Landry Fields Working at Modell's

Frank Isola Says Laker Deal Rejected

Lakers turned down deal for Carmelo because owner's son unwilling to part with Andrew Bynum

BY Frank Isola

The Lakers recently turned down a deal for Carmelo Anthony because Jim Buss, the owner's son, does not want to part with Andrew Bynum.

The News has learned that Jim Buss, who holds the title of Lakers VP of Player Personnel, rejected a deal for Anthony, who would gladly sign an extension with the two-time defending champs.

Buss has strong ties to Bynum, the New Jersey native who Buss drafted right out of high school. It was Buss who refused to trade Bynum to the Nets in a deal for Jason Kidd despite Kobe Bryant pushing for the trade.

In fact, both Kobe and head coach Phil Jackson are in favor of a deal for Anthony.

"If that's the case why don't they just go straight to Jerry Buss and tell him to make the deal," said one league executive.

It's unlikely that Denver would trade Anthony to Los Angeles unless a potential deal included the 7-foot Bynum.

New York Magazine Ranks Knicks Players 1-13

Mike D'Antoni has shortened his rotation, but the rotation, and the players' performances, are forever changing. As part of our Knicks coverage all season, taking a note from Mark Lisanti's "Mad Men Power Rankings," we'll be tracking each player every Tuesday. Come with us for the Knicks Power Rankings!

1. Amar'e Stoudemire. (Last week: 1) The weekend's home-and-home with the 76ers showcased Amar'e's offense at its face-palming worst and at its pants-wetting best (oddly enough, it did the same for the whole team). His stat lines from both nights-- twenty-ish shots, seven rebounds, three turnovers, and ten-ish free throws in around 37 minutes-- are pretty much identical, with one major difference. In Friday's loss, Stoudemire got unfriendly rolls at the rim, misfired from mid-range, and finished just with just 21 points on 7-19 shooting. Just two days later, against the exact same team, the cap'n sank damn near everything and dropped a season-high 41. What gives? Are the MSG rims kinder than those in Philly? Did better team-wide shooting give Amar'e more room to operate? Did the post-loss fury hone his skills in the next one? Whatever it was, something stirred within Stoudemire's soul to trigger an afternoon of otherworldly efficiency. Whether something really clicked or it was but a blip remains to be seen.

2. Danilo Gallinari. (Last week: 2) Good things happen when Gallo handles the ball, but he doesn't do it nearly enough. Each of the last three games featured a stretch during the first half in which Danilo did most of the dribbling in the set offense and just made plays: sweet dunks, finishes with contact, and dishes to open teammates. For whatever reason, he wasn't featured nearly as much in second halves. Given that Gallinari is pretty much the only Knick beside Amar'e who ever warrants a second defender, you'd think it would behoove the whole squad to look his way when in need. If you give a rooster a basketball, he's going to do some excellent basketball things.

3. Landry Fields. (Last week: 3) It doesn't get Landrier than Fields's 25-point, 10-rebound outing on Sunday against the Sixers. The rookie brought the usual rebounding and finishing, and also sank five three-pointers, three of which helped seal the deal in the fourth quarter. In fact, according to the Philly broadcasters (as related by P&T's Charlie Osborn), Fields leads the entire NBA in fourth quarter three-point accuracy at over 65%. There's nothing on the internet to confirm that that's best in the league, but it's totally believable, right?

4. Raymond Felton. (Last week: 4) The work-weary Felton looked livelier this past week, driving and defending with considerably more verve (not to mention success) than previously. If there's one thing that still irks Knick fans about Raymond's play, though, it's those reckless pull-up threes. We got used to watching Felton drain stop-and-pop daggers in the season's first few months, but those legs lose some stop and plenty of pop when you're leading the team in minutes for three months. Raymond could do a service to the Knicks and to his own shooting percentage by cutting out the pull-ups pull-ups pull-ups.

