Is Old Crazy Eyes Kurt Thomas returning to the Knicks?

Kurt Thomas, at 38 is now the oldest player in the NBA is not ready to hang it up yet. NYDailyNews is reporting that old crazy Kurt is willing to re-join the Knicks this season.

Hello Melo!

Knicks Turned Down Melo Deal

According to Donnie Walsh Denver asking for too much:

The Nuggets offered Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the Knicks for Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Eddy Curry and at least one first-round pick.

Denver's interest in Felton isn't that surprising. He played under George Karl's long-time friend, Larry Brown, at Charlotte for two seasons and is eight years younger than Billups. However, Billups' $14 million salary for the 2011-12 season is a team option. If the team doesn't exercise that option, Billups receives a buyout worth approximately $4 million.

Would you take this trade if you were the KnicksGM?

Read more: HERE

Mozgov Not in Starting Role Just Yet

So a forty minutes 23 point, 14 rebound game does not earn you a starting spot in the next game huh. After yesterday's practice Coach D'Antoni was non-committal about Timofey's future playing minutes. "He'll play some," D'Antoni said. "We'll just see how the rotation goes. I don't know yet. But somehow he's got to be able to play."

The Knicks play host to the Mavericks tonight, who are currently 3rd in the West and riding a five game winning streak.  Coach knows the team will have to have a near perfect game to beat a team with the Mavs pedigree. Most likely Turiaf will get the start and Coach will work Mozzy in there depending on match-ups and foul situations. "We'll figure it out," D'Antoni said about where the 7-1 center fits in his rotation. "It might be game-to-game. It might be match-ups. As we go forward, we'll see how guys play together and we'll make an assessment."

Knicks fans cant expect another career type of night from Mozzy but good quality minutes from a legit 7 footer is always a plus. Hopefully this is the case because the Mavs also have some legit 7 footers themselves, Dirk, Chandler, and Haywood. Should be hard fought game on both ends, but watch for the hidden story that is line-up changes, most importantly the ones that contain Mozgov.

Quotes via NYDailyNews.com

Donnie Walsh has Joel Przybilla and Marc Gasol on his wish list

via NyDailyNews.com

Mitch Lawrence is reporting that a source close to the Knicks indicated that Donnie Walsh has Joel Przybilla or Marc Gasol on his trade wish list.


"He's not getting any heat from above," said the source, referring to Walsh.
With the trading deadline still 30 days away, Walsh and the Knicks seem to be more focused on adding a big man and shoring up the backcourt than going after a major piece in Anthony.

"The Knicks are like a lot of teams, they're keeping their eyes peeled for help," said an Eastern Conference GM. "But there are a few teams that are looking for the same things the Knicks are."

"Donnie is going to err on the side of taking his time," said the GM. "He's going to wait for the right deal to come along."

Read More HERE

Knicks Practice emphasize on DEFENSE

Gallo to the rescue?

via NYDailynews.com

The stumbling Knicks could get a much-needed offensive jolt from a sweet-shooting small forward Monday.

No, that doesn't mean that New York is suddenly the favorite in the increasingly muddled Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes. But the Knicks are likely to get their own talented swingman, Danilo Gallinari, back for Monday's game against Phoenix at the Garden, as long as everything goes according to plan Sunday.

Gallinari, who suffered a mild sprain of his left knee early this month, is expected to practice Sunday with the team in Greenburgh. As long as the forward feels no extra soreness Monday, he'll return to the lineup.

"He should be ready (for Monday)," coach Mike D'Antoni said on Friday.

Gallinari's return couldn't come at a better time. The Knicks fell to the hapless Kings, 93-83, Friday night at the Garden, and they've now dropped three of their last four. Those early-month blowout wins over the Spurs and Suns now seem like a distant memory. D'Antoni called Friday's game "ugly," and Raymond Felton called it a "loss that we hate.

"We've just got to put it behind us," Felton said.

Not that things will get any easier against the Suns. Phoenix comes to New York seeking revenge after the Knicks handed them a 121-95 beatdown on Jan. 7, which is why Felton is dying for Gallinari to get back in the lineup.

