Marc and Jay talk about the Phil Jackson press conference, Porzingis skipping his exit interview, Melo’s trade value, rumors from inside the Knicks camp, roster final rankings, expectations going forward, and much more
Listen to The New York Knicks Show on ITunes
Listen to the Almighty Baller Podcast Network on iTunes
or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.
Marc and Jay talk about the last few games, the state of the race to the bottom, James Dolan isn’t that bad of a guy, a Melo debate, Noah is washed up, much more
Listen to The New York Knicks Show on ITunes
Listen to the Almighty Baller Podcast Network on iTunes
or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.
Overview of the Knicks 2017 Season
The New York Knicks are a far cry from the perennial powerhouse they used to be in the days of Patrick Ewing in the early to mid-90s. Today, they are consistently ranked towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference and haven’t made the playoffs since the 2012-2013 season. Over the last decade, they’ve made the playoffs three times, while that may not seem all that bad, it is when you consider that the team made the playoffs every single season in the 90s.
Today’s New York Knicks are led by Carmello Anthony in his 14th season in the league, and is the Knicks’ biggest star player with his 21.8 points per game average. They also made some moves that were viewed a blockbuster moves when they acquired former MVP Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls during the offseason, as well as another former Bull, Joakim Noah.
Entering the season, the New York Knicks had plenty to be optimistic about. They had added two solid players in Rose and Noah, and already had what they thought to be a solid core to build around in Carmello Anthony. It simply didn’t click up to expectations for the Knicks this season as they currently sit 8 games out of the final playoff spot with the season coming to a close early next week. To add insult to an already disappointing season, the Knicks lost Derrick Rose for the remainder of the season after he tore his meniscus in his left knee a few days ago. A recent NBA analyst discovered that handicapper Jon Price made over $375,000 from wagering against the Knicks in the month of March alone. He takes into account arbitrage betting strategies and trends and this year the Knicks have been his friend.
One can’t help but to see the Knicks as a perennial disappointment in today’s NBA. They have suffered through mediocrity for years, changing general managers and head coaches multiple times, and even did what they could in free agency, but the players don’t seem to pan out as well once they come to New York. The Knicks had as much hype entering the 2016-2017 season as any Knicks team in the last ten years, and they disappointed greatly.
Some are already looking to the next draft and saying that the Knicks need to draft a guard to provide insurance for an injury-prone Derrick Rose, or to potentially even replace him. Rose had an average performance in 2016 and 2017, but missed games again this year due to injuries. He finished his season averaging 18 points per game, which is a point below his career average. Still better than how the acquisition of Joakim Noah worked out for them, as he only played in 46 games and averaged 5 points per game in those contests.
With the 2016-’17 NBA Season coming to a close, it’s safe to say this year was another disappointment for the dynasty that used to be the New York Knicks. Now they’re left with more questions than answers as they enter an offseason with a lot of uncertainty around Derrick Rose and the overall performance of their team.
They’ll look to bounce back and grow through the draft, in time for the 2017-’18 NBA Season.
Marc and Jay talk about the last few games, building a winning culture, keeping vs trading draft picks, the draft, defense, Derrick Rose’s latest season-ending injury, and much more
Listen to The New York Knicks Podcast on ITunes
or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.
Jay is joined by Sean Derental from the Ode to Oden podcast to talk about who the Knicks might draft. Everyone from Fultz to Smith to Monk to Jackson to a ton of players Jay currently can’t pronounce and Marc will never ever be able to pronounce.
Listen to The New York Knicks Podcast on ITunes
Listen to the Almighty Baller Podcast Network on iTunes
or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.
New York Knicks at Los Angeles Clippers
March 20, 2017
Clippers 114, Knicks 105
by Eric Weinstein
If you stayed up for this mess, well done.
The New York Knicks hit the road for a four game Western Conference swing that began in Hollywood last night, as the Knicks traveled to LA to take on the Clippers. It’s been anything but great for both of these teams over the past few weeks, as both teams have been struggling mightily. Only difference is, the Clips are still the fourth seed in the Western Conference, led by the big four of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and JJ Redick. The Knicks? Not really in the playoff picture these days. It was more of the same from New York, which is keeping the deficit manageable for a little while, only to have their lack of defensive effort be their undoing. Don’t let the score fool you, the Knicks were nowhere near that close to winning this game. Continue reading
Marc and Jay talk about the last 2 games, the state of the tank race, playing vets in a lost season, what the heck is Phil doing, upcoming schedule, draft prospects and much more
Listen to the Almighty Baller Podcast Network on iTunes
or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.