5. Timofey Mozgov. (Last week: 5) Mozgov's 23-point, 14-rebound breakout last week was a tough act to follow, but Timo still worked his way to sturdy defense, tough rebounds, and a spot in the starting lineup. After watching his Knicks get pummeled by Elton Brand and rebounders, Mike D'Antoni called upon his Russian to perform (this is called "wielding tha AK" by absolutely nobody), and perform he did. Brand still got his, but Mozgov's eight rebounds and three blocks (and even his six fouls) were key to New York's win. If you haven't been reading Alexander Chernykh's translations of Timo's blog posts (or the original Russian, if that's your cup of чай), you totally should.

6. Toney Douglas. (Last week: 7) Toney Douglas is doing what Toney Douglas do pretty reliably these days, but it's WTD doesn't that has the Knicks shopping for guard help. For all of his attributes, the guy just can't play point guard without a babysitter, which is why Raymond Felton needs extra ice these days. Douglas hasn't proven that he can adequately spell Felton, and New York's offensive collapse in Friday's fourth quarter perfectly exemplified that.

7. Shawne Williams. (Last week: 6) The curious Achilles heel to Shawne Williams's downtown prowess is that he occasionally loses faith. Shawne's been known to pass up poops from outside in favor of inauspicious rim-ward jaunts. That tendency toward gun shyness came to the forefront on Friday, when Extra E declined a decent three-point look and shanked a floater instead. Shawne's postgame remorse was more than a little heartbreaking:

"I don't know what I was thinking," he said glumly. "It was a dumb, young, mental mistake that I made. The fellas might not think that, but I think that, because I just made one prior to that, to even get it to 2."

In the next game, both Shawne's attempts were from outside. Bet you each a nickel he doesn't attempt more than three two-pointers before the next Power Rankings.

8. Wilson Chandler. (Last week: Injured) Wilson's back in the rotation, but still seems a tad hesitant and a little glummer than usual (which is tough for somebody who has the same blank expression after a dunk and after a nap). Whether he's still hurting or irked by rumorous articles like the one just linked, something's off.

9. Ronny Turiaf. (Last week: 8) Turiaf, who needs to do more stretching before games or something, went down with a sprained ankle and did not play on Sunday. That means the Knicks were 0-2 last week in games that Ronny played and 1-0 in games he didn't. The guy is clearly a parasite on an otherwise flawless basketball club. Seriously, though, the return of Chandler and rebirth of Mozgov are going to cut into Turiaf's already wavering minutes, even once that ankle de-sprains. Ronny will surely be nothing but excellent (and not at all parasitic) in any role he's asked to fill.

10. Bill Walker. (Last week: 9) We know Mike D'Antoni has a thing for short rotations, so Walker might be the odd man out for the time being. His minutes dwindled from fifteen to three to zero in each of the week's games. It's a kind of a shame, because Bill was just starting to play with a hint of aggression.

11. Andy Rautins. (Last week: 11) Andy played! In garbage time against the Mavs, Mr. Rautins got to spin for a moment, had himself a very sporty steal, and coolly drained one of his two free throws. Very impressive, Andy. In other news, an individual crueler than I might be inclined to call him "Raut", since those are the only type of games in which he gets minutes.

12. Anthony Randolph. (Last week: 10) Anthony played too! And he even hit a three! In fact, Anthony's been smoking teammates in long distance shoot-outs! Okay, Anthony!

13. Roger Mason Jr. (Last week: 12) Meanwhile, renowned marksman Roger Mason Jr. has yet to sink a three this season. Poor Roger.

Knicks Vision Says Ignore Laker Rumors

As a matter of fact, ignore every Carmelo rumor you hear over the next two weeks. After I awoke this morning to texts, emails, and tweets asking me “Is Carmelo REALLY going to the Lakers?!?!?!?!?!” I felt compelled to write this column.