"No question," Felton said. "It's always good to have one of your scorers, one of your guys who's a big part of the offense back."

With Gallinari sitting out, D'Antoni went to a bigger lineup, starting Ronny Turiaf at center and shifting Wilson Chandler to the wing, and the new group helped the Knicks earn wins over the Spurs and the Suns. Shawne Williams and Bill Walker also saw increased minutes, playing Gallinari's role of floor-spacing shooter.

But while Williams and Walker were effective, neither is as reliable - or feared - as Gallinari on the perimeter. Opponents have started clogging the lane.

That's left Amar'e Stoudemire and Felton little room to work their pick-and-roll game. Felton is shooting just 33.8% from the field over his last five games. And Stoudemire has found fewer paths to the lane. He made just six of his 22 field-goal attempts on Friday.

Stoudemire and D'Antoni blamed that loss on fatigue, but the Knicks star also admitted that Sacramento's defense frustrated him in the lane.

"They're just kind of sagging in on the screen and roll," Stoudemire said. "Making sure that nobody gets a layup in the paint. Forcing us to beat them from outside."

That won't work with Gallo back. And that's exactly what the third-year forward was thinking as he watched Stoudemire get shot after shot rejected on Friday.

"That was a tough loss, a very tough loss," Gallinari said afterward. "Hopefully, I can get back and help the team."

Read more: HERE

Gallo Out Two to Three Weeks

via NYDailynews.com

He got hurt in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 98-92 win over the Pacers when Indiana's Brandon Rush crashed into the side of his knee. Mike D'Antoni said Gallinari was able to walk at the practice facility in Greenburgh Monday, and that the injury was "just sore." After the MRI, the Knicks decided on a more cautious approach.
An MRI Monday afternoon confirmed that Gallinari has a mildly sprained left knee; he's expected to be out 2-3 weeks, the team announced.

"We're pretty successful with Ronny starting," D'Antoni said. "It gives us a chance to experiment a little bit."

Read More HERE

Amare's Problems Are Technical

via NYDailynews.com

The intangibles that make Amar'e Stoudemire great - intensity and passion - are the same qualities that could get the Knicks' best player in trouble and cost his team dearly.
Stoudemire was whistled for his 10th technical foul in the first quarter of Thursday's 112-103 loss to the Orlando Magic and is six shy of earning a one-game suspension. Rasheed Wallace, who routinely led the NBA in technical fouls, dubbed it the "Sheed Rule," and it is a serious matter since a player also will be forced to serve a one-game suspension each time he picks up two "techs" after his 16th.
"It should be nine," Stoudemire said. "I am going to call and protest that one."

STAT vs SUPERMAN

via NYDailynews.com

Stoudemire lived in the Orlando area during his chaotic teenage years when he attend six different high schools before making the jump to the NBA.

But Stoudemire had his game face on yesterday -- eschewing sentimentality -- when asked if he ever considered playing pro ball in Orlando.

"I don't believe in Magic," Stoudemire said jokingly with a smile.

Stoudemire, who lived in upstate Newburgh while going to middle school before moving to Florida, has played center much of the season once Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni decided to go small, yanking former starting centers Timofey Mozgov (now out of the rotation) and Ronny Turiaf from the starting five. D'Antoni added Wilson Chandler to power forward and moved Stoudemire to center -- something he claimed in preseason he wasn't crazy about.

On nights like tonight, Stoudemire at center could backfire, if he gets in early foul trouble against Howard in a clash of two of the best bodies in the NBA. In Miami Tuesday, Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas brutalized the Knicks inside in the first half.

"He's definitely a physical specimen down there in the post," Stoudemire said of Howard. "He's definitely a great defensive player. Offensively, he's a little limited, so we're going to use that to our advantage."

"He's so strong once he catches the ball in the paint. He's hard to guard," added Stoudemire, who said he was briefly a Magic fan. "But if you can get him outside the paint and make him put the ball on the floor, it's easier for us."


Read more: HERE

Donnie is Assessing the Knicks Depth

via NYDailynews.com

"I'm tired of watching games on TV," said the Knicks' team president, who has been unable to attend home games since having hip replacement surgery on Nov. 16.

