Without getting into the argument of whether or not a Mike D’Antoni coached team is capable of defending, let’s keep one thing in mind.  Every team in the NBA plays defense.  It is a fundamental part of the game.  How well teams play defense is another story and something I am willing to discuss in this article.

Last season, the Knicks did not play defense well as a team.  However, before Jared Jeffries was dealt, the team did have some success with him defending at the top of a zone.  His length and quickness helped to contain the opposition. 

With a potential starting line-up of Ray Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph, Amare Stoudemire, and Ronnie Turiaf, the Knicks figure to have more length than any other team in the league.  With that length, the Knicks can find themselves either facing matchup problems or creating matchup nightmares for the opposition depending on how they play.  Even though Danilo Gallinari receives a worse reputation than he deserves for his defensive abilities, I am not sure how well he will be able to defend shorter, quicker shooting guards.  Every time down the floor, I would expect the opposing guards to attack Gallo and force him to tire out and potentially get into foul trouble.

Despite preferring man-to-man defense, I am beginning to believe that if the starting line-up is consistent with the one mentioned above, then perhaps a zone defensive scheme would work better.  I am envisioning the Knicks running a 1-3-1 zone scheme, with Ray Felton harassing the ball-handler at the top of the key, Gallo and Randolph on the wings, Amare in the middle, and Turiaf quarterbacking the zone from underneath the hoop.  Felton’s quickness and defensive ability should be able to slow / stop penetration from the opposing point guard, thus forcing him to kick it to one of his wings.  At that point, I believe that Gallo’s and Randolph’s length will allow them to get out on those wings quickly, thus contesting jump-shooters.  With Turiaf’s ability to block shots and to put a body on players once shots go up, I think he would be a good fit in the back of the 1-3-1 (that is not even mentioning his motor mouth while he is on the floor.  Those who have played zone before understand the need for good rotation and for communication amongst the five teammates).  Then once Wilson Chandler (potentially the 6^th man) checks in for Turiaf, he would shift to the wing and force Randolph underneath the hoop.

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**Note the time change to 10 PM.

Listen live as Anthony Rice Balls carries you through the 10 PM hour tonight.  Plenty to talk about including the World Championships, the shaping of the Knicks roster, and essentially anything else on your mind.

Tonight, Anthony will have recently signed Patrick Ewing Jr. as a guest to talk about his chances of making this Knicks roster, his experiences over the last couple of years, and more.

Don’t miss out, and don’t forget to give Anthony a ring to share your thoughts.

The following is a guest piece from avid TKB reader and huge Knicks fan, Jamey Adelson.  Enjoy…

Am I the only one scratching my head pondering what the rotation is going to look like this upcoming season? Considering the numerous moves made this off-season by our “godfather” Donnie Walsh, October 27th can’t come around any time sooner.

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If you have followed Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue on TKB Radio, you know full well about his star-studded cast of guests over the last year.  Legends like Jim Boeheim and Clyde Frazier.  Players like Allan Houston, Eric Snow, Wilson Chandler.  Media personalities like Frank Isola and Brandon Tierney.

Not one interview was better than the guest he had on the show tonight: his sister Gianna.  In case you do not know already, Gianna is currently battling brain cancer.  Tonight, Anthony had her as a guest to open up the show.  During the open, Gianna talked about her experiences and talked about her future.

Make sure you check out this must listen piece.  It truly is inspiring.

To steal words from Anthony’s sister, on behalf of the TKB staff and all of its followers, we would like to give a message to Gianna and her friends over at Columbia:

“You’ll get through it and you’ll get cured”

Keep on smiling G.

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Listen live tonight as Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue carries you through the 9 PM hour talking Knicks.  Plenty to talk about as the off-season winds down, including the ongoing Carmelo Anthony situation, the impact of Jerome Jordan’s going abroad, the final roster spot, and more. 

Give a call to the host.  Talk about hoops, sports in general, or just about anything.  Anthony looks forward to hearing from you tonight.

Again, catch TKB Radio tonight at 9 PM.  Do not miss it.

AW over at Yahoo Sports cites a source that believes that Melo’s desire to play in NY is overstated and that he is in fact more interested in playing in Houston.  From Yahoo:

“Anthony has hesitated to sign a three-year, $65 million extension and expressed intrigue with opting out of his contract next summer to become a free agent. Despite significant speculation the New York Knicks are the team that Anthony would most likely want to join, two sources close to him insisted the Knicks have been overstated as an object of his desire. Privately, Anthony has expressed more enthusiasm over joining the Houston Rockets than the Knicks, sources said.”

Houston is a real possibility in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes if such sweepstakes ever take place.  As Knicks’ fans know, the Rockets have a lot of assets, including youth and future draft picks.  Some of those assets are former Knicks assets.