First off, according to a Lakers executive who has been briefed on the discussions, when discussing all of the rumors about a possible Bynum for Melo swap, this executive replied “What’s out there is inaccurate.” (Via RealGM.com) But if you’re still convinced that the Lakers are still in play, consider the proposed deal: Andrew Bynum (a 23 year old center who already has had two major surgeries) for Carmelo Anthony (a four time all-star). Doesn’t make a ton of sense, right?

Now I know that when healthy, Bynum is one of the top centers in the game. Likewise, I know that there is not a more valueable comodity in the NBA than a young and talented center. But if Denver is trying to find a future replacement for Carmelo Anthony, I hardly think that Bynum is a wise investment.

So why would such a rumor leak? Consider where the Nuggets stand in terms of negotiations. Practically the entire league believes that Melo will wind up a New York Knick, and given this belief, few teams are willing to bid on him. My suspicion is that Denver, realizing that at the point that the Knicks are essentially bidding against themselves, felt a need to “engage” another team in discussions. This happens all the time in the NBA, and is especially common as the trading deadline draws closer.

Generally I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that today’s rumor isn’t true. But Denver’s track record throughout this entire ordeal hasn’t been stellar. During the New Jersey portion of their negotiations, it seemed that every rumor that was leaked was eventually shot down by every team other than Denver. Obviously, negotiations are a complicated procedure, especially when what’s on the table is as valuable as Carmelo Anthony. But here are three things to remember while trying to sift through the next two weeks of rumors:

1. Very rarely, if ever, will a team truthfully leak useable information about a deal. It’s just bad business. In fact, when it does happen, you can bet that somebody will be fired. Beat writers and national reporters all have their various contacts throughout the league, but I doubt that any individual who deals with his team’s front office operations would be willing to give out any information that could damage his organization’s chance at winning. Generally, what’s leaked is done so to improve a team’s ability to acquire a player.
2. Most of these “rumors” are the result of what happens when NBA bloggers play with the trade machine too much. If a deal seems logical, the money matches up, and it’s a slow day of news, a reporter very well may decide to publish his own idea as a potential rumor. This happens all the time (and it’s how about 50% of ESPN’s Rumor Mill is generated, FYI).
3. Don’t forget what we already know: Carmelo Anthony wants to be a New York Knick, and the New York Knicks apparently want Carmelo Anthony. We are all so quick to assume that just because a credible sources hears a development, that information should take precedence over common fact. Don’t allow how the breeze is blowing one day to affect what you wear for the next month, if that saying I just made up makes the slightest bit of sense.

Knicks 9-7 when Others Take the Lead

Tip of the cap to theknicksblog.com for this image which i found very interesting;

Who would have thought they would be above .500 without Amar'e being the leading scorer, see for yourself -

Gallinari Getting the Grind

The free-throw line is nicknamed "the charity stripe" because that's where NBA points come easiest. For Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari, it's the gift that keeps on giving. By one metric, he's one of the NBA's most skilled players at earning a trip to the line.

Mr. Gallinari currently makes 0.36 free throws for every one of his possessions—good for second-best in the league. Using this statistic, a player is credited with a possession when the play ends with him either shooting the ball, turning it over or getting to the free-throw line. Mr. Gallinari's rate is exceeded only by Dallas's Tyson Chandler among the 150 players who average at least 25 minutes per game. Mr. Chandler and many others near the top in this statistical ranking play almost exclusively in the paint, where fouls are more frequent. Incredibly, according to play-by-play data at 82games.com, a team-high 84% of Mr. Gallinari's shots are jumpers. Therefore, Mr. Gallinari seems to draw an inordinate number of fouls for a player who rarely goes to the basket.

Mr. Gallinari easily tops the Knicks in free throws made per possession. Amar'e Stoudemire is 30th best in the league (0.24 free throws made per possession), and no other Knicks player is in the top 95. While Mr. Gallinari rarely misses from the line (87.8%), he's also sixth best in the NBA if we sort by free-throw attempts per possession.

