Knicks basketball

The New York Knicks are at a crossroads. 

After the signings of Landry Fields and Patrick Ewing Jr., their 2010-11 roster is pretty much set, and with a new and improved squad, the Knicks look like they are finally ready to compete for a playoff spot for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

However, there are still a number of moves which the team would like to make in order to propel them into championship contention—namely trades for Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Fernandez and a star caliber point guard.

But Donnie Walsh and the rest of the Knicks' front office must be careful in attempting to make any such moves, for all Knicks fans know what a bad trade can do to a franchise (i.e. trades for Antonio McDyess, Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry).

Therefore, here are the three trade opportunities which the Knicks ought to consider in order to stay competitive now and in the future.

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Obviously we all know that Carmelo Anthony doesn’t want to be in Denver. Who does? Carmelo has seen what has happened in Miami with Lebron, Bosh, and Wade. Carmelo wants a big three of his own, but in Denver he doesn’t have it. Here are five reasons why he should abandon Denver and come to the New York Knicks.

1. New York City

Lebron James has said that he didn’t want the pressure of playing in New York. Carmelo has said that he wants to play in a big market and wouldn’t have any pressure on him. He went to Syracuse and got married in New York, as well.

2. Amar'e and Paul/Parker

Miami has three of the top 15 players in the NBA. Right now the Knicks have one. If Carmelo comes to the Knicks, that would make two. Then in 2011, Tony Parker will become a free agent, and in 2012, Chris Paul will be a free agent. Paul is a top 15 player, while Parker is a top 30. Either would fit and that would give them their own big three.

3. Madison Square Garden

I’ve been to MSG at least 30 times, going to Knick and Ranger games. People don’t lie when they say it’s the world's most famous arena. Great players have played in MSG, from Patrick Ewing to Mark Messier, to Wayne Gretzky to Walt Clyde Frazier. They played here and became famous. Carmelo would love to do the same.

4. Miami Heat

Everyone knows what has happened in South Beach this offseason. Every team in the NBA would love to beat them. He would have better chances of beating them in New York than with the Nuggets.

5. Up and Coming Western Conference

The Lakers have been the team to beat in the West since Kobe came to L.A. Now a lot of teams are going to be able to challenge them, like the Thunder, the Blazers, the Mavericks, the Rockets, and the Grizzlies. The East is getting harder, but there are less teams to worry about.

Obviously Carmelo will decide for what’s best for him, but according to me, New York is his future home. 

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Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Rudy Fernandez is trying hard to get himself out of the City of Roses, saying that he'll never play there again. He's been rumored to be interested in heading to the other coast and joining the New York Knicks.

But the Knicks aren't having it for some reason, according to the New York Daily News. The paper is reporting that team president Donnie Walsh said no recently to a three-team deal that would have brought Fernandez to the Knicks.

A team source tells the paper that the deal would have had Anthony Randolph moving to the Indiana Pacers and a first-round pick from the Pacers to the Trail Blazers.

Follow Yahoo! Sports Rumors on Twitter at @markjmill.

Rudy Fernandez continues to lobby for a trade to New York, but the Knicks either can't or won't make a trade for the Portland shooting guard. According to a team source, Knicks president Donnie Walsh recently rejected a three-team deal that would have sent Anthony Randolph to Indiana, a first-round pick to Portland and Fernandez to New York.

I know, I know, this hasn't even happened. Carmelo is still in limbo as to where he will play next season and Chris Paul, at least for the immediate future, stands as a guy playing in New Orleans. Even with those two factors currently against the Knicks, one can wonder what it would be like having Carmelo, Paul and Stoudemire playing together.

They would encompass a new three in the league following the Celtics and Heat prior to them. I know many are scratching their heads at my belief that the Carmelo, Paul and Stoudemire team could win. If I had to put money on the line, let's be serious, I'm taking the Heat. That still doesn't mean a team can't beat another when they actually play.

Here I will present ten reasons at different strengths which could allow a Carmelo led squad to get the better of a Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James team. This is all assuming that Carmelo Anthony ends up with the Knicks alongside Amar'e Stoudemire and Chris Paul.

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He's old. He's washed up. He's got a terrible attitude. 

We're all well aware of the red flags, and NBA GM's are apparently listening. As training camp soon approaches, the former MVP and future Hall of Famer is currently without a home. After a fiasco in Memphis and a short, strange return trip to Philly—well, its been an interesting year for Iverson to say the least. 

