Bless my palm with SILVER baby..<Summer break...>

[The X]

I'm luvin' that Penny trade....I was wondering when you were going to cast away that dime into the Hudson River....guess he's going to Lake Michigan....nice trade, and good riddance to Penny

[Null17]

may i ask how'd you get to half such handsome palm pilot?

it's a patch by idiot

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

too bad about last month when you were 16-5 at one point while you ended 18-11.

I was 8-8 in December. Maybe the Antonio Davis trade will spice things up a bit...

I'm luvin' that Penny trade....

I knew you'd see it my way...




January 1, 2004


Happy new year!!! Especially to us Knicks… Here’s to 2005 being a breakthrough year for the franchise….


This is my short NBA December recap:


Here’s the New York Knicks’ stat lines for the season so far:




This month saw the Knicks sport just an 8-8 record, after their impressive 10-3 start. Jamal Crawford’s numbers have dipped a bit, while the bench was not providing as much assistance offensively as it did in November.

Thankfully, Stephon Marbury picked up the reigns of leadership and has become the team’s top scorer with 18.6 ppg, while at the same time being second in the league in assist per game with 7.7.

Tim Thomas is having all-around games and if he addresses some inconsistency issues he will be a major factor at the SF position, with his 6’ 10” frame able to create a lot of mis-matches.

Jamal Magloire is slowly turning into a dominant Center in the East, justifying my opt to send away Kurt Thomas and Mike Sweetney to the Hornets to get him. On the plus, he is due only 15 million dollars for the next 3 years, including this one, and will probably be a solid contributor to the franchise for years to come.

Allan Houston is providing scoring off the bench and so far he hasn’t come forth with any complaints about his reduced playing time behind Crawford. This is a must for the future, as Allan is due 60m for the next 3 years so he’s probably not going anywhere. Let’s try and keep him happy, then… he’ll probably have a few starting periods down the stretch…




Eastern Conference Review:







UP:


-Detroit Pistons (19 – 9): The defending champs have been rolling on all cylinders lately and gradually prove that they will once again be a very tough nut to crack come playoff time. The Wallaces are towers on defense while Tayshaun Prince’s newfound offensive game gives them another scoring option.

-Philadelphia 76ers: (16 – 12) After a miserable 4-12 start, AI and C-Webb seem to have gelled and found each other as a duo, while rookie Andre Iguodala has surprised everyone pleasantly with his consistency and defensive presence. All this has resulted in an impressive turn around with the Sixers currently being on a 12 game win-streak.





DOWN:


-Atlanta Hawks (4 – 24): If the Hawks go on like this they wil threaten the old Sixers 9-73 worst record of all time. This team is hopeless and has already started to tank the season…

-Cleveland Cavaliers (10 – 19): LeBron James’ one man show is not enough for the Cavs to reach the playoffs this spring. Gooden and McInnis must pick up their games and Welsch and Pavlovic start hitting their open jumpers if this team is going to give some space to LBJ to do his thing.



Western Conference Review:








UP:


Minnesota Timberwolves (25 – 3): The Wolves did not slow down one bit in December and are on a course for a record breaking season. KG is the MVP so far and Wally Szczerbiak’s scoring off the bench has proved a vital point in their winning games in the 4th quarter. If they jeep this up, Chicago’s legendary 72-10 is in jeopardy.

San Antonio Spurs (21-10) : After a .500 start in the season, the Spurs chalked up 10 win s in a row to bring them close to the top in the West. TD is leading and Manu and TP are proving to be productive sidekicks. They will always be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs…



DOWN:


-Utah Jazz (7-23): Jerry Sloan is seeing his 2004 surprise season go to waste after his 05 Jazz is constantly under-achieving. Despite the addition of Carlos Boozer and his fine numbers, this team just does not seem to gel enough to be a winner.Jerry must have them playing team basketball before the season is completely lost.

-Golden State Warriors (13-17): After a promising 9-4 start, the Warriors are 4-13 and another playoff miss is in the horizon. Baroin davis and Jason Richardson cannot possibly share the same ball, while Adonal Foyle is just not enough to fill up the key. The warriors need a slasher big man who can provide some hustle to make them tough if they are going to salvage their record and their season.