Drawing fouls at an elite rate can limit the playing time of opposing starters and create penalty situations where all Knicks get to shoot free throws when they otherwise would not. The mystery is why don't the Knicks opt to have the ball end in Mr. Gallinari's hands more frequently? Currently, he only ranks fourth on the team in overall possessions.

—Michael Salfino

The Charity Stripe

The NBA players who make the most free throws per each one of their possessions (a possession is credited to a player when he either shoots the ball, goes to the free-throw line or commits a turnover).

Rank	Player*	FGA	FT	FTA	TOV	FTM Rate
1	Tyson Chandler	212	143	181	48	0.42
2	Danilo Gallinari	432	208	237	41	0.36
3	Kevin Martin	708	353	401	103	0.36
4	Chauncey Billups	435	231	252	107	0.35
5	Nene Hilario	354	171	227	74	0.32
6	James Harden	330	150	180	59	0.32
7	George Hill	319	136	157	54	0.31
8	Rodney Stuckey	490	210	242	87	0.31
9	Dwight Howard	625	308	527	156	0.30
10	Kevin Durant	878	348	394	138	0.29

* min, 25 minutes per game

A Trade I Would Do....

This latest rumor is intriguing and sources say could happen as early as this week.

Via ESPNNY.com.....

The Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks are discussing a three-team trade that would make forward Carmelo Anthony a Knick before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, according to league sources.

In the proposed trade, New York would send Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to Minnesota and the Timberwolves would send Corey Brewer and a first-round pick to Denver. Denver would also receive Wilson Chandler from New York.

A Timberwolves source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher on Sunday that the team would not approve of a deal where the team received just New York's Randolph and Curry with Brewer and a first-rounder heading to Denver. While these are the names currently being discussed, additional players could be added to make a deal possible, sources said.

The deal is not expected to happen until the middle of next week at the earliest, and one source said it could drag out until the trade deadline. Denver, which has been exchanging proposals with the Knicks for the past couple weeks, is weighing other options.

With teams aware of Anthony's desire to play in New York, the Nuggets' choices are limited. With little chance of signing Anthony long-term, few clubs are willing to send valuable assets to Denver.

If the trade with New York and Minnesota goes through, Anthony would be in line to receive a three-year, $65 million contract extension as part of the agreement in what is known as an extend-and-trade.

Since Anthony's preference to play for New York is known, there is some sentiment within the Knicks organization to hold off on trading for him and wait until he becomes a free agent this summer. Such a move would enable them to keep their young assets.

But owner James Dolan has been pressing team president Donnie Walsh to trade for Anthony before the deadline, according to sources.

"Dolan is really pressuring Walsh to get Melo, but Denver has been vacillating back and forth," one of the sources said.

A trade to New York would end the season-long saga that began last summer when Anthony refused to sign the contract extension with the Nuggets.

Late in the preseason, reports of a potential four-team deal with New Jersey, Utah and Charlotte that would make Anthony a Net surfaced.

But league sources say the deal was overblown and New Jersey was actually leaking the story in an effort to pressure Denver's new front office regime of Josh Kroenke and Masai Ujiri into making a deal.

Last month, reports of another potential trade of Anthony to New Jersey surfaced, this time involving the Detroit Pistons. That deal was close to being agreed upon, but Anthony was reluctant to sign the three-year, $65 million extension with New Jersey.

Anthony agreed to meet with the Nets but owner Mikhail Prokhorov called off his club's pursuit of Anthony in a news conference a day before the scheduled sit-down was to take place.

There have been no talks between New Jersey and Denver since Prokhorov pulled out of the deal, but the Nets are monitoring the Nuggets' discussions with other teams. The possibility of New Jersey reigniting talks with the Nuggets remains until the Nets trade away Troy Murphy, whose expiring contract is critical to any deal between the two clubs.