THE GREAT PODBINO, Episode #4: Checking in on the Knicks

We're back! With the first episode of 2013, THE GREAT PODBINO checks in with KOBEsh, El Miz and BockerKnocker on the New York Knicks. Check it out!

YOUR...6-0 New York Knicks. Are They For Real?

(With the Knicks up by five in San Antonio with mere minutes remaining on the clock, I texted MAMBINO's two resident Knicks masochists fanatics, asking if they could handle what was happening to their beloved 'Bockers. I got a number of responses, but mostly in the vein of "AAAHHHHHHHH". Very verbose. 

The New York Knicks have the best record in the league, standing at a very respectable 6-0 record, with quality wins against Miami, Dallas and at San Antonio. Gotham is, to the surprise of no one, reacting with hyperbolic headlines and unbridled excitement at the extraordinary start that Carmelo, Kidd and company have raced out to. As a mere Knicks sympathizer, I had many questions for two rabid fans, who, by their own admittance, have their emotions on the team vacillate on a minute-by-minute basis. This is the e-mail string that followed.)

KOBEsh: El Miz--BockerKnocker, brace yourselves. YOUR...New York Knickerbockers are, I daresay, a juggernaut. At 6-0, this is the best start for the franchise since their Ewing-led heyday in the 90s. Let's start with the most basic question: what's the number one reason they're doing this?

El Miz: Mike Woodson.  Coach Woody has gotten a group that features Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith to buy into things like holding the opposing team under 25 points per quarter, under 40 points in the second half, and caring about what the other team shot from the field percentage-wise. Carmelo has bought in, and it is pivotal to have the alpha dog buy in--last year, Carmelo wasn't buying anything that Mike D'Antoni was selling...and that was it for the Gentleman Thief.  

The absence of Amare Stoudemire has helped as well -- it has allowed Melo to get into a groove at the 4, a position where he excelled last year and won Player of the Month in April, a month where he averaged 30 points and 7 rebounds per game on 50% shooting from the field (including 46% from downtown).  It is clear now that Melo is better suited in this post-Seven Seconds or Less NBA to be a stretch 4, and without Stoudemire, there is no controversy in getting the best player in his most optimal position.  But this team is not undefeated without the emphasis on defense, and that has started with Woodson.

Will the Real Carmelo Please Stand Up? -- New York Knickerbockers Season Preview

Starting Five: PG Raymond Felton, SG Ronnie Brewer, SF Carmelo Anthony, PF Amare Stoudemire, C Tyson Chandler

Key Bench Players: PG Jason Kidd, SG JR Smith, SG Iman Shumpert, SF Steve Novak, PF Kurt Thomas, C Marcus Camby, PG Pablo Prigioni

Notable offseason additions: PG Jason Kidd, SG Ronnie Brewer, PG Raymond Felton, PF Kurt Thomas, C Marcus Camby, PG Pablo Prigioni

Offseason subtractions: PG Jeremy Lin, #LINSANITY, SG Landry Fields, PF Josh Harrellson, all discernible team assets and cap room for the next 3 years

Well, that whole Linsanity thing was fun while it lasted.  The biggest Knick storyline of the offseason centered around undrafted free agent pop culture sensation Jeremy Lin.  The Knicks infamously told anyone who would listen that they would match any contract offered to their Chinese-American star (and restricted free agent).  Then, curiously, the Knicks changed course and essentially decided to spend the money bookmarked for Lin on former Knick point guard Raymond Felton and former Knick power forward Kurt Thomas.  This led to a truly comical (and yet another "only under a James Dolan led Knicks team would this happen" moment) chain of events at Las Vegas Summer League where Knicks GM Glen Grunwald was reported to be ducking Rockets GM Daryl Morey at like a deadbeat ducks the landlord when rent was due two weeks ago. He was not so subtly refusing to receive the Rockets qualified offer for Lin and postponing the franchise's decision on Lin's contract until the absolute last possible moment.  #sameoldknicks