New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers
March 14, 2017
Knicks 87, Pacers 81
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com
The Indiana Pacers aren’t fans of snow, apparently.
The blizzard in New York City couldn’t keep the basketball out of MSG tonight as the Indiana Pacers came to town to wrap up the season series against the Knickerbockers. In a season without many bright spots, the Knicks put on an excellent performance in their building, to give the fans something to cheer about. Kristaps Porzingis was the biggest story tonight, as he left the game with a leg thigh contusion, because this season can’t have a high, without delivering a low immediately afterwards.
After the exit of the unicorn, it was Carmelo Anthony and Willy Hernangomez who put the Knicks on their back in the fourth to lead the Knicks to a win, 87-81. Anthony and Hernangomez were scoring, defending, and rebounding at an incredible rate, as both men pulled down double-digit rebounds for their respective double-doubles. Carmelo scored 22 to lead the Knicks, and Hernangomez scored 13 points and grabbed 16 boards. Derrick Rose also scored 16 points and continued to knock down mid-range jumpers.
The biggest story from this game? Defense. The Knicks played excellent defense tonight, and you read that correctly. The Knicks ACTUALLY played tough defense against a decent opponent. Credit to these guys to playing hard all game long and showing fight in another lost season. The Knicks could have easily played down and crawled to the finish, but they hung tough to give the paying customers what they traveled through the snow to see.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, how could the guy who has been one of the biggest advocates of the tank be okay with a win against a playoff team? I’ll tell you why, it’s because even though it goes against what I really think the Knicks should be doing, I love this team too damn much to not be happy about a win. During the 17 win season, the Knicks won a few games at the end of the season that knocked their draft position back a few spots, but I don’t see a win like this mattering too much. Everyone has to accept the fact that New York will land somewhere between the 6-10 pick range, and that should be just fine for everyone. This team isn’t bad enough to get to the top-5 mark with such little time left in the season.
Knicks are back in action against the tank-a-licious Brooklyn Nets in another riveting battle for New York City. Get your popcorn ready, this one will be brutal. 27-41.
Marc and Jay talk about the last 4 games, Phil teaching the triangle, upcoming draft, overstepping boundaries, top PG’s of the last 10 years, and much more
Listen to The New York Knicks Podcast on ITunes
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or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.
New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
March 11, 2017
Pistons 112, Knicks 92
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com
Same game, different day.
In what will be the final time the Knicks face the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Knicks once again failed to show up on the road. New York came out flat and allowed the Pistons to jump out to an early lead, one that was too much to overcome. New York showed fight and cut the deficit over the next three quarters, but were blown out at the end of the fourth.
Kristaps Porzingis led New York with 18 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He set up Willy Hernangomez on a number of nice bounce passes while set up in the post, passes that become possible through the triangle offense. Carmelo Anthony was invisible for another game, only scoring 13 points on 4-9 shooting, to go along with 4 assists. Chasson Randle made great use of more extended minutes to score 12 points, pull down 3 rebounds, and dish out 3 assists. The Knicks may have found something with this kid and he needs to see the floor more as the season comes to a close. Long Island product Tobias Harris led Detroit with 28 points, and Andre Drummond scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
It’s just more of the same with the New York Knicks as we keep rolling along here, with the team not being committed on defense, as well as having difficulty with an often stagnant offense.
When Carmelo has nights like tonight, where he doesn’t seem to even be interested in the game, really, it’s going to be tough for the Knicks offense to get going. When the top gun struggles, the team will struggle.
I turned the game off midway through the fourth quarter. It’s just too painful.
After today, the Knicks are currently six games back of Milwaukee with Charlotte, Miami, and Chicago ahead of them. Barring a miracle, this team is not making the playoffs, and that’s easy to see. It makes sense for the Knicks to go into this last stretch of the season seeing what they have in some of the guys who don’t play much. Guys like Randle, Ron Baker, Mindaugus Kuzminskas, Marshall Plumlee, among others, should all be playing more than they are. The Knicks know what they have with guys like Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee, so why not see if these other guys have a future with the team? It’s an easy answer, one that the Knicks don’t seem to understand.
Another back to back situation on Sunday, as the Knicks fly home, but will need to hop on the subway to Brooklyn for a Sunday evening affair with the Brooklyn Nets. This game should be renamed the tankapalooza, considering the participants. Chin up everyone, it’ll all be over soon.
26-40.
Two bitter Knicks fans host this NBA talk show.
