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Grading The Knicks: Regular Season and Playoffs

6/24/2013

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Hello everyone, I’m here today to show you how I thought the each Knick player individually did throughout the season and throughout the playoffs because there were players that were different in the season than they were in the playoffs. I thought that some people did better in the season than they did in the playoffs. This is why I decided to make to separate grades, playoffs and regular season. We will start off with the reserves on the Knicks. Quentin Richardson and Earl Barron do not qualify.

James White-Regular Season-D, Playoffs- DNQ. What a disappointment! I thought this guy could play! It turns out that all he could do is dunk. I think he only had one highlight the whole season. What more can I say, Knicks, please get rid of this guy! He did absolutely nothing this season except get in the dunk contest and get one highlight!

Kurt Thomas (When he was on the Knicks)-Regular Season-D+, Playoffs- DNQ. He did well for his role which was a bench warmer but if he had gotten more minutes, then this grade could have been judged more fairly.

Rasheed Wallace (Before Retirement)-Regular Season-C-, Playoffs- DNQ. Rasheed had a good final year of his career this year with the Knicks for the time when he was not injured. He did well for his time, but he could not stay away from injury. So, Rasheed have a good life outside of basketball. Alright!

Marcus Camby-Regular Season-C-, Playoffs- DNQ. Camby had some pretty solid work with the Knicks this year and I think that he gave it all he got. If we could get him next year, I would love to have him back!

Those were my grades for the reserves, if you do not agree on something, come talk about it with me in the comments because I like to see what other people think about stuff. Anyway here are the role players and the sixth man of the year.

Steve Novak-Regular Season-C-, Playoffs-DNQ. Novak was having a fine season for his role at the role player and I thought that we should stick to the same strategy throughout the playoffs. We did not. This guy played about 2 minutes in our whole NBA Playoffs when in a regular season game he had been playing a good 10-15 minutes. Why would Woodson change the strategy? If you are winning, keep doing what you are doing. Don’t fix what is not broken!

Amare Stoudemire-Regular Season-C, Playoffs-DNQ. Stoudemire again had troubles with injuries for the second straight year and I think it is time to consider trading him. I gave him a C because he is still dunking out there with all the pain on him. I give him credit because after every injury he went through he toughened it out and came back out on the floor and for that I give him credit.

Jason Kidd-Regular Season-C+, Playoffs-D-. Jason Kidd was one of those players that had a great regular season and lost it all in the NBA Playoffs, I cannot even remember if he scored in the playoffs against the Celtics or Pacers. Please write in the comments below if you remember this man making a shot in the Playoffs. In the regular season, however, the whole thing is a different story. He did very fine in the regular season and I thought he was a great addition to the team. Then, the playoffs arrived and all matters with Jason Kidd were downhill. Anyway, he did retire at 40 years of age and is now the Nets head coach and I wish him the best of luck with that.

Chris Copeland-Regular Season-B-, Playoffs-B-, Was this guy a shock to us all or what? Nobody even thought he would be on a team this year and it turned out that he is actually a very fine player who hits shots when you need them. Copeland did show up in the playoffs and played the way he did in the regular season. He gave us a huge boost in the season and in the NBA Playoffs, he was phenomenal. Copeland, this is your team stay with us!

Kenyon Martin-Regular Season-B, Playoffs-B+. Kenyon Martin was a solid player for the Knicks in both the regular season and the playoffs. He would dunk the ball and give the Knicks the momentum that they needed to win. Then, he would scream at the crowd when he blocked a shot or dunked it and the crowd would jump up and down and they would go crazy. I remember sitting at home watching this guy get me out of my seat going nuts. Point is, Martin thank you for helping us with a great season!

JR Smith-Regular Season-A-, Playoffs-C+. Choke in the playoffs! I’m sorry JR but you did not help us after that elbow on Jason Terry in Game 3 of the 1st round. After that happened, JR could not do anything, he was missing shots that he would usually make all the time and he is one of the reasons why I think we got out by the Pacers in the playoffs. In the regular season, though, I could never stop applauding you. Making every shot, putting an incredible dunk in every single night. Awesomeness! If you had only shown up in the playoffs it would have been a totally different story. If it was my choice though I would still get JR back for next season because he did well in the regular season and the Knicks could use someone like that this year.

These were my grades on the role players, do you think I was correct or do you think different comment about it below and I can see what you think. Now, the starters and the coach.

Raymond Felton-Regular Season-B+, Playoffs: C-. In the playoffs this man was failure. Our starting point guard in one of the playoff games against Indiana scored 4 points! Are you kidding me? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of before. Felton is supposed to be the second scoring option behind Carmelo in the starting lineup and he is giving us 4 points in the whole game! Sorry, Felton but you deserve a C- for that performance in the playoffs. In the regular season he was better but still struggled. At least he did not have 4 points in a game on a consistent basis.