[John WB]

Hey John, do you know if #34 is retired by the Knicks? If it is, I'd better change Antonio's number...

No, like ceekay already said, it's not. Charles Oakley also wore that # and they never retired his jersey.

Retired Knicks:
10 Walt Frazier
12 Dick Barnett
15 Earl Monroe
15 Dick McGuire
19 Willis Reed
22 Dave DeBusschere
24 Bill Bradley
33 Patrick Ewing
613 Red Holzman

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

12 Dick Barnett

Crap. Now I have to give Magloire a new number. Used to wear 21 at the Hornets, any suggestions?

[Anthony15]

20

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

20

Allan Houston might have a problem with that...

[Anthony15]

99-nobody will have a problem

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

January 1, 2005 (cont.)


New York 110 – New Jersey 98 (Record: 19 – 11)
Another team performance by the Knicks in this local derby, with 6 of their players being around the 15 point mark, resulted in another home win. Vince Carter had 29 points for the Nets but Kidd and Jefferson were not their usual selves, especially in th e4th quarter when it mattered the most. Marbury had 24 for New York, and despite his 8-24 shooting was the leader of his team in this game, racking up 8 assists as well.





January 2, 2005


Yao Ming was involved in a fight with his girlfriens today regarding th eamount of rice served at dinner (details are sketchy at this point ) and has suffered a broken nose that wil result in him missing the next two weeks’ worth of action of the Houston Rockets.



January 4, 2005


New York 63 – Sacramento 102 (Record:19-12)
Today it was a shameful day to be a Knick. The guys never put up ant semblance of an effort to win, and had surrender this game before halftime. The Madison Square Garden faithful had every right to boo the hell out of our million dollar stars and leave early. For the Kings, Peja and Mike Bibby led offensively and their team had no trouble bringing out the reserves in the entire 4th quarter.




January 5, 2005


Miami 87 – New York 97 (Record:20-12)
Jamal Crawford not only scored 25 points leading the Knicks in that category, but also managed to keep Dwyane Wade stuck on 11 point for most of the second quarter. It helped New York’s cause that Shaquille O’Neal was sidelined with a minor injury, even if Mourning had a decent game replacing the Diesel.





January 8, 2005


Cleveland 108 – New York 85 (Record:20-13)
These games when our team just does not appear on the court to fight for victory are getting a bit too often for my liking. .372 from the field at the same time that Ilgauskas was having a party underneath the basket with 23 points and 15 rebounds and LeBron James easily putting up 23 pts – 6rebs –6ast in 30 minutes, resulted in another blowout loss for the Knocks against the struggling Cavs.



January 9, 2005


New York 92 – Portland 86 (Record:21-13)
Jamal Crawford’s 20 points and 8 assists , most of which in the 4th quarter, along with Antonio Davis’ 10 points during th esame period helped New York overcome Portland’s attempt at a comeback spearheaded by Shareef’s 20 points. Marbury had 18pts and Magloire added another 15 rebounds to make a difference for the home team.



January 11, 2005


New York 110 – New Orleans 115 (Record:21-14)
Kurt Thomas took it upon himself to burn his former team in the Madison Square Garden with 22 points and 9 rebounds, and was despite that fact given a standing ovation by the New Yorkers in the end. Jamal Crawford’s 34 points and late 4th quarter heroics were not enough to give the Knicks the win, since rookie JR Smith hit 4 3pointers coming off the bench in the 4th to clinch this one for the 12-21 Hornets.





January 15, 2005


Chicago 112 – New York 92 (Record:21-15)
Kirk Hinrich had a monster of a game with 36 points and 9 assists leading the young Bulls to victory in the United Center. Rookie Luol Deng added 22 pts- 12rebs – 5ast to make the difference in th e3rd quarter, while Antonio Davis tried off the bench with 7pts – 5rebs against his former team, but it was to no avail as Chicago cruised to a victory.



January 17, 2005


New York 91 – Chicago 121 (Record:21-16)
Third straight defeat, second consecutive to Chicago, and the Knicks are dangerously nearing the .500 mark after an impressive start to the season… This game was a copy of the last one, with Hinrich’s 28pts and 10 asst paving the way for another Bulls victory. Allan Houston tried his best with 20 points as a sub, but the rest of his team was a non-factor and gave this on to the Bulls easily.

