**Official '11 NYK LOCKOUT thread*** lockout over

[GaBeGRaMz]

JDub- I don't like the way you talking about the Heat and how they are going to blow us out.

I feel like right now, we are playing as good as anybody and can play with the elite and compete. \

The Heat have not reached their high point as of yet this season and don't see them as a huge threat as of right now. They WILL get better though.

 

[upptempo8387]

The Knicks have not given us any reason not to think they can compete with better competition...Competed with the Celtics the entire game, Competed with the Blazers the entire game, competed with New Orleans and beat them, beat the Bulls(not a top 10 NBA Team but still good) after leading against them the entire game..And all of these games occurred before the team began to gel...Besides that Bucks game where we were totally out of sync, we have not gotten blown out in any games all season

I'm an optimist but even I don't think we'll be dominating teams or winning the majority of the games during this tough stretch of the schedule..But I definitely think a lot of fans will be surprised by how well we play...I think we can definitely beat the Nuggets because they're not a great road team and they're pretty undersized...And why would we get blown out by the Heat? You don't think Amar'e has a chip on his shoulder with all the talk about him being a constellation price since we couldn't get Lebron? This team is playing with something to prove so I don't see how they could get blown out in the Garden

 

[mronegative]

Didn't realize it was that serious.

The Knicks’ minor improvement on defense and major improvement on offense have led them to their best start in ten years. But before Knicks fans start dreaming of a deep run into the playoffs, they should consider one sobering thought: the Knicks have played the league’s second-easiest schedule so far this season. From here on, they play the league’s second-toughest schedule.

 

[upptempo8387]

Originally Posted by MrONegative

Didn't realize it was that serious.

The Knicks’ minor improvement on defense and major improvement on offense have led them to their best start in ten years. But before Knicks fans start dreaming of a deep run into the playoffs, they should consider one sobering thought: the Knicks have played the league’s second-easiest schedule so far this season. From here on, they play the league’s second-toughest schedule.

Not too concerned about that because of the current state of the Eastern Conference..Last season the Bucks were a 6th seed, Cavs still had Lebron and were the 1 seed, and the Bobcats were fighting Toronto for 8th, both with .500 records, or close to it...As of now, Bucks are in EIGHTH with an 8-13 record

, and the Bobcats are in 9th with the same record...No cause for concern...Worst case scenario we make it as a 7th or 8th seed...To make the 8th playoff seed in the East where the Cavs are no longer contenders, your team has to have a record in the ballpark of 36-40 wins

 

[pr0phecy718]

[h1]Danilo Gallinari makes a play for Michelle Trachtenberg[/h1]
Last Updated: 8:30 AM, December 10, 2010


The Knicks' "Italian Stallion," Danilo Gallinari, has a new love interest -- "Gossip Girl" star Michelle Trachtenberg. The NBA heartthrob and the beauty have been spending time together in some of the city's hottest clubs over the last few weeks. Sources tell us of the 22-year-old, 6-foot-10 "Gallo" and Trachtenberg: "They are seeing each other, but it is very early days. Michelle seems pretty excited about Danilo and was overheard talking about him at the Knicks game recently, saying she really likes him."

Trachtenberg wore a Gallinari No. 8 jersey and sat front row at Monday night's game. She and Gallinari have also been spotted partying at 1Oak and Provocateur in the last week. Gallinari, who hails from Milan, is in his third year with the Knicks. In January, The Post listed him among the hottest bachelors in town. A Knick rep said, "We do not comment on the personal lives of the players." A rep for Trachtenberg didn't get back to us.

UPI

Danilo Gallinari


http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/mic...allinari_W7yIGUJr66glngx49jCTVK#ixzz17imGqbFv

 

[tommykairaa]

cmon michelle gallo is chop..

 

[proshares]

outta all the women out there in this city this clown goes after Harriet the Spy.

 

[duba169]

[table][tr][/tr][tr][td][/td]/static.bbmp3.com/images/pie/4.gif);">http://static.bbmp3.com/images/pie/4.gif);">
[td]Ifthis turns into anything more than playful teasing from one outspokenNBA owner to another, let it be known that Mark Cuban threw the firstpunch at Mikhail Prokhorov.

And he started with a haymaker.

"He's a p---y," Cuban quipped Thursday when asked about Prokhorov.

Cuban, who spoke while on his exercise bike in the Mavericks lockerroom, lifted his head up to smile, and then continued to verbally jabat the Nets' new owner.

"(Prokhorov) doesn't come to games," Cuban said. "Who the hell knows?"

Cuban finished his pregame workout and took his usual spot along theMavericks bench, where he watched his team dismantle the Nets, 102-89,behind a balanced attack from Dirk Nowitzki (21 points), Shawn Marion(1, Caron Butler (15) and Jason Terry (15). The game marked thereturn of Avery Johnson, who was fired by Cuban in 2008 after guidingthe Mavericks to the Finals in 2006.