Pablo Prigioni-Regular Season-B+, Playoffs-B+. Another shocker right here. Nobody thought that 35 year old Pablo Prigioni was going to be on an NBA roster for his first year in the NBA. He shocked the world, the steals, the threes, the veteran, he had everything. He helped the team so much this year and he was one of the reasons why we even got to the 2nd round and got to six games in that second round. He truly played his heart out and I cannot thank him enough for giving the Knicks another big boost. Thanks Pablo!

Tyson Chandler-Regular Season-A-, Playoffs-C. Here is a player who did not show up for the 2nd round of the playoffs. Tyson Chandler got owned by Roy Hibbert in six straight games, oh wait that was the whole series against the Pacers, why would you betray us Tyson! Why? However, in the regular season he was a dominant force on the boards putting up two 20 rebound games and getting an alley-oop jam every single game. Good job by Tyson on the regular season, not so good in the playoffs.

Iman Shumpert-Regular Season-A-, Playoffs-A-. Never let this guy go! Iman Shumpert tore his ACL in game 1 of the NBA 1st round against the Miami Heat, and it looked like it really hurt. He came back during this season and worked hard to get back to his normal strength. He played great in that elimination game in the playoffs with those 5 three-pointers and those clutch buckets. Also, how about that ferocious jam in game two of the Conference Semifinals, that was awesome. Shumpert has a lot of time to develop and can become a really solid basketball player when at full strength. Good season, Iman.

Carmelo Anthony-Regular Season-A, Playoffs-A. Melo, you are going to win a championship one of these years, just keep working. Carmelo Anthony had one of the best regular seasons of his career averaging 28.7 points per game in the regular season and winning the scoring title, but if you think that is good enough. He averaged 28.8 points per game in the playoffs! Finally, a clutch performer! This is what a star has to do for his team, put up big numbers. Melo did some incredible things throughout the season including a 54 win season, a division title, home court advantage for the first two rounds, and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Thank you so much Carmelo for everything you have done! Please do this next year and we will keep inching closer to that ring. Melo, next year is the one!

Mike Woodson-Regular Season-A, Playoffs-D+. Big Difference! In the regular season, Woodson was up for Coach of the Year in the NBA and was almost able to coach the East All-Stars. He got the Knicks a division title, 54 wins, and the 2nd seed in the East. I give a lot of credit to Woodson for that and I applaud everything that he did in the regular season, but the playoffs were a whole different story. He was screwing up every game and that is why I gave him a D+ in the playoffs. If Iman Shumpert hits 4 straight three-pointers to end the 3rd quarter in an elimination game, would you take Shumpert out for the 4th quarter. Sounds stupid, right! Woodson thinks different, he subs him out in the 4th quarter and we lose the Knicks are now out of the playoffs. What do you think the main reason was? WOODSON!! Mike Woodson just needs to make smarter decisions and he will be fine.

These were my predictions on each Knicks players grade, do you have a different opinion on what their grade should be? Tell me in the comments below. Please comment and thanks for reading!

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Winning Game 4 Means More from Melo, Felton

5/13/2013

2 Comments

 
The loss of our most recent playoff game, when the Knicks fell to the Pacers 82-71, still has that stinging feeling from it. This was a huge loss for us because game 4 still gives them home court advantage. Moving into game 4 on Indiana’s soil makes it that more challenging and that more important for the Knicks. They need to tie the series now and regain winning momentum. 
 
One sure way to win game 4 is to let Carmelo loose and let him do what he does best. I’m expecting 40+ points from him to help us secure the win.  It’s do or die time. This is what all the hard work during the season is for and Carmelo needs to shine.  So far, each playoff game that the Knicks won this season, Carmelo has averaged 29.8 points per game and led the team in scoring. He is key to our success in this next game.  He has to show he is clutch and can lead us back to MSG in victory. 

Another big factor in my opinion for game 4 is Raymond Felton. What happened to him in game 3? He had 6 points, shot 1-8 from the field and only dished out 2 assists in game 3, but he gave us 34 minutes. That added up to 34 minutes of wasted time in the game because he didn’t show up. Come on, man!  You can do this Raymond!!! 

#1: Melo must have a great scoring night. 

#2: Felton must be more involved and show up for game 4.

  #3: Stop Paul George. 

Paul George is clearly the best player on the Pacers and will be very difficult to shut down. I think the way to stop him is by putting our best defender on him, Iman Shumpert. He has to work hard and frustrate George. If we stop him, I say a win for the Knicks. The Pacers in game 3 were certainly working hard like they always do and a lot of their shots were dropping. I  mean, come on, everything was going in for them last game. Three-pointer is good by Hill. Paul George with an outstanding move. Hibbert tips it is again!  We heard those three sentences A LOT in game 3! Things have to change moving forward. 