Team USA at Johnny Rockets

Odds on who pushed for Johnny Rockets:

LeBron: 100-1

CP3: 75-1

Westbrook: 70-1

Durant: 50-1

Melo: 1-1

Generationally Defective: Why We Hate LeBron and Melo, but Admire Rose and Durant

LeBron James is a coward. The self-anointed Chosen One has led a NBA career with varying highs and lows, astounding us along the way with a dazzling combination of size, speed, grace and strength. Never before had we ever seen an athlete that drew comparisons to a Transformer; a burning locomotive train that could change into a blackbird jet at any given moment. LeBron's promise to his consumers has been that indeed, he would be the one to bring basketball to heights never before seen - we are all witnesses, afterall. However, in a folly of hubris fit only for a King, James has yet to deliver on his various pledges; while he has amazed, he has yet to conquer. The progenitor of the South Beach Theory, a situation where in trying to add value to your own personal "brand", you actually diminish it,  LeBron has somehow become the most despised player in the league. We should be thankful that he spends his time bestowing his gifts and otherworldly play upon us, and yet, we've come to resent the cowardice from a man who has shown a reluctance to walk the self-instituted path we've lined the streets of, waiting for ascendance. LeBron James was drafted in 2003.

State of the Garden: Tuesdays with Amar'e

I was all set to have a positive Game 2 recap for you guys today. YOUR New York Knicks didn't back down from the now even more heavily favored Miami Heat, but ultimately fell short in a 10-point loss. It seemed as if Miami was in semi- to full control almost the whole night, but the Bockers put together a spirited effort, legitimately challenging what many have forgotten to be the NBA's best team.

The Knicks lost their starting point guard and replaced him with two declining veterans who probably played their best ball in blue and orange to date. It lost its best individual defensive player and alllllmost made up for his absence with collective effort and hustle. And it fought through the weeds of a hostile environment, not from the fair weather attendees, but because of whistles that were still blown to the advantage of the home team.

It's too easy to hop on the bash train for the now infamous post-game extracurricular activities in which "Standing Tall and Talented" participated. Interestingly, it's also forgivable to do so, barking and admonishing Stoudemire for Kevin Brown-ing his way through a glass container that housed a fire extinguisher. But I'm not going to do that today.

State of the Garden: Woody's First Blunder

When an old problem is solved, a new one usually springs up. Fix the leaking pipe, and the water will just be forced down another avenue.

The unceremonious resignation of embattled head coach Mike D'Antoni moved the Knicks forward, regardless of how much blame rested at the mustachioed man's feet. MDA refused to look his name-brand players in the eye and tell them exactly what they were doing wrong. This problem allowed Carmelo Anthony to stew and sulk, but it also lost the respect of the players who did get an earful. The Josh Harrellsons and Toney Douglases of the roster were the ones to suffer from the team's poor play; it showed in the numerous DNP-CDs next to their name in the box scores.

When Mike Woodson spoke to the media for his first press conference as head coach, he declared that the offense would run through his superstars. But what spoke volumes to the whole team was not this change in offensive philosophy. It was the change in the coaching philosophy.

Sending our favorite NBAers to the Olympics?

The preliminary 20-man roster for this summer's Olympic Team USA was released this past Monday, and of course, BockerKnocker and I could not help but derive a spirited debate from it. In this one in particular, we discussed the merits (or demerits) of putting NBA players on active contracts into what essentially amounts to a series of souped-up exhibition games. As Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant both hold the keys to our respective NBA kingdoms, we had horses in this race. The specific question that spurred our latest frivolous waste of worktime productivity was: What is your stance on those two players going to play for Team USA in the 2012 London Olympics?

Who Needs a Big 2012?

When Kobash asked me to join this little party almost one year ago, my sports-illiterate acquaintances shrugged it off as just another website that wouldn't find a spot in their daily browsing routine. I couldn't really blame them; why read sports posts from someone who is not connected to the biz in any form?

Well, fear no longer, you wretched human being. This post is for you.