But while Cuban gave his former employee nothing but praise, he usedevery opportunity to take playful digs at the billionaire Russian.

"When (Johnson) was with us, the expectation was to win achampionship," Cuban said. "I don't think that's the situation rightnow with the Nets. I think he recognizes that his job is progress morethan rings right now. But you never know. If Prokhorov does what I didto try to make deals and get something before the trade deadline thenall that changes.

"But, you know, building a true professional team means having to spend money. We just haven't seen it."

Asked if there was any added motivation to beat Prokhorov's team, Cuban responded, "Who?"

Prokhorov, who is known for his witty remarks about the Knicks, maywant to add Cuban one-liners to his arsenal. He has attended four Netsgames this season, preferring the executive suite to courtside. Hewatched the Nov. 24 game against the Hawks in casual wear - jeans and asweatshirt - a Cuban trademark.

"Totally different," said Johnson, comparing the two owners."(Prokhorov) sits in a suite and I barely even see him sometimes afterthe games. But in a lot of ways they are the same, even though they'redifferent."

On the court, however, it's becoming increasingly difficult forProkhorov to defend the bold predictions he made after buying the teamlast year. The Nets (6-17) got 24 points from Brook Lopez but losttheir sixth straight game Thursday night and remain in the EasternConference basement. They cut Dallas' lead to five in the third quarterbefore folding down the stretch. The Mavericks (18-4) won their 11thstraight.
Adding injury to insult, Devin Harris sprained his shoulder in thefirst quarter and didn't return. Rookie Derrick Favors missed his firstgame with a thigh contusion.

Prokhorov wasn't Cuban's only target. While praising Johnson's stint inDallas, Cuban said Johnson's coaching predecessor, Don Nelson,"basically quit on us.

"(Nelson) was telling anybody that would listen that we were barely a playoff team at all."

Cuban and Nelson were involved in a financial feud that was settled inarbitration. Nelson, the one-time Knicks coach, was paid more than $7million in owed salary.


Read more: Mark Cuban needles Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov before Mavericks pound Nets in Dallas, 102-89





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[mronegative]

Go ahead Gallo. 

 

[duba169]

i would rather tell myself that we are going to lose to the heat and then be pleasantly surprised, instead of hyping myself up. just the way i operate with big events. good to have low expectations so i'm never disappointed.

 

[bijald0331]

[h2]
Amareisreal
[/h2]

1. I’m looking to hear from my NY fans! Does your favorite Knicks moment include me? #Amexsportsabout 1 hour ago via web
   
   
   
   
   See y'all on the 25th!

 

[im not you]

Wizards are a drastically different team @ home.

I expect a big night from Wall.

 

[losalmighty]

Originally Posted by bijald0331


[h2]
Amareisreal
[/h2]

1. I’m looking to hear from my NY fans! Does your favorite Knicks moment include me? #Amexsportsabout 1 hour ago via web
   
   
   
   
   See y'all on the 25th!

its a promotional thing with American Express to give out tickets.

 

[proshares]

I forget Bijal is not in NYC anymore, he hasn't seen the ads/posters.

 

[mronegative]

Who thought he should get some minutes?
I thought he was an assistant coach at first. smdh

 

[mayhemmonkey000]

Rautins

Why couldn't Eddy at least get a practice jersey, or at least something other than cargo sweats to play in.

 

[biggie62]

Originally Posted by MayhemMonkey000

Rautins

Why couldn't Eddy at least get a practice jersey, or at least something other than cargo sweats to play in.

I don't think they have one his size.

Dude still looks like he eats a 5lb steak for dinner every day,

 

[viiheaven]

Good God, Eddy looks like he's in terrible shape. Anyone catch him just shove Mozgov for no good reason, towards the end?

 

[losalmighty]

he should get some burn against Boston if AR isn't going to be used. Let him bang for a while unless D'Antoni just plans on running all game.

 

[viiheaven]

Originally Posted by TheStephZone

Originally Posted by viiheaven

I'll be at the Denver game on Sunday. Wayyyyyyyy up there, its one of the $10 tix

i'll be up there to...hopefully Melo plays, you guys think the crowd is gonna cheer him?

I only plan to cheer for him during introductions, afterwards, nothing but hatred for the other team.

 

[pr0phecy718]

[h1]

[/h1][h1]Amar'e, a 30-point machine, goes on an MVP-type roll[/h1]
By Steve Aschburner, NBA.com
Posted Dec 10 2010 12:14PM

In a little bit of kismet for the NBA franchise in New York -- Knicks-met, we'll call it -- there is a special significance to what Amar'e Stoudemire might do Friday night at Washington's Verizon Center. And, even more so, when he might do it.

