Author Archives: Chris Alvino
About Chris Alvino
Chris Alvino grew up in Crestwood, NY. He graduated from Regis High School in 2005. There he played both basketball and baseball. Chris is currently a student at Boston College, where he practices with the varsity Women's Basketball Team (... seriously). Chris has been a Knicks' fan for years and can literally talk about them all day long, every day of the week. Chris enjoys writing on this blog and seeing what everyone out there has to say about it.Do not let the final score fool you. The Knicks, for a second straight game, embarrassed themselves yet again. The Knicks were absolutely blown out in the second quarter and the Thunder never really looked back. There was no Carmelo (except for the shots on him sitting on the bench in street clothes with an obnoxiously gaudy pinky ring), but I am not sure that he presence would have made much of a difference. The team came out with no fire tonight. They were completely outmatched.
Could anyone slow down James Harden in the first half? Could anyone man up and play physically against Durant?
Look, good teams have the potential to come out flat on any given night. The Knicks have made too much of a habit of doing so. At this point, the Knicks are an inconsistent, mediocre team and nothing more. I do not care what the names are on the back of their jerseys.
This team needs more consistent play out of their role players. Landry Fields, who was taken out of the starting lineup tonight in favor of Bill Walker, has given this team nothing this year. He looks more hesitant and slower on the court than he did to start last season. Shumpert again struggled tonight. There is no question that he has the talent, but his decision making is poor. He takes a lot of low percentage shots, and thus shoots a low percentage from the floor.
Amare Stoudemire, the highest paid player on the court, looked like the 4th or 5th best player on the floor tonight. On the whole, I have not been impressed with STAT this season. He has been above average, but he has not played like a star. Not even close.
The team has the Magic on Monday and faces the potential of dipping below .500 again. The D’Antoni seat will be getting hotter, especially if the team puts forth more pathetic efforts like those of the last two games.
First of all, I want to give Tommy and his wife a special congratulations on the birth of their child. God bless.
Tonight, the Knicks came to play and it was an absolute joy to watch. Admittedly, I missed the first quarter of the game. That said, I definitely tuned in at the right time. During the second quarter, everything was clicking. The offense was flowing. There were sharp passes. Mike Bibby was absolutely on fire from deep. STAT dominated this game and looked like the STAT we all saw and grew to love at the beginning of last season. Shumpert, who got the starting nod tonight, impressed yet again.
Best of all, the defense was fantastic tonight. Mixing zones with man coverage, the Pistons seemed off balance and unsure all night. It seemed like the Knicks were in the passing lanes all night as evidenced by their 12 steals.
With their poor play earlier in the week and their almost disaster last night, the Knicks needed this one tonight. The Pistons are not a great team and the Knicks took care of business.
Great game. Great win. Let’s go Knicks!
Definitely not the way you want to win the game, but at this point, a win is a win. Carmelo scored a ton of points, including a game winning 3 pointer, but he also took 30+ shots yet again. Amare Stoudemire also had another solid (not great) game. Chandler again posted a double-double. One big issue though continues to be the major minutes that this trio has been asked to play thus far.
The starting backcourt, namely Toney Douglas, was a problem yet again. Douglas got torched by John Wall, and if not for Iman Shumpert, who knows how big of a night Wall could have gone off for. Speaking of Shumpert, he again made a strong case that he should be one of this team’s starting guards.
The Knicks, now 3-4, take on the Pistons tomorrow night. Let’s go Knicks.
Here are a couple of key figures from tonight’s game:
31 - Carmelo Anthony took 31 shots tonight. 31! But can I blame him? Aside from STAT (who missed tonight’s game) and Toney Douglas (most of the time), can anyone else step up offensively on this team on a consistent basis? Please?
10-35 - The team took 35 3 pointers and made only 10. As a whole, the team attempted only 78 field goals. Without taking out a calculator here, I can tell you that close to half of the team’s shots tonight came from beyond the arc. Can anyone drive to the hoop on this team? Does Mike D’Antoni give any direction to his team to pump the ball inside when NOBODY can hit from deep? Or does he instruct them to continue chucking and cross his fingers on the sideline?
Look, I understand that this is a shooting team. I understand that shooting teams will have off nights. But right now, this is a mediocre team that needs a lot of work – with or without STAT. Douglas looked good tonight, but I still contend that he is far better suited as a bench scorer than a starting PG. Maybe D’Antoni would be able to put him there if he had anotehr option, but Mike Bibby has given this team absolutely nothing. Nothing. The one plus I thought he had was his ability to hit the 3. Where has that gone? Is he still hurt?
