Month: February 2017

Melo: Knicks’ struggles, rumors ‘testing my will’

LeBron James considers Carmelo Anthony his “brother,” but King James made it clear on Saturday that he is not his brother’s keeper.

The Knicks’ players can’t help but hear the trade rumors, but they’re trying to block them out. They don’t want to consider life without Carmelo Anthony.

LeBron James is the main attraction whenever he visits the Garden, and he didn’t disappoint with another brilliant performance Saturday night. His buddy Carmelo Anthony had plenty of eyes on him too, but he disappointed the home crowd and maybe his bosses.

Did Phil Jackson really ask the Cavaliers for Kevin Love in a deal for Carmelo Anthony, as has been reported? Love’s performance at the Garden on Saturday night showed that this might have been a pretty good idea by the Knicks’ president.

Jeff Hornacek isn’t ready to remove Joakim Noah from the starting lineup and said he will stick with him for the time being.

Cleveland jumped out to a 27-point lead in the third quarter and held off a late Knicks’ rally for a 111-104 victory over the Knicks Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks G Derrick Rose will sit out Saturday against the Cavaliers with an ankle injury, the team announced.

The Knicks host the Cavaliers on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.

Carmelo Anthony was not mad about being benched during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Nets, head coach Jeff Hornacek said Saturday.

Amid rumors that Carmelo Anthony could be traded away from the Knicks, guard Derrick Rose has wondered if he’ll be be gone before the trade deadline as well, according to ESPN New York’s Ian Begley.

Before Mike D’Antoni’s speedball gangs and Steve Kerr’s record-setting Warriors, the Knicks were 3-point shooting trendsetters in the late 1980s. The 1988-89 Knicks, under coach Rick Pitino, attempted 1,147 3-pointers, up by more than 400 from the previous league high, and made 386, to shatter the former 271 standard. Saturday, as part of the Knicks’…

Another Carmelo Anthony supporter voiced his opinion Saturday. Former Knick and TV color analyst Mark Jackson threw his support behind Anthony, saying the oft-maligned forward, who has been the subject of numerous trade rumor reports, has too long been on a talent island with the Knicks. “It’s not just him. You don’t win with just…

If there is a basketball purgatory, the Knicks are in it, caught between the illusion of chasing a playoff berth and the likelihood they are about to rebuild for the future. That was evident against the Cavaliers on Saturday night at the Garden, where LeBron James and the defending champions beat the overmatched home team…

When the season began, Kristaps Porzingis hoped to complete the All-Star weekend triple crown — the Rookie-Sophomore game, the Skills Challenge and the main event. He will have to settle for two of the three after being passed over for the All-Star Game. Nevertheless, Porzingis said he is “excited” about being one of the eight…

LeBron James did not want to engage in any talk about the stormy relationship between Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks management. His lips were sealed, other than to say he wants Anthony, his friend, to be happy. Instead, as he usually does, he made a whole lot of noise of the court and made the…

If the Cavaliers needed further confirmation why they don’t need to swap Kevin Love for Carmelo Anthony, they got it at the Garden on Saturday. With Anthony suffering through a second straight erratic game, LeBron James dominated and Love produced as the Cavaliers shook off the absence of injured Kyrie Irving to post a 111-104…

HOUSTON — As we speed inevitably and inexorably toward the exit ramp, perhaps it is not such a terrible idea to remember when things around the Knicks were perfectly juxtaposed, when they were the team seeking to make a blockbuster trade, when they were the ones hoping to import an All-Star. It is easy to…

Knowing his four-year, $72 million contract is untradable, Joakim Noah is viewed by management as the backup center for next season, according to a source. Whether that backup status is realized this season is a fluid situation. Despite rookie center Willy Hernangomez’s striking progress the past few weeks, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek still is coming…

Down by 27 points in the third quarter, the Knicks fought their way back into the game thanks to Brandon Jennings, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.