Fifty-four years ago, on Dec. 10, 1956, the Knicks traded veteran guard Slater Martin to the St. Louis Hawks for a rookie forward named Willie Naulls. Martin would become a Hall of Famer, but more for his work as the point guard of the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty and later the Hawks -- he played only 13 games for the Knicks, averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 assists before he was dealt.

Naulls went the other direction: The rookie had played in only 19 games before St. Louis swapped him, but he blossomed into a four-time NBA All-Star with New York. A 6-foot-6 forward from UCLA, Naulls spent six-plus seasons and averaged 19.3 points and 11.6 rebounds for the Knicks, finishing his career in 1965-66 with stints in San Francisco and Boston. Among his distinctions, Naulls reportedly was the first African-American to be named captain of a major professional sports teams and he picked up three championship rings in his final three seasons with the Celtics.

The peg for Stoudemire and the Knicks on Friday against Washington, though, concerns Naulls' stretch of games from late February to early March in 1962. That season -- a high-scoring one in the NBA overall, with Wilt Chamberlain averaging 50.4 points -- Naulls was at his most prolific, scoring 25 points per game for New York. And from Feb. 22 to March 4, he strung together seven consecutive games of scoring at least 30 points. That stands as the franchise mark, and that's the streak Stoudemire has in his sights Friday.

The Knicks' happy free-agent addition -- the NBA's best signing so far from the most ballyhooed free-agent class ever -- had six consecutive games of 30 or more in a streak that began Nov. 28 at Detroit. He had 37 that night, followed soon thereafter by 35 vs. New Jersey, 34 at New Orleans, 31 at Toronto, 34 vs. Minnesota and 34 more against Toronto Wednesday. In that stretch, Stoudemire has averaged 34.2 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting 59.4 percent.

But his wonderfulness didn't just start there. Over the past 12 games, Stoudemire's numbers have been 29.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg and a 58.3 field-goal percentage. More impressive, the Knicks have gone 11-1. His personality, and his eagerness to embrace team responsibility and a New York spotlight from which other players have run, have been big bonuses, too. (Enough to overlook his career-high turnover rate.) He has won two Player of the Week awards already, and Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston recently compared Stoudemire's arrival in 2010 to Patrick Ewing's drafting in 1985.

"Amar'e's got broad shoulders and we jump on them a lot of times," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said last week.

If clutch performance is one measure of an MVP candidate, consider this: Stoudemire leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring at 7.7 points. The next four in line are the Clippers' Eric Gordon (7.4), Golden State's Stephen Curry (6.

, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki (6.

and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (6.4).

In terms of past MVP support, Stoudemire finished sixth in 2008, ninth in 2005 (when teammate Steve Nash won the first of two MVPs), 10th last season and 14th in 2007. But he was surrounded by stellar players in Phoenix, most notably Nash. In New York, with a modest crew around him, Stoudemire has what sometimes is an MVP advantage of being his team's lone superstar.

Of course, back when the Knicks were maybe the NBA's consummate team, they had their only league MVP: Willis Reed in 1969-70. No New York player has finished in the top 10 in balloting since Ewing was eighth in 1997.

Stoudemire enters The Race three spots higher than that, as the committee presents a new leader, a couple new arrivals and some significant movement:

Dropping out: Chris Paul (No. 4 last week)

Honorable mention: Paul; Kevin Durant, OKC ; Dwyane Wade, Miami; Al Horford, Atlanta; Kevin Love, Minnesota.

Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA for 25 years. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

1. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (18-4)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]22[/td][td]36.1[/td][td]24.7[/td][td]7.5[/td][td]2.2[/td][td]0.7[/td][td]0.8[/td][td].560[/td][td].395[/td][td].856[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 3
Nowitzki is relentlessly consistent, scoring 20-plus and drawing defenders to create openings for teammates as Dallas bumped its winning streak to 11. The Mavs are 7-0 in his double-double games and enjoying their best start since 2002-03.


2. Dwight Howard, Magic (15-7)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]20[/td][td]35.4[/td][td]21.9[/td][td]12.3[/td][td]1.1[/td][td]1.2[/td][td]2.4[/td][td].585[/td][td].000[/td][td].554[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 1
The Race is kind of tough here, considering Howard's season-high 39 points at Portland Thursday. But the Magic lost three in a row for the first time this season and wasn't benefiting from his low-post enhancements.


3. Derrick Rose, Bulls (12-

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]19[/td][td]38.7[/td][td]25.1[/td][td]4.3[/td][td]8.2[/td][td]1.1[/td][td]0.6[/td][td].456[/td][td].372[/td][td].774[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 5
The only player in the NBA averaging at least 25 points and 8.0 assists, Rose pulled out victories over Houston in overtime and at Cleveland. His 30 points, 11 assists and five steals was the first 30-10-5 game for the Bulls since Michael Jordan (four times) and Scottie Pippen (twice).