As for Fields and Bill Walker, where were they tonight? Offensively, one of them has to improve for this team to have any chance going forward. Once Shumpert gets back, there should be more offensive firepower on the wings, but he is a rookie and there is the chance that he can hit rough patches during the season.
The Knicks get back at it on Wednesday night against Charlotte. These are the games they have to win in my opinion.
via ESPN.com:
“New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire suffered a left ankle sprain during the Knicks’ 99-82 loss Thursday to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stoudemire told reporters in Los Angeles that his status is “day to day.” His availability for Saturday night’s game in Sacramento is uncertain.
“It’s wrapped up. I’ll get some treatment on it [Friday], get another assessment on it [Friday], see how it feels. My situation is day to day,” said Stoudemire, who missed 13 of his 17 shots against the Lakers and finished with 15 points.
Stoudemire said he suffered the injury while coming off of a pick-and-roll play.
“I rolled down the lane, I forget who it was, but he put a shoulder into me. He hit me on the roll and I twisted my ankle,” he said.
If Stoudemire can’t play Saturday, it would severely compromise a team already dealing with other injuries.
Guard Iman Shumpert and forward Jared Jeffries, two of the Knicks’ top reserves, are out — Shumpert is sidelined two to four weeks with a sprained right MCL, and Jeffries is sidelined one to two weeks with a right calf strain.
After beating the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day to open their season, the Knicks have lost two straight road games.”
Renaldo Balkman? Steve Novak? Josh Harrellson? Who takes STAT’s place if he in fact misses this game? Who takes his place if he misses any game? My guess is Balkman, but that does not make me feel too comfortable.
The lack of depth on this team is glaring – especially in the front court.
via Marc Stein:
“Jeremy Lin’s second NBA season could resume this week, because the popular guard 
clears waivers Tuesday at 10 AM ET, according to a league source.
The fact that Lin’s salary for this season ($788,872) is not guaranteed makes it much easier for any interested team to put in a waiver claim on the former Harvard star and take what amounts to a no-risk look at him.
Two teams that have expressed interest in adding Lin to their rosters, according to sources, are the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors … although in Golden State’s case word is that only applies if Lin clears waivers.
Coach Mike D’Antoni acknowledged Monday that Knicks management is looking for another point guard but did not sound at all interested in a reunion with Nate Robinson after Robinson secured a buyout with Oklahoma City. And that could put Lin at the top of the list for a team that already claimed Steve Novak off waivers from San Antonio.
After emerging as an athletic summer-league sensation in July 2010, Lin played sparingly for the Warriors as an NBA rookie, appearing in only 29 games. But the NBA’s first Asian-American since 1947 averaged 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the D-League’s Reno Bighorns. ”
I had the chance to see Lin play live when Harvard came to BC while I was in college. Harvard came to Conte and beat the Eagles. Lin was the driving force.
The key to bringing in Lin is his non-guaranteed contract for this season. I still firmly believe that Kenyon Martin is the target for this team once he becomes eligible to play in the NBA. Adding a player that can easily be cut makes some sense for this Knicks team – especially when that player is a PG with skills that can translate into this offensive system. Lin has good quickness, a good basketball IQ and a good skill set. As a stop-gap option until Shumpert returns, this makes some sense.
Earl Boykins is another name that I have heard mentioned and one that I have thrown around with friends. He’s a veteran with quickness and good scoring ability. We will see.
via ESPN NY:
“Shooting guard Mickael Pietrus was waived by the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
If he makes it through waivers unclaimed, Pietrus will be free to sign with any team.
Would the 29-year-old shooting guard be a fit for the Knicks?
A source with knowledge of Pietrus’ situation told ESPNNewYork.com that four teams had shown interest in Pietrus as of Monday night but the Knicks were not one of them. ”
I have always liked Pietrus. He is a good scorer (albeit an inconsistent one), a good defender and a great athlete. He is the kind of guard you’d expect to excel in a Mike D’Antoni system with his skill set.
However, at some point, you have to wonder where the minutes for a new addition would come from and how that would affect the incumbent players. If the Knicks added Pietrus, or say Keith Bogans, I am sure they would find time in this rotation. But what would that do for players like Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert and Bill Walker? There are certainly not enough minutes for all of them on this team. Someone would have to get the bump.
