Recap-Game 1, 10/27/10-Knicks 98, Raptors 93

The return of Knicks basketball was like that hot cup of cocoa you sip on after all the presents have been opened on a snowy Christmas morning. Except this cup of cocoa is actually cocoa and not Marbury-brand vinegar or Isiah's morning urination. This first victory was the marshmellows.

Mr. Sub Starting Lineup
PG-Raymond Felton
SG-Landry Fields
SF-Danilo Gallinari
PF-Amar'e Stoudemire
C-Timofey Mosgov

Actual Game Notes:
-Mosgov showed flashes of his quickness here and there, but his brief time on the floor was mostly characterized by fouls, getting boxed out, and looking generally confused. He's a long term project, so I won't fault him for Game 1 troubles. But he's got to find a way to go 5 minutes with getting 2 quick personals.

-The Nate Robinson role agrees with Wilson Chandler. Chandler had a team-high 22 points coming off the bench, and scored effectively from both the perimeter and at the basket. The good thing about Mosgov hacking everything that moves is Chandler replacing him in the lineup and instantly increasing the speed on the D'antonimeter. He led a great second unit effort that was the difference in the game.

-Felton didn't shoot that well, but it was so refreshing to see a point guard that enhances the speed of D'antoni's system insteading of strapping a Winebago to it (I'm looking at you Duhon).

-Amar'e played ok with a 19-10, but also had 9 turnovers. That's not going to fly against most other non-dinosaur teams. Same for Danilo, who got his points but didn't shoot all that effectively.

-Ronny Turiaf was solid tonight, including a nice bounding whale rebound and putback. There were points tonight where it looked like Bill Walker forgot how to dribble.

-Overall, a pretty solid opening. Some things definitely need improvement, such as beefing up a nonexistent interior defense, but they'll get there.

Drink the cocoa, eat the marshmellows.

Yes!

NBA opening night has come, and we are one day away from the start of a new Knicks season. Get friggin excited!

Who's Gonna Be Right? Take 2

The second take in our series of point-counterpoint. Today, we discuss:

Which is the Player You're Super Psyched to Watch This Season?

Blake Griffin (Bach)

Sure, I'm excited to see Kevin Durant take that next explosive step in his development and, yeah, I'm really, really looking forward to Amare Stoudemire bringing the Knicks from the "Bring back Oakley!" column over towards "Hey, I can watch this team without hugging my tear bucket!" But no player's potential gets me more excited than Griffin. He was even more of a no-brainer #1 pick than John Wall was coming into this season, dominating the college game in his last season at Oklahoma. His skills are incredibly dynamic; he's 6'10'', yet can handle the ball like a point guard and run the floor like a caffeinated Looney Toon. He's lighting it up during the preseason with a 17-12 average through the first 6 games, showing few ill effects from the injury that cost him his first attempt at a rookie season. Most importantly, he's got the rest of his teammates excited to be Clippers. Of course, that may also have something to do with Vampire Mike Dunleavy removing his life sucking fangs from Chris Kamen's neck, but still. Blake Griffin is going to be awesome.

Kevin Love (Matt)

While Blake Griffin, John Wall, and Kevin Durant are all going be super fun to watch this season, they are all more or less sure things. They are all going to be great, but we know what we are going to see. Durant is going to score on anyone. Griffin is going to fly around the court like a wild man. Wall is going to run circles around slower guards. Minnesota PF Kevin Love is a bit more of a mystery. Because of injuries and lack of playing time I still don’t know what his ceiling is. He might lead the league in rebounds this season. He might grab 14 rebounds a game while leading all centers in three-pointers made this season. I don’t know and that is why I’m more psyched to see him than any other player.

The Douchebaggary Rankings: Week 1

Many sports blogs and websites employ a system of ranking teams based on their performance and prospective performance. Most sites call this system “Power Rankings.” We here at Knickerbocker Nation employ a similar system, only our ranking system is not put in place to value the competence or talent level of a certain team, but to measure the levels of douchebaggary in and around the NBA as a whole. So without further ado we present the first ever Douchbaggary Rankings. (This is how they fall during the first week of play of the regular season)

10. Carmelo Anthony
Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited about the inevitable sight of Melo in a Knicks jersey. I just don’t like any superstar who thinks he can force his way out of a city. Forcing trades is bad for the league, and the small market teams need to stay successful for the league to be.

