2/28 - Wednesday's Links

• The Post analyzes the future without Jamal Crawford. The Knicks claim their playoff hopes are not dead.
• Michael Morrissey reports that Friday is the target for David Lee's return.
• The Knicks get some love from Detroit writer Chris McKoskey, who looks at the prospect of the Pistons and Knicks squaring off in the first round of the playoffs.

2/27 - CRAWFORD LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON

Yeah, that's right. Jamal Crawford's ankle has been giving him problems now for "about 2 weeks" he says. Doctors say it will require season-ending surgery. JC is going for a second opinion to see if he can avoid surgery, choosing rehab instead. In this case, he could be back 4-6 weeks, maybe until the playoffs (if that is reality for the Knicks).

Well folks, there's not much to say here. You lose your second leading scorer on the team, and a guy that can hit big shots for you. Someone needs to take over that role, but who would be the answer?

Nate Robinson will probably be the player that benefits the most in terms of playing time. Surely he will take senseless jump shots just like Crawford would. Isiah Thomas is fine with this. He has always allowed players to take bad shots, as long as they make them every once in a while. The question is if they will be making them. Crawford had a knack for it, but will Nate? He needs to grow up pretty fast and start contributing to this team.

Relando Balkman will probably also benefit. With more playing time going around (38 mins a game to be exact), Balk will have a chance to show his skills, especially the always helpful, rebounding the basketball.

Which leads to an idea. With Marbury beginning to shine, a quick Nate Robinson off the bench, and a high flyer like Balkman, the Knicks may finally be able to play some "run-and-gun." If we can find Balkman running fast on the break, look for some easier points. Curry will have to continue to be a monster.

It should be interesting, the first test being tomorrow in Boston. Hopefully it is a good rehearsal/warm up game to adjust to "life without Crawford."

2/27 - Tuesday's Links

• Newsday examines Eddy Curry's progress, and asks Shaq if he is ready to pass the baton to E-City.
• Marc Berman examines what exactly is going on with Steve Francis. Will he retire?
• Eddy Curry is getting more praise from opposing coaches. This time it's from every Knicks fan's favorite, Pat Riley...
• The Times thinks it's about time the Knicks got some of the bounces to win a game.
• Knicks Knacks has some good stuff on Marbury taking over the game, including from quote from some players, and Marbury himself, who says he "sees the big picture."
• As TrueHoop.com pointed out, the NBA has started a YouTube site. Maybe now I can link to videos without them taking it down. It's about time they got on board here, I'm just sorry it took so long

2/27 - Knicks need to string some together

Well, since my last post the Knicks lost to the Nets in a game where they were winning at the half (depressing), and they beat the Heat last night in what was an all around good victory. With Boston and Golden State coming up, it's time to buckle down and win a few in a row here.

How 'bout Starbury last night? Hitting big threes and refusing to lose? Looks like the Marbury of old may be back. As I wrote in a previous article here, he has to start realizing that this team is his last chance to write his legacy. I'm sure all the attention on David Lee has affected Steph's ego a little bit. It was only a matter of time before the opportunity arose for him to take over a game. Who knew it would result in 18 4th quarter points.

Jared Jeffries has been more active as of late. It started in the Nets game, where his defensive effort kept the Knicks in the game late, but it was over at that point. I think he has finally realized his role on this team. Eddy Curry is busting right through the ceiling that some people have given him as a player. His rebounding and defense have improved, and he is really becoming an all around great center.

Sidenote: regardless of the Celtics game tomorrow, February 2007 will be the New York Knicks first winning month since December 2004.

2/24 - A Win is a Win

It may not have been pretty, but the Knicks edged out the Bucks last night in a close one. Channing Frye made himself useful by hitting two free throws with .8 sec left to seal a win. Eddy Curry was held to 10 points thanks to some great ball denial played by Milwaukee.

I'm not really able to write a full post right now, I'm in between two shifts of a long day of work. Weekends are kind of a tough time to keep the site updated, which is why I've been thinking about bringing someone else on to contribute to the site. If you're interested, drop me an e-mail at csw5@buffalo.edu. Put "Live from the Garden" in the subject line, and tell me a bit about yourself. I'm looking for one or two people that know how to write (meaning no silly grammar errors), and love the Knicks. I only ask maybe two or three posts a week, especially on the weekend to pick up my slack. I'm currently looking to add this blog to a few other networks to generate some more hits, so the future looks bright. This is a young site, and I would love to work with someone who shares the same passion for the team as I do. Drop me a line.

