New York Knicks Tip Off at Madison Square Garden with Nas & Swizz Beats

by: Dana P. (E.I.C.)

Knicks season ticket holders were in for a special treat this past Sunday at The Mecca. Hip hop legends Swizz Beats & Nas took the court, following the Knicks Scrimmage Tip Off game at Madison Square Garden, and we were there front and center for this historic event! Yes, I said historic for a "scrimmage" game. Did I mention Justin Beiber was sitting court side, FRONT row?! Indeed he was there, along with Taylor Swift. 

Image Credit: Kate Arian

We have OFFICIALLY tipped off the 2015 season, so you might wanna check out this COURT SIDE FOOTAGE we got of The Knicks Dancers, the scrimmage, and performances by Nas & Swizz Beats! 

For The East Coast; NBA Atlantic Division Preview

Image Credit: NotSportsCenter.com

by: Josh Henderson

Twitter: @verybadwrong

In the NBA, the teams in what is now the Atlantic Division used to be champions. The Celtics, the Knicks. They were contenders every year. Lately though, the Atlantic Division is, and has been for a while now, bad. 

Last year, the Atlantic produced two playoff teams: Toronto (48-34) and Brooklyn (44-38). This year, well, there isn't much reason to hope for improvement, though we can be fairly sure someone will win the division.

Over the off-season, Toronto did exactly what they need to do. They re-signed Kyle Lowry, bucking the trend they've set for letting budding stars go in exchange for nothing. Lowry and Demar DeRozan, an all-star last year, form a solid backcourt. Along with their draft and re-signing Patrick Patterson, a solid all around 4, they added depth while maintaining their core. With good shooting big men and all-star guards, they'll win the Atlantic again, easily.

The Nets... They made some off-season moves themselves. Jason Kidd learned the hard way he wasn't quite as in charge as he thought. He asked for more control, and ended up in Milwaukee. The Nets brought in Lionel Hollins, who used to coach in Milwaukee, to be their head coach. Hollins has said he'd like to run a faster offense. He may as well play himself. The Nets are too old, too slow, and lack anyone to space the floor. Joe Johnson will continue to shoulder the load, while big men Kevin Garnett - yes, that Kevin Garnett - and Brooks Lopez will try to keep up. Deron Williams is a solid 1, but overall, the Nets will take a step backwards. 

Image Credit: ESPN.go.com

A step backwards into... The New York Knicks. The Knicks have made a lot of noise this off-season. Some more than others. They hired a guy by the name of Phil Jackson to captain the ship. Not to coach, though. They re-signed their star, Carmelo Anthony. They brought in Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert. Calderon is a capable point guard you may have never heard of. That's okay. We all know the Knicks' season depends on Melo. He thinks the triangle offense will help him. The triangle offense depends on movement and specifically ball movement, not historically Melo's strengths. Melo has to decide if he's willing to play along. JR Smith and Calderon can both space the floor like Steve Kerr or BJ Armstrong did with the Bulls and Jordan. We'll learn if it's going to work early on. I expect the Knicks to pass the Nets and, yes, take a playoff spot. But that's it.

The Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers bear mentioning, but only because they're in the division. The Celtics drafted Marcus Smart, who has the skill set, especially defensively, to become a good NBA point guard. And Danny Ainge made some clever moves involved with the Lebron to Cleveland three team trade, picking up Tyler Zeller and a draft pick. They won't make much noise this year. 

Neither will the 76ers, who are playing to be a great team in the early 2020's. They were absolutely awful last year, and they'll be absolutely awful until a couple years after they manage to finally win the draft lottery. They drafted Joel Embiid, Dario Sacic, and five other players you've never heard of - and likely won't hear of again. Embiid is an entertaining Twitter follow, but recent history of injury prone high draft picks doesn't suggest he'll have a long or productive career. 

To summarize:

2014/15 NBA Atlantic Division predictions:

Toronto Raptors
New York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers

The Raptors and Knicks should make the playoffs, barring significant injuries, but not advance. There's always next year. Or 2020, for the 76ers.

MORE on Carmelo Anthony...

Carmelo Anthony is a joke. Do a quick Twitter search. He shoots too much. He holds the ball for too long. He never wins. Knicks' fans know all this. You could hear their collective groan in Cleveland when he re-signed. Yet, as of writing this, he's the highest paid player in the league. Why?

Because he should be. Last year, Melo turned 30. He had a career high in minutes played for a bad Knicks team. He's largely injury free. He averaged 27 points and 8 rebounds. He shot over 40% from 3 point range and almost 85% from the stripe. And in a league full of stars that sit back and watch the other team score on defense, he had 1.2 steals and almost a block a game.

So what? Stats aren't everything, right? The guy's a bum, and you know it. New York won't win with him. Metric stats say Lebron is worth about 15 more wins a year than Melo. Oh, sorry, that was more stats. Why should you give him a chance?

While the money was no small factor, let's ask Melo why he stayed:

"This organization has supported me and in return, I want to stay and build here with this city and my team," he posted to his website. "In the end, I am a New York Knick at heart."

Tacky? Maybe. After the fact? Definitely. But, for a couple of minutes,  in a league where stars chase money and championships, can we agree to stop hating on Melo? At least until he holds the ball for fifteen seconds only to miss a jumper.

By:: Josh Henderson

More on Melo resigning with the Knicks.

After over a week of contemplating and  speculating, Carmelo Anthony is  scheduled to resign with the Knicks.  The  Brooklyn-born NBA superstar was courted by various NBA teams when he became a free agent at the conclusion of the NBA season. In the past season, he averaged 27.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.  Because of his gifted basketball talents, he was heavily recruited by other teams. Organizations that he met up with were; the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks. In the end, he decided  to stay with the Knicks.  Anthony will be signing a 5 year contract extension. The exact price has yet to be announced, but since the Knicks can offer him the most money, it will be 

around $129 million. 

With Mike Woodson gone as coach, it will be interesting to see how Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks fare with Derek Fisher as the new coach.  

Author: Rayle King 

Melo stays! Knicks fans in AWE as Carmelo Anthony STAYS a New York Knickerbocker!

Multiple sources are reporting via Twitter that it's pretty much a "done deal," Knicks fans could expect their pride and joy, Melo BACK in New York this season!

CBSsports.com reports;

"The first big domino in free agency fell on Friday when LeBron James chose to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers over re-signing with the Miami Heat. Now the other big free agent has made his decision. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has confirmed reports that Carmelo Anthony will re-sign with the New York Knicks. Anthony is expected to receive a five-year, $129 million contract to stay in New York as he remains the centerpiece around Phil Jackson's vision for rebuilding this roster into less of a joke and more of a contender."

"Anthony's decision to stay could be viewed as a money grab, considering he's earning $30 million more than anywhere else he can sign. With the Knicks being such a disaster last season due to coaching problems, roster issues, and injuries, it doesn't seem like the team is in any position to contend because they aren't. But just a year prior to the disasterous season, Anthony led them to 54 wins and the second round of the playoffs. There isn't any roster flexibility this season, unless a team is willing to take the contracts of big men Amar'e Stoudemire and/or Andrea Bargnani, but Jackson's vision for the future could be a quick turnaround after the 2014-15 season."

Knicks fans all over the New York tri-state area are RELIEVED since the news just broke, only minutes ago. This should be an exciting year for New York, with new head coach, Derek Fisher onboard, alongside their new president who came to the rescue at the end of the 2014 season, Phil Jackson.

By:: Dana P. (Blog Owner/Editor in Chief)