasn’t that impressed. The Knicks were back home and hosting the Detroit Pistons, who would have trouble winning games if they played in the Big Ten Conference instead of the Central Division. In a season of awful performances, this one may have been the worst. Detroit established season “highs” for points allowed and margin of defeat, which is saying something when you
In fairness to the basketball expertise possessed by Jim Dolan, trading for a superstar usually works out great for the receiving team. The cliché in the NBA is, in fact, never trade away a superstar because you can’t get value. The danger in analyzing trades that are not even a year old and involve key players in their 20s, however, is that change can occur unexpectedly. That was the case in 1971 when the Baltimore Bullets sent sensational guard Earl Monroe to
// Fans in the NBA’s two biggest markets can’t be very happy right now. For that matter, neither can David Stern. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA. They predate instant replay, maximum salaries, team planes, the draft lottery, the 3-pointer, free agency, conferences and leather sneakers. For more than 50 years, they have anchored the league on opposite coasts, guaranteeing interest in the two biggest cities in the country. Both teams basically have unlimited budgets. Both teams
With one game remining in the NFL season, the NBA is making its customary schedule shift from heavy to lighter on Saturdays and light to heavier on Sundays, with some allowances for the compression of the lockout. As a result, Saturday’s slate has just six games, and the best of a weak bunch has the slumping New York Knicks visiting the surging Houston Rockets. Yes, this isn’t exactly a marquee matchup, especially with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony again sitting out with multiple
// After the Orlando Magic’s shameful performance Thursday night vs. Boston, in which they blew a 27-point lead, scored 25 points in the second half and lost to a severely shorthanded team, Jason Richardson said the team was developing a soft reputation. After Friday night’s debacle in New Orleans, coach Stan Van Gundy said it all. From Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “If this isn’t rock bottom, what is? The Orlando Magic completed a forgettable week Friday night, falling to the
The three-star approach seems to be working for the Miami Heat. For the New York Knicks, not so much. The rivals meet Friday night in Miami, the best game on a schedule of 13. While the Heat may be getting back one of their stars, the Knicks will be without one of theirs. Miami’s lineup could include Dwyane Wade, who averaged 28 points vs. New York last season but has missed the last six games with a sprained left ankle. The Heat
The ankle, the wrist, the thumb … and the ego? Carmelo Anthony had an array of injuries, and he has decided to shut it down until next Tuesday when the Knicks return home from their four-game road trip and play the Detroit Pistons. Takes a little shine off tonight’s nationally televised matchup with the Heat in Miami, where the Knicks are 11-point underdogs. For Miami, Dwyane Wade participated in the team’s shootaround and is listed as a game-time decision. Wade has missed the past
NEW YORK – Back when the NBA released its truncated 66-game schedule on December 6, tonight’s South Beach matchup featuring the New York Knicks and LeBron’s beach bums was supposed to be a clash of the titans. Instead, it’s an NBA version of Jack and the Beanstalk. Exactly one year ago today, the Amar’e Stoudemire-led Knicks beat the Miami Heat in Madison Square Garden. To that point, it was probably Stoudemire’s most proud moment as a Knick. After the win, his team