Knick Knacks: D'Antoni's Departure Means This Season Is Doomed

Article first published as Knick Knacks: D'Antoni's Departure Means This Season Is Doomed on Blogcritics.

If anyone thinks that the "resignation" of Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni is a good thing, he or she is living in an alternate universe where the Knicks lead the Celtics in the standings. In this real world things are getting ugly as they can get for the Knicks and their fans, and the writing was on the Madison Square Garden wall when fans were booing the team on Monday.

Whether or not D'Antoni actually resigned is not the point, even if Knicks owner Jim Dolan says he and the coach "mutually agreed" on this decision. The truth is that the whole thing came down to Carmelo Anthony or Mike D'Antoni. That's like saying it came down to a 1965 Chevy and 2012 Mustang (admittedly with a few dents). Obviously, there was only one way this thing could go.

Last year Dolan gave away some quality players to get Anthony, so if he had traded him before tomorrow's deadline, it would have been an admission that move was flawed. Anyone who has watched the Knicks knows that to be the case, but here we go trying to put spit and polish on the lackluster efforts of Anthony.

Make no mistake, he is not alone in this debacle. Amar'e Stoudemire has been doing his best Madame Tussaud impersonation all season. Watch him under the net and you may see birds resting on his head. Jeremy Lin, Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith, and all the other assorted Cratchits are to blame as well, but it is easier to just to say "Off with his head" and be done with D'Antoni than to address the deep trouble that exists on this team right now.

Assistant coach Mike Woodson will be the interim head for the remainder of the season. With the Knicks losing six in a row and eight of their last ten, I don't think anyone can seriously believe this change is going to do anything to stop the insanity (with the Linsanity almost all but forgotten now).
D'Antoni is gone but the problems remain. Look for the Knicks to be overtaken by the Milwaukee Bucks for the last playoff spot, and be realistic and thankful for this merciful exit out. I don't know about you, but I don't want to see this squad anywhere near any of the teams in the first round of the playoffs.

Go gentle into that good night, Knicks fans. It's over.

Photo Credit - NY Daily News

NBA Playoffs: Underdog Knicks Must Change Game Against Celtics

Article first published as NBA Playoffs: Underdog Knicks Must Change Game Plan Against Celtics on Blogcritics.

In baseball there is an old adage: "Good pitching beats good hitting." That has been proven true time and again, especially in a seven game playoff series. Now the New York Knicks should go into their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics with this in mind: a good defense will beat a good offense. That is why the Knicks have to change their ways on the court; otherwise, the Celtics are going to win this series.

Make no mistake, coach Mike D'Antoni's team is much better than Knicks teams of the last few years. One can look to Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony as obvious reasons for that, and they have strengthened the play of Chauncey Billups and company with their presence. Still, the obvious thing one can gather since Anthony came to the Knicks is that this is an offense minded team. The problem is they are facing Kevin Garnett and the Celtics, and that solid defense is going to pose problems for them without a doubt.


The Knicks have to change their mindset starting tomorrow in that first game in Boston. With Ama're going head-to-head with Garnett, we will see a very physical match-up, and the Knicks are not at a disadvantage as they would have been a year ago. D'Antoni has got to get his players ready for a physical game - lots of contact and plenty of defending.

The Knicks have scored more points per game than the Celtics (106.5 - 96.5), and there is no disputing that superior offense, but they have also allowed more points (105.7 - 91.1) and the Celtics were number one in the league in that category. That superior defense is obviously capable of shutting down the Knicks machine. If the Apostrophe Duo - Amar'e and 'Melo - are held in check, this series will be quickly over.

Even before this series starts, we Knicks fans have to be thankful for being here. This season the games always seemed to matter (even before the Anthony trade), and that kept me watching and hopeful. Since that trade there has been a feeling of euphoria and pride as the team returned to the playoffs, but we also have to note that our bench is much weaker because of that trade, and the defense is a big question mark in this series.

Still, we are there and D'Antoni's team should know what it has to do. A good defense does shut down a good offense. Now it is up to the Knicks to change their attack plan; otherwise, they will be watching the finals at home.

Photo credits: NBA.com

Knicks Knack: Anthony Debuts in 114-108 Win Over Bucks

Article first published as Knicks Knack: Anthony Debuts in 114-108 Win Over Bucks on Blogcritics.


There are magic moments in sports; sometimes we get to experience them, and sometimes we wish that we did. Can you imagine seeing Don Larsen's perfect game during the World Series? My father saw that one. What about being there when Lou Gehrig said he was the luckiest guy in the world? My great moments include when Cleon Jones caught that last ball of the 1969 World Series. Another was when Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox let a ball hit by Mookie Wilson roll through his legs. Those were the days.

Last night such a moment happened: Brooklyn-born Carmelo Anthony came home, and what a homecoming it was. He scored 27 points, had ten rebounds, and helped lead the New York Knicks to a 114-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. This was not a blowout, but that was not necessary. The Knicks are now 1-0 in the Carmelo Anthony era; let's hope there are many more wins to come in the weeks ahead.

Even if the Knicks win 20 of those last 27 games, they aren't going to catch the Celtics, but that is not why Anthony stepped on that court last night. It is all about perception and intention: team owner James Dolan wanted to let the fans know that he is committed to win, and nothing makes that more clear than seeing the new forward wearing that number 7 in a Knicks uniform.

Anthony got the welcome we would expect from New York fans. Madison Square Garden was rocking last night, and many fans have not heard that kind of thing for too long at MSG. I remember one other time in my life when a sports arena rocked like that; it was when Mike Piazza came to Shea Stadium for the first time. Old Shea rocked like it hadn't since the Beatles played their songs on a stage erected over second base. It was that wild and that loud and Piazza brought the same kind of hope to New York that Anthony brings now.

