McGrady to Start for Knicks Tonight

Newly acquired guard, Tracy McGrady, gets the nod at shooting guard tonight for the Knicks according to Newsday. McGrady has played in six games this season with the Houston Rockets and averaged 7:35 minutes and 3.2 points per game. 

McGrady is healthy and Mike D’Antoni sees no reason not to immediately insert him into the starting rotation.

Chris Duhon starts at point guard and Sergio Rodriguez will start on the bench behind him. 

Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and David Lee will most likely round out the starting five for tonight’s game against the Thunder. Alan Hahn of Newsday points out that at 6′10″, Gallinari is the Knicks tallest starter. By losing Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries, the Knicks lose interior size on their roster.

McGrady Hints at Pay Cut to Win Title With Knicks

Tracy McGrady is a New York Knick for the rest of this season. As for what the future holds for the seven-time All-Star beyond this season nobody knows. McGrady gave clues to reporters about his future.

“I’m going to tell you guys like this, I’m a guy, I’ve made a lot of money over my career,” McGrady said. “I can retire right now and I can be fine financially and my kids can be fine. Money is not an issue. So if these guys were to bring in a LeBron or D-Wade along with a Chris Bosh or a Stoudemire, I’d be a damn fool to not want to stay here. I’m just telling you right now I would definitely embrace the opportunity to be here. Money is not an issue.”

Tracy McGrady is the NBA’s highest paid player this season with a salary of $23 million.

“Don’t get me wrong, if I come back healthy and playing well, we’re going to do some negotiating,” McGrady added. “What I’m saying is, if LeBron comes, D-Wade comes and you pair [one of them] up with Stoudemire or Chris Bosh, I know I’m not going to get the big bucks. But, save a little for me.”

If the Knicks are able to sign two max deals this summer it won’t leave much money to spend elsewhere. Beyond the two max contracts, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Toney Douglas, the rest of the roster will be filled with mostly minimum salary players. 

McGrady is at the point of his career where he just wants to win a title. McGrady’s words are refreshing and true. Why not take whatever salary the Knicks can give him and ride two max guys to a championship? 

The Knicks’ situation just got better if McGrady plays like his old self and wants to stay with the team beyond this season without making money an issue.

TNT’s David Aldridge Says McGrady to Knicks “50/50″ Chance

During the All-Star game, David Aldridge of TNT said there is a 50/50 chance the Knicks get Tracy Mcgrady before the February 18 trade deadline.

Without a third team, I don’t see the Knicks being able to acquire Tracy McGrady from the Rockets. Last week, the Knicks were rumored to be in discussions of a three-way trade for McGrady which included the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have since pulled off a seven-player trade with the Dallas Mavericks which puts an end to their involvments in trade talks with the Knicks and Rockets.

To get McGrady without involving a third team, the Knicks will have to give up a young player they value; Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas, Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gallinari. Of those players the only guys the Knicks would trade are Hill and Douglas, but reluctantly. To make the trade worthwhile, the Knicks will try to throw Jared Jeffries in the deal. That’s where the discussions end. I can’t see the Rocket entertaining the idea of taking on Jeffries’ contract.

The Knicks could try to work a trade of expiring contracts for McGrady. The Rockets and McGrady aren’t on good terms and the Rockets may want a player like Al Harrington to help them this season before his contracts expire. They could also deal Larry Hughes or Nate Robinson to the Rockets. The only thing is, being that the Rockets are on bad terms with McGrady, why would they do him a favor by trading him without getting a player of substantial value for him?

The best bet of a trade happening is if the Rockets accept expiring contracts or if another team gets involved and gives the Rockets someone of value. The Knicks won’t give up a player they are high on unless the Rockets take Jared Jeffries too and the possibility of them taking Jeffries is slim because they want to have cap space for free agency this summer just like the Knicks do.

If the Knicks desperately want McGrady, they’ll send a package of either Jordan Hill or Toney Douglas plus Al Harrington and possibly another expiring contract to Houston.

Knicks David Lee Named to All-Star Team

New York Knicks center David Lee will join the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star team replacing Allen Iverson. Prior to being named to the team today, some thought Lee was snubbed of an All-Star spot. He has arguably had a better season than some of the players named to the Eastern Conference’s team.

Lee is the first Knicks player to be named to the All-Star team since 2001 when Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston represented the Knicks in the game.

Lee joins fellow Knicks Nate Robinson and Danilo Gallinari in Dallas for the weekend. Robinson will take part in the Slam Dunk contest while Gallo will be in the three-point shootout.

Amare Stoudemire Trade Rumors, Knicks

Amare Stoudemire might not get a contract extension with the Suns. Instead, he may be traded. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Suns have stepped up their efforts to trade Stoudemire. A list of possible trade suitors include the Bulls, Heat, 76ers, Nets, Pistons, Warriors, Cavaliers and Timberwolves.

The Knicks do not appear on the list of teams interested in Stoudemire and the reason for this is they have an abundance of forwards and are in desperate need of a point guard. Stoudemire doesn’t fill an immediate hole, but acquiring him now and signing him to an extension would behoove the Knicks.