[Anthony15]

I think I'm gonna run my dynasty like yours, i don't think anybody needs big recaps. Urs are not bad!

[John WB]

Yao Ming was involved in a fight with his girlfriens today regarding th eamount of rice served at dinner (details are sketchy at this point ) and has suffered a broken nose that wil result in him missing the next two weeks’ worth of action of the Houston Rockets.

Nice!

[COOLmac©]

how many girlfriends does Yao have in your dimension anyways?

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

I think I'm gonna run my dynasty like yours, i don't think anybody needs big recaps.

Well, My Golden State one is definitely the opposite, thts' why it's progressing so slow...

how many girlfriends does Yao have in your dimension anyways?

Girlfriend per inch, buddy



January 19, 2005


Toronto 99 – New York 113 (Record:22-16)
Jamal Crawford had 25 points, Tim Thomas 21, and Jamal Magloire dominated the basket with 18pts – 14rebs, resulting in a relatively easy New York much needed victory over their Atlantic division rivals. Jalen Rose had another great game at the Garden with 36 points trying to bring the Raps close to their opponents, but they fell short in the end.



- Stephon Marbury suffered a minor injury in this game and will be out of action for little more than a week. The new starting 5 for the time of his absence will be JC at point , Houston at SG and the rest as they were.



January 21, 2005


New York 115 – Houston 98 (Record:23-16)
It was a magnificent 4th quarter for the Knicks that decided this game, with them scoring 45 whole point sin 12 minutes. Allan Houston had just his second start of the season and made his point by scoring 37 points, 18 of which in the final quarter. Tracy McGrady had 31 for the Rockets but had no hlp from Yao, who was too tired defending Magloire’s 19point sand 14rebound presence.





January 23, 2005


New York 106 – Milwaukee 86 (Record:24-16)
Third straight victory for the Martbury-less Knicks, this time a blowout against the lowly Bucks(14-25). Crawford handled the point with ease, scoring 29points to go along with his 5assists and 5rebounds. Tim Thomas added 20 and Magloire was once again a beast on rebounds. All Milwaukee had to show for this game was Derrick Mason’s 21pts – 11rebs – 7ast game.



January 25, 2005


New York 108 – Phoenix 100 (Record:25-16)
The 31 – 11 scorching Phoenix Suns came to visit the Big Apple and hoped to extend their winning streak, but found extreme resistance from the Knicks who were led to a victory by Allan Houston’s 26 points (17 in the 4th quarter!) and Jamal Crawford’s 24. Magloire controlled air traffic once more with 11 boards and managed to keep Stoudemire grounded with 11 points. Marion’s 20pts – 11rebs were leading the Suns but were not enough to get them the win.





January 28, 2005


New York 113 – Cleveland 78 (Record:26-16)
Tim Thomas had one of his best performances so far in the season with 28pts – 8rebs – 5ast – 3blk and led the Knicks to another home blowout victory, their 5th straight win and revenge for the previous defeat by the Cavs. Marbury came back from his injury slowly, playing just 7 minutes, and seemed to be in moderate pain. Cleveland was led by Ilgauskas, as the Knicks managed to keep LeBron to just 10 points.



January 29, 2005


Detroit 109 – New York 99 (Record:26-17)
The Pistons were 30-13 prior to this one but Indiana Had just overtaken them for the lead in the Central division, so they went all out to get this victory against the Knicks, who were sitting atop of the Atlantic with a record of 26-16. Rip Hamilton had a great game with 33 pts – 8rebs – 6ast and this combined with Jamal Crawford’s poor performance with only 6 points and Marbury’s non-presence due to injury, led to a Pistons victory.





January 31, 2005


LA Clippers 96 – New York 108 (Record:27-17)
The Knicks were based upon Tim Thomas’ 21-9 and Jamal Magloire’s 19-12 to get the victory at Staples Center facing the Clips, who only had Elton Brand trying with enough passion , that got him 25 point sin the end. The good news is that after this game Stephon Marbury will have gotten past his injury concerns and be ready for full-game action once more.