The rumors continue to swirl, as both the Magic and the Hornets seem to be in a permanent state of vacillation regarding the prospect of signing the former Hoya.

It has also been rumored that the Bermuda triangle of superstars, the Miami Heat, may be acquiring one more notch under their ruby-filled belt. 

Amidst the nebulous haze that usually hangs over the NBA rumor mill, there exists one team who I believe would benefit considerably from the services of this quasi-embattled veteran.

Call me crazy, but I think that Iverson and New York would be a perfect marriage. His arrival in MSG may not earn him a nickname as cool as St. Shaqtrick, but here are five reasons why the addition of Iverson could help bolster the Knickerbockers in a huge way.

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Back in early July, when the free-agent floodgates got thrown open, the New York Daily News reported that New Orleans Hornets star Chris Paul felt that team owner George Shinn had "lied" to him about upgrading the team this offseason.

Paul is under contract till the end of 2012 but the paper reported that Paul was unhappy with his situation there, which is likely what led to him saying in a speech at Carmelo Anthony's wadding in New York City, "We'll form our own Big 3," referring to himself, Anthony, and the big addition to the New York Knicks this offseason, Amar'e Stoudemire.

Now head coach Monty Williams, who came onboard July 7, tells the Sporting News that Paul's supposed disgruntlement was never an issue and that he never asked for a trade.

"You can say it has settled down now, but it was settled before that," Williams told the Sporting News. "For me, it was never an issue. Chris never said anything about a trade. He never asked for a trade. He wants us to be a better team, but we all want that and Dell [Demps] and I are going to do all that we can to make it a better team. We're going to make this a better team with Chris here."

Follow Yahoo! Sports Rumors on Twitter at @markjmill.

The 2010-11 New York Knicks feature the deepest and most talented roster of the last decade. With new additions Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and the trio aquired from Golden State, the team will be featuring many fresh faces.

        The new roster has already brought many questions about the projected starting lineup and how the rotation will pan out. Looking down the roster, there are more then ten players who are worthy of heavy minutes, giving head coach Mike Dantoni lots of options for the first time in his tenure as the New York Knick's coach. 

     Versatile players such as forward Anthony Randolph and Danillo Gallinari give New York the versatility to mix and match with many different lineups.

   With this in mind, I would like to present to you the eight different lineups head coach Mike Dantoni will be able to put onto the court this upcoming season. 

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by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Filed under: Heat, Hornets, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Nets, Pacers, Rockets, NBA Media Watch, NBA Transactions

Today in The Works: LeBron James and the force of evil; the logical impossibility of predicting Trevor Ariza; and some thoughtful words on Courtney Lee.

But first, why Darren Collison's career is only now getting started.

Unlikely Savior: For a starless trade, Wednesday's four-team swap sure had some big names. And while Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry were the best rookies of 2009-10, Darren Collison -- the best player moved Wednesday -- has probably had the greatest impact. (Brandon Jennings gets votes there, too.)

Somehow, Collison's success made other GMs and rumor-mongers believe eternal MVP candidate Chris Paul could be available at the right price. That's a real coup, especially for a low first-round pick. Evans knocked Kevin Martin off the pedestal and out of town in Sacramento, but Martin's no Paul in terms of star power and what he meant to the city. Collison stepped in as an injury replacement and essentially showed observers Paul isn't the only point guard who can run the Hornets.

That shouldn't be a surprise -- the Hornets aren't special, far from it -- but thanks to New Orleans' remarkable lack of a credible talent pipeline before Collison, and the long string of previous crummy Paul back-ups, Collison seemed like a discovery.

 

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by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Filed under: Heat, Knicks, Nuggets, NBA Fans, NBA Media Watch, NBA Free Agents

In The Works today: Denver sleuths Melo out of town; we all jump too fast on the latest Anthony news; and the quandary of covering the Knicks.

But first, a brief defense of newest arch-fiend Chris Bosh.

Bosh Ain't So Bad: Yesterday, I was sure that Chris Bosh had leaped beyond the pale. It was like he had watched the transformation of Bron Bron's public image and thought, "I want me some of that."

Then I went back and took a good, hard look at the original New York Daily News piece, which furnishes a funny little thing called context. While I don't think Bosh's comments are anything but ill-advised, possibly inexcusable, they're more frank than outright cruel.