The Knicks probably wouldn’t be able to land Stoudemire in a trade, even if they were interested. They don’t have the pieces to make a trade with the Suns and I’m not sure Suns general manager Steve Kerr would want to send Stoudemire to D’Antoni’s team. Also, acquiring Stoudemire and signing him to an extension may mean no LeBron or other all-star free agent. Depending on the team’s finances, they may not have enough cap room to sign another superstar this summer if they were able to get Stoudemire and sign him to an extension. The Knicks seem more focused on getting LeBron, Wade or Bosh.

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Knicks Surging Since December

The Knicks’ early season woes are behind them and they are climbing the ladder in the Eastern Conference hoping to be one of the top eight teams in the conference by season’s end. If they keep playing like they have of late, they’ll at least get in the playoffs as the 8th seed. 

It’s too early to tell where teams will be when the season ends, but after the Celtics, Cavs and Magic, the East takes a bit of a dip. The Knicks will have the opportunity to be in the mix for the 6th, 7th or 8th seed as long as they keep inching toward breaking the .500 mark.

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Bobcats End Knicks’ Four-Game Win Streak

The New York Knicks are going to look back to their loss tonight to the Bobcats and kick themselves. The Bobcats, led by Stephen Jackson, beat the Knicks 94-87 and snapped the Knicks’ four-game win streak. The Knicks led through three quarters and looked good in the process but collapsed in the fourth quarter and were outscored 28-13 in the period.

Each of the Knicks starters scored in double figures but nobody made any big baskets in the fourth quarter when they needed it the most. Knick turnovers also aided in the Bobcats’ come from behind win. Their defense also fell apart in the last quarter and the Bobcats’ defense got stingier late in the game. 

The game was a let down. When Chris Duhon leads the Knicks in scoring with 18 points, that’s not a good sign. Al Harrington only shot 4-13 from the floor and 1-7 from downtown and totaled 11 points. Danilo Gallinari was 2-7 and 0-5 from beyond the arc and had five points coming off the bench.

The Knicks can get back on track Thursday when they play the Bulls in Chicago. They follow that game up with the Clippers at the Garden on Friday. 

On a side note, only eight Knick players saw minutes in the loss to the Bobcats.

Knicks Will Play in Italy

The Knicks’ ties to Italy will be even greater now that the Associated Press is reporting the team will play exhibition games in Italy during the preseason next year. Second year player Danilo Gallinari and Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni both played in Italy. D’Antoni also coached in Italy.  

The AP says the games will be played in Milan, but the amount of games to be played is uncertain.

Knicks Win Big Against Suns, Lose to Magic

Two days, two games, two different Knicks teams. Mike D’Antoni’s Knicks followed a 126-99 win over the Suns with a 118-104 loss to the Magic. It’s amazing the difference a day makes. The Knicks ripped D’Antoni’s former team by 27 points. By the fourth quarter the Suns had most of their reserves in. The Knicks reached 100 points in the third quarter and really broke the game open in the second quarter. They took a 71-58 lead into halftime. It was a spectacular offensive performance for the Knicks.

The following day’s game against the Magic wasn’t a carry over from the night before. Orlando, a much better defensive team than the Suns, held the Knicks to just 39 points in the first half. The Knicks did, however, get good performances from their up-and-coming players Danilo Gaillinari and Wilson Chandler. Gallo had 27 against the Suns and 20 against the Magic. Chandler put up 14 on the Suns and 24 on the Magic. 

The future of this franchise may hinge on the development of these two players. A free agent’s choice to come to the Knicks may depend on the cast of players that will surround him. Gallo and Chandler are locked into the Knicks next season and you know D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh want to get them developed quickly, meaning they’ll be on the floor for extended minutes this season. 

The Knicks, meanwhile, would like to play teams that have an uptempo style of basketball similar to theirs every game. They have a better chance at outscoring teams in a 140-130 game than beating a team in a 95-90 game. When it comes to teams that play good defense, the Knicks won’t win. They have to hit open shots when they get good looks against better defensive teams or else they’ll be held to under 40% shooting and lose by 20. 

The Knicks have some building blocks. Their development of those blocks this season will be key for the future of this team.

Knicks Roster Will Look Drastically Different Next Season

Of the Knicks’ current roster, only Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, and Jordan Hill are locks to be on the team next year. Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry (player option), Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries (early termination option), David Lee, Darko Milicic, Marcus Landry and Cuttino Mobley will be unrestricted free agents while Marcus Landry will be a restricted free agent after this season.

Donnie Walsh hopes to stock and reload the roster and obtain at least one NBA superstar. The Knicks players who are in their final year of their contracts know they probably don’t fit into Donnie’s plans. They know the organization is eyeing superstars like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, to name a few. The point is that the current Knicks will be free agents too and looking to sign contracts themselves. They need to play well in New York this season to get paid by another team next season. Players like Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, David Lee and Nate Robinson won’t get great attention because of the glaring star-power in the free agent class but they’ll be expected to make an impact on the teams that sign them. A poor showing in 2009-2010 will hurt their chances of signing good contracts.

It behooves the current Knicks to play well and win games. It behooves the organization because they don’t have a first round pick and want to show potential free agents there is a good, young group of players to build around. Most of the current Knicks know they aren’t in the team’s future plans, but they are playing for themselves right now as much as they are playing for the team. The team just isn’t that good.

Chandler, Gallinari, and Douglas could be a good trio Donnie Walsh can build around. Hill hasn’t played enough to get a feel of how he’ll be. The roster will be completely overhauled before next season and an entire city is hoping Donnie Walsh can put together a playoff caliber team.