Knicks Beat Cavs 95-90

Most important thing about this win was that the Knicks shoved it right up Barkley's ass.  TNT's commentary on the Knicks is nothing less than shamefully shameless. Fuck them.

There was lots to like about this game.  JR and Melo put two daggers into the game at the very end when victory very well was in the balance.  JR and Melo ratcheted up their play despite getting banged up a bit during the game.

Larkin played a great game overall.  He made a few rookie mistakes that fortunately did not adversely effect the win.  To his credit he played tenacious defense and contributed nicely to the offense when his opportunities came.  Kudos.

I liked seeing Stoudamire come off the bench and it was shortly thereafter that the Knicks pulled back into the game. Jason Smith was huge on offense and defense. Acy was both a pest on defense and a wildcard on offense.  sam played some strong short minutes.

MVP of the game IMO was Aldrich.  He simply takes care of business in the paint and on rebounding.  Strong, strong showing from Aldrich.  My concern at the close of the game was that Aldrich was on the bench.  He has more than made up for the loss of Tyson Chandler.

The surprise of the night were the minutes and outstanding play of Travis Wear.  Fish seems to recognise how well Wear plays the triangle and the intangibles he brings to the game. Wear was highly disruptive to Lebron and teammates in his time on the floor.  Like Larkin, an occasional rookie mistake but impressive minutes nonetheless.

Shumpert also played well, re-establishing some of his former promise with a solid game.

Pablo too, played well.  He contributed some daggers to maintain and broaden the Knicks lead.

Numerous highlight dunks by Acy, STAT, and Melo.  Numerous defensive stops by just about everyone.

TNT's insistence that "you need players with talent" is wrong.  You need players who use their talent.  The Knicks did just that tonite.

Reasons for a Kobe Trade

Given the state of affairs in Lakerland and the distinct possibility that the Lakers will not compete for Kobe's remaining two years, then speculating about Kobe's future is fair game.

If Lebron's return to Cleveland can be topped by any one other NBA story it might be the reunion of Phil Jackson, Fish, and Kobe in a Knicks uniform.  There are more reasons to think this is not only possible but sensible than not.

Let's start with Kobe, himself.  Rather than go out on a losing team as little more than a carnival sideshow, Kobe could join Melo in NY and make playoff runs that could be historic given the depth of the relationships involved and their NBA history.  Kobe can play with both dignity and purpose.  His remaining career might even be extended or conclude with better health by playing in the Eastern division rather than the West.  The New York fit is both unique and a perfect opportunity for Kobe to conquer another market.

Kobe however IS the Lakers iconic player for almost the last two decades.  Given the state of the Lakers, he is reduced to little more than a caricature of his once dominant presence.  Ending his career a Knick (and maybe a legendary Knick) and later returning to the Lakers is always possible and probable. The question is whether or not a couple of late career playoff runs are worth the uniform switch.  Only kobe can answer that.

As for the Lakers, a Kobe trade to the Knicks would return one large expiring contract or another in addition to some players who might be useful in a year or so.  They would be a year closer to being competitive in the free agent market.

For the Knicks, Kobe teaming with Carmelo would instantly create excitement in the East.  Rather than being a potential playoff team, they would be a strong candidate for the playoffs and a srong candidate to go deep into the playoffs.

The Knicks could trade Stoudamire, Larkin, and Hardaway for Kobe giving the Lakers 2 promising youngsters and cap space.

Update: see: http://dailyknicks.com/2014/11/06/knicks-acquire-kobe-bryant/

Knicks lose to Chicago by 25 in Home Opener

Before the game I was hopeful the Knicks might steal one of these early games.  It was not to be.
Lopsided as the result was, 104 - 80, I take the game as a learning experience.

First, Chicago was a team with a long-standing core of players whose roster has only improved in all of the areas that they had been weak in, namely scoring.  OTOH, the Knicks - even veterans who've played together for  a few seasons are just learning the Triangle offense and defensive scheme.  It showed on the court that they have a ways to go before we can consider them proficient.  Turnovers bloated the final score.

Second, Fish is still learning how these lineups will play out in real games.  These first few games will be challenging and will expose some strengths and weaknesses that may be contrarian in practice.  One example of this is that Cole Aldrich in this first game made a strong argument for becoming the first center substitution off the bench.

Aldrich is not the most graceful looking big man on this team but he is the strongest rebounder and physical presence we have off the bench.  Sam has played exceptionally well in both pre-season and in this first game.  Until Aldrich played late in the game the defensive paint was a thruway.  Hopefully this is a lesson learned.

Another weakness in my observation was the fact that Shane larkin was called upon to play big minutes at PG.  At this point in his career, he's a D-League talent with a limited toolset and ceiling.  I'd like to see the Knicks sign Gal Mekel who was just cut by Dallas.  Gal is a mature, 6'3" PG who has had a strong preseason with the Mavs and would add some length and depth to the PG position.