(Big C) The Knicks have one available spot to pick up another player  now that their roster is at 14. The player for that spot just might be the Nuggets’ Kenyon Martin. Knicks fans might remember  Kenyon Martin for his tough play against the Knicks in the playoffs of 2004. Since that time Martin has been traded to the Nuggets and was just released from his Chinese team. Kenyon Martin is now a free agent and can be signed by any team. According to the New York Post Martin would love be reunited with his former teammate and friend Carmelo Anthony.

 

The main obstacle for the Knicks to get Martin is, even though the Chinese team has waived  Kenyon Martin, he will not be allowed to play with any NBA team until the season ends for his Chinese team cut/uncut. Therefore, the Knicks would have to wait until March to sign Martin. By that time the Knicks would have only a month left before they enter the playoffs. That would also be a long time for the Knicks not to sign any other player that could help them as they try to make a playoff push.

 

So if the Knicks want Kenyon Martin they will have to wait until March 30. And we all know that is a long time to wait in a season that only has 66 games. The next concern is what type of condition will Kenyon Martin be in after being out of basketball all those months?

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KNICKS SET TO KICK-OFF THE SEASON WITH EXCITING NEW ENTERTAINMENT ELEMENTS FOR OPENING DAY

Team Hosts Chase Holiday Fan Fest Pregame And Special Halftime

 Performance By Hip Hop Pioneer Darryl “DMC” McDaniels

 

 

NEW YORK, December 24, 2011 – The New York Knickerbockers kick off their 66th season against the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day at noon at Madison Square Garden. To begin the new season, the afternoon will be packed with excitement to make Opening Day an all-day event for the fans. The day will include a holiday themed fan fest on the mall, new and innovative in-game presentation elements and high-level entertainment acts and special guests.

 

Before fans hit the arena they can stop by the “Knicks Holiday Fest Presented by Chase” in the mall area of The Garden. The fest will be full of interactive carnival and basketball games, face painting, a photo booth, holiday carolers and an autograph signing with Knicks Alumni and the Knicks City Dancers. There will also be a visit from Santa Claus himself joined by the Radio City Rockettes.

 

The national anthem will be sung by Grammy nominated singer, Trey Lorenz, followed by new on court video projections accompanying Gardenvision for the pregame animation and player introductions. Garden fans will see the court brought to life in a never before seen way and turned into a huge video screen with 3D animation. Following introductions, the 20th Anniversary Knicks City Dancers will perform a hot new routine to Beyonce’s “Run The World”.

 

The highlight of the day will be a very special halftime performance by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, member of the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame iconic group, Run DMC. Darryl will perform the holiday classic, “Christmas in Hollis” with the Knicks City Kids and a group of children from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, Madison Square Garden’s non-profit organization which helps children facing obstacles. He will also perform to “Walk This Way” with the KCD. As a die-hard Knicks fan, Darryl, will also be debuting an original Knicks-themed song later this season.

 

There are limited tickets still available for Opening Day. Fans are encouraged to visit the box office, nyknicks.com or Ticketmaster.com or call (877) NYK-HOOP for more information. Add a comment

(Big C) It’s a new season and it could be the beginning of Carmelo Anthony’s transformation to a complete player. Carmelo Anthony is already a tough opponent to stop on the offensive end of the court. He is one of the few players that can mix up their game by scoring from the inside and outside of the court.  Carmelo is the pure definition of  a triple threat. If a player plays Anthony too close he will drive on his opponent. If a player gives him space he can score by either shooting the midrange shot or the deep 3 pointer. To make matters worse,  Carmelo Anthony has the ability to postup on the low box. The low box is where Carmelo Anthony can take a step back fade away or spin for a layup.

 

 

 

The critism of Carmelo Anthony’s game is rooted in his performance on the defensive end.  However, since Carmelo Anthony has become a Knick we have seen Melo cause turnovers by playing hard defensive. So far this season Carmelo Anthony has been moving his feet and trapping his man and even getting a block shot.

 

 

In the Nets preseason game we saw Melo chase down his man to block what was suppose to be an easy basket.  That shot was deflected by Carmelo Anthony.  Now that  you have seen Carmelo Anthony score and play defensive there is   another area where Carmelo Anthony can expand his game and that is playing the point forward.

 

 

During the lockout I asked Melo about what he thought about playing the point forward. Melo smiled and said, “You are going to have to call D’Antoni on that one.”  A month later and Carmelo Anthony is running as a point forward for the New York Knicks.  So far Melo looks good at running the point. In fact, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni already believes that Carmelo Anthony could in fact be the best passer on the Knicks team.

 

 

With Carmelo playing the point:

 

Pros

 

1. We have seen the offense run smoother by Carmelo drawing attention to defenders and  Melo  finding  the cutter.

 

1. Carmelo Anthony does not have to wait to get the ball. He can decide early to either score or pass the ball to Chandler or Amar’e.

 

1. It’s always good to have the ball in one of your best players hands.

 

1. he can see the court easily, because of his height at 6’9, to find teammates.

