shane larkin

Where to Begin

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This about sums up the season so far.

Written by Nicholas McGowan

Where to Begin
Let me tell me explain to you as to why I am so happy about the Knicks season so far. Now I certainly wasn’t imagining the Knicks being this bad, but hey, if they up with a top 3 pick in next year’s draft its certainly seems like the Knicks will end up with a stud. I don’t know how many of our readers and listeners follow college basketball but if you want to see some talent then look no further than Jahlil Okafor of Duke or Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. of Kentucky. And we can’t forget about the other consensus top 3 pick Emmanuel Mudiay. While Mudiay originally committed to play basketball at SMU, he could not qualify academically so he headed overseas to China to play for the Guangdong Southern Dragons. No matter the case he is still top 3 prospect and Knicks could certainly use a point guard.
Taking a look at each of them separately:

Jahlil Okafor, a 6-11, 270 pound center is my favorite prospect this year. He shows great maturity and has real sense for how the game is played. His lack of free throw shooting is his only real flaw and he certainly looks as though he can contribute immediately.
Points per game: 17.4
Rebounds per game: 8.9
Assists per game: 1.6
Field Goal %: 65
Free throw percentage: 51.1
Blocks: 1.5
Steals: .9

Karl-Anthony Towns is a 6-11, 250 pound shot blocking machine. While he does demonstrate that he has potential on the offensive end of the floor, he is much more of a defensive presence. It hurts that Towns only gets to play around 20 minutes a night because of the platoon system they use at Kentucky but Towns has still made quite the impression.
Points per game: 8.1
Rebounds per game: 6.6
Assists per game: 1.2
Field Goal %: 52.9
Free throw percentage: 73.3
Blocks: 2.6
Steals: .4

Now I don’t get to watch Emmanuel Mudiay as much as I would like but from what every draft analyst is saying he seems to be the real deal. He is injured as of now with an ankle injury but he posted some impressive numbers in the ten games he has played thus far.

Points per game: 17.7
Rebounds per game: 6
Assists per game: 5.9
Field Goal %: 49.7
Free throw percentage: 58.1
Steals: 1.6
3 Point %: 30

Anyway back to the Knicks this season… Continue reading →

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Knicks vs Heat 11/30/14 – Game Recap

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Written by William Lee

Both team’s superstar returned to action Sunday night from injury, Dwyane Wade with a strained left hamstring, and Carmelo Anthony from back spasms.

Both teams were inept on offense in the first quarter, Heat shot 27.3% while the Knicks shot 33.3%. However the Heat got to the line, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Miami who are sixth in league in stealing with 8.3 steals per game, took advantage of New York’s sloppy play early on, getting five steals alone in the first quarter. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench and his energy really kept the Knicks in the game, making three straight baskets once inserted. Stoudemire finished the game with a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. New York only trailed 21-17 after the opening quarter.

James Ennis, a rookie forward from Long Beach State went berserk, personally responsible for a 10-2 run to start the second quarter. Ennis showed off all his offensive skills, first a pull up mid-range jump shot, then a three-pointer, before finally getting free to the rim for a slam dunk. Then he would give a helping hand, setting up Josh McRoberts for a wide open three. Just like that New York saw themselves down 34-21 four minutes into the second quarter.

Continue reading →

2014/15 Knicks Roster Power Rankings – Week 5

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4 games and 3 losses this week. At least the Knicks found a way to beat Philly, even if they did almost blow a 20 point lead to one of the worst teams of all time. They also lost to a team who was missing 4 starters and the 1 starter who did play had the flue and a broken wrist and still managed to drop 37 points on the Knicks. Rage. Remember my comment last week about not being able to win without Melo? Well we may find out if that’s true or not this coming week.
       
Rank Player Comments Last weeks Rank
1 Anthony, Carmelo Another highly productive week for Melo, which ended in back spasms. I’m guessing Melo will set a game or two to get healthy for the Knicks playoff push. Playoffs…hahaha. 1
2 Stoudemire, Amar’e Amare was the only player on this roster other than Melo who was able to string together more than one good game in a row this week. I’m not going to bother bringing up the defense anymore. He’s been scoring and rebounding which is what he needs to do. 8
3 Wear, Travis Wear was the Knicks best bench player this week. In related news the Knicks are 4-11. 6
4 Acy, Quincy Quincy isn’t expected to do much other than rebound, and in that regard he doesn’t disappoint. He’s been playing exactly to expectations. 4
5 Prigioni, Pablo It was just a week ago that I was talking about Priggys slump. Looks like he snapped out of it and might push Larkin out of the rotation if he keeps it up. Continue reading →

