The Curious Case of Jared Jeffries

"A rare shot by Jeffries!" Mike Breen shouted during a recent home game, as Jared Jeffries lined up for a wide open, 8-foot jump shot that would bounce off the back rim and back into play.

Jared Jeffries is an offensive enigma. He's mind-boggling; he baffles, bewilders, puzzles and perplexes me on a consistent basis. Thesaurus.com had more synonyms, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 He always plays like he's being double teamed

Jeffries was a Knick from 2006-2010, and was reacquired on March 1, 2011, so I have seen plenty of him (although I spent his first stint slumped in the corner of my room, deliriously convinced it was all just a bad hallucination: that they had never, in fact, traded Patrick Ewing for the likes of Luc Longley, Travis Knight and Glen Rice's plantar fasciitis laden feet).

Here's a breakdown of Jeffries' abilities based on years of watching him stumble his way through the offense...

Pros: He hustles, moves well without the ball and has decent court vision. He's not Charles Smith.

Cons: He is an awful jump shooter, especially off the dribble. He is a 58% career free throw shooter, just about 5% ahead of Shaq's career average. Unless he is wide open, he has an embarrassing touch near the rim; I've seen him miss many layups and dunks.

His career Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which measures a player's per-minute production is 9.7. The league average is 15 every season. The closest he came to that mark was 2005-06, with a PER of 11.6. For reference, teammate Ronny Turiaf has a career PER of 14.3.

The layup may not have gone in

This season, his overall PER is 6.6, and 5.2 with the Knicks, making him 397th out of the 445 players in the league. Have you heard of Mustafa Shakur? Francisco Elson? Both of those players are above him in PER.

Jeffries has never averaged more than seven points per game. This year he is averaging less than 1.5 points per game, shooting about 29% from the field and 35% from the free throw line. He has scored ten or more points in a game zero times this season.

He has scored 15 or more points twelve times in his career, or in .02% of his total games played.

So what conclusion arises from this smoldering heap of statistics? That Jared Jeffries simply cannot play offense?

But the whole reason for this analysis of his play is not to throw dirt on top of an old grave. It's because, digging deeper, that conclusion may not be true.

It's a confusing puzzle to piece together, so let's trace his basketball career back as far as the Internet will take us.

Jeffries played high school ball at Bloomington High School North. He was honored as the Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2000, a yearly award recognizing the top high school basketball players in the state of Indiana. He shares this achievement with Oscar Robertson (the only NBA player to ever average a triple double over an entire season), who won the award in 1956.

Jeffries was a McDonald's All-American that year as well.

Here, Jeffries looks like a basketball player

He was also ranked 9th in the 2000 Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI), which ranks the top 100 high school basketball players each year. There were multiple future NBA players behind him, including Chris Wilcox and former Knick Mike Sweetney.

The next step in his career was college at Indiana University. In his first season, he averaged almost 14 points a game and shot 44% from the floor, leading the Hoosiers to a 21-13 record, albeit a first round exit in the NCAA Tournament. He improved a year later, averaging 15 points per game on 46% shooting, as the Hoosiers went 25-12 and made it to the NCAA championship game, losing to Maryland. In that game, Jeffries had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Remember how Jeffries has scored 15 or more points in just .02% (12 times in 544 games) of his career NBA games? In college he scored at least 15 points 43% of the time (30 times in 70 games).

Here he looks like a lost child

He entered the NBA draft after his sophomore season and was drafted 11th overall, by the Washington Wizards. Players picked after Jeffries include Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer and Nenad Krstic.

This brings us to the start of his NBA career.

His career actually began with promise. He averaged 4, 5.7 and 6.8 points in his first three seasons respectively. However, since that incredible 2004-05 season when he averaged almost 7 points per game, Jeffries declined almost every season, which brings us to this year, where he is averaging 1.4 points per game. 

So, after weeks of research and days of writing, my analysis of Jared Jeffries is complete, and like all epic tales, it ends just how it began:

Jared Jeffries is an offensive enigma. He's mind-boggling; he baffles, bewilders, puzzles and perplexes me on a consistent basis.

Playing Catch Up

Another weekend of college-fueled fun, another weekend of missed posts and games, lost forever.

Someone remind the Knicks this guy's no longer a Cav

Here's my quick update on the Knicks, for which I've come up with the following completely original title: "The State of the Knicks Address."

First, let's all agree to pretend that I never predicted the Knicks would come "out with a vengeance" and "blowout" the Cavs. Can we all agree that it's a good thing the Cavaliers are 21 games behind the Knicks and 15 out of the eighth seed? Because if this season is any indication, the Knicks would be handily swept in that playoff series.

Moving on from that ghost post (which still exists, if only to humble me when my many other predictions ring true), the Knicks are now 5-3 since the big trade, but really 5-1 once you understand that the Cavs have officially defined what it means to "have a team's number," rendering discussion of any Knicks vs. Cavs game moot.

Let's focus on the other games that the Knicks have played since Carmelo Anthony came home (and yes, I'm linking to that commercial again because every time I watch it I cry like I'm a member of the Miami Heat).