In the end we fans all want the same thing: a championship. It almost happened for Piazza in 2000, but the Yankees got in the way. Now it's Anthony's turn. He needs to do a lot more of what he did last night, but his stature and the confidence that he brings to the team is immeasurably important. Now the Apostrophe Boys ('Melo and Amar'e) can work together for the cause. We believe because in essence we see something that makes us do so.

This 114-108 victory is a great start. There are more wins coming, and fans can feel it. We know the playoffs are coming too, and that's something Knicks fans haven't been able to feel sure about for a long time now. Stoudemire started this whole thing. If he were not here, Anthony wouldn't be either. Now things have changed dramatically, and next year the Celtics will be on notice just as the Patriots will be. The Jets are for real and now so are the Knicks. That gives New York fans something to smile about this morning.

Photo Credit:
Theodorakis/News

Knicks Sell the Farm to Get Carmelo Anthony

Article first published as Knicks Sell the Farm to Get Carmelo Anthony on Blogcritics.


If you are a New York Knicks fan, you are probably smiling this morning. The Knicks finally made the big trade to get Carmelo Anthony, but to make the deal they had to give - and give a lot to be sure. I know, the sight of the Apostrophe Boys, 'Melo and Amar'e, together on the court at Madison Square Garden in their Knicks uniforms is enough to make our heads spin, but we should be a little worried about how Denver got a good deal more than anyone expected to give.

Consider if old McDonald wanted to get a certain famed milking cow to add to his herd, but in order to get it he had to give up all his chickens, pigs, and half his crops too. Would he give away most of his farm for that one cow? Well, the Knicks sent Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Timofey Mozgov to the Nuggets to get the Brooklyn-born Anthony. They also gave Denver $3 million in cash plus a 2014 first-round pick and two second-round picks. His homecoming is coming at a very high price, and you wonder if the Knicks are letting the future slip away (especially with rookie Mozgov) in order to secure something right now.

Knicks fans need only to look to the standings for a reality check. The 28-26 Knicks are twelve games behind the Boston Celtics. Even with Anthony, there is no conceivable way that they are going to catch Boston. Of course, fans will say that was not the purpose of this trade. The idea is to get through the last twenty-eight games better than the first fifty-four, secure a spot in the first round of the playoffs, and give Knicks fans more than they have had to hope for in quite a long time.

Okay, I am all for that, but I am worried that the Knicks as an organization were played. What does that say not just about this year but the future. And, if the reports of Isiah Thomas acting as an "advisor" to owner James Dolan throughout the negotiations are true, then the writing is on the wall: Donnie Walsh, head of operations and against giving up too much in this trade, may be gone and Thomas may be back. That is bad news for the team and for the fans as well.

Tomorrow night at the Garden a new page in Knicks history begins. Anyone who has been there and heard the crowd will get a lump in his or her throat when the Knicks take the court against Milwaukee. The place will be shaking to the rafters, and visions of Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Dick Barnett running across the court will be dancing in our heads. Yes, that team was pieced together too from trades that resulted in that big championship season, and we can dare to dream a little and that's fine.

Still, when all the cheering is done, Anthony and Stoudemire then have to walk the walk. They have to fill some pretty big shoes out there if history is going to repeat itself. Maybe this year, but maybe not. I keep hearing Mets announcer Ralph Kiner saying what I have heard him say over and over again through the years, "The best trades are the ones you don't make." Let's hope that's not the case with Carmelo Anthony, but we'll start finding out tomorrow night at the Garden.

As Gang Green Turns: Ryan and Wife Take in a Knicks Game

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Ryan and Wife Take in a Knicks Game on Blogcritics.

Bloviator par excellence Rex Ryan, head coach of the New York Jets who lost their second AFC Championship Game in a row last month, took in the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden last night along with his lovely wife Michelle. Whatever happened on the court - Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were blowing out the hapless Knicks 113-96 - mattered less since King Rex and his queen were in the house.


The story told in the New York Daily News includes a headline about Rex and his wife playing footsie courtside, referencing the now infamous YouTube video with a woman (who may or may not have been his wife) talking about her foot fetish. In the soap opera As Gang Green Turns during the course of a tempestuous season, this incident was just another case of adding to the drama that seemed to happen on a daily basis.

At the half Ryan spoke to a reporter and once again the mouth that roared predicted that the Jets will win it all next year. If this doesn't get old it's because Rex is so good at spinning his yarn that he would give FOX News' Bill O'Reilly a run for the money. When Rex speaks we just have to listen and, even if the tale is one full of more sound than fury, he is no idiot and we are compelled to listen.

After all this time I must admit I like Rex Ryan, but I think he has not faced the facts about his team the last two years. Sometimes all the buzz off field, no matter how entertaining, takes a negative toll on what happens on the field. As he enters his third year as head coach, maybe he can talk less and stop putting the team in difficult situations because of his bold and sometimes over the top blustering. I know, it's not going to happen.


If Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni were to take a page from Ryan's book, he could pronounce that the Knicks (ironically chasing another Boston team called the Celtics) were going to acquire Carmelo Anthony, take the division, and win the championship. Now, if he could just get his wife to take her shoes off and put it on YouTube - well, you get the idea.

Rex Ryan made a dark winter night seem a little brighter last night at Madison Square Garden. Yeah, the Knicks lost, but we Jets fans have to wonder if Rex believes everything that comes out of his mouth as much as enjoys all the stuff that goes into it. Until training camp and all the changes that are undoubtedly coming for Gang Green, we might as well watch the Knicks and hope D'Antoni can spark some fire in his squad before it's too late.

Photo Credits:
Ryan & Wife - Simmons/Daily News
Mike D'Antoni - Gallardo/AP