9. Gilbert Arenas
He was saying all the right things, what happened? Even if you were faking an injury to get your buddy more playing time, why the hell would you announce it to the world? Are you that insane to think that that might not have been a great idea? Gilbert, you don’t have to act on every impulse that shoots through your head. (Forget I said shoot)

8. Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview Issue
Are you serious Ian Thomsen? The 76ers, Nets, Bobcats, and Pistons are better than the Knicks? The Pistons? Really?

7. Chris Bosh
I just don’t like followers. Bosh is like the kid being extra mean to the nerds just so the popular kids will accept him. He pretends he’s a superstar yet has never won a playoff series. Toronto is a cool city, way cooler than Cleveland, and I feel bad for them.

6. ESPN.com
Never have I been so addicted to a website that is so repetitive and redundant. I need help.

5. Sasha Vujacic
How the hell is THIS guy married to Sharapova?

4. The Haters
More specifically the racist haters. There’s a lot to be upset about regarding “The Decision.” If you have to resort to tweeting racial slurs at Lebron, then not only are you racist but also cowardly and more then a little bit of a huge loser. Tech racism is the lowest form of racism there is. Other racists think you’re lame.

3. Rudy Fernandez
Never has a player sunk his trade value so low so fast without using a firearm before.

2. Lebron James
Four words… Nationally Televised Cleveland Steamer.
And our number 1 douchebag is…

1.James Dolan!!!
Who else would it be? He will remain number 1 until he dies, sells the Knicks, or both.

Sneaky Signings

Everyone's talking about the Amar'e and Felton signings and the spoils of the David Lee trade. Rightfully so, those three things helped change our fate, but a signing that flew under the radar is the Roger Mason signing.

Last year he completely lost his shot and his 3P% dropped from 42% to 33%. If he can get back to the form of his last season in Washington or his first season with San Antonio. This will prove to be the sneaky good signing of the Summer.

Who's Gonna Be Right?

Starting right now, we here at Knickerbocker Nation will be starting a series of posts. My co-writer Bach and I (Matt) will be arguing a different point for every post. Then it is up to the universe to decide who will ultimately be right. The first question we will be debating is:

Who will be the most underwhelming team this season?

The Milwaukee Bucks (Matt)– The Bucks were the big surprise of the year last year. They were a revelation after the John Salmons trade, and almost upset the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Everyone from ESPN to SI to the guys on the Free Darko podcast seem to have the Bucks finishing 4th or 5th in the East. The Bucks were a pretty good tem last year, and I think they will be a pretty good team this year, but I just don’t see them making the leap that everyone else does, and if anything I see them getting worse. Remember when the Bulls traded for Salmons? He kicked it up a notch, and the Bulls had one of the best playoff series ever against the Celtics. The very next year Salmons slumped. The same thing could very well happen to him in Milwaukee. He has a fat new contract and does tend to get upset when he is not the focus of the offense, which he will be even less with the development of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut. Bogut’s injury could also be a problem. His arm got hit in a preseason game and immediately started to swell up. It’s the kind of injury that can nag a player all season, and without Bogut the Bucks would be lucky to make the playoffs. The other big difference from last year is their acquisition of Cory Maggette. Maggette doesn’t play defense, and doesn’t know the meaning of the word pass. I can see him driving Scott Skiles out of his mind. The Eastern Conference got a lot stronger in the off-season, and a team like the Bucks needs to win with hard work and chemistry. I can see the Salmons-Maggette duo ruining the great chemistry they had last season. The Buck may very well be the team that a lot of people think they are, but they would need a lot to go right. Jennings and Bogut would need to make the jump to the star potential they’ve only flashed, and Salmons and Maggette would need to buy into Skiles system. I just don’t see all those things happening.

The Charlotte Bobcats (Bach)-The Bobcats played to expectations last year. They made the admittedly big leap of making the franchise’s first playoff appearance, and were quickly dispatched by the Orlando Magic in four games. It would stand to reason that this performance would serve as a building block for greater things (such as winning a playoff game). Instead, the Bobcats will be lucky if they get to the postseason. They boasted an offense that ranked 28th in scoring and 2nd in turnovers, and that was before they lost their facilitator and biggest post presence in Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler, respectively. DJ Augustin will be asked to fill in where Felton left off, which means he’s going to have to get back in Larry Brown’s good graces. Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are going to have to do the bulk of the scoring, which will keep Jackson happy for a little while. Then he’ll realize no one cares about what’s happening in Charlotte, and he’ll return to his petulant ways until he gets shipped out of town. Really, the only interesting storylines for this team heading into this season will be playing the “When Will Larry Brown Bail?” game and seeing how MJ does in his first season as majority owner. One of his first moves was bringing back the prodigal son, Kwame Brown. Oh boy, this team is going to be boring.