Further proof of blowout uneccesary
 (Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Knicks beat the Bucks, a team they should beat, using their prodigious (Walt Clyde Frazier word alert!) offense in the first game after the trade, or as it will henceforth be referred to as, A.C. (After Carmelo). Then, they had an impressive, gutty victory over the Heat, with a stifling defense, allowing under 90 points for just the third time this season. They were beating the Magic until Jameer Nelson woke up from a three-quarter coma, and lost by six. They massacred the playoff-bound Hornets by 19, and double-massacred the new-look Jazz by 22, with their bench on the floor for the entire fourth quarter.

So can't we just contract the Cavs from the league and strike their games this season from the record books? The Knicks would be 33-26 and approaching ten games over .500 (they haven't finished a season .500 or better, let alone ten games over .500 since 2000-01), having won 7 of their last 10 games. I like the sound of that.

Come on, humor me.

Knicks vs. Cavs 7:30

"(Tonight) is a payback game, man...It left a bitter taste in my mouth and the team's mouth and we remember that. We hold grudges." -Carmelo Anthony

The Knicks take on the Cavs tonight, a team who they have yet to beat in two tries this season. One of those games was last weekend, post trade. The Cavs are 11-49 on the season.

Expect the Knicks to come out hot tonight, as they try to wash the bitter taste of losing to the worst team in the league out of their mouths.

Chauncey Billups is doubtful. If Billups does indeed not play, Toney Douglas will be asked to step up again, as he did against the Hornets on Wednesday, scoring 24 points.

The last time these two teams played, Antwan Jamison, Ramon Sessions and J.J. Hickson each had what may of been their best games of the season, with 28, 22 and 24 points respectively. This time, especially with the home crowd rooting on the Knicks, it's a good bet that those three will not end with such gaudy numbers.

Meanwhile, Baron Davis is making his Cavaliers debut. Cavs coach Byron Scott and Davis reportedly had a bumpy relationship during their days with the Hornets, although are supposedly on the same page now. The Cavs will have to shake off the rust with a new star point guard, and the Knicks are coming out with a vengeance.

I see a blowout in the Garden on Amar'e Stoudemire bobblehead night.

Knicks 107, Hornets 88

Knick's Record- 31-28 (6th in the East, 5 games back from the 5th seeded Hawks, 1 1/2 games up on 7th seeded 76ers)

Amar'e and Melo learn how it feels to sit on the bench

The entire roster saw action tonight as the Knicks massacred the Hornets, 107-88. It was 52-42 Knicks at the half and 82-62 after three. Chris Paul's first points came with a buzzer beating shot to end the first half. He would score one more basket, ending with just 4 points and 10 assists.

Box Score

Stoudemire had 24, Douglas had 23 and Anthony had 22, leading the way for the Knicks. In a rare occurrence, D'Antoni gave the crowd what they wanted late in the game, inserting Roger Mason, who absolutely drained two shots, one of which was a three, while also dishing out an assist in just four minutes. Play like that might make D'Antoni more inclined to give him chances in future games.

We also got our first looks at the newcomers, Jared Jefferies and Derrick Brown. Jefferies picked up right where he left off; I could only tell this wasn't a replay of his first stint with the team because he now wears number nine. Oh, and the entire roster has changed. Jefferies played well on defense and had six rebounds, four of which were offensive. Brown played just four minutes along with Mason and picked up two fouls and one rebound. Still, he played with confidence and looks like the type of player who would fit D'Antoni's run and gun style of offense.

Shawne Williams, who had been slumping recently shooting the three, shot 4-6 from beyond the arc, including hitting his first three, on the way to 16 points.

The Knicks played a very solid game, especially without Billups. They looked like the type of team that should have these types of victories, especially against reeling teams like the Hornets, who came off a loss to the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks are now 3-2 since the trade. They play the Cavs (who they have yet to beat in two attempts this season) on Friday.

Knicks vs. Hornets 7:30 p.m.

The Knicks will have to play Chris Paul and the Hornets without Chauncey Billups tonight. It's crazy how quickly Billups has gone from an afterthought in the blockbuster deal to the third member of the Knicks' very own big three.

Paul will dictate how the Hornets play

A night after his collision with Dwight Howard's knee, Billups says he "feels better." He is listed as questionable for friday's game against the Knicks' nemesis, the Cavs.

The two new Knicks, Derrick Brown and Jared Jefferies, will suit up tonight. Jefferies should see minutes, as he knows the system and D'Antoni is a big fan. We will see if Brown gets in the game, and what he shows us.

The Knicks beat the Hornets 100-92 on December 3rd, in their only other meeting this season. Amar'e Stoudemire had 34 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, while Paul had 17 points and 10 assists for the Hornets. Of course, this is a much different matchup.

This is a game the Knicks should be able to steal, even without Billups in the lineup. The Hornets have lost 11 of their last 15, including a loss last night to the last-place Toronto Raptors.
 
P.S. Remember Paul's toast at Carmelo Anthony's wedding? Let's hope the Garden crowd shows Paul how great it could be playing here.

Don't forget your toast, Paul

***

A few quick notes that have nothing to do with tonight's game:

-Happy anniversary to Wilt Chamberlain. On this day 49 years ago, Wilt the Stilt scored 100 points in a single game against none other than the New York Knicks.

- Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld and ESPN 1040 tweeted that Eddy Curry (formerly Eddy Curry's expiring contract) is telling friends that he will sign with the Heat. Do the Heat want him? And if so, why? And how unfair would it be if Curry won a ring with...maybe I'm getting head of myself.