Note: The next NBA recap will take place just prior to the All-Star break…

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

February 1, 2005


Denver 106 – New York 74 (Record:27-18)
Antonio Davis tried his luck as a starting PF in this game but the experiment failed miserably as both Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin were having a scoring and rebounding party underneath the basket for the Nuggets, with each grabbing 14 rebounds, and K-Mart adding 22 point to go along. New York’s only two players in double digits were Marbury and Crawford with 18 points each.



February 4, 2005


Sacramento 105 – New York 69 (Record:27-19)
Second consecutive blowout loss and second blowout loss to the Kings this season as well. Another miserable performance by every single NY player in conjunction with Cuttino Mobley’s stellar 34 point game and Peja’s 27 one, had this all but wrapped up as early as in half-time. Note here that the Kings were only 23 – 22 prior to this game.



February 5, 2005


Phoenix 102 – New York 96 (Record:27-20)
Third straight loss for the Knicks despite a good effort this time, especially in the 4thquarter by Crawford and Marbury. It was not enough for the victory though, as the Suns saw 4 of their players around 20 points in scoring, with only Stoudamire missing out. He did grab 14 rebounds to make up for it though.



February 7, 2005


[u]Utah 99 – New York 84 (Record:27-21)[/u]
4th straight defeat for the Knicks and thing look extremely ominous especially considering the way the team surrendered to the lowly( 10-37) Jazz. It is almost as if we performed a lot better while Marbury was sidelined with injury. Carlos Boozer had a dominating presence in the key not only scoring 26 points but grabbing 21 rebounds as well, with the Knicks’ inside defense being virtually non-existent.



February 8, 2005


Ray Allen suffered a sprained foot in training today and will unfortunately for Seattle be sidelined for about a month. The Sonics are 20 – 26 and already have begun falling behind in the playoff race. This injury is not going to help their cause one bit.



February 9, 2005


New York 107 – Miami 91 (Record:28-21)
Finally a win for the Knicks, and over Shaq’s Heat as well. The Diesel dominated the key with 27pts and 13rebs but it was Crawford’s exceptional peripheral play and his 32 pointsof the night that made the difference in the end. Marbury’s 12 assists and Magloire 19 points against Shaq helped, too.





February 11, 2005


Boston 95 – New York 85 (Record:28-22)
We struggled once more on the road, this time at the Fleet center of Boston, where Crawford’s 20 points and 8 assists were far from enough to stop Ricky Davis’ 23 and Paul Pierce’s near triple double at 16pts – 12rebs – 8ast. New York seems to be struggling lately and can not seem to find any continuity in their performance on the court, even against inferior opposition.



February 13, 2005


New York 88 – Charlotte 116 (Record:28-23)
Another embarrassing loss, this time at home to the lottery bound (14-33) Bobcats. Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury were virtually the only ones scoring for the Knicks, while Charlotte gave lessons on team play with 7 of its players scoring in the double-figure region. The Knicks are now officially on a slump and I may have to consider shaking things up with a deadline trade.



The All-Star Game invitation swere announced today and I was informed by the league that 3 of my players will be taking part in next weekend’s festivities:

Jamal Magloire had been voted by the coaches to participate in the main event, the All-Star game. Jamal is averaging 14.3 ppg and 10.9 rpg and has been a pleasant surprise the season both for our franchise and the quality big man-deprived eastern Conference.

Jamal Crawford was invited to take part in th e3 point shootout, after a first half of a season that he hit 117 of his 297 three point attempts, averaging a very nice .394 percentage.

Tim Thomas was involved in some pretty nice Top 10 action on some weekends and was called to show hi stuff in the Dunk contest. I definitely did not expect this, to tell you the truth. Let’s hope that he doesn’t get embarrassed…




February 14, 2005


Philadelphia 102 – New York 95 (Record: 28-24)
Only 4 games above .500 after this new defeat at the hands of the resurging 76ers. Marbury scored 20 but on 8/20 shooting from the field, while Chris Webber (24pts) and backup Willie Green (17pts in 18mins) were leading their team steadily towards victory. Iverson laid off of scoring and dished the bal to his open teammates constantly, bringing about a comeback for Philly in the 4th quarter.