In my mind, there are 6 individuals in sports that need a giant 2012. And if you've come to this site on the promise that you'll read something that isn't sports-related, I've compared them to 6 other celebrity types who also need 2012 to justify their place on Twitter trends.

State of the Union Kickoff - New York Knicks

You know how the State of the Union addresses go, right? President goes up and speaks about how the country is kicking ass in everything. Problems during the President's term are either masked with rehearsed rhetoric or omitted from discussion in entirety. And, our favorite part: Congressmen, celebrities, and other losers get on their feet for the obligatory applause as soon as Mr. President indicates that it is the correct time to do so.

Well, and especially in the Knicks' case, you won't need to stop reading mid-blog post and clap your hands. This post will be the first in a series of irregularly scheduled posts detailing Mambino's favorite professional teams. I'll take care of the Bockers and Yankees, KOBEsh will handle Lakers and Dodgers, and Pucklius will muse on the Devils and Mets. Each prominent player will be given a number of Mambinos, on a scale of 1-5, with some biased analysis to follow. (Hey, at least we're honest.)

Instant Trade Analysis: Carmelo to the Knicks

Denver Gets:NYK: Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and the Knicks' 2014 first-round draft pick, 2 second-round draft picks (from the Golden State Warriors - from the David Lee trade)

New York Gets:Denver: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo BalkMANIA
Minnesota: Corey Brewer

Minnesota Gets:NYK: Eddy Curry's fat ass...I meant, expiring contract, Anthony Randolph, 3 million bucks to take said Eddy Curry's fat ass...I meant, expiring contract.

With all the talk about Carmelo all year long, remember this: Carmelo is a top-15 player in the league, top-10 when he's motivated (see: 2009 Western Conference Finals). He's a 25 ppg scorer without question, a guaranteed double-team and a money making machine (for himself and for the team). He's a guy you can ride to the playoffs, maybe, MAYBE even a championship. So why the skeptics? When you have a chance to get a guy like this, how could anyone think of this as anything but a win for the Bockers?

New York gave up a lot for Carmelo, there's no doubt about that. They essentially gutted their team to get the guy. Gallinari is a former first round pick with comparison's to Dirk Nowitzki. Mozgov is a very young 7-footer that has shown flashes of talent this season in limited playing time. Felton was a borderline all-star, Chandler is having a career year and Randolph (to use baseball terms) is a "5-tool guy". But.

What did New York reaaaally give up for Carmelo? I know what Wilson Chandler is. This is the best he's going to be and hopefully the worst his hair is going to look. Raymond Felton is a fine player, but like Chandler, I think this is the best he is ever going to be. I think Anthony Randolph could be an impact player, but when he's on the court, he looks absolutely devastated - like he's been made to watch "The Human Centipede" a few times in a row. The guy's confidence is gone and shipping him out for anything was the only option. The first rounder that the Knicks gave up were likely to be in the low twenties.

The two questionable moves were dealing Gallo and Mozgov. Gallinari has brought out so many different spectrums of emotion from my Knicks-following cohorts - joy, hope, anger, frustration, confusion...but mostly anger, frustration and confusion. Some nights, he can look like a poor man's Dirk (maybe even destitute, herpes ridden Dirk). But some nights he can look like another soft Euro with no balls an an errant jump shot (for an example of both, please see the last Heat-Knicks game - he was the latter in the first half and hobo Italian Dirk in the second half). Mozgov's potential looks like it could be high, but any type of projections made about this guy is from such a small sample size.

So to recap, what did the Knicks give up? Two guys that were pretty good in their career years, a guy who looked like he watched "The Human Centipede", hobo Dirk (one day, maybe) and a young, big Russian dude.

But the question is really, is will Gallo or Mozgov ever make as much of a difference on the Knicks as Carmelo will? Will their impact on court ever individually equal Carmelo's, which we can quantifiably measure as a known asset? Will both of them combined ever be able to match up to Carmelo's impact? My answer is no. Gallo would have to turn into a borderline or true all-star and Mozgov a dominant defensive force (think Tyson Chandler or Andrew Bogut) for that to come true.