- Mike Prada over at SBnation.com put together a pretty hilarious list of 60 players the Heat should sign over Curry. Personally I think a more comprehensive list could be put together.

Enjoy the game and check back after for post game thoughts and analysis.

Ewing Speaks!

The Garden used to be his house

Last night, Patrick Ewing weighed in on the current state of the Knicks, as well as Dwight Howard's impending free agency...

On the Knicks:
"New York hasn't had two bona fide superstars since Willis (Reed) and Earl (Monroe) and Clyde (Frazier). Those guys (Stoudemire and Anthony) are bona fide superstars."

Now it's theirs

"Everybody kept talking about him [Chauncey Billups] as a throw in. People overlooked him when he first started. He's played great games. He's won championships."

On Howard:
"He's staying in Orlando. He ain't going nowhere. I told him if he's going anywhere, I'm chopping his legs off."


It's been awhile since I had the joy of seeing Patrick Ewing talk to reporters. The last time I remember seeing Ewing besides pointing him out on the Magic bench to my dad, his name was Patrick Chewing.

Magic 116, Knicks 110

Knick's Record- 30-28 (6th in the East, 5 games back from the 5th seeded Hawks, 1 game up on 7th seeded 76ers)
 
The Knicks gave Donnie Walsh an early birthday present Sunday night with their victory against the Heat. Unfortunately, they were unable to deliver a gift on his actual 70th birthday Tuesday night, as they fell to the Magic, 116-110.

Box Score

The Knicks had this game in their grasp, leading by five going into the fourth quarter.

Nelson came alive in the second half

But then, after a nonexistent first half where he scored just 3 points, Jameer Nelson decided to show up. With a flurry of circus layups and step-back jumpshots, Nelson helped the Magic take back a lead that they would not again relinquish.

Against the Knicks' "front court," Dwight Howard had 30 points, 16 boards and 5 blocks.

Amar'e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups each had 30 for the Knicks, and Carmelo Anthony had 25, with yet another poor shooting night (8-24 from the field). Billups took a career high 20 free throws and made 18. Between the two teams there were 97 free throws taken, while zero players fouled out.

What you can take away from this game as a Knicks fan is this: The Knicks are on the same level as the Magic. This game had the same intensity and competitive fire that Sunday night's game had. Overall, the Knicks have the talent to beat the Magic, and could compete in a 7-game series.

The Knicks had no answer for Superman

Of course, the problem is Howard. The Knicks simply do not have anyone to match up with the big man. His presence alone changes the entire game; it opens up threes and outside jumpers, and simply gives the other four Magic players much more court to utilize. However, there are very few teams with the ability to combat Howard. The Lakers, Celtics (as long as Shaq is health), Thunder (with newly acquired Kendrick Perkins) and Bulls are the only teams that even have a chance.

I'll break down the teams player by player in another post, but Knicks fans can celebrate the fact that the Magic don't have five Dwight Howards; they only have one.

It's also worth noting that this was only the Knicks' fourth game A.C. (After Carmelo). Don't forget what your third grade teacher used to tell you when you were learning multiplication tables: practice makes perfect.

Knicks vs. Magic 7 p.m.

The Knicks head to Orlando tonight to face Dwight Howard and the Magic. They faced each other once earlier this season, a 112-103 loss on Dec. 30.

Superman vs. STAT

Of course, that was B.C. (Before Carmelo).

It's the 4th game of the new era, and the Knicks should come into Orlando with a renewed confidence after their huge victory against the Heat Sunday night. Since the trade occurred exactly one week ago, there is not much to look at in terms of previous matchups between the two teams.

Howard put up 24 points and 18 boards against the Knicks in December. As I wrote earlier today, the Knicks still have a gaping hole when it comes to big men, so it is likely that Howard will roam under the basket with the same freedom he felt earlier in the year. Amar'e had 30 points in that game, but just 4 boards.

Howard has been monstrous of late, putting up at least 30 points in 5 of his last 7 games.

The Knicks will have to double team him and force the rest of the team to beat them.

Howard's supporting cast has been meager this season; Gilbert Arenas is not the Arenas of yesteryear, when he was an explosive All-Star lock. He's averaging 8 points a game for the Magic this season. Hedo Turkoglu hasn't scored more than 20 points since January 22nd, and you have to go back almost an entire month from that date to find the next time he broke 20. Jason Richardson hasn't broken 20 since January 15th.

With Melo and Amar'e, the Knicks have the offense to compete with any team in the league. It's their defense that could trip them up. Once Jared Jefferies is suited up and playing (supposedly tomorrow against the Hornets), their defense should be a little stronger. However, even Jefferies is not big enough to do much against Superman.

This game is going to come down to Howard's supporting cast. Will they step up?

Knicks' Roster Becoming Complete

Donnie Walsh announced today that the Knicks have claimed Derrick Brown off waivers from Charlotte.

Bygones?

This is interesting news. Jared Jefferies should be signing any minute now with the Knicks, and the presumption was that the Knicks would be going after another big to fill out their roster, after having bought out Corey Brewer and waiving Kelenna Azubuike.

Brown is a young, (drafted 40th overall in the 2009 draft) 6'8" swingman with promise. His pro minutes have been so limited that they are not even worth analyzing at this point (9.4 minutes per game last season, 12 this year).

