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.

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.

Knicks Win Four Straight

Who are these guys? The Knicks are turning their season around right in front of our eyes and have expanded their win streak to four tonight. The Knicks beat the Hornets 113-96 and scored the game’s final 18 points. Chris Duhon was hot down the stretch from beyond the arc and ended the game with 22 points and 9 assists. Al Harrington led all scorers with 28 points. 

Down by one point, 96-95, with under five minutes left in the game, the Knicks stepped up their game. They ended the game on an 18-0 run and remained hot during this cold December month. 

David Lee had a double-double and Nate Robinson did not play again.

How long can this winning streak last? The Knicks have a good chance at extending it at least three more games. In their next few games they play the Bobcats, Bulls and Clippers. D’Antoni’s team is hitting shots, playing better defense, and have improved tremendously since the beginning of the season. They don’t look like the same team that began the season 1-9, a franchise worst.

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.

Knicks Get First Win of Season, 117-111 over Hornets

The Knicks ended a three-game skid to start the season with a 117-111 win over the Hornets. New York put up 40 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just 19 points in the third. David Lee led the Knicks with 28 points and eight rebounds.

The Knicks actually looked like the better team on the floor. They controlled the game and the score for most of the night. Mike D’Antoni’s starting lineup played well together, although Danilo Gallinari didn’t shoot too well (2-9 for 9 points). Al Harrington added 24 points off the bench.

Nate Robinson missed the game and will most likely miss around two weeks of action with a sprained right ankle which he suffered in the Knicks’ loss to Philadelphia on Halloween.

Knicks Open Season With Loss to Heat

Opening night for the Knicks was overshadowed by game one of the World Series. That may be a good thing for the Knicks after they were defeated 115-93 by the Miami Heat. Miami shot the ball real well and the Knicks didn’t. The Heat hit 14 of 17 shots form the field in the second quarter. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, two of the younger players on this Knicks team, scored 22 and 21 points respectively. Gallinari shot 7-13 from behind the 3-point arc. David Lee added 22 points.

Gallinari and Chandler could be a good base for the Knicks to build a team around in the future. With the current talent level the Knicks have, it looks as though the 09-10 season is going to be a long one.

David Lee Reaches Agreement With Knicks

David Lee and the Knicks, who have gone back and forth all summer, have finally reached an agreement that will keep Lee in New York for at least one more season. According to Alan Hahn of Newsday, it is a one-year deal worth $7 million with a bonus of $1 million if the Knicks get into the playoffs.

It was also reported earlier today that the Knicks and Nate Robinson have reached a one-year deal worth over $2.5 million.

Singing Lee and Nate for one-year keeps the Knicks’ chances of signing a superstar in 2010 alive. The Knicks don’t have the financial flexibility to sign these guys for longer than a year if they want to be players in the 2010 free agent period.

Nate Close To Deal With Knicks

Nate Robinson is close to signing a one-year deal with the Knicks that exceeds the $2.9 million qualifying offer. Nate’s deal would be incentive-laden. According to the sources of Alan Hahn from Newsday, Nate didn’t want to play anywhere else.

David Lee, who has been reported to be close to re-signing with the Knicks several times, is also said to be close to signing a one-year deal but there are conflicting reports saying Lee’s agent implied he his not confident a deal will get done, this according to the New York Post.

Knicks’ “Session” Gets Timed Out

Picture this: June 25, 2009.  The NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden.  The Knicks are optimistic they can land a point guard with the eighth overall pick in the draft after the first four picks are point guard free.  Minnesota owns the fifth and sixth picks.  With the fifth pick the Timberwolves select Ricky Rubio, a point guard from Spain.  With the sixth pick the T’wolves select Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn.  One last coveted point guard remains and the Knicks are second in line.  With the seventh pick the Warriors select point guard Stephen Curry from Davidson.  The top three point guards are off the table.  The Knicks select Arizona power forward Jordan Hill with the eighth pick.  

No one could have predicted this.  After no point guards were taken in the first four picks, it was a forgone conclusion one of the three top point guards were going to drop to the Knicks.  The T-wolves wouldn’t take two point guards back-to-back.  They would take one of the point guards, but not two.  No way.

How wrong we were.  

Now the T-wolves have done it again.  Point guard Ramon Sessions, who has been on the Knicks radar this summer and several times was reported to be close to signing with the Knicks, has been signed to an offer sheet by the T’wolves.  The Milwaukee Bucks have seven days to match the offer.  

T-wolves 3, Knicks 0.  

This leaves the Knicks out of options this summer.  The only real business they have left is David Lee and Nate Robinson.  Donnie Walsh and the Knicks have struck out in this summer’s free agency.  Hopefully they are saving the free agent signings for next summer.

Knicks and Lee Expect a One-Year Deal Soon

The Knicks and David Lee are closing in on a one-year deal that could be completed sometime next week.  Lee and the Knicks have hit some bumps this summer trying to get something done, but now it seems like finally both sides are converging on an agreement.  The Knicks don’t want to sign Lee to a long term deal because they want to save the cap room for a superstar free agent in 2010.  Guys like James, Bosh, and Wade headline the 2010 free agent class and the Knicks are hoping to land at least one of those stars.  

The Knicks and Nate Robinson are also discussing the possibility of a one-year deal.