Article After the Jump

NBA X-Mas Gifts

via NYDailyNews.com

Isiah Thomas: A job in the Garden - coaching the Liberty.

Donnie Walsh: Complete autonomy

Jim Dolan: Wisdom.

Mike D'Antoni: Jeff Van Gundy's defensive playbook.

Pat Riley: Peace, prosperity and Erik Spoelstra's job.

Erik Spoelstra: His old job doing the board for Pat Riley.

LeBron James: Game 5 vs. Boston expunged from his permanent record.

Maverick Carter: A crash-course in marketing/PR.

Chris Bosh: No games in Toronto this season.

Steve Nash: Amar'e Stoudemire.

Amar'e Stoudemire: M-V-P chants in the Garden in May.

Amare is the Real KING OF NEW YORK

via NYDailynews.com

"I was a little surprised by that," Stoudemire says of those who rated Bosh as the better power forward. "I've been in a winning situation my whole career and it's been somewhat opposite for Chris."

Melo would Have To Be Robin to Amare's Batman

via NYDailyNews.com

New York, New York, it's a helluva town, especially when you're an NBA scoring machine, the Knicks want you and you're free to come home in just seven more months.
"I had people yelling out the window, 'We need you in New York,'" Carmelo Anthony said Sunday about his two-day stay in Manhattan. "It feels good to hear that."
In midtown, Anthony reveled in the adulation. But inside the Garden, during the Knicks' latest win, it was another world, entirely.
With the game on the line and the Knicks already lucky to have escaped a non-ejection for Amar'e Stoudemire, Anthony was treated like a journeyman backup and not a four-time All-NBA selection when he drove hard to the hoop against Danilo Gallinari.
Anthony is going to make his big money this summer, if not before, even if there's a lockout and the players' wages take a nosedive. He's the best player on the market, hands down. Still, after he was whistled for bowling over Gallinari to help seal the Knicks' 129-125 win, he wasn't about to begin forking over $25,000 to the league by complaining about the call. His coach, George Karl, said it was "kind of scary" to see an NBA game end on a flop call.
"They called it," Anthony said, "and you can't get it back."
Anthony was standing in the visitors locker room in front of another media mob. After scoring 31 points, he was peppered with questions about his plans for a second straight day and was politely evasive.
Our sense is that he still wants to leave Denver but they're scrambling to try to keep him. Insiders say the Nuggets are OK with the idea of listening to Anthony's recommendations on what should be done with the team, which is a good sign for Nugget fans, if, that is, he knows what he's talking about.
Sometimes, even the best players aren't the shrewdest judges of talent or chemistry. Don't forget that Michael Jordan once blistered the Chicago GM, Jerry Krause, for trading off his buddy, Charles Oakley, to the Knicks for Bill Cartwright. As it turned out, Big Bill was the critical missing piece to get the Bulls off on their first three-peat.
If it means re-signing Anthony, then the Nuggets have no choice but to listen to the face of their franchise, who reportedly is in favor of his team parting ways with Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin, all of whom are free this summer.
Anthony could come to New York, if that is what he really wants, but would he be OK with a No. 2 role? Because it's now been firmly established that he would be listed on the Garden marquee under Stoudemire, who has needed only a quarter of the season to solidify his standing as the best Knick player since Patrick Ewing.


Read more:  HERE

Mike Lupica Agree's That Amare has Been The Best Free Agent Thus Far

via NYDailynews.com

Amar'e Stoudemire: LeBron James would have re-signed with Cavs if Cleveland had acquired me

via NYDailyNews.com

"He would have stayed in Cleveland," Stoudemire told the Daily News. "And I wouldn't have had a problem playing in Cleveland. I would have signed there. But it didn't happen."

Read More HERE

Donnie Walsh feels 'good' after hip surgery

via NYDailynews.com

"I feel good, it's good to be back at practice," the 69-year-old Walsh said. "We haven't had a lot of practices here, haven't missed a lot of practices and I liked what I've seen on TV with the team since I've been out."

"I can make phone calls and I've done that," Walsh said. "It's not like being there, but you can get a lot of work done."

"I think they are grasping our style, so they are playing better," Walsh said. "I think they've played some really good games."