It's worth noting his steady improvement in college, though. As a Xavier freshman he averaged 6 points and 4 boards per game. As a sophomore, 11 and 6.5. As a senior, 14 and 6. He was also a solid 3-point shooter, so I'm sure D'Antoni is salivating at the news of his signing. He shot 41.5% from downtown for his college career.

But the move is puzzling because of what the Knicks desperately need, which is a center.

Neither Jefferies nor Brown appears to fill that role; many Knicks fans yearn for the likes of Leon Powe, who appears to be headed towards Miami or back to Boston.

Thus far, Donnie Walsh has done no wrong in my eyes; he has transformed the Knicks from a bumbling squad of delinquent losers into a star-studded (albeit small) group of contenders in just two years. Here's to hoping that, as usual, he see's a little bit more than the casual observer.

Knicks 91, Heat 86

Knick's Record- 30-27 (6th in the East, 5 games back from the 5th seeded Hawks, 1 game up on 7th seeded 76ers)

American Airlines Arena was filled with shooting stars last night in the matchup that was supposed to reignite the rivalry, as the Knicks outlasted the Heat 91-86, surpassing their win total from last season.

Box Score

This is a rivalry

While the game was tense and went right down to the wire, the rivalry is not aflame yet. But if the teams matchup in the playoffs, we may see tonight's spark turn into a wildfire. What I gathered from watching this game is that the Knicks actually matchup with the Heat very well.

Here's my breakdown:

Point Guard: The Knicks win here, as Chauncey Billups is a seasoned veteran who plays smart. Most importantly, he was the NBA Finals MVP in 2004. Here is a list of the last 10 players who won Finals MVP's besides Billups:

Kobe Bryant (2009, 2010), Paul Pierce (2008), Tony Parker (2007), Dwayne Wade (2006), Tim Duncan (1999, 2003, 2005), Shaq (2002, 2001, 2000),  Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998), Hakeem Olajuwon (1995)...Actually let's stop right there because the 1990 MVP was a certain former Knick executive who may or may not have been somewhat involved in the trade talks to bring Carmelo Anthony to New York.


The point I'm making is that every other player on that list is either in the Hall of Fame (Jordan, Olajuwon), a lock to be headed to the Hall of Fame (Bryant, Pierce, Duncan, Shaq), or very probably Hall of Fame bound (Parker, Wade). Billups is slightly below the "very probably" section, but nonetheless is clearly a top-tier guy.

You have to stick by the cardinal rule: You always pick the former Finals MVP over the Mario Chalmers.


Shooting Guard: The Heat win with Wade. Not just because he is a member of the list from my last paragraph, but because his competition is 22-year-old rookie Landry Fields. However, it's not nearly as much of a Heat domination as you might think just reading that sentence. Fields is a very solid defender and rebounder. He's about 3 inches taller than Wade at 6' 7" and is the type of player who could slow Wade down, if even just a little bit. Still, I should reiterate that Wade is a superstar and Fields is a solid rookie. It's no contest.


Small Forward: The Heat win with James, but not by nearly as much as he is favored against most teams. LeBron vs. Melo was all the rage in the years after they were drafted numbers 1 and 3 respectively (LeBron vs. Milicic and Melo vs. Milicic was never all that popular for some reason). Melo is now 8-4 (including last night's victory) against LeBron in their NBA careers.

They seem to motivate each other to play: Last night LeBron had 27 points, 7 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. With a bum shooting elbow, Melo had 29 points and 9 boards.

 LeBron vs. Melo always lives up to the hype

They've had memorable battles besides last night; In February of last season the Nuggets beat the Cavs behind Melo's 40 points, 6 boards, 7 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal, despite LeBron's remarkable stat line of 43 points, 15 assists, 13 boards, 4 blocks and 2 steals. And if you go way back to their 2003 rookie seasons, you'll find the youngsters still knew how to battle; The Nuggets won behind 26 points, 5 boards, 3 steals and 4 blocks from Melo, while James put up 19 points, 6 boards and 5 assists.

If you'd like to go back even further, head to 2002. LeBron was a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary and Melo was a senior at Oak Hill Academy. LeBron put up 36 points, 8 boards, 5 assists and 6 steals. Melo answered with 34 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, and most importantly, 1 victory.

Now the two get to battle it out head-to-head four times a season, and possibly for seven games in the playoffs. While you have to give it to the 2-time reigning league MVP, this will be a fun matchup to watch.


Power Forward: The Knicks win with Amar'e Stoudemire, not by much, but by more than LeBron over Melo. Bosh is averaging 18 points and 8 boards per game this season, while Amar'e is at 26 and 9. For their careers, the advantage Bosh had was his outside jump shot. This season, Amar'e has greatly improved his outside shot, and while Bosh had a few more points and boards last night, Amar'e rightfully took a backseat to Melo.

And there was Amar'e in the last minute, swatting a LeBron James shot attempt to seal the game.

He yearns for the spotlight and wants to be the hero. He signed in New York when no other superstar would and declared that "the Knicks are back" and then made good on his word, as the Knicks were pretty firmly in the playoff picture before they acquired Melo. Bosh was unable to lead Toronto to the playoffs last season and then fled to be the third Musketeer behind James and Wade.

Still, Amar'e vs. Bosh is an All-Star vs. All-Star matchup that will always be full of intensity and grit, which are two key ingredients to a superb playoff series.