The West is on its way to recording an aggregate edge over the East for a ninth straight season, just one reflection of its continued superiority.

The Cleveland Cavaliers should tell Phil Jackson to lose their number once and for all.

Anthony sounds like a man trying to work through an unhappy marriage.

Hornacek stuck with Joakim Noah despite statistical reasons to put the $72 million center on the bench.

LeBron James wasn’t lobbying for Carmelo Anthony on the eve of their Garden showdown, but he also left open the door for his longtime compadre, who may want greener pastures beyond Broadway. Anthony has his first trade audition Saturday, when the Knicks host the Cavaliers, who have been approached by Knicks president Phil Jackson about…

It’s hard for Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek to feel sympathetic about LeBron James’ complaints the Cavaliers are too “top heavy” to repeat as NBA champions. The Knicks are struggling not to be bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference with a lineup that should make James appreciate the roster he has in Cleveland. “I guess Kyrie…

New York is a nice place to visit. But the Cavaliers’ Kevin Love doesn’t see himself living there. At least as a Knick. In fact, Love doesn’t see himself leaving Cleveland any time soon. “No, I don’t,” Love said when asked by reporters Friday at the Cavs practice facility in Independence, Ohio, if he expects…

Derrick Rose realizes it could be him, too. With the Knicks exploring deals for Carmelo Anthony in an attempt to get younger, Rose, who heard rumors at the trading deadline last February with the Bulls, knows he’s not safe, either. Rose, whom the Knicks obtained via trade last June, has an expiring contract and has…

Carmelo Anthony remained silent Friday at Knicks practice, refusing to make himself available to talk about Saturday’s matchup with LeBron James and the Cavaliers, his fourth-quarter Brooklyn benching or his cloudy future. Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said he believes Anthony handled his one-night demotion well on Wednesday, when Anthony sat the final 15 minutes as the young…

Derrick Rose on Knicks: ‘The rebuild could be me going, too’

LeBron on Melo: ‘I just want him to be happy’

Love expects to be in Cleveland ‘for long time’

Rose, who has missed the team’s past three games with a sprained left ankle, said he tries “to be better every game, every practice, every day.”

Knicks G Derrick Rose is doubtful for Saturday night’s game against the Cavaliers due to his sprained left ankle, head coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters Friday.

Kristaps Porzingis thinks it would be detrimental to his development if the Knicks traded Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony Donahue and Moke Hamilton are back on TheKnicksBlog Podcast as they continue to debate the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, and if the Knicks should (and could) make a move for the playoffs.

The Knicks remain interested in trading Carmelo Anthony to the Cavaliers, despite the fact that Cleveland refuses to include Kevin Love in a potential deal.

From everything we’ve seen, the Cavs want no part of dealing Kevin Love for Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks are likely going to contend with the defending champs without their starting point guard.

Friday’s Knicks News: Hernangomez has earned spot in rotation

Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis will participate in the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday in New Orleans Feb. 18

Carmelo Anthony was on the bench during the entire fourth quarter Wednesday night as the Knicks game back to beat the Nets, 95-90, in Brooklyn.

There are a lot of unknown with Porzingis, despite the ‘Unicorn’ abilities, despite the projections to stardom.

It is a virtual cliché, used by every coach who ever has held a whistle or clipboard, or any player pining for playing time: Be ready, because you never know when the call will come. So Sasha Vujacic, about as much a part of the Knicks’ rotation this season as Winston Churchill, stayed ready. And…

Jeff Van Gundy said he can see Carmelo Anthony as a sixth man for the Clippers, but the former Knicks coach can’t see him replacing Kevin Love in Cleveland. The Clippers and Cavaliers are the two teams for which the Knicks believe Anthony would waive his no-trade clause to join. However, it will be intriguing…

If you taped Wednesday’s Knicks-Nets game, you would fast-forward through the actual play and watch the commercials. It was so bad that most players involved, years down the road, will tell their grandkids, “Gramps had a DNP that night” to disavow any involvement in the sludge. That’s most players, not all. For Knicks rookie Willy…

Carmelo Anthony was standing with a towel draped over his head, cheering. At one point, he flexed his biceps after rookie center Willy Hernangomez hit a tough fourth-quarter basket inside.