Also, another team that can jump into the mix might be the LA Clippers.  According to the Denver Post:

“Meanwhile, if the Nuggets cannot convince Carmelo Anthony to sign an extension with the team and they decide to trade him at some point, could it be to the Los Angeles Clippers? I’m hearing it could be a possibility. It would get both he and his wife, La La, out to where entertainment opportunities are plentiful, which is key factor in their decision to want to move on. The Nuggets might be able to get a good young player or two or draft picks, and Anthony would be able to play on a team with some good up-and-coming talent.”

In my opinion, the Clippers might be able to offer the best package for Carmelo Anthony if they were to package Chris Kaman in a deal.  The Nuggets are desperate for big men and Kaman is an all-star center.  Would giving up Kaman and say Eric Gordon be too much for the Clippers to give away?  For a top 10 talent and for a franchise that has been in the dumps for years, passing on Melo would be a tough pill to swallow.  That is of course if he would consent to an extension of course.

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Catch Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue as he carries you through the 9 PM hour tonight.

Plenty to talk about on the show, most notably notion that Carmelo Anthony to NY is a real possibility.  There are many differing opinions not only on whether the Knicks should pursue the superstar, but also what a fair package would be to get him.

Again, plenty to talk about and as always, give Anthony a shout and voice your opinion.

Catch me live tonight as a guest on the MoSports internet radio show tonight.  As we have all seen on this site and on other media outlets, the Carmelo Anthony rumors are starting to swirl yet again, and New York is at the forefront of many headlines.

Listen in as I chat with Mo and Rick about the possibility of the Knicks adding a second superstar and how it could potentially impact this franchise in both the short- and long-term.  I should be getting on between 10:30 and 10:45 tonight.

In case you missed it last night, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, and the 1992 Dream Team, among others, were inducted into the Basketball HOF.  If you have a chance to watch the recap on NBA TV or any other outlet, I recommend doing so.

To date myself, HOF inductions have begun to gain more relevence to me over the last couple of years because they have been guys that I grew up watching as a young kid.  Last night, watching players like Malone and Pippen take the stage, I could visualize their dominating play for so many years.  The 90′s was a great decade for the NBA, and players like Pippen and Malone were icons for that period.

I thought the best part of the night was the 1992 Dream Team induction, a team which included both Malone and Pippen.  While I was only 4 years old when that team won the gold, I looked at the players on that stage and could only imagine the greatness of their combined forces.  Sadly I am not old enough to have followed the careers of Magic and Bird, but the rest of that team played a prominent role in adding to an iconic time in NBA history.

Not surprisingly, Magic Johnson was sure to recognize the greatness of Michael Jordan in his speech.  Scottie Pippen did the same.  Looking at the talent on that stage last night, Michael Jordan’s greatness shined yet again.  As my friend Danny said, “when you look at all of those iconic players who were robbed of championships by Jordan, it just goes to show you how great Jordan actually was.” Players like Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, among others were legends, but were not able to get passed Jordan.

Again, congratulations to this year’s class and if you can, try and check out the recaps of the event. 

By the way, it was interesting to see Dennis Rodman again last night.  While he was no HOFer, he might have been the best rebounder I have ever see, right up there with Sir Charles.  Check out Rodman’s reboudning numbers for his career.  Unreal.

via Knicks.com:

“New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that the team has signed guard Andy Rautins, the 38th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, to a player contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rautins, 6-4, 194-pounds, played four seasons at Syracuse University and averaged 12.1 points and 4.9 assists as a senior in 2009-10. He finished his collegiate career ranked second on the school’s all-time list for three-point field goals made (282) and attempted (754). He also became the 53rd Syracuse player to score at least 1,000 career points (1,121). In 2010 NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas, Rautins averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 assists and 23.9 minutes in five games as a member of the Knicks entry.”

To me, this was more of a formality than anything else.  Terms were not disclosed, but I would imagine that Rautins will be playing for the minimum (or something close to it).

The bottom line is that Walsh and D’Antoni clearly had their reasons for taking this kid with their first pick.  He was going to make the team, regardless of how poorly he played in the summer league.  I do not expect Rautins to find time immediately, but as we all know, his stroke is as pure as they come and lights out shooting will find him some floor time eventually.  There is always a spot on a Mike D’Antoni team for a dominant shooter, even if it is a very sparing role.

According to ESPN, Carmelo Anthony was in attendance during CBA negotions between the NBA and the players’ union today.

Anthony had the following to say:

“It’s important for me that all of us, as being the faces of the NBA, to be involved in the negotiations and what’s going on. Our future is in jeopardy if we can’t come into a mutual agreement.

It was great conversation, great dialogue going back and forth. The communication was great. Hopefully we can come to an agreement soon.”