Center: The Heat get the edge here, but solely because of size. Ronny Turiaf should get most of the starts for the Knicks at center, but he is often bruised and battered, and is undersized at just 6'10". Shawne Williams, who started last night for the Knicks is even smaller than Turiaf. Eric Dampier is about 7 feet tall; his big body creates problems for the Knicks down low. However, once again, this is not a huge advantage for the Heat, albeit an advantage nonetheless.

Bench: The advantage here goes to the Heat. The Knicks' bench is almost non-existent. Toney Douglass has shown great promise, but is undersized for his position, and runs very hot and cold. Bill Walker is equally as up and down. Anthony Carter is a solid hustle guy who knows the game well, but is undersized, just like Douglass.

While the Heat bench has been just as inconsistent, they have the positions that fit their team needs. Joel Anthony is a superb defender, who has already shown that he is able to give Amar'e trouble. Eddie House, Mike Miller and James Jones are all shooters, who, when hot, are the perfect accompaniments to LeBron and Wade. Despite not playing against the Knicks last night, Juwan Howard and Zydrunas Ilgauskas give the Heat extra big bodies that the Knicks simply don't have.

Coach: The Knicks win here because of experience. Despite the fact that D'Antoni seems to be unaware of the definition of the word defense, he brought the Suns to back-to-back Western Conference Championships, and he is on the coaching staff of the U.S. olympic team. Spoelstra has gotten the Heat playing resiliently this season after a rough start to the season, but his team is still 1-7 against the top teams in the league (Celtics, Lakers, Mavericks and Bulls). His inexperience loses him this battle.

Overall, the Heat appear to have the advantage. But last night the Knicks played like a contending team, in just their third game since the trade. They should be picking up another piece or two (Jared Jefferies, Earl Barron?), and they actually played some stifling defense when they needed it (Billups' two late steals, Carter's hounding defense on Wade).

The rivalry is not yet burning, but the pieces are in place. Now we have to wait and see if a playoff series can rekindle some dormant fire.

Knicks 114, Bucks 108

Knick's Record- 29-26 (6th in the East, 4 games back from the 5th seeded Hawks)

Say hello to the the, "New, New York Knicks"

It's a whole new ball game.

That's a cliche saying, but it rang true tonight for the Knicks, as newbie Carmelo Anthony led the way, along with old-timer Toney Douglas (currently the longest tenured Knick at one and a half years), to lead the Knickerbockers to victory in front of legions of fans who paid far more than face value for tickets.

In other news, with their 29th victory, the Knicks tied their win total from last season, just one game after the All-Star break.

The underachieving Bucks, at 22-35, certainly don't generate much fear, but the Knicks could have been susceptible tonight. Their new squad doesn't even have a practice under their belt. D'Antoni wasn't ever going to consider giving any of the new faces besides Melo and Billups a chance to step on the floor, since he has not yet had a chance to see them in action.

Time will tell what the rotation turns out to be; for tonight, at least, D'Antoni kept with an 8-man rotation. Against better teams he will probably have to trickle minutes elsewhere, to the likes of Shelden Williams, Corey Brewer or Anthony Carter.

Future aside, tonight is a night to celebrate the true arrival of, as Amar'e Stoudemire so boldly states, the "New, New York Knicks."

Before the trade, a Stoudemire foul-out (only two this season) would have elicited feelings of dread and despair. But there was Melo, sinking difficult shots in traffic in the fourth quarter, and helping ice the game with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds.

We all loved Gallo, but he never inspired such confidence in fans without Amar'e on the floor, particularly in big spots, where shots need to be created. Same goes for Chandler.

Billups, meanwhile, reminded those who had forgotten (or chose to ignore) that he is a complete and utter leader. His 21 points and 8 assists were Felton-like numbers; the difference is that when Felton put up such numbers, it was easy to tell throughout the game. With Billups, the stats just seemed to accumulate, and the box score leaves you thinking, "wow, when did he score 21?"

Melo struggled early, but finished strong

Studs:
Anthony- 27 points, 10 boards, 2 steals
Billups- 21 points, 8 assists, 6 boards, 2 steals (shot just 4-12 from the field, but 12-12 from the FT line)
Douglas- 23 points, 3 assists, 2 steals
Stoudemire- 19 points, 5 boards, 4 assists



Before we rejoice and hire a choir to sing "I Believe I Can Fly," let's give the Knicks a practice or two, allow Melo, Billups and the rest of the newcomers to learn D'Antoni's offense and (lack of) defense, and see what happens the rest of the way.


**Having said that, here's one quick point from this game that you can take to the bank: Having two superstars on the floor, with even just a decent supporting cast, makes it extremely difficult for defenses.