Like I said above, Pietrus would help this team. No doubt about it. However, if I had any indication that Kenyon Martin would sign onto this team in March, he would be the guy that I would absolutely zero in on for the stretch run. Pietrus would help, but Martin could put the Knicks over the top. Assuming that Baron Davis can come back and be the contributor that we all hope he will be, shoring up the frontline for the playoffs would be a smarter move than bringing in a rotational two guard in my opinion.
via HoopsWorld.com
“HOOPSWORLD has learned that the Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to terms with forward Reggie Evans, rounding what is expected to be the final piece of their roster.
Evans, at 6’8″, has a surprising knack for rebounding. Last season with the Toronto Raptors, Evans averaged 11.5 boards a night (but was limited to 30 games with a foot injury).
At 31-years old, Reggie took the veterans minimum to join the Clippers ($1.2 million)
The Clippers still have their Room Exception ($2.5 million) and a $3.8 million trade exception from the Chris Paul trade.”
Reggie Evans is a terrible offensive player. Terrible.
However, Evans is as tough as they come in this league. Evans was once voted as the dirtiest player in the league by his peers. As a rebounder and as a defender, Evans can match up and put a body on anyone in the league – so long as he stays healthy.
I watched that first Clipper game on Monday night. That team has serious potential out West. They looked like the better team against the Lakers, albeit it in the first pre-season game for each team. The Clips looked quick and talented across the board. For those who thought they gave up too much for Paul, there is no question that he was worth the price tag. With the addition of Evans, they have plugged the one gaping hole that they had on the roster – some backup beef behind DeAndre Jordan. With Evans, that Clippers team can now go roughly 10 deep.
As i noted last night, Evans would have been a good addition to this Knicks team as an enforcer for Melo and STAT. Once the playoffs start and the game tightens up, defense and toughness really come to the forefront. Perhaps the Knicks have that backup big man with those two traits already on their roster. If not, Evans would have come pretty cheap.
Is NY big enough for only one Bar(r)on? We will see as Earl Barron has reportedly been 
released by the Portland Trailblazers.
In 7 games for the Knicks two seasons ago, Barron averaged 11.7 ppg and 11 rpg while starting at center next to David Lee. Barron showed tenacity of defense, fluidity on the offensive end and even a good stroke from the mid-range. While it was not apparent that the Knicks had a ton of interest in bringing back Barron last year for anything greater than the minimum, it would appear that Baron should be available for that price nowadays.
I do not want to talk up Barron too much here, but if he showed me one thing two seasons ago, it is that he can play under Mike D’Antoni. That is not a trait to take lightly – especially when you are talking about big men. With the Knicks possibly refraining from using their room exception, perhaps for a player like Kenyon martin in March, Barron can be a nice minimum salary addition to a Knicks team who currently has only Jared Jeffries, Josh Harrellson, Renaldo Balkman and Jerome Jordan as backup big men for STAT and Chandler.
Even if Barron is a stop gap option for this team, I liked what he brought to the team two years ago and I like what he can bring to this team.
After all, one of my hopeful targets (aside from Martin if he would come here in March) just signed with the Clippers…
via Marc Stein:
“Baron Davis has committed to sign with the New York Knicks, according to sources close to the situation.
The deal could be formally completed as soon as Sunday, sources said.
Davis cleared waivers Friday after he was released through the amnesty clause in the new labor agreement by the Cleveland Cavaliers.”
There was talk that Davis was considering the Lakers as well.
We have talked about Davis on this site a lot. If he can get himself healthy enough to play, Davis can provide a major spark to this team. Davis has a knack for lifting his game under the spotlight, and with Amare and Carmelo anchoring a team with contention aspirations, the pressure and the spotlight will be on Davis to perform. Let’s hope that he can rise to the occassion.
At this point I would expect Douglas to come off the bench as a third guard and a bench scoring option once Davis is able to play. Until then, I see Douglas as the starting PG.
Terms of this agreement are not yet officially known, but Sam Amick has the following to say:
If true, then I sure hope that Davis can play and no more veteran players would have been willing to take that $2.5 million to play here. As it stands now, that $2.5 million was the last chip the Knicks had to use in free agency and there is still a hole at the PF spot behind Amare.
