Posts Tagged ‘Knicks’

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Woodson Sheds Interim Tag, Signs Extension With Knicks

May 25, 2012  ·  8:06PM





HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – Someone can go ahead and print up those new business cards for Mike Woodson, who shed the interim tag and officially became the head coach of the New York Knicks today after signing a multi-year extension.

Retaining the coach that led the Knicks out of their midseason mess and into the playoffs promises to be just the first of what should be many important steps for the franchise this summer. They have free agents to deal with, namely a guy named Jeremy Lin, and other matters to sort out after winning their first playoff game since 2001 on Woodson’s watch.

The former Hawks coach and former Knicks draft pick replaced Mike D’Antoni in March and guided to the Knicks to an 18-6 finish to the regular season, earning the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race and a date with the Miami Heat in the first round. They only lasted five games against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat. But they played without Lin and with an ailing Tyson Chandler, the KIA Defensive Player of the Year, not to mention Amar’e Stoudemire playing with an injured hand to finish the series.

Woodson was rewarded as much for the work he did getting to the Knicks to the playoffs as he was anything else. They were headed for next week’s lottery before he took over for D’Antoni, who resigned March 14.

“Mike has the respect of every person in this organization,” Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald said in a statement. “He and his staff led the team in an impressive push into the playoffs over the last 24 games and we believe he is the right man to lead the franchise as we move forward.”

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Hang Time Podcast (Episode 77) With John Schuhmann and Steve Aschburner

May 2, 2012  ·  11:35PM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Do you remember a crazier opening week to the NBA playoffs?

Seriously, from season-ending injuries (Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert) to wild comebacks (Clippers-Grizzlies Game 1) to buzzer beaters (Kevin Durant in Game 1 over the Mavericks) to the truly bizarre (Amar’e Stoudemire … fire extinguisher-gate) to players (Rajon Rondo) chest-bumping referees we’ve seen a little bit of everything.

You couldn’t have made this stuff up if you tried.

And we can’t get enough, of the drama and the splendid playoff basketball we’ve seen thus far.

We tracked down two of NBA.com’s best, our numbers guru John Schuhmann and our national writer Steve Aschburner, to help us try to make sense of it all on Episode 77 of the Hang Time Podcast.

LISTEN HERE:


As always, we welcome your feedback. You can follow the entire crew, including the Hang Time Podcast, co-hosts Lang Whitaker of SLAM Magazine and Sekou Smith of NBA.com, as well as our superproducer Micah Hart of NBA.com’s All Ball Blog and the best engineer in the business, Jarrell “I Heart Peyton Manning” Wall.

– To download the podcast, click here. To subscribe via iTunes, click here, or get the xml feed if you want to subscribe some other, less iTunes-y way.

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Tyson Chandler … DPOY

May 2, 2012  ·  5:01PM

HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – Knicks center Tyson Chandler won the unofficial vote we had here at HT last week and today he cashed in with the real deal in New York, snagging his first KIA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

We’re good with the voting breakdown, save for the part where Mavericks swingman Shawn Marion comes in at eighth. There’s no way a guy who can lock down elite players the way Marion can doesn’t fit in the top five, at least, of any voting for DPOY:


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Something’s Missing In This Rematch

April 28, 2012  ·  3:13PM





OKLAHOMA CITY – Much will be made of the Thunder and Mavericks adding another layer to the playoff rivalry that began last season in the Western Conference finals, where the Mavericks cemented their supremacy on the way the franchise’s first Larry O’Brien trophy.

But there is on glaring omission from the festivities this time around. When the Mavericks take the floor tonight at Chesapeake Arena tonight they’ll do so without the defensive anchor that championship team leaned on considerably in the postseason, especially against the Thunder.

Knicks center Tyson Chandler is the Miami Heat’s problem this time around. Brendan Haywood is working in his place now. And no matter how much the Thunder try to convince themselves that Haywood brings the same sort of rim-protecting ferocity to the party, it’s just not true.

“There’s no question Tyson is one of the best defensive bigs in the league and has obviously done a great job in New York, but Haywood is also a very unique player, he’s a very strong low-post player and protects the basket in different ways,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “But we still have to look forward to getting good shots and be very intelligent in our drives and know when to pull up and when to pass out of it. We have to take good shots, because Dallas plays zone and we have to be able to attack that.”

Chandler’s inside work in the middle of Rick Carlisle‘s’ zone scheme is what allowed the Mavericks to play shut down defense on the perimeter. The Thunder collapsed down the stretch offensively in Games 4 and 5 of the conference finals last season, blowing big leads in both games as they ran out of fight in a series that up until then looked like it might go the distance.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, as good as they are, were unable to shoot and score the Thunder out of that hole once Chandler and the Mavericks’ defense locked on. None of the Thunder’s bigs — Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka, Nazr Mohammed or Nick Collison — was able to neutralize Chandler, who did battle foul trouble throughout the series.