On paper, it will go down as a win against the worst team in the league — a come-from-behind effort sparked by Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks bench. In reality, it was a frantic effort to avoid complete humiliation at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, who spent three quarters running circles around their floundering big brothers.

Kristaps Porzingis was back from his bout with a stomach illness, and was a big part of a unit that made sure the whole team wasn’t feeling sick after last night’s game.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson followed through on his recent vow to reward good defense with more playing time when he inserted rookie Isaiah Whitehead and second-year player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson into the Nets’ starting lineup against the Knicks Wednesday night at Barclays Center. The question now is whether it was a firm step toward the future or just another spin in their game of roster roulette.

The Knicks apparently are being persistent in their efforts to move Carmelo Anthony for Kevin Love.

The second-year forward has missed eight games this season due to injury or illness.

The Knicks are getting a boost at center but it’s not from their $72 million investment.

How about this for a turn of events: Carmelo Anthony was benched, Sasha Vujacic contributed, and the Knicks actually won.

A funny thing happened when Carmelo Anthony stepped on the trade block.

Carmelo Anthony revealed on Tuesday that any decision about his future in New York will come down to family first.

As trade rumors continued to swirl around their star, Carmelo Anthony, the visiting Knicks stayed within striking distance of the East Conference playoff pack by coming back to top the Nets.

Knicks guard Sasha Vujacic scored a season-high 12 points for the Knicks on Wednesday night and was a key factor in the team’s comeback over the Nets.

Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and joined a group of mostly substitutes who led a big fourth-quarter turnaround that carried the New York Knicks to a 95-90 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

Guard Derrick Rose will sit out while Kristaps Porzingis is expected to play Thursday against the Nets, head coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters.

The Knicks remain interested in trading Carmelo Anthony to the Cavaliers, despite the fact that Cleveland refuses to include Kevin Love in a potential deal.

The Knicks take on the Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.

The bounce was from a better time, a prosperous time, a time when dark clouds didn’t follow the Knicks around everywhere they wandered. If your basketball memory goes back that far, 18 years, that was what you saw when you saw Kristaps Porzingis get the shooter’s bounce with 32 seconds left. Front rim. Backboard. Bucket….

Kristaps Porzingis came back in a big way. After sitting out Tuesday’s loss in Washington with an illness, Porzingis returned Wednesday and led all scorers with 19 points in the Knicks’ 95-90 victory over the Nets at Barclays Center. “I woke up this morning, and I wasn’t shaking anymore,” said Porzingis, who said he played…

The latest round of Carmelo Anthony-related reports, rumors and news offered a reaffirmation of a previous situation. ESPN reported the Cavaliers, though interested in forming an Anthony-LeBron James alliance and despite repeated advances from the Knicks, are adamant about not trading Kevin Love. Naturally, all that can change if the defending champion Cavaliers, who visit…

There were sights and scenes which, even for a Knicks-Nets game, caused double takes. There was slop. Lots and lots of unbelievable slop. There were two four-point plays by the Knicks, which never had happened before in the same Knicks game — and making that even more asterisk worthy, came from the same guy, Sasha…

If you remember what it was like in that late spring of 1977, then there probably has been more than a whiff of déjà vu at the way this has all gone down between the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. Because back then, 40 years ago, the will-they-or-won’t-they that consumed New York was overwhelming. Remember, 1977…

WASHINGTON — Is Carmelo Anthony trying to enhance his trade value to other teams with subliminal messages? Anthony is on a potent surge, averaging 30 points in the past seven games. Better yet, he has shot 48 percent or better in six of the seven games. In his one bad shooting game during that run, an 8-of-26 night…