"The Knicks are back." -Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony

Possible New Rotation

Knicks Minutes Per Game By Position


 

Player:	PG	SG	SF	PF	C	Total (Projected)	Season Average	Difference
Carmelo Anthony	-	-	23	12	-	35	35.5	-0.5
Amare Stoudemire	-	-	-	26	8	34	36.8	-2.8
Landry Fields	-	32	-	-	-	32	32.6	-0.6
Chauncey Billups	32	-	-	-	-	32	32.3	-0.3
Toney Douglas	6	16	-	-	-	22	22.4	-0.4
Sheldon Williams	-	-	-	-	20	20	17	3
Ronny Turiaf	-	-	-	-	20	20	18.5	1.5
Bill Walker						0	12.2	-12.2
Renaldo Balkman						0	8.8	-8.8
Shawne Williams	-	-	8	10	-	18	17.9	0.1
Bill Walker			10			10	12.2	-2.2
Corey Brewer	-	-	7	-	-	7	24.3	-17.3
Anthony Carter	10	-	-	-	-	10	10.9	-0.9
Total	48	48	48	48	48

 Mr. Matthew Horney put together this table, projecting the minutes for each player on the Knicks' roster going forward this season. The table shows the players' total projected minutes, their season average up to now, and what the projected difference will be. The projected rotation includes 11 players, whereas D'Antoni normally sticks with his 8-man rotation.   I'll break down why:   Point Guard: Chauncey Billups is not the 26-year-old Raymond Felton, who had been playing nearly 40 minutes per game. He is a 34-year old veteran who cannot play those kinds of minutes. Therefore, Anthony Carter, must be able to step in and give the Knicks what he has been giving the Nuggets this year up until now: about 10 solid minutes...   Shooting Guard: ...because Toney Douglass will split minutes with Landry Fields at shooting guard. Douglass should still see some minutes at the point, but truthfully he is an undersized shooting guard anyway who merely plays backup point because he is needed there.  Small Forward: I'm having trouble remember the name of the guy who will be playing most of the minutes at this position. Oh, that's right. Melo will probably play two-thirds of his total minutes at the position, splitting with 3-point artist Shawne Williams, Bill Walker and newcomer Corey Brewer, although I wouldn't be too surprised to see Williams ultimately earn the most minutes of the three; he has played very well this season for the Knicks, leading the NBA in 3-point shooting, at almost 48%.  Power Forward: Despite the hype around the homecoming of Mr. Anthony (MSG's promos for upcoming Knicks' games emphasize this homecoming, and they are masterpieces), Mr. Amar'e Stoudemire is still the absolute leader of these Knicks. Melo played some power forward for the Redeem Team, and Shawne Williams will continue to see a few minutes a game here as well. Stoudemire should see most of his time at his natural position of power forward, although he will continue to be asked to see minutes at...   Center: ...center, because Ronny Turiaf is really only a 20 minutes per game player, as should be Shelden Williams going forward. Turiaf is also very injury prone; clearly this is a problem area for the Knicks, probably the main red flag that came out of the blockbuster deal. 2010-2011 Stats Thus Far by Position (Per Game)   Point Guard: Billups- 16.5 points, 5 assists Carter- 2 points, 2 assists  Shooting Guard: Fields- 10 points, 7 boards, 2 assists Douglas- 9 points, 2 assists  Small Forward: Anthony- 25 points, 7.5 boards, 3 assists Shawne Williams- 6.5 points, 3.5 boards Walker- 4.5 points, 2 boards Corey Brewer- 9 points, 3 boards  Power Forward: Stoudemire- 26 points, 8.5 boards, 3 assists  Center: Turiaf-5 points, 3.5 boards  

Melo is Finally a Knick!

Melo and Knicks' fans both got what they wanted

Carmelo Anthony is a Knick. It's finally official. It was originally reported by The Denver Post, and is now being widely reported by everyone, including ESPN and Sports Illustrated.

After months of speculation and rumors, the final, 3-team deal looks like this:

Knicks get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter and Corey Brewer.

Nuggets get: Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov the Knicks' 2014 first-round pick and two second-round picks.

T-Wolves get: Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry's expiring contract.

The Knicks now have their second superstar, and Chauncey Biillups is a fine point guard to hold them over (until "The Decision: Chris Paul/Deron Williams?"). They have definitely given up a lot, but the bottom line is that you have to give up value to get value. And Carmelo Anthony was a starting NBA All-Star this year.

The deal raises obvious questions: Will Melo and Amar'e gel? Did the Knicks give up too much? Is the Knicks' roster too thin now?

Personally I think this is a great move. While it's somewhat heartbreaking to give up players like Gallo, Chandler and Felton, I think it's a reasonable price to get a guaranteed superstar.

Landry Fields in the Rookie Challenge

Stud

Just wanted to point out Mr. Landry Fields' impressive stat line from tonight's Rookie-Challenge:

15 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.

Very impressive stuff, and my favorite part was that he played the game the same way he has played in the regular season: he hustled, crashed the boards, and just made good basketball plays.

I hope he is not included in a deal for Carmelo Anthony. He is the type of player that championship teams always have.

Nets and Nuggets Reach Tentative Deal!

UPDATE: Dolan has already met with Melo.

All this Nets talk may be premature, as the Knicks are reportedly scheduling another meeting with Anthony, this time including Donnie Walsh. 

Also, according to Anthony, there is no meeting scheduled with the Nets at this point:

"If I was to meet with that guy [Prokhorov] to be honest I really don't know what I would say," he told reporters at an NBA Cares Day of Service event in Los Angeles today.


***********

The Bergen Record is reporting that, according to sources (of course), the Nets and Nuggets have tentatively agreed to a deal for Carmelo Anthony. One of the only roadblocks is getting Anthony to say "yes" to signing an extension.

"Tentatively," this is Melo's new look.

The current, "tentatively agreed upon" deal looks like this:

Nets receive: Melo, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Melvil Ely and Renaldo Balkman.