Thunder guard Derek Fisher got a taste of the Mavericks with Chandler last season as well, the Mavericks swept the Lakers in the conference semifinals. So he knows just how difficult a team the Mavericks were to attack with Dirk Nowitzki shredding your defense on one end and Chandler manning the middle on the other. And he doesn’t see a significant drop off in what they do now.

“I think they have figured out a way, even without Chandler’s protection at the basket, to be a really solid defensive teams,” he said. “They have a lot of smart, veteran players, so they know how to defend the floor and take things away from teams. They’ve still been able to do that this season.”

We’ll find out tonight if the Thunder have come up with a solution to that problem tonight. They’ve had roughly 10 months to think about it. It should be an easier task without Chandler around, at least on paper.

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Rose, Lin Rank 1-2 In Jersey Sales

April 26, 2012  ·  8:39AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Someone foolishly suggested to us yesterday that Linsanity was a figment of our imaginations … a blip on the NBA radar and nothing more.

We obviously disagreed and reminded this naysayer that the proof is in the … jersey sales?

That’s right, the NBA’s annual list of the top-selling jerseys saw Jeremy Lin outsell the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and even Knicks teammates Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. Lin ranked No. 2 on the list behind reigning KIA NBA MVP Derrick Rose, whose Bulls claimed the top spot in merchandise sales to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ four-year run in that category. The Knicks came in No. 2 there as well.

Rose’s rise from No. 5 last year to the spot can’t touch Lin’s rise from oblivion to the No. 2. The jersey sales and merchandise figures are based on sales at the temporary NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and on NBAStore.com from April 2011 to present.

Click here for the full list of the top jersey sellers and merchandise sellers in the NBA this season.

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Who Is Your MIP?

April 23, 2012  ·  12:11PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – We’ll get back to our MVP debate later this week.

While we wait to decide between LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant for the top award, today we get an early look at the frontrunners for the Most Improved Player award.

Our West Coast bureau chief Scott Howard-Cooper weighs in today with something of a surprise pick in Jeremy Lin of the Knicks. And he overlooks the fact that Lin played just 53 percent of the Knicks’ game this season and instead focuses on the impact Lin had and the seismic rise in production for the undrafted Lin from his rookie season to this one.

H-C makes the case:

Twenty-seven games, 25 starts, 17.9 points, 7.4 assists and 44.5 percent shooting in 33.1 minutes. The season-long numbers: 35 games, 25 starts, 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, 44.6 percent shooting and 26.9 minutes.

But yes. Playing barely more than half the season, the equivalent of 43 games in a season with an ordinary calendar, is enough to earn Most Improved.

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As The Atlantic (Division) Turns

April 9, 2012  ·  11:19AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – All that love we showered upon the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this season seems a bit overdone now. We hailed them as the picture of the future of franchises that didn’t have superstars anchoring their program, the shining example for outfits of that ilk in this era of the new collective bargaining agreement.

Forgive us for jumping the gun a bit. It happens.

That’s no sign of disrespect to coach Doug Collins, his team and the work they’ve done this season. They fought the good fight for as long as their talent would allow.

This playoff chase doesn’t end for a couple of weeks. And right now, the Sixers (losers of four straight and seven of their last 10 games) are fading down the stretch while the Celtics and Knicks have kicked into high gear with the postseason pecking order on the line every night.

As of this morning, the Celtics sit atop the Atlantic Division with the Knicks right behind them and the Sixers third in the race. All three would be in the playoff mix if the postseason started today with the Celtics holding down the 4th seed, the Knicks at No. 7 and the Sixers at No. 8.

What looked to be the weakest division in the Eastern Conference earlier this season, when the Celtics and Knicks were still finding their way, has turned out to be the most competitive in the league with the playoffs within sight.

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Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy Confirms Report, Dwight Howard Wants Him Gone!

April 5, 2012  ·  1:01PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Well, there’s no need for anonymous sources anymore.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy confirmed it for the world to hear this morning in Orlando. Dwight Howard has asked management to replace Van Gundy as coach, confirming a Wednesday report from an Orlando television station. The Magic coach confirmed it to reporters moments before Howard came in and hugged Van Gundy in front of the crowd and denied the story, not realizing that Van Gundy had just confirmed it (more from the Orlando Sentinel):

“I know he has,” Van Gundy told reporters after the Magic completed their shootaround. “That’s just the way it is. Again, I’ve been dealing with that all year. It’s not anything real bothersome. You go out and do your job.”