I also noticed, once the huff had passed, that he was talking as much about us (media, fans, general scavengers of 2010 tidbits) as he was himself. Take, for starters, this gruesome quote:

"If you think about how many times somebody asks you, 'How are you,' that's how many times I was asked, 'Where you going?" said Bosh, who was in Manhattan Wednesday to unveil his Got Milk! advertisement. "So it's like, well, in my case, I'm going to have fun with it. I'm going to play with people's emotions. I'm going to be high and low."

Maybe "play with emotions" was being a little too blatant about it, and makes him sound downright manipulative. But put yourself in his big red shoes. Bosh was asked, for months and months on end, where he was headed. Everyone asking had an agenda.

 

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by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Filed under: Grizzlies, Knicks, Nuggets, Timberwolves, NBA Draft, NBA Rumors

In The Works today, Carmelo Anthony names names and Jerry West doesn't separate himself from Kevin McHale as a decision-maker in the new era.

But first, on the newest idea to fix the age minimum rule.

The NBA's age minimum has reared its misshapen head once again, and not a moment too soon. New NCAA president Mark Emmert has endorsed Major League Baseball's draft system, where prospects can declare for the amateur draft right out of high school but still attend college if they so choose. If they do so choose, they can't leave school for three years or until they turn 21, whichever comes first.

The NBA was a tiny bit like that decades ago; Larry Bird, after all, spent his Final Four season at Indiana State already having been drafted by the Boston Celtics, as players could be selected following their junior collegiate season without having declared for the draft. Clearly, though, as Eric Freeman writes, the fundamentals of talent development in baseball and basketball are so different the comparison's almost useless.

But what Emmert proposes is diametrically different from the current system, which both the NBA and NCAA have manipulated for completely selfish reasons. (The age limit makes good financial sense for NBA owners; the NCAA has continued to tinker with its eligibility rules relating to prospects testing the NBA waters at the expense of its college's student-players.)

There's another way Emmert's plan is diametrically different from the current system: it is the worst of both worlds for the NBA.

 

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by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller

Filed under: Heat, Kings, Knicks, Nuggets, Warriors, FIBA, NBA Media Watch, Thunder

In The Works today, foreign people fighting; who will follow in Amar'e Stoudemire's footsteps; and the dirty little secret of the Positional Revolution.

But first, how we got stuck with the Summer of Melo.

Sitting Duck Season: Yesterday, we brought you the twisted tale of Carmelo Anthony going at Bomani Jones on Twitter. Why was Melo such a hot topic on ESPN that morning? Because for the last week or so, all anyone's talked about is Anthony.

There's a certain logic to do this. We weren't really talking about free agency last summer, except in the abstract. There were too many possibilities to consider, too many moving parts and contingencies. With LeBron James leading the pack, all free agents were sort of LeBron, everyone basked in aura, and thus the Class of 2010 was top-to-bottom great. A boatload of redistributed talent like we had never seen before or since. What was there to talk about?

Well, a year later, our sense of free agency has been permanently altered by James and his dastardly Heat. So has the entire landscape of the league. It's never too soon to start weighing players' options (for them); no destination or configuration of All-Stars is too extravagant; and of course, there's no reason to spare them the harsh critique.

Free agents are now a necessary evil, like political candidates. They will let somebody, everybody, most people, down, and the honeymoon is over before they even get there.

 

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Guard Jamal Crawford produced 18 points, 2.5 rebounds and three assists per game last season, his first with the Atlanta Hawks. His contract runs out at the end of the coming season, so he is seeking an extension, according to the Boston Globe.

Crawford's agent, Aaron Goodwin, will meet with Hawks general manager Rick Sund this week to discuss the possibility of an extension, the Globe reports. The paper said it appears that Crawford is seeking the security of a long-term contract in light of the uncertainty with the new collective bargaining agreement.

Crawford, who has also played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors in his decade in the league, wouldn't say anything about it when the Globe asked. "I don't want to talk about next season," he said.

Follow Yahoo! Sports Rumors on Twitter at @markjmill.

Derek Jeter, Mark Sanchez, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Eli Manning, CC Sabathia, Amar'e Stoudemire, Robinson Cano, Darrelle Revis, Justin Tuck, John Tavares, David Wright.

When you think New York superstars, those are the first names that come to mind.

And for good reason; these guys are some of the brightest stars in all of sports.

However, the name of the most important athlete in the Empire State doesn't lie anywhere within the aforementioned names.

The most important man in New York sports is Knicks swingman Danilo Gallinari.

You heard me!

I'll get right down to explaining this as the mobs form outside my house.