"There are a lot of reasons why, but whatever it is we've got to find the answers and make this our home court," Walsh said. "We have one of the best home courts in the whole league and we haven't taken advantage of it."
"It's sometimes scheduling, it's sometimes letting down when we get home, because we think we're home and we don't focus as much," Mike D'Antoni added. "It's just something that happened and hopefully starting (Tuesday) it's something we'll turn around."


Read more:  HERE

Amar'e Stoudemire talking about his defense

via NYDailynews.com

"It would be a lot worse," he said following Wednesday's 99-95 victory against Charlotte. "Being 8-8 and .500 is something that we have to improve on."

"When trying to win ball games, defense is what does it," Stoudemire said. "Getting stops, getting rebounds ... it's imperative for me to bring that defensive intensity."

"It was fair," he said. "I was never taught defense. I just never was taught it in high school and also in the NBA."

"I've got to give it to Alvin Gentry," Stoudemire added. "He really implemented some strategies that were helpful to me. I took what I learned last year and carried it over to this year."

"I once read in a book that Bill Russell says 'you will never have a perfect game but you can always pursue it,'" Stoudemire said. "It's about getting better and if we continue to look at ourselves in the mirror and understand that we have a lot of room to improve, despite having success right now, we have a great chance to get better and win games."

Read more: HERE

Anthony Randolphs Returns To The Golden State

via NYDailynews.com

With his team stumbling out of the gate and badly needing a win in Sacramento, D'Antoni took the struggling Randolph out of his bench rotation Wednesday night before the Knicks broke their six-game losing streak against the dysfunctional Kings.
"I told him, right now, this is all about the team and I've got to go with my gut and he might play and he might not," D'Antoni said. "Right now, it's all about the Knicks. We'll worry about individuals after we get out of the hole a little bit. And then we'll start talking about long-term strategies. But right now, it's just to win today."
That last comment indicates better than anything else that D'Antoni can't afford to invest minutes in a 21-year-old project when the Knicks are losing. In the limited time Randolph has been getting (about 11 minutes a game), he invariably has followed his mistakes by looking over to the bench to check D'Antoni's reaction, just as he did playing across the Bay for Don Nelson.


Read more: HERE

Al Harrington : Knicks Love For Gallo caused Tension

via NYDailyNews.com

Al Harrington could be lobbying for Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with the Denver Nuggets or telling him to stay as far away from New York as possible.
Either way, Harrington's strained relationship with Mike D'Antoni could be working against the Knicks in their pursuit of the Nuggets' All-Star small forward.
"I've told him about New York," Harrington told the Daily News. "He knows what's going on."
One of the things going on is a problem with the way the team treats Danilo Gallinari, Harrington hinted.
Harrington, who wanted to re-sign with the Knicks, was let go because the club wanted to sign Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov. He still can't grasp why D'Antoni never embraced him despite the fact that he was willing to be a backup.
"The writing was on the wall," said Harrington, who signed a free-agent contract with Denver. "I wasn't his type of player. I know there were some people who didn't want me there, some who did but the coach didn't."
Last May, another disgruntled Knick, Eddy Curry, met with LeBron James in Ohio. Although Curry claims he didn't discuss the team or D'Antoni, several sources indicate that Curry gave LeBron an unfavorable report on the franchise.
Last week in Chicago, Harrington said he's "not bashing anyone" and said he'll always have strong emotional ties to Knicks president Donnie Walsh, for whom he played with the Pacers.
But Harrington also suggested the organization may have created tension in the locker room in its attempts to market Gallinari as a star. Harrington revealed that there was some resentment in the locker room toward Gallinari, whom some players felt is a favorite of D'Antoni. Harrington added that Gallinari's team-first mentality made him a respected player among the veterans.
"He's definitely getting a fair opportunity to be what they want him to be," Harrington said. "Hopefully he'll accomplish that. I'm a big fan of Gallo. I was a guy that got guys off him in the locker room. Everybody felt that way. It was tough on him. He wasn't asking (to be treated like a star), they gave it to them. To his credit he never got a big head about it. I always pulled for him. I hope he does become what they want him to become."


Read more: HERE