Nuggets receive: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round picks.

Looks like Mikhail Prokhorov decided that getting the superstar was more important than staying true to his word (and let's be honest, it's understandable).

Melo is scheduled to meet with both Prokhorov and James Dolan in Los Angeles during the break.

This is a curveball that I personally didn't expect. However, the deal is still contingent upon Anthony agreeing to an extension. This deal not only guts the current, young core of the Nets, but hurts their future, erasing four future first-round draft picks.

Melo is not LeBron. He is not good for 60 wins by himself with D-Leaguers thrown around him. Does Melo want to take the risk of playing in New Jersey without much of a supporting cast besides Brook Lopez?

(Lopez, by the way, is breaking the following cardinal rule: If you're over 7 feet tall, you should be averaging at least your height in rebounds. He's averaging just under 6 per game this season.)

We'll see. All I can say is that it's going to be an interesting All-Star Weekend.

News and Notes 2/17

Good morning,

After two demoralizing losses earlier in the year, the Knicks finally trounced the Hawks last night, 102-90.

Still, a blowout victory and the return of Amar'e Stoudemire wasn't enough to quiet the ever-brewing storm of Melo talk. Rumor has it that the Nets and Nuggets have resumed talks.

Is this the real deal or just a tactic to drive up the price for the Knicks?

According to the NY Post, Denver was asking for more from the Knicks than originally reported in last week's trade demand... Apparently Denver wanted Chandler, Gallo, Fields, Felton, Mozgov and a first-round pick (obtained via Anthony Randolph) for Melo and Chauncey Billups.

Minus Amar'e, thats the Knicks entire starting five.

Over at ESPN New York, Ian O'Connor says the Knicks owe it to Amar'e to trade for Melo.

That's all for now, I'll update as I see more links.

Knicks 102, Hawks 90

Amar'e led the way with 23 points

The Knicks were absolutely fantastic tonight.

They led 26-19 after one and never looked back.

Box Score


5 Players in double figures:

> Amar'e- 23 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks
> Chandler- 20 points, 5 boards
> Gallo- 17 points, 9 boards
> Felton- 13 points, 11 assists
> Fields- 11 points, 9 boards, 5 assists

Amar'e vs. Horford turned into the entire Garden vs. Horford, and almost into Felton vs. Horford with a few minutes to go, after a struggle for position down low.

Horford had trouble keeping his emotions in check throughout the night. At one point late in the fourth he tried to shush the crowd after hitting a shot (the Knicks still led by double digits).

When the Knicks play this cohesively it almost tricks you into thinking this team could be a finished, championship contending product.
 
This is the team you wish they could be every night.

Knicks vs. Hawks 7:30 p.m. (Amar'e vs. Horford?)

The last game before All-Star Weekend is just ten minutes away.

Round 1

The Hawks have simply had the Knicks' number this season. They bested the Knicks 111-102 in January (the night of Williams vs. Williams)  and 99-90 in November.

I attended the latter. It was embarrassing, the Knicks fell down 10 after one and 18 at the half. It was one of those games where the Hawks were clearly coasting when the Knicks had their "near-comeback." The final score was closer than the game actually was.

It's interesting, for some reason the Hawks don't trigger fright, but they have made the Knicks look plain bad in two consecutive games.

At first glance I think it's easy to forget that Jamal Crawford looms on the bench.

As per basketball-reference.com statistics, Crawford has scored 50 points three times, for three different teams (including the Knicks). He also has 24 career 4-point plays, the most in NBA history. Did I mention he comes off their bench?

We've all seen today's back-and-forth between the two All-Stars, Amar'e Stoudemire and Al Horford, but here's a recap:

"He don't want to see me," says Amar'e.

"I don't understand what he means by that, 'he don't want to see me,'" Horford responds, "Like we're supposed to be scared of [Stoudemire]. Ain't nobody scared of him."

"You don't want to see me"

"I don't understand"

Personally, I'm excited that there is a little bit of tension going into this game. The Knicks need to play like they are a solid playoff team, and getting consistent wins, or at least playing well against other playoff teams is a good way to start.

Hopefully, Amar'e is just trying to incite the team into playing with some fire.

And hopefully his plan (my plan until Amar'e admits it's what he was trying to do) will work.

2/16 Links and Notes (Mostly Melo-drama)

Good morning all,

   Here's some links and notes concerning the Knicks on this lovely 30 degree morning before I head to Nickelodeon headquarters.

Stephen A. Smith basically says the Knicks should do whatever it takes to land Melo.  I'm standing pat that Chandler, Gallo, Felton, Fields and Eddy Curry's expiring contract guts the team too much.

Meanwhile, anonymous league sources tell Yahoo! Sports that Nuggets' trade talks with the Knicks could be like "the Nets talks all over again."

Amar'e Stoudemire will play tonight against the Hawks but is still unsure about the All-Star Game.

Raymond Felton changes his stance on the Melo rumors: "Honestly, I don't care about it. I don't need to talk about it anymore. I don't need to entertain it. It goes in my ear and goes out the other one."

Did I mention the Knicks play a basketball game tonight? It's their first matchup against the Hawks since the Shawne vs. Marvin Williams scuffle.

For some reason we can't escape. Over at the NY Post, Isiah Thomas doesn't deny he's unofficially consulting Dolan. I miss the days where you fired a GM and moved on.

