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Knicks’ Stoudemire may return to face Raptors |
New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni likes the direction his offence is heading. Even if Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t on the court demanding defensive attention. The Knicks hope to have Stoudemire back as they try to build on their best offensive performance of the season Monday night against the struggling Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET). Stoudemire, who is averaging 17.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in three games, is listed as day-to-day with a sprained left ankle. The six-time All-Star didn’t dress Saturday against Sacramento, but that didn’t seem to have much of an effect on New York’s offense. All five starters had 14 points or more for the Knicks (2-2) in an easy 114-92 win. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 23 points, while Stoudemire’s replacement, rookie Josh Harrellson, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for New York, which had averaged 80.0 points on 35.8 per cent shooting in losing its previous two games. “Our team is starting to pick up things in the offence that if we continue to do it, we can be successful,” D’Antoni said. “When you have a Carmelo with an Amar’e, it tends to open the floor even more. When the ball moves, our younger guys can get more involved.” The Knicks finished with season highs of 26 assists and 46 points in the paint. “When the ball is moving like that, you can see how successful we can be offensively,” Landry Fields said. “It’s a very nice win. Hopefully it brings us momentum going into our next game.” New York had no trouble offensively against Toronto last season, averaging 114.5 points in sweeping the four-game series. Stoudemire averaged 26.8 points and 11.5 boards against the Raptors in 2010-11, while Anthony had 23 points and nine rebounds in the lone game he played in last season’s series, a 131-118 win at MSG on April 5. The Raptors (1-3) were 26th in scoring defence last season (105.4), and although they’ve been more sound defensively in 2011-12, yielding an average of 96.8 points, it hasn’t translated to many wins. Toronto’s defense played well through three quarters Sunday in Orlando but didn’t get many stops down the stretch. The Raptors led by as many as 13 in the fourth, but the Magic shot 70.6 per cent (12 for 17) in the final period to rally for a 102-96 win. It was the second consecutive second-half collapse by Toronto, which squandered a seven-point, third-quarter lead in Friday’s 99-86 loss to Dallas. “I don’t really have an explanation as to why this game got away,” said Jose Calderon, who had 18 points and 13 assists. “It’s tough. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened with Dallas. They’re two veteran teams. They know how to play in those moments. We’ve got to learn from that.” Andrea Bargnani paced the Raptors with 28 points Sunday, but only scored three in the fourth quarter. The 7-foot Italian, who is averaging 26.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting in his last three games, had a career-high 41 points in a 113-110 loss at MSG last December. What do you guys think about this. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Ankle injury sidelines New York’s Stoudemire |
New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire was benched for Saturday’s NBA game at Sacramento with a left ankle sprain suffered in a loss two days earlier. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said the playmaker’s availability will be decided on a day-to-day basis after he was hurt in a 99-82 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Stoudemire did not take part in a team workout on Friday. The Knicks, who began the season last Sunday with a home victory over Boston, had already been hit with injury setbacks. Forward Jared Jeffries is out for up to two weeks with a strained right calf and guard Iman Shumpert has a right knee sprain that will sideline him for two to four weeks. Josh Harrellson was named to replace Stoudemire in the starting lineup against the Kings, the closing game in a west-coast road swing for the Knicks. What do you guys think about this. |
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Amare Stoudemire Injury Reason for Concern: A… |
The New York Knicks may have to play without power forward Amare Stoudemire on Saturday night (Dec. 31). Stoudemire suffered a sprained ankle in the Thursday (Dec. 29) game against the Los Angeles Lakers and is officially listed as day-to-day. It means he could still play on Saturday, but that he would have limited mobility in his left ankle. This injury has good and bad sides for the Knicks, especially as the team tries to find an identity in the early part of the season. The bad part is that Stoudemire is one of the two main offensive weapons that the Knicks have and it is hard to find offense when he or Carmelo Anthony is on the bench. The good part is actually the same situation, because it would force the lineup to figure things out with Stoudemire on the bench. Then, when he returns from the injury, the team will know what to do when he is taking a breather during games. Someone else has to step up to take pressure off of Stoudemire and Anthony, and this is the perfect opportunity to figure out who can do it. In the first three games of the season, Stoudemire is averaging 17.3 points and 6 rebounds per game, but he has struggled to find his shooting stroke against the last two games. Against the Golden State Warriors he had just 16 points and against the Lakers he went just 4-for-17 from the field. Now the Knicks have to go up against the fast-paced Sacramento Kings next, a team that really likes to get out and run. That would certainly test Stoudemire’s ankle and it seems like the ideal week to simply rest him on the bench. This game against the Kings is the last one on the West Coast road trip before the Knicks head back to Madison Square Garden for a Jan. 2 battle against the Toronto Raptors. If Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni plays it smart (like he should) and just gives Stoudemire some time off, his ankle should get a lot better by next Monday. Three games into the season, it just seems like too much of a risk to put him back on the court and risk the injury getting worse. It’s not like there is a break in the schedule, so getting him healthy for the Eastern Conference games has to become a priority. The Knicks play the Sacramento Kings at Power Balance Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET. More From YCN : Knicks Crushed By Warriors No_Garnett_Suspension New_York_Wins_Opener_Against_Boston Knicks_Win_Second_Preseason_Game Baron_Davis_Comes_To_Knicks Sources: Full Knicks Schedule New York Knicks Website *Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Davis ditches Lakers, Heat for Knicks |