In New York, we're as passionate about our sports teams as anybody. We love our Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, Mets, Jets, and so on.

However, despite what recent events may suggest, New York is a basketball town.

Ask any New Yorker over the age of 25, the Knicks owned the '90s in New York. The Yankees and Rangers were both arguably more successful, but the Garden was rocking every time Pat Ewing slammed one down or John Starks pocketed a three.

But things have changed since then. The Knicks have become an embarrassment of an organization, and baseball has taken the title of New York's favorite sport.

In baseball, the fans are split between the Yankees and Mets. In football the Giants and Jets garner nearly equal fan-bases, and on the ice rink the Rangers have a slightly bigger fanbase than the Islanders.

If you're a basketball fan in New York, the Knicks were your team. Period. You lived and died with them.

That's why basketball has fallen from the spotlight in the city that never sleeps.

New Yorkers have absolutely no trust in the Knicks' front office.

Never was this more evident than at the 2008 NBA Draft.

With the sixth pick in that season's draft—their first lottery pick since 2005 because of horrible trades—the Knicks selected Italian forward Danilo Gallinari.

Knick fans booed. They wanted Eric Gordon, they wanted Brook Lopez, they wanted anybody but "the Rooster."

They never gave the 6'10" sharpshooting Italian a chance. The Garden erupted with boos from the second he was drafted, even after he insisted in an interview right after being selected that he valued nothing but winning and hard work.

In his first season as a pro in 2008, Gallinari suffered from back injuries and only appeared in 28 games.

It was right then that Knick fans filed him as a bust. Any Knicks fan you asked would have more than a few four-letter words to say when Danilo Gallinari's name came up.

The next season, Gallinari was able to stay healthy as he averaged a very solid 15 points per game while shooting 38 percent from deep.

It was then that Knicks fans realized how talented this guy was.

However, nobody was sure just how good he'd be.

Some believed he would be the perfect Robin to another superstar's Batman, while others believed he would never amount to being anything more than a sharpshooting role player.

He headlined the roster as the historic summer of 2010 approached. Some criticized him, saying there was no way he'd be enough to lure LeBron to town, while others believed he'd be the key chip in making the King take his thrown in New York.

It didn't happen.

The Knicks instead brought in a flurry of solid players to complement the core that was already in place.

They of course brought in their superstar in Amar'e Stoudemire, but they also added Raymond Felton, Roger Mason, Timofey Mozgov, Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, and Ronny Turiaf.

So that raises the question, what makes Danilo Gallinari the most important man on the Knicks, let alone New York sports?

Allow me to elaborate.

We know Amar'e Stoudemire is going to be good. But we all know that he will never touch the Kobe-LeBron-Durant stratosphere.

We've seen him peak. It's going to take much more than him to lure other superstars to the Big Apple.

Wilson Chandler is another intriguing name, but most people, me included, believe he's reached his ceiling.

Anthony Randolph is a guy who has a ridiculous upside, but he's still very raw and a few years away from reaching his superstar potential.

Raymond Felton is also a very good player, but he's like Chandler; what you see is what you get.

So who does that leave? Gallo.

If Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, or Deron Williams are going to take their talents East, they're going to need to see something better than what the Knicks have right now.

Gallinari's development could be that something better.

If Danilo can turn into a go-to scorer (I'm talking 20 a game, and ability to score at will) and play halfway decent defense, a core of him and Amar'e should not only get the Knicks into the playoffs for the first time in half a decade, but it could also entice more stars to join forces with them on the suddenly cap friendly Knicks, in hopes of beating Miami Thrice.

However, if Gallinari remains where he is now talent-wise, not only will the Knicks struggle to win 35 games, but the city that was once known as the "Mecca of Basketball" will continue to move closer towards being a basketball Siberia.

Yes, Gallinari is that important.

Especially with the Nets move to Brooklyn expected in 2012, a Gallinari failure could officially bury the Knicks.

Most New Yorkers consider Gallo a C-list athlete.

But just remember, this C-list athlete may very well be the most important man in New York sports.

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This article Courtesy Of Rip City Report

Oh how things change in professional sports.

One minute, it seems that the New York Knicks were sure to form their own "big-three" in the big apple.

The next, well a third of that big three could be headed to Minnesota.

Or New Jersey.

Or even Sacramento.

But hey, that could all change in an instant.

It seems that the Denver Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony are ready to part ways and that is something that has been evident for just over two weeks.

