New York Knickerbockers

[ray321]

Steal of the 2015 Draft : Kristaps Porzingis

[Mad Damian]

KP is the future of the Knicks

But they won't win anything as long as Melo's on the team.

[Guiness]

Knicks-Heat Preview

 

 

 

Kristaps Porzingis was widely perceived as a long-term project when the New York Knicks drafted him fourth overall this year. Early returns suggest he's well ahead of schedule.

 

Porzingis and the Knicks look to run their season-high winning streak to five when they visit the Miami Heat on Monday night.

New York's selection of Porzingis in June drew the ire of fans and pundits alike, with many expecting the 20-year-old Latvian to need significant time to develop his game and make an impact in the NBA. He looks like he's already there, though, averaging 13.2 points - the most by a Knicks rookie since Mark Jackson's 13.6 in 1987-88 - and a team-high 8.8 rebounds.

Porzingis scored a season-high 29 and grabbed 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 102-94 win over Charlotte before being limited to a season-low seven points in Friday's 93-90 victory at Oklahoma City. He bounced back in a big way Saturday, finishing with 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots in a season-high 36 minutes of a 107-102 win at Houston.

 

"It was concern from people who didn't know," said forward Carmelo Anthony, shooting 44.6 percent over the last eight games after making 36.6 percent in the first six. "People didn't know what to expect. Nobody had ever seen him before and people were all so upset that the Knicks drafted him."

Porzingis has been a major defensive asset with New York (8-6) allowing 99.3 points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor, second-fewest on the team.

 

"I know for a fact that that was one thing that jumped out to management and to Phil (Jackson) that was really impressive about his game on the defensive end," coach Derek Fisher said. "Everybody, of course, was fascinated by the shot-making, but we thought the activity on the defensive end was one thing that would really give him a chance to be good."

Miami (8-4) survived a scare Saturday, coming back from a 17-point third-quarter deficit in a 96-91 victory over winless Philadelphia behind Dwyane Wade's 27 points.

The Heat outscored the 76ers 29-17 in the fourth and have made a habit of saving their best for the final quarter. They're shooting 49.8 percent in those 12 minutes.

 

"You definitely have to give Philadelphia credit," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They really came out and competed and played a very good basketball game. This is not how you, as a coach, design it. But I did like seeing the toughness that we had to reveal in the fourth quarter."

Wade has made 37.9 percent from the field in his last six games, though he's totaled 51 points in the past two.

 

The Heat have been limited from 3-point range, hitting 6.3 shots per game from beyond the arc - among the worst marks in the league. Meanwhile, New York's Langston Galloway is shooting an NBA-best 55.3 percent on 3s.

 

Miami has won 17 of 23 meetings, including six in a row by an average of 16.2 points. The Knicks haven't won five straight games since an eight-game run March 5-21, 2014.

The Heat, continuing a home-heavy early schedule, are 7-2 at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Knicks are 5-2 on the road.

[spicycurry30]

go knicks! porzingis is the future!

[Guiness]

Carmelo Anthony puts Knicks on his back in superstar statement

 

 

Carmelo Anthony branded Saturday’s game against the Trail Blazers “a must-win’’ and, like a good leader, he showed the way.

After getting his hackles up after learning about Charles Barkley’s TNT dig that he needed to be “a better leader,” Anthony had a superstar night, notching 37 points on 13-of-21 shooting as the Knicks broke their four-game losing streak with a 112-110 victory over the Trail Blazers at Moda Center.

The win, after the Knicks rallied from 10 down after three quarters, salvaged their Western trip with a 1-2 record and moved them to 11-14.

“We needed it bad,’’ Anthony said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time. I had to do whatever I could do to win the basketball game tonight. That rhythm came to me at the right time for me.

“It was a must win for us and must win for me, from the standpoint of doing it all and getting out with a win.I felt good coming into the game. One of those nights the shots were falling for me.’’

The Knicks needed all of Anthony’s deluxe shotmaking because 7-foot-3 rookie Kristaps Porzingis had no life, no pop and no points in a season-worst evening. He looked wiped out in going scoreless with three rebounds in 19 minutes, missing all six of his shots. Porzingis had a poor three-game trip, also laying an egg at Utah. He departed in the third quarter and never returned.