2014/15 Knicks Roster Power Rankings – Week 3

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Last week I wrote about how excited I was about this team. What a difference 7 days and 5 straight losses makes. On the plus side the Knicks have their own draft pick this year.
Rank Player Comments Last weeks Rank
1 Shumpert, Iman Shumpert has been the Knicks best player so far this season. He shot .500 or better in 4 of the last 5 games and seems to have developed a 3 point shot. My one criticism is he seems too hyper on defense. He gets some dumb fouls and has a habit of trying to cover whoever had the ball. For example, leaving Korver open at the 3 point line to double team Antic in the post is not a great decision. 2
2 Larkin, Shane For a backup point guard forced into a starting point guard position Shane has been doing OK. His numbers won’t blow you away but he doesn’t turn the ball over very much and he plays defense. Two things Felton did not do last last season. 3
3 Stoudemire, Amar’e Amare has been rebounding like a madman this week. He hasn’t been scoring a ton but he’s been scoring efficiently. His defense is still a complete mess but at this point I think we’re seeing best case scenario Amare. 5
4 Anthony, Carmelo Melo is here by default because no one played better. But if he has 1 more 25% shooting night while taking over 20 shots I’m dropping him down to 10th. He did look better when playing PF, you know, the position we have massive amounts of data showing he’s better at. Let’s keep playing him at the SF position though. 1
5 Dalembert, Samuel Fisher seems to only want to play Samuel in certain types of matchups, but when Sam does play he does a decent job. Decent: enough to get you the #5 spot on the Knicks roster! Continue reading →

Episode 269: A Surprising Week

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Marc and Jay talk about the first three games of the season, Shane Larkin and Iman Shumperts contracts, defense, best new additions so far, Derrick Rose, a few around the league notes, and much more

Download Episode 269

2014/15 Knicks Roster Power Rankings – Week 1

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The season starts for the Knicks today so lets take a look at the first addition of this years Knicks roster power rankings! 7 new faces this season and since no games have been played this week is just going on gut instinct and what I saw in preseason. I’m in a good mood so this will probably be the most upbeat rankings you’ll see all season.
Rank Player Comments Last weeks Rank
1 Anthony, Carmelo He’s the best player on the team by a very large margin. I’m hoping to see more passing and less iso plays now that the Knicks have an actual system. He’s also going to have to play acceptable D for the Knicks to make the playoffs, which he is definitely capable of. –
2 Stoudemire, Amar’e Amare looked good in the preseason on offense. Maybe taking baths in red wine actually helped. Hopefully he’ll continue to look good on offense, having another scorer on the floor should result in more ball movement. –
3 Smith, J.R. I’m not sure if JR should be this high, but if you just look at talent he’s a top 3 player on this team. No clue if he’ll behave or not but I think we’ll know after the 1st quarter of the first Sunday noon game. –
4 Shumpert, Iman It’s year 3 of getting excited for the leap Shump is about to make. Lets hope it actually happens this year. He’s up this high for being the only player in the top 10 that can actually play defense. –
5 Calderon, Jose A real point guard. An actual real point guard! He’s 32 and bad at defense and still our best point guard since that one good season Marbury had. –
6 Hardaway Jr., Tim If only we can make a frankenstein combo of Hardaway’s offense, JR’s athleticism and Shumperts defense. I’m not expecting THJ to be good on defense but not being the absolute worst would be great. –
7 Dalembert, Samuel Dalembert looks like he can clog up the middle a little bit. I’m not super impressed but I don’t think there will be any days where I’m mad at him either. –
8 Acy, Quincy Oof, these rankings are getting real tough already. Acy had a nice dunk in preseason and he has a cool beard. Apparently that’s good enough for #8 on this list. –
9 Larkin, Shane Not sure what to make of Larkin yet. He’s super fast, but in preseason I didn’t see too much other than running around really quickly. –
10 Prigioni, Pablo I love Pablo but I have a feeling he’s not going to play unless there are 1 or 2 injuries. –
11 Smith, Jason The Knicks sure do have a lot of big guys who can shoot midrange jumpers and not do much else. –
12 Bargnani, Andrea Bargs is already injured. I have a feeling he’s going to be a resident bottom 5 in these rankings. –
13 Aldrich, Cole Phil already said Cole isn’t going to play unless there are a lot of injuries. Not sure why, he seems just as capable as Smith and Bargs. Of course knowing the Knicks injury history he’ll be starting by January so it won’t be an issue. –
14 Early, Cleanthony Early is a lot more raw than I thought. If the Knicks fall out of the playoff picture I’d love to see him get a lot of run as he’s one of a total of 3 guys on this roster than can actually defend. –
15 Wear, Travis Glad Travis made the team, he impressed me in preseason. It looks like he’ll be spending most of his time in Westchester so I’ll leave him down here until/unless he plays in actual NBA games. –

 

Season Preview

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Written by Nicholas McGowan

Season Preview

The New York Knicks open up the season at home on October 29 against the finally healthy Chicago Bulls. The team then travels to Cleveland for the nationally broadcasted homecoming of Lebron James. Expect the Knicks to be 0-2. We then play the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards, maybe we could be 2-2, but I’m expecting a 1-3 start to the season. It will be interesting to see how the new Knicks will look against 4 probable playoff teams to begin the season. What I’m really looking for in the games against Chicago and Cleveland is for the Knicks to be competitive, show some indication that we can stay with these powerhouse teams. Regardless it should be an interesting start to the season, and to help you get ready here are some links to help you get to know this season’s Knicks a little bit better.