February 16, 2005


New York 96 – Milwaukee 118 (Record: 28-25)
This was the last game prior to the ASW and a great chance against the 18-31 Bucks for the Knicks to regain their momentum for after the break. It turned out to be a disaster, with Crawford and Marbury left alone to do th escoring once more, and the New York bench contributing only 13 points out of the 96 total. Milwaukee was led offensively by Michael Redd’s 30 and Tony Kukoc’ 18pts – 8rebs – 8ast, reaching an unexpectedly easy win at the MSG.


Coming Up: Blockbuster trade to stir things up and bring back the winning mentality at the Big Apple...

[John WB]

Nice recaps!

You beat Miami, but then lose 4 straight and to some crappy teams..

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

February 18, 2005


Today I was behind a blockbuster trade, just a few days prior to the trade deadline. Seeing as how Stephon Marbury’s performance has dipped since his injury, with him having career low of 16ppg so far this season, in conjunction with the team’s poor performance ever since he returned to the starting lineup, I made the decision to shop him away of New York in search for a starting PF of equal worth. It wasn’t long before we and the Lakers had struck up a deal sending Marbury, Maurice taylor and Malik Rose to LA in exchange for PF Lamar Odom, PF/C Brian Grant and PF/C Slava Medvedenko.

One might say that we gave too much to get Odom, but I do not think of it this way. Mo Taylor and Malik Rose were complimenting each other well so far at the PF position, but neither of them could amount to become anything more than a role player for the Knicks’ franchise. If we kept either of them, he would rot behind Odoms 35-40 minutes per game and his salary would go to waste.

The reason the Lakers went for this trade is that despite Odom’s 20ppg and 10rpg so far, they were barely inside the playoff qualifiers, sitting 8th in the West dangerously close to the .500 mark. Furthermore, Lakers’ superstar and franchise player Kobe Bryant was rumored to be extremely unhappy with all the attention Odom got ever since arriving at LA in the summer, and demanded Buss and Kuptchak that he be traded away. “ It’s me or him, take your pick “, are rumored to be his words to owner Jerry Buss.

I believe Lamar can be the new face of the Knicks’ franchise along with Jamal Crawford and Jamal Magloire. All 3 of them are about 25-26 years old, thirsting for playoff success and basketball recognition above all else. Marbury did not go along with Crawford, with both being shoot first guards, and their competition for the spotlight was making their teammates increasingly upset lately.

The Lakers, with this trade, finally get a true PG after many years, plus some strong role players in Rose and Taylor. Now all that remains to be seen is how well can the Backcourt duo of Kobe and Stephon function under the extreme pressure of the LA fans and media.




Here’s New York’s roster/depth chart after the Marbury/Odom deal:




I am proud to say that this New York franchise as is, sports one of the most complete starting 5 in the league right about now. JC has been having a career year at 19ppg, Allan Houston proved with two consecutive 30 point games that he is still capable of averaging 20ppg, Tim Thomas is also having a career year with 15ppg – 7.5rpg, while the frontcourt duo of Odom-Magloire is definitely one of the most exciting in the NBA. Magloire’s 15ppg – 11rpg should be complimented nicely by Odom’s all around play at the PF position. If both these guys play according to what is realistically expected of them, the Knicks will be dominating the paint in most of their remaining games, this season and beyond.

For those claiming that this duo is rather soft, there is the added presence of bruisers A. Davis and Grant coming off the bench, along with Medvedenko as a 5th choice for the frontcourt. Derek Fisher can man the backup PG spot, with Crawford and Houston rotating at SG when Fish is on th ecourt, while Trevor Ariza’s performances so far make him an adequate sub for Tim Thomas. Not to mention that Odom can easily play SF while either of Davis/Grant is at the 4 spot.

There seems to be a gap at the backup SG position, but let’s hope that the JC/Houston rotation along with Piatkowski’s shooting and Ariza occasionally being used at the 2 can cover it up.