Obviosuly, the CBA discussions going forward will play a major role in Carmelo’s decision making process.  If negotions do not progress, I cannot see how he would turn down the extension he is being offered by Denver.  If negotions progress and the players like the new terms of the CBA, then perhaps Melo decides against the extension for a bit longer and the Nuggets lose a lot of leverage with the face of their franchise.

For now, I expect the Knicks to go to camp with their current roster, but this Carmelo situation is very much alive and will only continue to grow until he actually signs that extension… if he does so at all.

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Just as a reminder…

He has been away for a while, but he is now back.

Make sure you do not miss Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue’s show tomorrow night at 9 PM.

LeBron had “Decision”.  Tony has his “Return”.

There will be plenty to talk about, including Isiah Thomas’ potential return to the spotlight on Broadway as well as other meaningful Knicks stories, including Carmelo Anthony’s reported desire to come to NY.  Also, with a big deal going down today in the NBA, there should be plenty to discuss.

Anthony has been away for the last few weeks as he has been caring for his younger sister, Gianna.  Gianna, who is only ten years old, was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and has been strong in battling it over the last few weeks.

On behalf of everyone here at this site, I want to say that we are all pulling for Gianna is her road to recovery.  Please everyone, keep Anthony, his family, and most importantly, Gianna in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to embark on that road.

In an interesting piece from CBS’s Ken Berger, he says that sources close to Carmelo Anthony believe that his Melo’s desire to play in NY is so strong that the Knicks do not need a high profile executive to try and lure him.

This article was written in conjunction with the belief that Isiah Thomas might be of the stature that he would be able to help lure next summer’s potential free agent prize to the Big Apple (that is not my belief, but simply one I have heard tossed around).

The way I judge the Melo situation is that until he signs that extension in Denver, there is still hope for him to come here.  With CBA talks likely to progress throughout the season, if the impressions are that there will be a positive agreement, perhaps Melo would not be scared away from hitting the open market.  Now there is a possibility that a team like Washington would be of interest to Melo as well, but if he hits the open market, Melo would be able to take on the opportunity that LeBron turned down.

Further, if Melo is traded before the season, I simply do not see another team willing to mortgage more that the Knicks would considering his apparent desire to become a free agent and come here.

As the summer moves along, this will definitely be a story to follow.  Take away all the speculation and you are left with one certainty: Melo has not signed his Denver extension yet.  As a Knicks fan, I hope he doesn’t.

He has been away for a while, but he is now back.

Make sure you do not miss Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue’s show tomorrow night at 9 PM.

LeBron had “Decision”.  Tony has his “Return”.

There will be plenty to talk about, including Isiah Thomas’ potential return to the spotlight on Broadway as well as other meaningful Knicks stories.  Feel free to chat with Tony about anything, hoops related or not.

On a serious note, Anthony has been away for the last few weeks as he has been caring for his younger sister, Gianna.  Gianna, who is only ten years old, was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and has been strong in battling it over the last few weeks.

I have met Gianna a couple of times and she is a sweet and cool little girl who owns the coolest pair of Knicks pants I have ever seen.  Above all else, she is a strong little girl.

On behalf of everyone here at this site, I want to say that we are all pulling for Gianna is her road to recovery.  Please everyone, keep Anthony, his family, and most importantly, Gianna in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to embark on that road.

If you haven’t already, check out the latest from Isiah Thomas in the NY Post.  In the article, Isiah talks about how Donnie Walsh is ok with him coming back to the Knicks organization as a consultant.

Frankly, I highly doubt this to be true.  If Donnie Walsh has shown one thing since he has been here, it is that he understands how an organization should be run.  He knows the difference between right and wrong.  He knows the difference between what works and what doesn’t.

The Knicks have just come out of a dark period clouded by poor decision making in the early and middle parts of the last decade followed by two seasons of intentional tanking in the name of cap space.  With the ruins left behind by Scott Leyden and Isiah Thomas and without the murky cloud cast by the shadow of LeBron James‘ free agency, the 2010-2011 Knicks had a chance to do something that no Knicks team has been able to do for quite some time.  This team had a chance to move forward.  This team finally had the chance to push drama aside and to focus on winning basketball games.

Whether Isiah Thomas actually comes here or not (Apparently it is no guarantee, but would I be shocked if Isiah quit his FIU job to come back to the Knicks? Probably not.), the damage associated with this hiring has already been done.  Even if Thomas does not come back, there is now a new cloud hovering over this franchise.  There is a cloud of distrust between the owner and the fans.  Even if Thomas does not return, the possibility remains, and Knicks fans know it.

Distractions have plagued this franchise for the better part of the last decade, and with the new decade being ushered in, owner Jim Dolan apparently has no intentions of letting those distractions depart.

Thanks a lot, Jim.