Anyway, the Knicks take on the Nets tomorrow, and as we know, every game is important at this point. It would be nice to move to 26-31, but a loss still doesn't kill the season. This team really got lucky when D-Wade went down, but now they need to take the opportunity to make up some lost ground. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon with some links and hopefully a fresh new article. Stay tuned, and remember, drop me a line at my e-mail, or even in the comments after this post if you're interested in joining the team!

2/23 - Friday's Links

• Marc Berman notes that Isiah was being fiscally responsible when standing pat at the deadline. Now it's time to look to the draft.
• The Daily News examines just who's decision it was to not make a move.
• The Bergen record says Isiah expects more from his current roster.
• The Post thinks this is the time for the bench to shine.
• Over at Knicks Knacks, Dougherty thinks that Dwayne Wade going down opens up the door for the Knicks to have a chance.

Here's an awesome highlight video urging a playoff push. It includes highlights from all the best games of the season, plus David Lee and Nate Robinson's All-Star weekend. (hopefully it doesn't get taken down):

2/22 - The X-Factor

With D-Wade going down until who knows when, and the Magic performing sub-par as of late, the Knicks are still sitting in the 10 spot in the East looking up with a slim chance of sneaking into the playoffs. Yes, I know I'm being unrealistic, after all, this team is 24-31 and showing no signs of a fire that will lead a march down the stretch. However, as long as there is a slim chance, it's my job to speculate about it.

So with 27 games remaining (including a should-be win tomorrow with the Bucks at the Garden), someone needs to step up on this team. Marbury has been performing good enough to know his role: get the ball to Curry, take your shots when necessary. Curry, I don't even need to talk about, he's our stud. David Lee will do what he does best down the stretch. Q-Rich has probably been our best two way player: consistent on offense, solid on defense, but his knees are a big question mark. Crawford, well, he's JC...who knows what you'll get each night.

So now I present to you, our top three candidates for the X-Factor, someone who can step up and sneak this team into the playoffs:

3. Renaldo Balkman. I know it sounds ridiculous to throw someone on this list who doesn't even play a single minute for some games, but this kid has proved himself on the court. He plays hard on the defensive end, and is always looking to create on offense. Look at last night's game in Philly: after he almost single handedly led the team back into the game, he walked off the floor clapping and urging the team to get their act together. This is a ROOKIE we're talking about. As much as the Incredible Balk was criticized on draft day, he has a bright future with this team. He has fire, and Isiah should see this. Even 15-20 mins a game could make him the new David Lee. Bring it.

2. Channing Frye. So my current most-hated player on the Knicks survived the trade deadline. After a superb rookie season (even being considered in Rook of the year talk before he was hurt), Frye has done NOTHING to improve his game this year. If the kid would develop a hook shot off of a two step move from the baseline, he would be unstoppable. But we know it won't happen. To be effective, he needs to play defense. He can't guard any player that is his own size because his is SOFT. Get him in the gym and have Mark Aguirre hit him with those pads, slap him around a little bit. Do you think Eddy Curry's improvement came out of nowhere? Hell no! Aguirre knows how to make people into a low post player, he even helped Mike Sweetney out, who hasn't done anything since leaving NY. If Frye can just average around 16 and 7, and play decent defense, it would help the team in a big way.

1. STEVIE "THE FRANCHISE" FRANCIS. Sometimes I forget Stevie is on this team. I mean, were talking about a former all-star here. He seems to be healthy now, but all he contributes is turnovers and bad jumpers. I just don't get it. What happened to the dude? I truly think he has lost his competitive edge, his ability to take over a game. Some people thought that Francis might even push Marbury out of New York once he got here. Well it's obvious Steph has been putting in the work, Francis hasn't. He's coming off the bench for God's sake, and barely playing! He needs to stop being a wuss and drive the lane, get to the line. That's what he made a career out of. If Francis can suddenly come alive and have a good streak of games, who knows what could be possible.

- Honorable Mention: Nate Robinson. If Nate took some time away from rehearsing his big dunk for the dunk contest next year, he might also be able to contribute something to this team. He showed last year that he can take over a game, but most of the time it's during a game that becomes a loss. He needs to consistently hit threes, and if that happens, the Knicks have the shooter they need.

Will any of these things happen? Probably not. The useless Jerome James and Jared Jefferies will take minutes from Balkman, Frye will continue to shoot 18 footers, and Francis will likely fake an injury and head back to Houston for rehab. I'm simply giving you a "what if." By the way, if I'm starting to get negative on this site, I apologize, I'm just being honest.