Also, don't forget, the Knicks got Chauncey Billups, who isn't too shabby himself. He's a gamer, and while he couldn't defend me on the court (that's obviously not true), he's still an able body that can produce.

Overall, the Knicks did give up a lot, but nothing they can't replace for something that they couldn't get otherwise. Good work Donnie.

Dallas @ Denver, 2/10/2011

I was lucky enough to attend the Mavs vs. Nuggets game last night at Pepsi Center in Denver. A couple of notes from the game:

• Great game from Arron Afflalo. He was on fire in the fourth and really picked up the slack from a non-existent JR Smith and when Dallas locked down on Chauncey. He got a wide-open jumper when Marion thought he was going to put up that J behind the line. Excellent move by Afflalo.
• Birdman is just overwhelming to see in person. Is that comment positive or negative? You be the judge.
• Nene is one of the most underrated players in the league. He reminds a lot of Pau Gasol in a lot of ways; a bevy of moves in the post, not afraid to play back to the basket, can play face up from the elbow and is a big body that has to be accounted for. His lack of length hurts him (unlike Gasol), but he plays very hard on both ends of the floor. He didn't have a great game yesterday, but I feel like he could be a steal for a team offering Denver the right pieces.
• Solid Denver crowd - they reacted to the game like it was the playoffs in June, not TNT Thursday in February. Very pleased with the fine citizens of Colorado.
• But conversely, as I proudly wore my Lakers gear in the arena during a Nuggets/Mavericks game, I only got one deragatory comment. A little dissapointed in Denver. I thought they might have more fire than that.

Carmelo had 42. Sure. But he got almost all of those 42 on jump shots. Granted, he was on fire from the field (17-25 shooting), but he only had 3 free throw attempts. What does that tell me? Melo was settling for jumpers on the wing (as his shot chart dictates - he only took a third of his shots in the paint) and not trying to get into the grill of the defense. I find that when this type of offensive performance happens, it's laziness, especially for a player that's such a gifted post and elbow scorer. I know it's hard to argue him shooting so much from the perimeter when he only missed 8 shots all night, but in most games, that's not going to work. He's not playing for contact or free throws, which is the most efficient way a player will usually score.
And this is type of effort I've been seeing from Carmelo lately - pretty lazy and doing the least he can to get his points. His body language all night was garbage. Despite his hot shooting, he looked detached and somewhat disinterested. And that's what's so deceiving here - he still dropped 42 points. But I suppose that's a testament to what a gifted offensive player he is. He got his numbers while looking like he didn't care and on jump shots that fell in. Can you imagine if he actually was engaged and looked like he gave a shit?
The Nuggets need to ship this guy out immediately. It's apparent to me (and the rest of the league, seemingly) that he doesn't want to stay in Denver. They have to get something for him or risk losing him much like Toronto did Chris Bosh last year - he walked and Toronto basically was left with nothing.
Overall, great experience at Pepsi Center - a fine arena, fine people and a great game.

Melo to the Lakers? Yes, please.

Before the season, I had a conversation with my buddy Alvy. Went a little something like this:

"Would you trade Melo for Bynum? With Sasha, some draft picks and someone else to make the cap numbers work"
"No way man. No way. We win because we're so much bigger than everyone else. No way I make that trade. You must be high. That's ridiculous. Melo plays no defense and he's got a bad attitude. Never. No way"

This morning I get an e-mail:

Carmelo to the Lakers?
"I would take this deal in a heartbeat"

Now granted, this is a completely unsubstantiated trade rumor. The "trade" for Joe Smith wasn't really a trade, but rather a salary dump (it was a way to save 9 million dollars by shipping out a player that played less in 11 games as a Laker than he did in 2 games as a Net. We didn't get Joe Smith's old ass so he could be a significant contributor. We got him as an insurance policy for a "oh shit we are starting Slava Medvedenko because all of our other big guys came down with tapeworms" situation). Carmelo has made it known that he's interested in going to a major market, but hasn't mentioned LA publicly, only New York. The Lakers already are 26 million over the cap. A trade like this would put them 30 million-plus over the cap. The Lakers already have a ball-dominating, scoring machine on the wing - there might not be enough shots for both of them. So why do we make this trade? Does this make sense?