So what if that actually happens? What if Carmelo ends up in Brooklyn, Minnesota, or Sacramento?

 

Will he Stay There Past His Contract?

It really depends.

I'm almost certain that Carmelo wouldn't want to spend more than two years in chilly Minnesota. But Sacramento and New Jersey are two completely different tales.

Sacramento has the big market feel, even though they play the role of younger brother to the other Californian Sports teams, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers.

New Jersey is a fairly big market and will become bigger when they complete their move to New Jersey. Still, it is an organization that plays second fiddle to other big sports organizations.

Both teams have a young nucleus built with proven players, but both have also had a difficult time winning.

I'm sure that if the Nets start winning after they get Carmelo or the Kings start winning with Carmelo, then Melo would have a much more difficult time changing teams at the end of his contract.

But it really all depends on success.

 

What Would Each Team Have To Give up To Get the All-Star?

Let's start with the Nets.

Right now, The Nets have a variety of role players that they could offer.

They also have a guy named Derrick Favors that would be very enticing for the Nuggets.

Although I don't believe the Nets would give up their future power forward for a guy that could bolt in two years.

Right now, the Nets could send Travis Outlaw, Terrence Williams, Troy Murphy, and a first round draft pick to Denver in exchange for Carmelo Anthony.

The salaries meet up fairly well and the prospects the Nuggets get in exchange for a disgruntled superstar.

The Nets wouldn't have to blow up their entire team to acquire a player that may not be on for the long haul either.

It could potentially be a win-win.

But if I were part of the Nets organization, the only player that I would put off limits would be Brook Lopez. Devin Harris is a health liability and can't shoot the three ball either.

You try to keep him, but if the Nuggets want him in return for Carmelo, well then you have to pull the trigger.

Everything in the NBA depends on the price of the risk, and this scenario is no exception.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves look as if they have no leadership whatsoever, gathering talent just because it is available, hoping that eventually they get lucky with one big hit.

and you know what, Kahn may have just struck gold through a series of dumb luck.

If I am the Nuggets, I want Wesley Johnson, Corey Brewer, and Martell Webster.

I would also ask for a first round draft pick along with a future draft selection and a trade exception to even out the salaries.

The Timberwolves would likely have to clear out their small forward prospects and then add in their first round selections because the Nuggets are going to want replacements and then young talent to build off of in the future.

The only way I pull the trigger is if I am able to get Carmelo to sign an extension (in a different kind of sign and trade scenario) before I give up my teams future.

That is unlikely because I am sure Carmelo doesn't want to go to Minnesota.

But right now, the Nuggets hold all of the cards.

 

The Sacramento Kings

Tyreke Evans is off limits.

and DeMarcus Cousins is almost off limits.

After that, the Kings can afford to give up just about anyone.

If I'm the Nuggets, I want Omri Casspi, Jason Thompson, and Hassan Whiteside. But I have a feeling that the Kings aren't going to want to give up their entire front line.

Therefore, the Kings would still have to give Casspi (a fan favorite) and Hassan Whiteside in a deal, but I think that Jason Thompson would be retained.

My first deal off the table would include Carl Landry, Omri Casspi, Donte Greene, (insert role player), and a first round draft selection for Carmelo Anthony.

If the Nuggets want Hassan Whiteside, then you have to oblige. But until they demand him, you have to try hard to keep him on your roster.

Heck, since the Nuggets are trying to get rid of J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, they are going to want serviceable replacements.

Carl Landry is the replacement for Martin.

Francisco Garcia could be a replacement for J.R. Smith.

Then Omri Casspi and Donte Green would have to replace Carmelo Anthony.

It isn't the perfect situation for the Denver Nuggets, and nor is it the perfect situation for the Sacramento Kings, but they both get what they want in the long run.

The Nuggets would get young talent and draft picks, while acquiring replacements for the players they lose.

Sacramento gets the player that will put them over the top, instantly making them a playoff team.

My proposed deal is a little rough around the edges and would need to include draft rights, cash considerations, and trade exceptions, but the skeleton is there.

The Nuggets and Kings could also opt for a sign and trade deal, making it even more difficult to figure.

Trade Rumors are difficult to decipher. Some are true, but most are false.

If the Nuggets are indeed trying to trade Carmelo Anthony to one of these three teams, then I believe their trades would have to look something like what I laid out.

But again, they are trade rumors.

and nothing is set in stone.

 

If you liked what you read, please feel free to check out one of our other titles:

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