See you tomorrow with some links and a brand spankin new article...I DON'T LET YOU DOWN. Tell your friends...fresh takes, every day, here at "Live! From the Garden"

2/22 - Most Boring Deadline Ever

Well, it's a little after 3pm, and although some deals take some time to make their way out, it appears that this has been the most boring NBA trade deadline ever. With big names like Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom floating around, not one team could make a blockbuster deal. I guess we have to keep in mind the Iverson deal that happened earlier this season, one of the bigger mid-season deals the NBA has seen. Still, for all the hype, especially the Kidd to LA hype, what a disappointment.

I'm even more disappointed that Isiah Thomas didn't do anything. I originally wanted him to keep the team intact, but after some of these big names made their way out, I wanted him to pull the trigger. Vince Carter was out there, and Isiah didn't make a play. While he was on Stephen A. Smith's show, you could clearly hear his phone ringing off the hook in the background. I hope that his obsession with Jamal Crawford was not a reason that deal wasn't made. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume the Nets wanted David Lee.

I'm more surprised that Jason Kidd isn't a Laker. LA was reportedly offering players, cash, and TWO FIRST ROUND PICKS. Why GM Rod Thorn would disagree to that is beyond me. Kidd is old, and getting a return like that would really go a long way in rebuilding a team.

So now what? Isiah has built this entire team himself and has been forced to coach them. There wasn't even an indication that he was accepting offers at the deadline. This team isn't winning now, and I don't see them winning in the future without a couple more pieces. So why hold on to a guy like Channing Frye, who serves no purpose on this team and doesn't even fit into the offense? Remember last year when reports said we could have included Frye in a deal for Lamar Odom or Kevin Garnett? Remember that Isiah and many of us fans shot it down and said Frye's upside was too high? That makes me laugh my ass off now. The guy has actually REGRESSED as a player, it's pathetic. He is so soft it is unbelievable.

Last night Frye had a chance to make an impact, filling in for David Lee, who was out with the flu. How does he respond? 20 mins, 4 pts, 4 rebs. Horrendous. I thought for sure we'd drop his ass today, he is completely useless. It makes me sick how high his value was at this time last year, and we didn't do anything.

There's only one solution that explains all of this. Owner James Dolan must realize there is nothing else to do right now except let contracts expire, draft young players, and wait for big time free agents. Today really cleared this up in my head. As angry as I am that the Knicks didn't make a splash, I see the logic. Isiah is here to stay, Dolan wants him here to see us through this mess. He has a chance to dig himself out, especially since the last three years have been one big mistake. It's like the team is starting over again. It just kills me that so many years have already been wasted, and next season is probably a bust as well.

Right now it's all about waiting I guess. One some salary is freed up, New York will be able to attract big time free agents to come to the Garden again. For now the fans need to deal with this below average squad full of underachievers, who will fight the rest of the season to get that 8 spot, probably only to stumble, fall short, and get a pat on the back from Isiah: "At least you tried, we'll get em next time."

I'm gonna go puke.

2/22 - Trade Day Continues

It's a little after 1pm here on the east coast, and so far we have had two deals in the NBA:

The Hawks have acquired Anthony Johnson from the Mavs for a second round pick

And Portland has acquired Fred Jones from Toronto for Juan Dixon

So as you can see, no blockbusters yet. The Vince Carter to New York rumors are still flying around today, but it's likely nothing big will go down there. However, a new rumor of Channing Frye going to the Lakers for Lamar Odom has come up. The Lakers are desperate to get Jason Kidd, and would use Frye in a deal to obtain him. I'm not sure how serious this is, because if NJ wants Frye, why wouldn't they just deal with us straight up? BRING US CARTER!!!

I'm going out to take care of some errands, I should be back right around the deadline. Keep in mind some deals don't make their way out until around 4pm due to official business done right at 3pm. Be back with more.

Another thing to note: Isiah Thomas is scheduled to appear on Stephen A. Smith's radio show around 1:30pm, so obviously he is not working the phones too hard. Looks like this almost kills a chance of a deal somewhere.

TRADE DAY!!!

Yes, it's like Christmas for some of us basketball fans. Every year the trade deadline rolls around, we expect a blockbuster deal to change the landscape of the NBA. Last year, the Steve Francis deal happened the day before, and the only deal to go down on deadline day was a swap that involved Earl Watson.

Here's hoping something big happens today. It seems like a name somes out of nowhere involving the Knicks every year, like Kevin Garnett last year. This year it's Vince Carter. Rumor has it a couple GM's around the league reported talks between the Nets and Knicks. The only problem is that every team wants David Lee, and Isiah doesn't want to part with him.

I'll keep it short for now. It's about 10am here right now, I'll be back if anything happens in the next 5 hours. I have to write a paper today, so I'll be at the computer all day anyway.