What do you think, should the Knicks do what it takes to land Melo or is the foundation of this young team too important?

That's all for now, time for some coffee.

My "NBA 2K11's Jordan Challenge is a Huge Disappointment" Rant

Playing with Michael Jordan on the Knicks in NBA 2K11 Should have been awesome

Ever since a few months before NBA 2K11 was released, critical praise has been showered on its "Create-a-Legend" mode.

This much vaunted mode allows you to draft His Airness as a rookie out of UNC to your favorite team, where you can then try to recreate his legendary career, this time allowing whoever it is you root for to dominate the league for years.

To unlock this mode you have to beat The Jordan Challenge, which has you replicate some of Air Jordan's greatest games at various stages in his career.

You have to score 69 against Larry Bird and the Celtics. You have to pummel the Knicks for at least 55 points while donning number 45. You have to out-duel Clyde the Glide and The Human Highlight Film Dominique Wilkins. There are ten challenges, each of which truly make you appreciate just how great Jordan really was.

It took a few weeks, but my brother Matt and I completed the challenges.

We finally unlocked "Create-a-Legend" mode.

"Create-a-Legend" is basically this game.

We drafted Jordan to the Knicks, drooling over a starting five of Raymond Felton, Michael Jordan, Danillo Gallinari, Amar'e Stoudemire and Timofey Mozgov (sure, Mozgov doesn't necessarily elicit drool yet, but maybe in time); foreseeing a lineup of Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler, Ronny Turiaf and Anthony Randolph coming off the bench (In the video game world Randolph's athleticism overpowers his real-world inexperience and nervousness).

And that's exactly what we got. But then a truth that had never even crossed out minds was revealed:

 In "Create-a-Legend" mode you can play as Jordan and ONLY Jordan.

Does this look like fun?

You are "player locked" onto Jordan, meaning the whole season is from his point of view. When I call for a pick and roll and dish off to Amar'e it will be the computer that gets the satisfaction of throwing down a dunk. The computer runs the point with Felton.

Meanwhile, when Jordan sits, you have the choice of watching from the bench (literally the view you get is as if you're sitting on the bench) or watching the computer simulate the score until digital D'Antoni subs him back in.

Why would anyone want to play this mode?

The mode is all about building up the rookie Jordan to become the greatest player alive. I want to play a regular season with the addition of Jordan to my roster.

Couldn't they at least have the option to do both?

It just doesn't make sense to me why anyone would ever want to play with player lock on. It is such a restricting feature, and makes the game less enjoyable.

Maybe it would make sense if this was virtual reality and it seemed like I was really Michael Jordan, running the break with the likes of Amar'e and Felton.

But it's not.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is this:

Dear 2K,

     Where's the key so I can unlock Jordan for real?

Yours truly,

Ben Horney

Donnie Walsh vs. James Dolan

Check out this article on nydailynews.com about what the Nuggets are asking for for Melo, and how Dolan is trying to get involved...

Link to article is Here

Donnie Walsh's life has been basketball. He played at UNC and was drafted by the 76ers, though he never actually played in the NBA. He coached, first college, then pro, and eventually moved into the Pacers front office.

He built the Pacers into bonafide championship contenders as they reached the playoffs in 16 of the 17 years that Walsh was the general manager, including a finals appearance in 1999-2000.

He has since successfully rebuilt a destitute Knicks franchise that is now under the salary cap for the first time in years, and is more competitive than they've been since the years of Patrick Ewing and Jeff Van Gundy.

Mike D'antoni has also been around basketball his entire life. He played in the NBA and played pro ball in Italy. He won coach of the year in 2004-2005 and led the Suns to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. He is on the coaching staff of the U.S. olympic team.

James Dolan was handed the Knicks by his father and knows nothing about basketball. He ran the franchise into the ground in the previous decade with his inept management and hirings.

This is his band.. my ears hurt

Who do you want negotiating a trade for Carmelo Anthony?

Dolan needs to step back and allow Donnie Walsh to do the job he was hired to do. A job he has thus far excelled at.

Want proof? Go to a Knicks home game and notice the atmosphere, then watch tape of any random home game in the last ten years.

Men Who Know What They're Doing
Photo By Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

Man Who Doesn't Know What He's Doing
Photo By Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

What the Knicks Really Need

 Not What Knicks Really Need

Check out my first article on Suite101.com...

Click where it says Boom!

It's a thrilling tale about how Amar'e and Felton are being worn down from playing too many minutes.

Opening Ceremonies

Welcome to the first post here at the New York Sport Exchange.

First of all, props to Mikey Ouimet for coming up with the name of the blog, and thanks to everyone else who suggested things like Around the Horney, Horney Sports, and many other names that included my fantastic last name.

Ultimately I decided that the usage of "Horney" in the title would just lead to many disappointed men who stumbled on here while actually searching for...something else.

I'm going to be updating this blog as frequently as the sports world warrants, and at the moment I don't necessarily have a concrete set of things to write about.

It will be mainly the Knicks, Yankees and NY Football Giants, but I'll post thoughts about the happenings in the general world of sports as long as I have enough input for a post.

When my thoughts warrant an actual article I'll be posting those to my account at suite101.com, where I earn revenue for the amount of traffic my stuff receives. So when that happens I'll be posting the link on this blog.

So welcome to this historic first post.