There are two possible words to describe the NBA offseason thus far: player movement.

Since last season’s trade, deadline rumors of Dwight Howard leaving Orlando took NBA movement headlines. Although he has made it clear that he wants to join the Brooklyn Nets, the Orlando Magic have not found the right deal to send their superstar packing. It seems talks between the Magic and Nets are over for now after Brooklyn inked current center Brook Lopez to a four-year, $61 million deal. The longer the Magic continues to hold onto Howard, the less leverage they will have when it comes to deals. Orlando doesn’t want history to repeat itself when they lost Shaquille O’Neal for nothing.

The Brooklyn Nets did not let the “Dwight-mare” affect them when it came to making other deals. One of the biggest moves this offseason included the addition of ex-Atlanta Hawks guard, Joe Johnson, to Brooklyn. The Nets sent Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams, and two draft picks in exchange for the six-time all-star. The addition of Joe Johnson definitely helped Deron Williams make his decision to come back with the Nets, signing a five-year $98 million deal. The Nets also agreed to terms with veteran point guard, C.J. Watson.

The Nets possible starting line-up for next season could be: Brook Lopez, newly signed forward Mirza Teletovic, Gerald Wallace, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams. Let’s not forget MarShon Brooks, who will make a great impact off the bench for the Nets. It seems the Nets have made a jump from possible lottery winners to playoff contenders in a few months.

With the Nets making all these moves and improving, their New York rival Knicks had to start doing something. In a sign-and-trade, the Knicks welcomed back Marcus Camby and sent Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan, and two future second-round picks to the Rockets. The 38 year old will help back up Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire, as well as help the Knicks improve defensively.

Knicks brought in another veteran signing point guard, Jason Kidd. Kidd is coming off his worst career year, averaging only 6.2 points per game and 5.5 assists per game. Signing Kidd made Knick fans assume they would re-sign Jeremy Lin; however, that does not seem to be the case after the Knicks’ latest move. The Knicks are bringing back Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas for Jared Jeffries and Dan Gadzuric.

Bringing back Felton likely closes the idea that the Knicks will match the Houston Rockets three-year $25 million deal for Lin. The Knicks have also re-signed Steve Novak and J.R Smith. Felton back in New York may be the only good move so far for the Knicks. Looking at everything else they seem to have just gotten older, not better.

However, the Knicks have parted ways with guard Landry Fields after not matching the Raptors three year $19 million deal. Toronto also added guard Kyle Lowry in exchange for Gary Forbes and a future first-round pick.

When everyone thought the Heat couldn’t get any better, the NBA champions did. The Heat added veteran sharp shooter, Ray Allen, in a three-year deal. Also, the Heat added veteran, Rashard Lewis, to a two-year deal.

After losing one veteran, the Celtics locked up Kevin Garnett to a 3-year $34 million deal. The 36-year old will definitely help improve Boston’s rookie big men Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo’s skills in order to be effective in the NBA. The Celtics also brought in another veteran guard, Jason Terry. Terry will likely start due to guard Avery Bradley undergoing shoulder surgery; however, once Bradley returns, Terry will take the duty as sixth man.

Philadelphia 76ers added guard Nick Young, who averaged 14.2 points per game last season. Young will be a good replacement for Lou Williams, who has reached an agreement with the Atlanta Hawks. In addition, Young may have the edge to earn the starting job over Evan Turner.

The Detroit Pistons traded away guard Ben Gordon and a first-round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Corey Maggette. The Bobcats also added free agents Ramon Sessions and Brendan Haywood.

Indiana Pacers re-signed guard George Hill as well as center Roy Hibbert. In addition, the Pacers added Gerald Green and D.J Augustin. However, the Pacers traded guard Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones for Ian Mahinmi.

The Milwaukee Bucks were able to re-sign probably one of the most underrated free agents this offseason, Ersan Ilyasova. Ilyasova signed a four-year, $45 million contract after having the best season of his career averaging 13 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Although the only news coming from Orlando is about Dwight Howard trade rumors, they were able to re-sign guard Jameer Nelson and add Gustavo Ayon via trade for three-point specialist Ryan Anderson.