When asked about the story, Howard did not deny Van Gundy’s claim. But he did ask the assembled crowd of reporters to reveal their source.

The tweets from some of the reporters in attendance provided a blow-by-blow and illustrated the surreal nature of the event:

Today’s crazy turn of events is just the latest in a bizarre, season-long trail of foolishness involving Howard and the Magic. From his training camp trade request to his 11th hour flip-flopping about staying or going, to his deciding to stick around for another year in Orlando to this latest mess … when will the madness end?

Next stop is TNT tonight at 7 p.m. when the Magic and Knicks square off at Amway Center.

You have to wonder how coach and superstar handle themselves with the entire basketball world watching now that the truth, according to Van Gundy, has finally come out …


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Knicks Point Guard Jeremy Lin To Miss 6 Weeks After Surgery For Meniscus Tear

March 31, 2012  ·  6:46PM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – A torn meniscus has done what just about no one else could, put an end to Linsanity for at least the next six weeks.

The New York Knicks announced this evening, via Twitter, that their prized point guard Jeremy Lin would miss at least the next six weeks after an MRI revealed a “small chronic meniscus tear” in his left knee that will require a surgical procedure to repair the problem. In 35 games this season, Lin is averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 assists, sparking a global craze when he burst onto the scene last month.

The Knicks have endured a coaching change, from Mike D’Antoni to Mike Woodson, and are also dealing with injury issues to Amar’e Stoudemire, Jared Jeffries and now Lin, who had surgery

“It’s obviously been a very emotional year,” Lin said to reporters before the Knicks-Cavaliers game at Madison Square Garden. “”I want to be out there helping the team. It’s a six-week rehab process but I heal quickly so we’ll see. When I come back I’ll be stronger than I ever was and a better player.”

The Knicks were in a funk before Linsanity began. But they’ve gone 8-2 since Woodson replaced D’Antoni, mixing and matching lineups as they’ve dealt with all of their injury issues.

Rookie Iman Shumpert and veterans Baron Davis, another one of the Knicks’ injury casualties at different times this season, and Mike Bibby will all be pressed into service at point guard in Lin’s absence. And speaking of, if the Knicks don’t make the playoffs then we could very well have seen the last of Lin this season with just three weeks left in the regular season.

Stay tuned for more details after Lin finishes addressing the assembled media in New York …

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Knicks Ready For Second Surge?

March 21, 2012  ·  7:31AM





HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Here we go again.

The first time it was Linsanity and all of the madness the arrival of a true global icon (Jeremy Lin) brought to the New York Knicks (along handfuls of wins) during his breakout moment last month. There was a seven-game win streak wrapped into a cosmic stretch that saw the Knicks go from a struggling outfit to a potential postseason matchup nightmare for anyone unlucky enough to draw them in the playoffs.

Then the bottom fell out.

Now comes Woodsanity … well, it might be wise to hold off on that one for at least a few more days. But the Knicks are definitely at it again. They’re 4-0 under interim coach Mike Woodson, who took over after Mike D’Antoni departed the premises last week.

The Knicks aren’t just playing well since Woodson took over … they’re playing great. They are playing like the team folks expected them to be when Lin, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and the rest of the Knicks’ talented roster had everyone whipped into a frenzy heading into All-Star weekend.

The balanced offensive effort combined with a heightened attention to detail on defense has them back in sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference — and they’re rising. New Yorkers see a lot that they like out of the Woodson-led Knicks, as Tim Smith of the New York Daily News points out:

Oh what fun it is for these resurgent Knicks, who have totally bought into Woodson’s system and philosophy. There is nothing Linsane about what’s going on.

“The spirit of the team, the energy of the team, we’re sacrificing, we’re buying in,” Lin said. “Using each other and individual shot attempts may be going down for specific people, whether it’s me or Melo or Amar’e. But then everyone else is getting more shots and the shots are easier. We’re able to keep the defense honest by using all five guys all the time.”

After Mike D’Antoni resigned one week ago as coach, everyone thought Lin would be taking a seat on the bench. With veteran point guard Baron Davis nursing a sore hamstring, Lin has maintained his spot in the lineup and seems to be settling into the job of running the team. He played much more under control and in the flow of the offense against the Raptors, committing just three turnovers.

“I just tried to be aggressive,” Lin said. “I’m not sure how many shots I took but I was trying to put pressure on the defense, and if it was open, it was open. I got some easy ones from other people looking for me. Melo, Landry (Fields) , those guys hit me with a couple of passes where I was open.”

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