The Knicks felt they had to blow up the roster last season to acquire Carmelo Anthony.
They did not see a way to win an NBA title with Amar’e Stoudemire as their lone superstar, so they took a team that was playing well, and after plaguing their players with months of rumors, pulled the trigger on the trade with the Nuggets. Like last year’s squad, these Knicks are starting to figure things out after a slow start.
Defensively determined Tyson Chandler is starting to have an effect on his teammates as the Knicks have held opponents to fewer than 100 points in four straight games after being embarrassed in a 118-110 loss to the Bobcats a week ago. Anthony and Chandler are starting to work an effective pick-and-roll (Raymond Felton and Stoudemire establishing a similar rapport was key to a 13-1 Knicks streak after a 3-8 start last year). And Anthony is starting to show more faith in his lesser-known teammates, witnessed by a crosscourt pass to wide-open Josh Harrellson for a 3-pointer in the win over the 76ers, a win that should not be overlooked with Philadelphia capable of challenging the Knicks for playoff positioning as the season progresses.
Harrellson’s jump-shooting ability has come as a shock to most after he bruised his way under the boards in his senior year at Kentucky. Also surprising has been the play of fellow rookie Iman Shumpert, who seems a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni’s style even if he’s playing out of position at point guard.
But these pieces should be viewed as part of a championship-caliber roster, not the next trade. The Knicks have been obsessed with overhauling their roster for so long you hope they don’t miss it when they actually have a good thing going. Which is why even the slightest rumor of a Stoudemire trade is disturbing.
He and Anthony may not be the perfect match, but they’ve played 35 games together so far. That’s less than half a season with little practice time. The two names Stoudemire has been linked to in trades were Chris Paul, then with the Hornets, and the Magic’s Dwight Howard.
Beyond a sense of loyalty to Stoudemire, who was the first to commit to the Knicks last offseason, there has to be a realization that other teams will not be trading back superstar talent for him because of injury concerns and the fact his contract is not insured.
This is not to say the Knicks are implicit in these rumors being leaked because it could be coming from a number of places, but there should not even be a discussion. The signing of Chandler gives the team an added quality that means you do not need Paul at the point.
I am not sure Baron Davis is the answer, but the Knicks have 50-plus games to figure out a combination that works leading in to the playoffs. It’s a stretch that would be best spent improving the team they have and not considering another overhaul.
Back from Krypton
Nate Robinson may have finally found a home in Golden State.
Robinson was never a favorite of D’Antoni with the Knicks and he was traded to the Celtics before the 2010 deadline. He then spent a lot of time on the Celtics bench before being dealt to Oklahoma City in the Kendrick Perkins-Jeff Green trade. He spent some more time on the Thunder bench, playing in three of their 17 playoff games last season, before the team bought out his contract after the lockout.
The market for Robinson was non-existent until the Warriors signed him Jan. 4. And with starter Stephen Curry out with his chronically sprained ankle, Robinson scorched the Heat on Tuesday in leading Mark Jackson’s team back from a 17-point deficit and an overtime win.
“It’s easy to judge a book by its cover, but they picked up the book, opened it and read it. They took a chance to get to know who I am,” Robinson told the San Francisco Chronicle about his reputation as a bad teammate.
“They knew I could play, but they had some questions about me being around the guys.”
So far, so good for the three-time dunk champion.
Blazing ahead
Portland is quietly becoming a force in the Western Conference.
This alone is not that surprising, but considering the obstacles the Trail Blazers have overcome it should be. This is a team that had its best player, Brandon Roy, retire before the season because of chronic knee injuries. When they had the No. 1 pick in the 2007 Draft they opted to take Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. A decision that was a toss-up has turned into a disaster; the Blazers passed on one of the best players in the NBA, if not the best, for a center who has played 82 games in four-plus seasons because a myriad of injuries.
These setbacks should cripple a small-market team, but they have made enough savvy moves to remain a playoff contender. They’ve traded for starters Raymond Felton, Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace. They signed Wesley Matthews to a five-year, $34 million deal that is working out better than most expected. And LaMarcus Aldridge has become the most underrated superstar because he plays in the Northwest.
Consistent bench play from former Knicks Kurt Thomas and Jamal Crawford, along with Nicolal Batum, has given them the depth they needed to be a top-four team in the Western Conference.
Loving the hate
Don’t get on Kobe Bryant’s bad side.
The Lakers star put 48 up on the Suns in a 99-83 victory. Why the sudden outburst of scoring?
“Not bad for the seventh-best player in the league,” Bryant said, referring to an online ranking of the NBA’s top 500 players.
And later on his feelings on the Suns:
“I don’t like them,” he said. “They used to whup us pretty good and let us know about it. I won’t forget that.”
When you’ve been in the league as long as Bryant has it’s good to find motivation from different places to take you through the grind of the NBA season. It’s one of the reasons he’s been as great as he has been for as long as he has been.