NBA free agent guard Baron Davis took phone calls from the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, but the offer he accepted on Monday came from the New York Knicks. Davis, dropped by the Cleveland Cavaliers last week under a salary amnesty program in the new NBA collective bargaining agreement, signed with the Knicks for the veterans minimum salary of $1.4 million. Goodbye LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. So long Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and all his hometown friends. Hello Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. “Those teams did call and I have a great respect for both organizations, but for me it was just the opportunity to play in New York and to play on this team,” Davis said. “I always kind of rise to the occasion when I’m playing against the Knicks and playing in the Garden. It’s just an unbelievable opportunity and I’m ready to accept the challenge.” Davis will still be paid the $28 million he is owed in the two remaining years of his contract, but the figure will not count against the Cavaliers’ salary cap, making it easier to take the minimum and help New York cap issues. A bigger priority, Davis said, was the front-court lineup of Anthony and Stoudemire flanking Chandler. “A big reason why I came here was because of the front line,” Davis said. “You just think about two 20-plus scorers on your front line and then a guy like Tyson Chandler, who’s a defensive stopper and a great defensive leader. “For me it’ll be great to get out on the floor and just play with guys at that talent level.” After struggling with rebuilding sides Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers last season, Davis is anxious to get on the court for the Knicks. But he will have to wait. A herniated back disc is expected to sideline him for eight to 10 weeks. “The first order of business is just get him healthy and make sure that when he is able to play, he’s ready to go,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Just adds another weapon to already a pretty good group.” Davis has career averages of 16.5 points and 7.3 assists in 12 NBA seasons. Last season he averaged 13.1 points and 6.7 assists a game. That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. |
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New York Knicks 2011-12 Season Preview, Part I:… |
SB Nation New York will be running a five-part season preview of the 2011-12 New York Knicks, culminating right before the start of the season on Christmas Day. Part I: The Stars The New York Knicks finally have actual aspirations. For the past decade-plus, it hasn’t been about winning a championship. How could it have been? Years and years went by with Isiah Thomas souring the Knicks’ brand with gross mismanagement, truly the darkest days the franchise has ever seen. When Isiah was finally, mercifully gone, Donnie Walsh was brought in to clean up the disaster. He did an admirable job, hiring Mike D’Antoni as head coach and gutting the team of its’ awful contracts and giving it an actual direction. But the Walsh/D’Antoni Era, from 2008-09 until the end of last year, was still not about about truly competing for a title. It started out as a plan for 2010 and LeBron James. When that failed but netted Amare Stoudemire, then it became about getting Stoudemire superstar help. Last year, when Carmelo Anthony joined the fray, it still didn’t seem enough. The Miami Heat had three stars, and a toast at Carmelo’s wedding in the summer by Chris Paul gave Knicks fans and the organization dreams of their own trifecta of superstars. They just had to have a third superstar. It was the new NBA blueprint, right? Yet in early December of this year, when the lockout was lifted and teams could start building again, the Knicks seem to have made a philosophical shift away from Paul. It would be silly to say that they no longer wanted him, but when the trade offers for Paul were coming in, it became increasingly apparent that the Knicks no longer had a realistic chance at landing him. They had to try something else, and it’s a good thing they didn’t wait another year. The splash came in the form of Tyson Chandler, a move away from the flash of a Anthony/Stoudemire/Paul tandem and more in line with the Knicks of old. Chandler gives them the size and rugged attitude that The Garden faithful has always embraced. In the NBA, you need stars, but you also need your stars to be themselves. The Chandler move allows Stoudemire and Anthony to remain themselves. Had the Knicks gotten Paul, either Stoudemire or Anthony would have had to take a huge backseat. It’s just the way it happens with the three-superstar mold. The casualty of the Heat’s version of this last year was Chris Bosh. Sure, Bosh is clearly the least talented out of LeBron and Dwyane Wade, so that should be the case. But what’s the point of paying Chris Bosh to be on your team if he’s not going to be, you know, Chris Bosh? If Paul was a Knick, the fall guy would have been Stoudemire. Whatever you think of Stoudemire’s play — his lack of defense and a general misuse of his size — he played at an MVP-level for long stretches last season. If he’s your second-best player, that’s a good thing. Ask this question: would the Heat be better served with their current three, or with Tyson Chandler instead of Chris Bosh? The Knicks made the decision to go big, go defensive, and create maybe the best frontcourt in the entire league by signing Chandler. Sure, the Knicks did struggle last year after the trade, and Anthony and Stoudemire didn’t perfectly mesh. That will have to happen for the Knicks to really contend. But you can certainly make the case that they have a better chance of meshing with Tyson Chandler patrolling the paint than with Chris Paul running the point. Chandler isn’t the player Paul is — he might be the best point guard of his generation — but it’s difficult to imagine that Stoudemire and Anthony would have maxed out their potential with Paul as a teammate. All three of those players need the ball to be their most effective, especially Stoudemire and Anthony. Chandler doesn’t. He’ll rebound, defend, block shots and score on put-backs, and that will still allow the offense to run through Anthony and Stoudemire. Now the Knicks have their stars, and they finally aren’t waiting for anything (except a coach maybe…but we’ll get to that later on in this season preview). Are they a true title contender this year? They’re probably a few pieces away. But if they get in the playoffs, they won’t be as easy an out as they were last year. They could win a round. They could win two rounds. And if that happens, who knows? It’s going to be an uncertain year with a whirlwind 66-game schedule in 120 days followed by a playoffs with a lot less off days than usual. What’s certain, though, is that the Knicks have a chance. They’re not just back to being relevant, they’re a force. And you can thank their stars for that. Feel free to leave your comments below. |
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