 

 

Cons

 

1. You do not want your star player to get burnt out in a tight season with numerous back-to-back games.

 

2. Carmelo Anthony could have  low  energy to score or play defense in key situations.

 

3. Because Anthony is learning the position, this could lead to an increase of turnovers.

 

 

Overall, Carmelo Anthony playing the point can be a good thing. When you ask any of the NBA greats what Carmelo Anthony could do to get mentioned in the same sentence as Lebron and Wade they normally say they would like to see him control the ball more and take over games as well as play defense.

 

Here are the clips of  Melo running the point

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Via New York Post:

“I couldn’t have been happier,’’ said Novak, a Milwaukee native. “To get a call from New York, it’s something you dream about as a little kid, no matter where you’re from. It’s just a special place to be.
“You get to a place and say, wow, they have really good fans,’’ Novak said. “Here, I feel the city, everyone’s a fan. You feel the energy. Every driver, every cab driver I’ve had is talking about the Knicks. It’s just different here.’’-New York Post

 

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(Big C) This season has to be the year that the Knicks improve on their defense. Over the last few years people have heard the Knicks, both players and coaches, say it’s all about defense but words were not put into action. With the addition of Coach Mike Woodson and Tyson Chandler the expectations for the Knicks are very high. Critics and fans want to see if the Knicks can put their words into action.  The player in particular that people will keep a close eye on is Amar’e Stoudemire.

 

 

Last season Amar’e did it all. He scored when the Knicks needed scoring. He picked up key rebounds when needed. More importantly Amar’e Stoudemire is the reason the Knicks regained their respect and made it to the playoffs. Stoudemire even played through pain and never complained.

 

Ama’re  never made excuses about why he had an off night. This season  the expectation for Amar’e Stoudemire on the defensive end will be high. Amar’e has made comments about defense and it seems like he could make it a reality.  Stoudemire has two factors that should help his performance this season…

 

The Chandler Factor

 

When Amar’e has Tyson Chandler playing with him to take all the banging and bruising Amar’e will have the freedom to move around  the paint or play hard on his man. With Chandler as the enforcer Stoudemire will be able to play good help defense and come from the weak side of the court to block shots. Or get steals.   Another advantage that Stoudemire will have by playing with Chandler is Chandler will guard the tougher opponent in the frontcourt. This will allow Amar’e to have more energy  to either put more pressure on his man or secure the paint.

 

Mike Woodson

 

Now that Amar’e Stoudemire  has Mike Woodson on the coaching staff he can learn how to play defense the right way. Woodson is the kind of coach that will tell a player their flaws and exactly what they need to improve on (no beating around the bush).

 

 

In the first two preseason games Amar’e Stoudemire seemed to play defense with aggression. Now all Amar’e has to do is continue with the defensive effort  every game.

 

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AP NEW YORK, December 22, 2011 – New York Knickerbockers Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations and Interim General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has waived guard/forward Devin Green and forward/center Chris Hunter.           

Green, 6-7, 212-pounds, signed with New York as a free agent on Dec. 12. He averaged three points over 14 minutes in two preseason games.          

Hunter, 6-11, 240-pounds, signed with New York as a free agent on Dec. 12. He did not appear in either of the two preseason games.          

The roster stands at 14 players. -Knicks

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Click to watch video

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Mike D'Antoni postgame interview Click to watch interview

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AP NEW YORK, December 21, 2011 – New York Knickerbockers Senior Vice-President, Basketball Operations Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has claimed forward Steve Novak off waivers. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 

          Novak, 6-10, 240-pounds, holds career averages of 4.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 9.7 minutes in 225 games (four starts) over five NBA seasons with Houston, L.A. Clippers, Dallas and San Antonio. He played for Dallas and San Antonio last season, averaging 3.5 points and 7.2 minutes in 30 games. The Libertyville, IL-native was originally selected by Houston out of Marquette University in the second round (32nd pick overall) of 2006 NBA Draft.

         

 

 
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(Big C) With the Knicks completing their lineup in the backcourt and getting all the big man help they need in the frontcourt  they now are looking to add a 3 point shooter off the bench. Last season Shawne Williams would have been that guy. However, Williams has signed a contract with the New Jersey Nets.  With Shawne Williams out of the picture the Knicks now look for outside shooting elsewhere.

 

The sharp shooter the Knicks need could very well be Steve Novak.  Novaks played last season in the NBDL and was recently released by the Spurs.

 

If teams are not interested in picking up Steve Novaks this deadly shooter could make his new place of residence in the Big Apple as a Knick.

 

A  3 point shooter is a must for a team like the Knicks.  They need to minimize opportunities to double team Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.  3 point shooters spread out the offense to remove that pressure to double team.  Novak stands 6 10’ with the ability to player both forward positions.

 

 

Another option out there in “free agent land” is still James Posey.  The Celtics do not seem to be interested in re-signing him. Within the next few days there are going to be more players waived by teams. So you can bet the Knicks plan to pay attention to the changes before they commit to any player.

 

The Knicks will have to make a decision soon so they can be ready for the  start of the season on Christmas Day. 

 

         

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