I believe we will win game 4 in a nail biter decided by 6 or less points. I would prefer to blow them clear out of Indiana but I will settle for a win of any score.  That is, of course, if the refs haven’t decided the game before the first jump ball. Some of their calls have certainly been questionable. I remember one specific play where Shumpert got pushed out of bounds but he was on defense, and then Hansbrough got the ball and barely got touched and they called a foul. Shumpert had been guarding Paul George and George drove down the lane and became wide open because Shumpert got pushed out of bounds and he passed it to Hansbrough where he missed the shot, barely got touched, and a foul was called against the Knicks. It was just unbelievable. So, hopefully the referees will be a little bit less lopsided and let the teams play ball. Only time will tell…Tuesday at 7pm New York time to be exact!! 

Let me know what you think? Are we going to tie the series on Tuesday?  
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NBA Playoffs: 1st Round Predictions!

4/24/2013

11 Comments

 
With the NBA Playoffs starting, I was thinking about which team
would win each series in the playoffs. Of course, there are a lot of exciting
things going on right now in the playoffs, so it was hard for me to think of
which team would win series and in how many games would that team win it in. It
was very hard making these choices, and of course some were easier than others.
Plus, these are truly who I think will win, not necessarily who I want to win.
So, anyway, let me start off with the easiest ones that I could think of with
the 1 seeds vs. the 8 seeds.

In the East, the #1 seed is the Miami Heat and #8 seed is the
Milwaukee Bucks. My predictions are that Heat will win in 5 games. I really
  truly think that the Bucks can pull off one game on their home floor, but the
  Heat are too good and too talented for the Bucks, who had a losing record this
  year, but I think the Bucks could pull off one of those two home games because
  of their backcourt duo which is Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. So, my
  prediction for that series is that the Heat will win in 5 games. In the West,
  however, the #1 seed is the Oklahoma City Thunder and the #8 seed is the
  Houston Rockets. My predictions are that the Thunder will win in 6 games. The
reason why I think Houston will pull out two games is because of two words, “The
  Beard”. James Harden can definitely bring two games home to Houston, in my
  opinion. The Rockets did pull out one game out of three against the Thunder by
  two points. However, I think that the Thunder will win this series because of
  the dominance of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka. Anyway, I
  think the Thunder will win in 6 games. Next, we have the 2 seeds vs. the 7
  seeds.

In the West, the #2 seed is the San Antonio Spurs and the #7 seed
is the Los Angeles Lakers. My predictions for this series are that the Spurs
will win in 5 games. I think that the Lakers cannot pull out this series against
the Spurs without Kobe Bryant, plain and simple. I think that the Spurs have
more talent than the Lakers because of Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan. Even though
the Lakers have D-12, I just don’t think they can do it. In the East, the #2
seed is the New York Knicks and the #7 seed is the Boston Celtics. I think that
the Knicks will win this series in 5 games. I think this because Boston will
definitely win a game on their home court, in my opinion. I think the Knicks
will win this series for sure if Raymond Felton plays well and he has so far so
keep it up, RAY! After that, we have the 3 seeds vs. the 6 seeds.  

In the West, I come to my first upset prediction. The #3 seed is
the Denver Nuggets and the #6 seed is the Warriors. My prediction is that Golden
State will win in 7 games. I think that the Warriors have enough talent to pull
this off. With the dominance of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson from beyond the
arc, I think that the Warriors will win. However, I think that the Nuggets will
make it close because of their backcourt in Andre Igoudala and Ty Lawson. In my
opinion, this will be a great and fun series to watch. Again, I think that
Golden State will win in 7 games. In the East, the #3 seed is the Indiana Pacers
and the #6 seed is the Atlanta Hawks. This was one of the easiest choices to
make. I think that the Pacers will sweep the Hawks simply because of the
dominance on both ends of the floor. With a lineup of George Hill, Paul George,
Lance Stephenson, David West, and Roy Hibbert, I think that the Pacers are going
to be very difficult to stop for the Hawks. I can see Josh Smith possibly
winning a game for them, but I think it will be a sweep by the Pacers. Lastly,
we have the #4 seeds vs. the #5 seeds.