NBA mid-season report:


Standings – Eastern Conference:









Standings – Western Conference:









MVP Candidates:

[The X]

hmm....an interesting trade there....you think Crawford can hold down the PG spot then? back to his draft days I guess....the trade makes your frontcourt very good....Magloire, Odom, T.Thomas, Grant, Davis, Ariza....although Allan Houston only has a couple of years left in him so you'll either have to look for another SG, or a starting PG so Crawford can move back to SG....

the jury's still out on this trade....I would have liked to see Timmy Thomas get shipped but I didn't like Marbury either you're actually, gradually, making the team more likeable....

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

you think Crawford can hold down the PG spot then? back to his draft days I guess....

Well, he has a pass rating of 74 and is tall enough to create mis-matches. A lot of this trade's outcome depends on his ability to run the point...

Allan Houston only has a couple of years left in him so you'll either have to look for another SG, or a starting PG so Crawford can move back to SG....

Exactly. JC's dual position can allow me to search for either a PG or a SG. This year's draft depth is projected to be very weak so we probably won't get anything fancy this off-season...

[The X]

what's your cap situation like over the next season or two?!? I know Davis is off the books....Grant must be about 2 seasons to go from memory....if possible can you post your Team Cap Situation from the GM option in dynasty mode

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Hold on....


Here it is....







As you can see, I have made a plan to have almost every dead weight cleared by the 2007 off-season. The players that are not on these lists are coming off the books this summer, and I only will resign Ariza among them. JC and Odom are on long term deals, with JC's contract being rather friendly for the numbers he gets. Magloire will cost me some cap space in 2007 to resign, but I will probably be a player in the FA market then...

[The X]

yeah, it looks like 2007 is the year....real life Knicks wish their future was that rosy real life Knicks are probably capped up through 2010 I'd say

and you know who the 2007 crop involves (it's been the target in my dynasty)....none other than LBJ, Melo, Bosh and Wade to name a few....not to forget Hinrich, Darko and many more solid guys

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

real life Knicks wish their future was that rosy real life Knicks are probably capped up through 2010 I'd say

No, I've read somewhere that 2007 is the year for them, too...

LBJ, Melo, Bosh and Wade to name a few....not to forget Hinrich, Darko and many more solid guys

This is NBA Live, bro, they will probably all be resigned...

[The X]

LBJ, Melo, Bosh and Wade to name a few....not to forget Hinrich, Darko and many more solid guys

This is NBA Live, bro, they will probably all be resigned...

true but you never know your luck....the lure of the Mark Morrison-led Knicks could do the job....you can't rely on free agency or draft to build dynasties in Live....you gotta do it by wheeling and dealing....

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

February 19, 2004


3pt shootout:

Jamal Crawford of the Knicks would participate in this event:




In an exciting first round Crawford opened up the contest going first, and hitting 21 points, with Derek Anderson going next and barely edging him with 22. The following 5 shooters did not manage to hit 20 or more, but Dirk Nowitzki who was lined up last, provided the fans with an amazing shooting display, hitting an unbelievable 27 point sout of the 30 possible.

In the final round, Derek Anderson rearranged the height of the rim with his just 5 points, and Dirk had no problem hitting 16 and bringing the 3pt crown home to Germany.








Slam Dunk Contest:


Tim Thomas of the Knicks was invited to show his stuff, and with competition the likes of Kobe Bryant, Darwin Ham and Darius Miles he was considered the least favorite to be the winner at the end of the night.



Tim Thomas – New York Knicks



Darwin Ham – Detroit Pistons



Kobe Bryant – LA Lakers



Darius Miles – Portland Trail Blazers



To the surprise of all watching, Tim Thomas started the contest off with two straight 50s , using two elaborate tosses to stun the crowd. The 3 others were trying to do the same, but could not muster more than one perfect score. In the end, Tim Thomas and Darius Miles went on to thefinal round, with the Portland swingman having run out of ideas thus leaving Thomas with an easy, yet unexpected win.






February 20, 2005


All Star Game:


The West won this game 113 – 104, with the show provided by the NBA superstars being nothing extraordinary this year. Jamal Magloire of the New York Knicks was selected to participate in 2005’s main All Star Weekend event, and did pretty well in the 15 minutes he was on the court
.
Some pictures of the action:

[The X]

back in the East and Jamaal is straight back into the Eastern All-Stars....no surprise there....