4. Rajon Rondo, Celtics (18-4)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]18[/td][td]39.2[/td][td]11.4[/td][td]4.6[/td][td]14.1[/td][td]2.2[/td][td]0.2[/td][td].528[/td][td].308[/td][td].432[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - NR
You'd almost think the East's best team is on auto-pilot -- except that it isn't, because Rondo is the guy at the controls. He dished 46 assists in his past three games, including the lob to Kevin Garnett that beat the Sixers.


5. Amar'e Stoudemire, Knicks (14-9)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]23[/td][td]37.1[/td][td]25.7[/td][td]9.1[/td][td]2.3[/td][td]1.0[/td][td]1.9[/td][td].531[/td][td].556[/td][td].781[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - NR
Six straight games of 30+ points, six games total of 30 points, 10 rebounds (vs. eight in whole 2009-10). Over the past 12 games, Stoudemire has averaged 29.9 points and 10.2 rebounds, while shooting 58.3 percent from the field to help the Knicks go 11-1.


6. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (16-6)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]22[/td][td]33.1[/td][td]26.6[/td][td]5.4[/td][td]4.5[/td][td]1.2[/td][td]0.1[/td][td].441[/td][td].305[/td][td].851[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 6
Bryant averaged 26.0 points in the Lakers' three consecutive victories since last week's rankings. But then, he averaged 32.0 in his team's four straight losses. He has hit just three of his last 17 3-pointers.


7. Deron Williams, Jazz (16-7)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]23[/td][td]38.0[/td][td]21.8[/td][td]4.2[/td][td]10.0[/td][td]1.4[/td][td]0.2[/td][td].471[/td][td].320[/td][td].852[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 2
In a showdown much anticipated by The Race last weekend, Williams had a versatile game vs. Nowitzki's Mavericks (12p, 5r, 7a, 4stl) but the Jazz lost by 12 and now is 6-5 when Williams doesn't dish at least 10 times. He has missed 13 of his last 15 3-pointers.


8. Russell Westbrook, Thunder (15-

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]23[/td][td]37.2[/td][td]23.7[/td][td]5.5[/td][td]8.6[/td][td]2.2[/td][td]0.4[/td][td].440[/td][td].231[/td][td].871[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 7
It's not that Westbrook did anything wrong to slip a notch, it's just that he's getting more help, especially from Kevin Durant (back strong after ankle sprain). Westbrook and Utah's Williams lead all NBA guards with 12 double-doubles.


9. LeBron James, Heat (15-

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]23[/td][td]37.2[/td][td]24.1[/td][td]5.8[/td][td]7.3[/td][td]1.5[/td][td]0.6[/td][td].465[/td][td].316[/td][td].779[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 10
The LeBron James-Dwyane Wade conundrum is much like the Westbrook-Durant version in Oklahoma City: How to differentiate two MVP-caliber talents? Wade has been pro-active on the boards to make up for Udonis Haslem's absence, but James has been the catalyst to the six consecutive victories by 10+ points.


10. Manu Ginobili, Spurs (18-3)

[table][tr][td]G[/td][td]MPG[/td][td]PPG[/td][td]RPG[/td][td]APG[/td][td]SPG[/td][td]BPG[/td][td]FG%[/td][td]3P%[/td][td]FT%[/td][/tr][tr][td]21[/td][td]32.4[/td][td]20.1[/td][td]3.1[/td][td]5.1[/td][td]2.0[/td][td]0.4[/td][td].454[/td][td].383[/td][td].910[/td][/tr][/table]Last Week's Rank - 8
The Race is a firm believer that the MVP and Coach of the Year awards, with rare exceptions, should go to men on different teams (having the MVP makes a coach's job a little easier, right?). So far, we like Gregg Popovich for COY, so this is more of a "best player on best team" vote. The Spurs really are the MVT.

 

[crumbs]

hopefully they get this W over the Wizards tonight

 

[big j 33]

Gallo and Trachtenberg

Guess he really loved Harriet the Spy growing up

 

[xbiker47]

Eddy looks

 

[losalmighty]

Originally Posted by pr0phecy718

Of course, back when the Knicks were maybe the NBA's consummate team, they had their only league MVP: Willis Reed in 1969-70. No New York player has finished in the top 10 in balloting since Ewing was eighth in 1997.  

This is shocking to me. I thought he would've finished higher. I remember one game MSG was chanting MVP while he was on the FT line and after the game a reporter asked about that and he said, "I wasn't paying attention to that I just wanted to make the MVP. I mean FT."

Oh well. Hopefully STAT doesn't get in foul trouble and beasts on WAS.