There is still tons of time and room for more deals to be done in the East and it will be exciting to see what will happen next.

For More Eastern Conference Moves/Deals 

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The “Linsanity” that has taken the Knicks, New York, and the NBA by storm sounds like something out of a movie. The underdog who no one gave a shot finally gets it and doesn’t disappoint. It is of course normal for people to be skeptical – how many times have we seen someone take everyone by surprise only to plummet back to Earth, never able to recapture the run they had. However, Jeremy Lin is not one of these stories; he is the real deal.

Lin has single handedly saved Mike D’Antoni’s job and the Knicks’ season in a five game span. Add to that, he’s doing it with a roster missing All-Stars Amare Stoudemire (family death) and Carmelo Anthony (injured groin), making things even more amazing.

He’s been doing this all week with a starting lineup that consisted of Landry Fields, Bill Walker, Jared Jeffries, and Tyson Chandler. He’s turned Steve Novak, who has been buried on the Knicks bench all season, into a legitimate bench scoring threat, finding him open for threes multiple times a game.

Lin was exactly what the Knicks needed and hoped Baron Davis could be when he returned. A true point guard. During this five game win streak, Lin has been breaking down defenses with his dribble and quickness, shown a very good ability to run the pick and roll, as well as proven that he can knock down jumpers if left open.

Take a look at his numbers over the Knicks’ longest win streak this season. Lin is averaging 26.8 points on 53% shooting, eight assists, 4.2 rebounds, two steals. Impressive numbers for anyone over a five game stretch, but what’s more impressive is who he has done it against.

Lin has squared off against Deron Williams, Devin Harris, John Wall, Derek Fisher, and Ricky Rubio. We are talking about a bonafide superstar, the prospect traded for that superstar, a number one pick, a good defensive veteran, and this years leading candidate for rookie of the year. While in the case of Wall and Williams, they don’t exactly have the interior that would scare anybody, the other three have extremely formidable front-courts which still couldn’t prevent Lin’s penetration.

Lin has scored more points in his first four starts than anyone else since the merger back in the 70s. That means more than Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and yes, even LeBron James.

While the Knicks won’t need Lin to keep carrying the scoring load once Stoudemire and Anthony return, what they will need is for him to control the offense and continue to find the open man in their spots. What his scoring ability will do is open the offensive end up even more as defenses will have to respect that ability.

It has only been five games and four starts into the “Lincredible” streak, but if you watch the way Lin plays you know that the kid is the real deal. Even against Rubio who gave Lin a hard time defensively all night, he was still able to run the pick and roll and find the open man.

At the end of the game, when it mattered most, Lin was able to find a wide open Novak for the game tying three, and then use his quickness to draw a foul and hit the go-ahead foul shot to seal the game.

A sign of a good player, especially the point guard, is the ability to elevate the play of not only himself, but his teammates as well and Lin has exceeded this on every level imaginable. Lin was said to have been watching video in the locker room at halftime during a game because he was upset with his inability to get as many alley-oops to Chandler. No one could have expected this and no one saw it coming but the Knicks have potentially stumbled onto something great.

They will continue to ride this out for as long as it lasts, which looks like could be quite a long time. One thing definitely is for sure though, things in New York have gotten “Linsane” and this team and fan base have gotten a much need injection of excitement.

It has been quite some time Knicks fans, but it now looks like you have a team that can make some noise in the playoffs, and an underdog rising star whom you can rally around. It’s official New York, you have a true point guard and a basketball team worth watching so enjoy it.

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Since the Carmelo trade during last years 2010-2011 NBA season there has been speculation on both ends whether the trade was better for Denver or New York. Initially it seemed the Knicks were getting the sweet end of the deal but looking at the numbers now, some people may think a little differently. Looking at the regular season records for both teams since the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Knicks are 20-22, not even .500, while the Denver Nuggets are 28-12, sixteen games over .500.