Yes - it does make sense. But why? We are giving up size for scoring, trading big for small, which is a big no-no in the NBA GM's handbook. But to look at it another way, what is more important? Having another highly efficient, game-changing scorer on the team as Kobe declines with age, or keeping our overwhelming size intact, hoping that Andrew's health holds up as he gets older? Cases for both arguments:

Ditching the Lumbering Injury-prone Big Guy
So to answer this question, let's examine at the most applicable situation; the Lakers' two last title runs. I would argue the two most significant factors were

1) Kobe was an assassin-like, cold-blooded, steely-eyed, protruding lower-jawed, Ray Lewis impersonating killer on the court

AND

2) We were bigger than everyone else.

In the 2009 we absolutely overwhelmed Orlando with team defense and Kobe killed them with 30ppg. In 2010 the Celtics locked down on Kobe and he wasn't the same guy he was 12 months before - but we won with our rebounding and size. Obviously Boston was the bigger challenge and thus, maybe you can say our size was the biggest difference maker both years. But if you put a lesser scorer or player than Kobe in the 2009 Finals, do we have a chance of beating Orlando? And are we even in the Boston series?

Regardless of Kobe's brilliance and my never-ending, slightly disturbing but completely heterosexual love for Kobe Bryant, my long-standing belief that the Lakers continue to win because they have two 7-footers on the team and another guy who is 6'10". Teams just cannot handle that size.

Trading for the Guy Who Married an MTV VJ
As the season passes, it has become more and more obvious to me (and the 90 journalists who wrote 200 articles about how "Kobe's lost a step") that Kobe is on the downside of his prime. Don't get me wrong - while the rumors of the Mamba's demise are far exaggerated, they're not completely without merit. The minutes are obviously catching up with him; there is not stat that I can pull up that is more demonstrative than just watching him play. Trading for another player who some would argue is a better offensive player AND in his prime would make more sense, not only for this year, but also for the years to come when the Lakers will need another franchise player to replace Kobe...if you believe that Andrew Lee Bynum is not that player.

To counter the argument that the Lakers destroyed teams because they were bigger, its not important to look at the Celtics, Spurs or Mavericks that can combat us with their size. Those aren't the teams that will be relativant in 4 years. Miami, Oklahoma, Orlando and Chicago are the teams the Lakers have to worry about. In that sense, maybe LA doesn't have to worry about size, so much as getting guys that can either defend or outscore Lebron, Durant, et al (I'll give you a hint: Carmelo can do one of those things, and it rhymes with "scoring").

The Verdict
My answer (which, if you are reading this right now, is the MOST IMPORTANT ANSWER...obviously) is that though it was a combination of both that helped us win championships, going forward, having an elite scorer like Carmelo Anthony is more important. Our window is closing a little more rapidly than I thought. Andrew might turn into the 24ppg, 14rpg man we all hoped he would be, but with his health history the way it is, I'd rather bet on the smaller scoring machine who's averaged 73 games a season than the center who's averaged 56 games a season. We'd still have our remaining bigs - Pau is 31 and in his prime, Lamar is playing better than ever and Carmelo is one of the league's most underrated post players. So many championships teams have shown us that a winning formula is an elite wing scorer paired with a dominant big is the pathway to glory. LA might be throwing away this year to the Celtics, Orlando or San Antonio by trading for Anthony, but they would be ensuring the relevance of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise for the next 5 to 8 years. With these two bigs and Carmelo appreciating in skills while Kobe declines, I think the Lakers should jump at the chance to move forward with #15.

CARMELO-LA-2011!!!!!!!!!! SPREAD THE GOSPEL!!!!!!!!!!

That is....unless the Clippers make a move....