These two series are always the toughest to make,
but I made predictions, so here we go. In the East, the #4 seed is the Brooklyn
Nets and the #5 seed is the Chicago Bulls. In my opinion, I think that the Bulls
will win this is 6 games. I think this because the Bulls won the season series
3-1 and I think that they have a much better defensive team and can stop the
  scorers like Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. Another reason why I
  think the Bulls will win this series is because of the 2 young all-stars named
  Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. These two have so much talent, Deng can hit the open
  shot, Noah is a beast around the basket and getting boards. This is why I think
  the Bulls can win in 6. In the West, the #4 seed is the Los Angeles Clippers
  and the #5 seed is the Memphis Grizzlies. My last prediction for the 1st round is the
Grizzlies win this series in 7 games. I think that Mike Conley is going to take
charge and have some phenomenal games and get the ball to Zach Randolph and Marc
Gasol for easy layups, dunks and jump shots. I also think that Zach Randolph is
going to have a 35+ point game throughout the series and it will be fun to see.
I cannot wait to see this series and I am sure it will be fun to watch. Again, I
think that the Grizzlies will win against the Clippers in 7
games.

These are my predictions, but I want to know what yours are.
  Please comment below on your predictions on the playoffs and who you think will
  go to the next round. I think the Heat, Thunder, Spurs, Knicks, Pacers,
  Warriors, Bulls, and Grizzlies will all play in the Conference Semifinals.
  Thanks for reading my predictions. Please comment!  

11 Comments

Knicks Lose Nail Biter to Kings

12/30/2012

2 Comments

 
I know that everyone who predicted the winner of this game most probably went with the Knicks because the Kings were truly struggling this season. However, with superstar Carmelo Anthony and starting point guard Raymond Felton out, someone needed to step up. The starting lineup for the Knicks in that game was Jason Kidd, Ronnie Brewer, James White, Kurt Thomas, and Tyson Chandler. I thought this lineup was going kill the Kings lineup, but I was all wrong.

The Kings started out beating the Knicks on every play and possession. Then the most embarrassing play of the whole game happened, but sadly it was not in the Knicks favor. Chris Copeland drove in to the basket very slowly and tried to bank it off the backboard and in to get 2 easy points. Then, when he placed it off the backboard 6 foot guard Aaron Brooks swatted it off the backboard for a rejection. He fell out of bounds, but saved the ball. Chuck Hayes got it and passed it to Jimmer Fredette for 3 and they got it in. Mike Woodson was not very happy at Copeland after that.

The Kings looked like they had it in the bag pulling off a 27 point lead in one part of the first half. However, Jason Kidd hit a buzzer beater at the end of the half to symbolize that a comeback would happen. And it did. J.R Smith was going insane with his jumpers and layups. Tyson Chandler got 21 points and 18 rebounds which is very impressive. Jason Kidd was great too. Then the 4th quarter was going down to the wire and the clock was ticking down 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and kept going. Jason Kidd hit a 3 pointer to give us the lead 103-101. Chris Copeland then hit a jump shot making the score 105-101. Isaiah Thomas on the Kings hit a big shot to make to score 105-103, Knicks are winning. Then, Kidd tried an alley-oop to Chandler but it was stolen by Cousins. He passed it to Isaiah Thomas who took a clean jump shot but badly missed. James Johnson got the rebound and tried to power up a shot but that was an epic fail. He got the rebound again and passed it to John Salmons in the corner with 3 seconds to go. Salmons saw James Johnson, who was the one who kept getting the rebound, and passed it to him. The Kings did not want to take a 3 pointer during that possession, but with 1 second left, James Johnson had no choice.

Now, James Johnson before this shot was 0 for 11 on the season from downtown, but when he took the shot and the buzzer rang, the only 2 things you could here were the crowd cheering and the ball spiraling into the net. The Kings won the game 106-105.

It was truly a lucky shot. Now, I, myself, cannot call this a true loss for the Knicks. I mean, Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton were both out and we only lost by one point. It just shows how good of a team we are. I guarantee that if Carmelo had played in that game we definitely would have won, possibly even destroyed them.

Please comment!

2 Comments

Knicks Backcourt Goes MIA

9/9/2012

16 Comments

 
HELP WANTED:  Shooting guards needed to play for an NBA team in the top city.  Qualified candidates must have good ball handling skills and excellent passing abilities. Must be able to have a good view of the court to find the open man. Exceptional shooting skills are required, with the ability to nail any outside shot, while still being able to drive strong to the basket. Must be able to start immediately!!!!

I thought I would help the Knicks start looking for the guards needed to complete their backcourt since last year’s starting backcourt is gone.  As of now, their starting point guard will likely be Felton with Kidd coming off the bench.  We have JR Smith as a backup shooting guard but putting him in the starting line-up takes away their fire power off the bench.  I think we need some starting shooting guards badly.

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    Mike V.

    My name is Mike V. I am an enormous basketball fan. I also am a die-hard Knicks fan. After graduating 5th grade, I started writing this blog at the age of 10 in the summer of 2012.

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