J.R. Smith it struggling with the triangle to say the least.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/11751412/jr-smith-new-york-knicks-says-triangle-offense-tough-adjust-to

http://nypost.com/2014/10/09/knicks-j-r-smith-learning-triangle-will-take-few-months/

Cleanthony Early landed himself a shoe deal with Li Ning.

http://solecollector.com/news/li-ning-adds-cleanthony-early-glenn-robinson-iii/

Phil Jackson gave his thoughts on our roster.

http://espn.go.com/nba/preview2014/story/_/id/11654375/nba-phil-jackson-point-view-new-york-knicks?src=mobile

The Knicks made two random signings… they won’t be with us for long.

http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2014/10/23/7053579/the-knicks-signed-jordan-vandenberg-so-they-can-cut-him-and-send-him

http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2014/10/8/6946719/the-knicks-signed-d-j-mbenga-for-some-reason

Shumpert looks good so far, too bad we won’t sign him.

http://fansided.com/2014/09/28/new-york-knicks-rumors-iman-shumpert-contract-talks/

At least we get to keep Shane Larkin for an extra year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources–knicks-pick-up-guard-shane-larkin-s-third-year-contract-option-143812008.html

A second round pick, and the right to swap second rounders earned us Arnett Moultrie

http://www.libertyballers.com/2014/10/27/7079571/sixers-trade-arnett-moultrie-to-knicks-draft-picks-and-travis-outlaw

The Knicks and 76ers were just as bad as the Syracuse Orange when it came to shooting threes.

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400583964

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/183/syracuse-orange

And finally, Amar’e decides to take red wine baths to stay healty in last year of his contract

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/amare-stoudemire-red-wine-bath

Now that you are caught up with all the Knicks news, it’s time for some season predictions. I believe ESPN has us pegged for around 37 wins, while most Vegas places have us at around 41. Now personally I think we are good for around 45, a slightly above .500 basketball club would be a good start to Fisher’s career as a coach. When looking at the eastern conference over the past few years, there are teams that sneak into the playoffs that are either at .500 or below it. Knowing that the Cavaliers will certainly be in the playoffs and predicting that we will make it, that leaves two teams from last year who will need to drop out. The two teams that come immediately to mind are the Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets. The Pacers lost Lance Stephenson in free agency to the Charlotte Hornets and they lost Paul George to a gruesome leg injury in Vegas over the summer. The Pacers also need to find out what has happened to Roy Hibbert, perhaps it was Andrew Bynum or perhaps it was just mental weakness. Whatever it was, he needs to have a big season with both George and Stephenson gone. The Nets only seem to get older every year and were quick to replace Jason Kidd. While Lionel Hollins might be a good coach, I don’t think he can elevate the team like Kidd did. Kidd was able to help Deron Williams, Lionel Hollins is not known for his ability to guide point guards. The Nets will also have to battle through whatever injury Brook Lopez/Deron Williams comes down with. By the way, they also just traded away a 2019 second rounder to 76ers. Continue reading →

The Next Knicks

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The Next Knicks

Written By Nicholas McGowan

            Now is the time to stand up and applaud Phil Jackson (if you haven’t already), for the heist he pulled off yesterday in the trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Phil Jackson shipped out the 14 million dollar contract of Tyson Chandler and the multiyear deal Raymond Felton still had remaining. The Knicks received from the Mavericks point guard Jose Calderon, backup shooting guard Wayne Ellington, starting center Samuel Dalambert, promising young point guard Shane Larkin, and two second draft picks in tonight’s draft. With the Knicks actually making smart moves and getting back draft picks, its time start being proud of the fact that for one day we are not the laughing stock of the NBA when it comes to trades. (Player contracts are another story, but at least we are improving in one area). The Knicks come out of this deal looking to go younger and looking to get rid of big contracts. Expect that trend to continue as the offseason progresses. Could we possibly see a J.R. Smith trade tonight instead of a Shumpert trade? Could we possibly see Jose Calderon be traded one day after we acquired him? A lot of new possibilities have emerged with this trade. I would expect the Knicks draft strategy to deviate after yesterday’s deal, so with that said let us take a look at who the Knicks might target in the second round and look at the chance that the Knicks still trade into the first round.

 Point Guards:

Before the trade I had the Knicks trading up to the 21st spot with the OKC Thunder to draft Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis. Trading Shumpert for Ennis would be a good move in my book and would welcome the addition of pass first point guard that has great court vision and plays defense. Yet with the addition of Shane Larkin and Jose Calderon the Knicks might draft a point guard with their later pick. The Knicks might target Louisville guard Russ Smith. Smith is a talented 3-point shooter, decent defender, and a good value for a late second round pick. I would hope the Knicks could find a way to trade Jose Calderon but if they don’t having Larkin and Calderon going forward would be an upgrade over Toure Murray and Raymond Felton.

 Shooting Guards:

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