There were times when the Knicks playing the Nets generated real excitement in the city. Knicks fans flooded Nets home arenas to cheer their team. Nets fans watched road games in bars because they couldn’t get tickets at the Garden. So when the out-of-the-playoff-picture Knicks visit the really-out-of-the-playoff-picture Nets on Wednesday night at Barclays Center,…

Thursday’s Knicks News: Porzingis shines in win over Nets

Latest turn for Carmelo Anthony is cheering during the fourth quarter

Rose (ankle) sits again as Knicks beat Nets

Sources: Knicks still after Love; Cavs stand firm

After the latest criticisms from Barkley on TNT, the Cavaliers All-Star defended his legacy and called Barkley “a hater.”

Bradley Beal had 28 points for Washington, which won for the 11th time in 13 games to move into a tie for first in the Southeast Division.

The Knicks were slower than most in seeking international talent, but the arrival of Mindaugas Kuzminskas and others has offered a chance at a new identity.

The Knicks lost to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, 117-101.

Kristaps Porzingis will not play tonight against Wizards

Carmelo Anthony told reporters Tuesday that he has not told the Knicks which teams he would be willing to accept a trade to.

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek isn’t paying much attention to comments former head coach Derek Fisher made about Hornacek’s job performance.

Knicks guard Derrick Rose will miss Tuesday’s game against the Wizards due to a sprained left ankle and will likely miss Wednesday’s game as well, head coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters.

JR joins Jon Hein to debate if Carmelo Anthony has been underappreciated by Knicks fans this season.

WASHINGTON — The Knicks probably are relieved that January is over, but more performances like Tuesday night and their season may not be too far behind.

Carmelo Anthony said all options are open regarding his future but maintains that staying with the Knicks is right on top. One of the main reasons is because he doesn’t want to uproot his family.

Jeff Hornacek didn’t appreciate Derek Fisher evaluating his job performance and said he would never do that to another coach.

Carmelo Anthony revealed on Tuesday that any decision about his future in New York will come down to family first.

Carmelo Anthony spent the final four minutes seated along the baseline watching another game and perhaps another season slipping away.

We’ve been through this before with Carmelo Anthony, under similar circumstances and with common themes.

Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out of Tuesday’s game against the Wizards “due to an illness,” according to the Knicks.

Jeff Hornacek didn’t appreciate Derek Fisher analyzing his job performance this week.

Derek Fisher can’t catch a break.

Wednesday’s Knicks News: Courtney Lee slowly improving

Why Carmelo Anthony can feel why LeBron James lashed out

$300K worth of jewelry stolen from D. Fisher

WASHINGTON — With Derrick Rose nursing an ankle injury and Kristaps Porzingis out with a stomach virus, this was the kind of game in which Courtney Lee needed to be more than a complimentary piece. He needed to be the guy in whom the Knicks have invested $50 million; the kind of player who can…

WASHINGTON — The Knicks didn’t need four overtimes to lose this time. Two-and-half quarters were plenty enough as the Wizards built a 19-point lead on the way to outclassing the Knicks, 117-101, to end a pitiful January for Phil Jackson’s team. The Knicks finished the month at 5-12. When the new year began, coach Jeff…

WASHINGTON — Jeff Hornacek said he believes Derek Fisher is campaigning for another job and referred to the former Knicks coach dismissively as “an analyst’’ in response to his recent digs. Fisher works Lakers telecasts as a studio analyst. Fisher recently told Bleacher Report his 2015-16 Knicks were further along than Hornacek’s current team —…

WASHINGTON — Carmelo Anthony said he will be “torn” on whether to waive his no-trade clause if a deal materializes with the Clippers or Celtics, admitting his wife’s and 9-year-old son’s feelings come heavily into play. However, Anthony reiterated if Knicks president Phil Jackson truly wants to rebuild, he has to consider it before the…