“I was struggling out there,’’ said Porzingis, claiming tired legs.

 

Before the game, the slumping Anthony said: “You don’t ever want to go winless on the road trip. This is a game that’s a must-win for us — just kind of morally and emotionally.’’

Anthony sank six free throws in the final 29 seconds to clinch the win. He actually had to make seven because one was disallowed — shot during a Portland substitution.

Anthony finished 9-for-9 for the night from the charity stripe and posted only his second game of the season with 30-plus points.

Yet the night was almost ruined by a scatterbrained foul by Lance Thomas on Damian Lillard (29 points) with 2.2 seconds left as he shot a 3-pointer with the Knicks up four. Lillard was awarded three free throws, making the first two and intentionally missing the last one. Somehow, he got the rebound behind the 3-point line and his desperation heave for the win bounced off the rim.

“I shouldn’t have jumped, it was a bonehead play,’’ said Thomas, who otherwise had a big night off the bench with 13 points. “It was a long two seconds. My heart was in my stomach on that shot.’’

 

Anthony, who had complained earlier in the week about referee bias, got a rare big call late, driving to the basket and colliding with Mason Plumlee. The call went against Plumlee and Anthony sank both free throws to give the Knicks a 108-104 lead with 29.5 seconds left.

 

Anthony had missed five free throws in the Sacramento loss, including two in the fourth quarter.

“Those missed free throws in Sacramento, I couldn’t sleep,’’ Anthony said. “It was an emphasis to make the free throws and close the game out.’’

Anthony was in rhythm from the opening tip. On the first possession, he buried a left-wing 3-pointer and kept up his sniper ways in 19 first-half minutes, dumping 20 points on the Blazers.

Anthony also was active on the defensive end, swatting a shot by Al-Farouq Aminu and knocked another ball away that caused a 24-second violation.

 

“His own activity level really led our group,’’ coach Derek Fisher said. “Regardless of stats, every time people look at you play, they should see that you want to win so bad that you’re flying around everywhere on both ends of the court. I thought his activity level really held us together.’’

 

Trailing by 10 after three quarters, the Knicks finally got a huge lift from their bench, finding the frenetic pace that had been missing for weeks. The bench got them the lead as Anthony got his rest.

The quintet of Langston Galloway, Thomas, Derrick Williams, Kyle O’Quinn (14 points, 7 rebounds) and starter Arron Afflalo lit up the fourth quarter with rare fast-break points.

“The bench was great,’’ Anthony said.

Robin Lopez finished with 14 points in his return to the city where he spent the past two seasons, putting the finishing touches on his night with a late offensive putback.

 

“My teammates did a good job of putting me in situations,’’ Lopez said.

Making 8-of-12 shots in the first half, Anthony rallied the Knicks from an 11-point deficit to trail just 56-55 at halftime. He looked back to his old self. He has shot 50 percent or better in just five games this season and his shooting percentage had dropped to 40.1 percent after a recent seven-game slump.

 

“It was a very difficult thing to do what the guys did being down in the fourth quarter on the third game in four nights, things haven’t been going well,” Fisher said. “It would’ve been easy for the guys to feel sorry for yourself, but they decided they wanted to win the game.”

 

 

 

- this is the Melo i want to see every game night. One who should feel that there is a chip on his shoulder and prove the critics wrong that he's lost a step or so. They should show more grit and fight every game. I hope they make the playoffs at least.

Edited December 13, 2015 by hahnz

[ray321]

Kristaps was scoreless against Portland

[Guiness]

He's been struggling on this road schedule they are on. Citing "tired legs". He'll bounce back.

[ray321]

He's been struggling on this road schedule they are on. Citing "tired legs". He'll bounce back.

i hope he will, he's one of the most exciting rookies of the 2015 class

[Guiness]

Derek Fisher fired by Knicks in his second season

The New York Knicks have fired coach Derek Fisher after a five-game losing streak left the team 1-9 in its last 10 games.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Ian Begley first reported the firing.

The Knicks are 23-31 this season after going 17-65 in Fisher's first season. New York's current losing skid contributed to the timing of the move, but the team was already convinced Fisher was not transitioning from the role of player to coach effectively, sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

 

Fisher was hired by team president Phil Jackson to rectify the struggling New York franchise. Fisher and Jackson have a history together dating back to when Jackson coached the Lakers, and Fisher was a point guard on the team that won five championships.