Five Knicks Related Things I'm Excited About In 2011

Having a point guard – I know Raymond Felton isn’t going make anyone shit their pants, but you know what? He’s a starter. (Wait we have a Starting PG? I actually just did poo a little). I can’t remember the last time we had a starting point guard. We no longer have to pretend that Duhon can run an offense for 30-35 min. We can finally forget the jostling between has-beens like Duhon, Stephon Marbury, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, and a washed up Mark Jackson like we’ve done over the past ten years. We have needed someone who can run the offense and who actually likes when an assist is added to his box score.

The Front Court – This is such a weird sensation for me. I’m so used to having a line of overpaid out of shape SGs and SFs stretching from MSG to Hoboken. All of a sudden we have more than just one undersized power forward and two white guys battling for starting center. Aside from Amare, the Knicks have their pick of Turiaf, a good shot blocker and scrapper, Mozgov, who impressed a lot of people this summer at the FIBA Worlds, Randolph, who can jump out of the building, and the 41% of Eddy Curry that’s not body fat. Choices? At Center? I just pooed again.

The Rooster – Many people have been touting the under-the-radar star potential of Anthony Randolph. Yes, he’s athletic. Yes he’s got the tools. But here’s the thing: he spent the last two seasons getting mind fucked by Don Nelson, then playing a little, then getting mind fucked again. I’m talking serious mind fucked. I’m talking Don Nelson is Mickey Rourke and Anthony Randolph’s is mind is Kim Basinger in some serious 9 ½ weeks shit. I’m talking Playmate of the Apes as hard as softcore can be mindfucking. I’m talking what the sisters did to Andy Dufresne but the movie had too much tact to show you, mindfucking. That’s all been very well documented, but what hasn’t been nearly the story it should be is how god damn good Danilo is going to be. He may not be as athletic as Don Nelson’s mind-bitch, but he’s got the tools. Everyone knows he can shoot the lights out, but this kid can ball. He can put the ball on the floor, and he’s way stronger than Dirk was at this point in his career. The rooster is willing and able to play defense as well. With a couple years of maturation I don’t see why he can’t be the third best player on a title team. In fact, if he is, you have one good team.

Run and Gun – This ties in to point number one. Now that we finally have a PG (actually, now that we have an actual team), Mike D can finally run an offense. Felton is not Nash, but he’s young, likes to run and he has a lot of weapons to chose from. The Knicks are finally going be an exciting team again. I can’t wait to see them run.

Isiah Tomas getting eaten by an Alligator, ensuring he will never return - Hey, we all got to have a dream right? Although I’m sure stupid James Dolan will find a way to play Reanimator and then Zombie Zeke will be the GM, Coach, Trainer, and every other position in which he can fail.

Listen to Darko...Don't be Darko

I never thought I'd say this, but Timofey, please, please, please listen to Darko: “I tell (Mozgov) to do the opposite like I did,” Milicic said. “I don’t know how it will be for him, if he plays a lot. When I didn’t play, I stepped aside. You need to work a lot and I didn’t do it. If he doesn’t play, practice hard.”

WTF???

Okay i'm all for using one's body as a from of expression, but is this really how we want to start off the "STAT City" era??

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/amare-stoudemire-nude-pool/

Amare Chuckles at Terrorists

Amid terrorism warnings across Europe, Amare Stoudemire promised to have fun while the Knicks spend the next few days in Paris as part of their preseason tour. "We know where to go and the places to visit and again, you have to cherish the moment because it's not often you get a chance to play an NBA game in Paris," Stoudemire said. That's fine, Amare, enjoy yourself. Paris is a wonderful city, full of art, culture, and history. Check out the Eiffel Tower, Napolean's Tomb, and, of course, the Louvre. Make sure to partake in world class shopping along the Champs-Elysees, and enjoy an espresso at one of the Montmartre district's finest cafes. Take a ride along the River Sennes, and get a snapshot of yourself in front of Notre Dame. Just remember that pesky suicide bombers have a special knack for targeting surgically repaired knees worth $100 million. They're uncanny.

Just in case you didn't catch the strong whiff of sarcasm, don't get yourself fucking killed, Amare.