 

Fisher, who had no previous head coaching experience, took over for Mike Woodson, who went 109-79 in parts of three seasons in New York. Woodson, however, won only one playoff series. The Knicks currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference.

 

Assistant Kurt Rambis will now serve as interim coach. Rambis played on four Lakers title teams and was a coach or executive for four others. He coached the Timberwolves to a 56-145 mark from 2009-11.

 

Two other former Jackson players, Brian Shaw and Luke Walton, are candidates to the full-time job, sources told ESPN. Shaw coached parts of two seasons in Denver, while Walton led the defending champion Golden State Warriors to a record start this season, filling in for injured coach Steve Kerr. Sources tell Shelburne, though, that Walton is determined to take his time before accepting a head coaching position. Much like Kerr two summers ago, Walton wants to make sure he's setting himself up for success.

 

The Knicks haven't won a title since the 1972-73 season.

[Guiness]

Porzingis doesn't play like Olajuwon. To me he plays more like a Dirk who's more athletic. Plus, on a short list. Phil will still pick his own guys. Thibodeau is not on his list. He has Shaw and Walton on the short list. Phil is the one calling the shots and they already constructed this team to play under the triangle. You can't just scrap the system and do it all over again because he already surrounded the team with players who can play within this system.

 

If they went and changed the system then they would need to scrap the players as well. THat doesn't make any sense. THey have better talent thant last year, so they can build off this and get a coach who's more experienced like Walton. Fish was thrust in a difficult situation transitioning from a player to coach in less than 2 years. Plus that Matt Barnes situation didn't help him his cause either.

 

Anyway, i like the talent on the team and they might be able to sign another piece this off season as some free agents would be available on the market i hope they get to sign Conley.

[Guiness]

Hahaha! Shaw? What happened to Shaw in Denver? Why would Walton go to a championship team to a team that may not even qualify for the playoffs?

 

Read what I said again. I never said Porzingis plays like Olajuwon. I said Porzingis being the Olajuwon on the offense.

 

Those are Phil's guys they played under him. Walton is not the head coach of that team Steve Kerr is. Its the same as Thibodeau leaving Celtics assistant coaching job so he could become head coach. You didn't think of it that way? sad. for a know it all who knows everything about basketball

 

Porzingis doesn't fit the mold. Even if you put him on the block he's too skinny and would be bounced by Deandre, or Drummond. He was having a hard time with Dwight. Olajuwon is positioned on the block. He was effective because he drew double teams, Porzingis doesn't have that kind of threat yet.

 

Anyway, i think Phil will make a decision based on what he thinks will be successful. Whoever the coach is.

[Jon Don]

I got a feeling Dolan will overpay for Luke Walton to be the next head coach when eligible, per Dr. Phil's orders.

 

Melo ain't getting any younger. Best move yet in years would be to deal Melo (maybe packaged with Afflalo or Calderon also) by the deadline for some draft picks and/or decent scrubs to play with Porz.

On second thought, this is the Knicks we're talking about. Nevermind.

[Mad Damian]

Melo's playing style does not fit the triangle.

Time for a trade

[Ironmaniac]

Trade Melo for the Knicks to improve.

[Guiness]

Steve Kerr was Phil's guy. What happened? Speaking of being a know it all, I am pretty sure I know more than you when it comes to the NBA.

 

Was one of his guys. Was. He decided to sign with the Warriors. So what if he signed with the Warriors, there are other guys that are available. Brian shaw, and Luke Walton were mentioned so who am i to decide who Phil gets, all i know is im sure he will make a decision that would best serve the team and i won't dispute that.

 

Did you just make a joke? ill pretend i got your joke so im gonna laugh har har har. I know you grew up in the 80's that's why you are clinging to the glory of the past of your Celtics, but being older than me doesn't mean that you know more than me. I'm guessing you never even played ball when you were too busy sitting on your couch with a nice fat beer belly haha. I played some ball at Seton hall einstein for your info. so don't make some definitive statements like that. You don't know me. By the way, i had to respond to your "you know more than me" statement so i have to apologize for calling you a a fanboy who never played basketball who just sat in a couch watching basketball.