When analyzing the trade that took place between the NY Knicks the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, neither team kept all players in the trade. Most of these players were traded after the lockout for other reasons. The Knicks lost Raymond Felton who was their starting point guard, although they received a veteran point guard in Chauncey Billups through the trade, after the lockout they got rid of Billups to free up cap space to sign big free agent Tyson Chandler from the Mavericks.

Everyone knows that D’Antoni preaches offense and is known for not being the best defensive coach. Then this stat would confuse some people in that, the Knicks are 22nd in offensive efficiency, which is a stat that measures points per every 100 possessions. While the Knicks are 22nd in this category the, “Meloless” Nuggets rank 5th.

So this leads to the question what is missing in the NY Knicks offense and the answer is: a solid point guard. With the loss of Billups and Felton, the Knicks fell back to signing two other veteran point guards, Mike Bibby from the Miami Heat, and Baron Davis from the Cleveland Cavaliers who is still trying to return from injuries.

With that in mind, much of the weight of the Knicks offense was not on any of their “Big 3″ so to speak, but on their rookie point guard Iman Shumpert out of Georgia Tech. Shumpert has come to the starting position and said in an interview about Carmelo and Stoudemire, “We’re making them take a lot of tough shots and we’re depending on them to score points,” Shumpert said. “We’ve got to make the offense a lot smoother.”

Shumpert makes a good point because coming into Wednesday game against the Suns, the Knicks were fifth worst in field goal percentage, and in the game against the Suns, the Knicks shot only 37.5 percent. Shumpert has a lot to learn being a rookie. When you look at teams like the San Antonio Spurs with Tony Parker, you see a team with a solid point guard with a smooth running offense.

That means breaking down the defense, running the offense, calling the right plays and finding the open man in order to put points on the board. Maybe Knicks is not giving Shumpert time to develop and go after veteran point guard Steve Nash who will be a free agent after this season. Looking back he ran a flawless offense with Stoudmire that could potentially work in D’Antoni’s offense.

The Knicks look to turn their four game losing streak around this Friday at the Garden when the 4-9 Milwaukee Bucks come into town. More importantly the Nuggets come to NY for the first time since the Melo trade and they come into the Garden with a better record the NY Knicks, and all eyes are on Melo to deliver an all-star performance.

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It is Christmas, and that means the NBA starts! This is the beginning of an NBA season that we never thought was going to happen and that means power rankings. To start off this year, the defending champion Mavericks are atop the list as they look to repeat again this year. Right behind them are the Heat with their big three who should benefit from the shortened season. The Knicks and Clippers made splashes with offseason moves and should improve their standings, along with the Bulls who added Richard Hamilton to solidify an already solid team.

Rounding out the bottom is the Pistons, Kings, and Cavaliers. The Pistons made some questionable signings, which will probably hurt them in the long run. The Kings, while improving, still have a long way to go, and the Cavaliers got worse after losing Baron Davis to the Knicks. All in all, it should be an interesting season with the compressed schedule, and the power rankings will be here every week to let you know how your team stands against the rest.

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When I told my mom I was writing a story comparing the sports Mecca’s of Boston and New York, she laughed in my face. She said, “Son, you’ve lived your whole life in New Jersey and I swear to god if you say one thing good about the Red Sox I’m taking the car from you”…No mom, anything but the car! These words stung because I decided to write this when the Red Sox were on a roll and leading the American East. Now, I can breathe easy as the first place Yankees have won seven straight and damn are they good; but wow have Boston sports been on a tear in recent memory. (Sorry momma)

Let’s compare the cities by the three big sports (basketball, baseball and football). I can promise all of you that you won’t find any use of “wicked” or “fugghet about it” in this article. This shall be fun.

New England Patriots vs. New York (New Jersey) Jets/ Giants

This matchup shouldn’t even exist because both New York football teams don’t actually play in New York but we’ll let that slide.  Now a few years ago this would be a no brainer. The Patriots were in the midst of the dynasty, the Giants were a slightly above average football team, and the Jets were a joke under “The Walking Cast”; Chad Pennington.  Then in 2009, the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in an amazing Superbowl comeback, and all of a sudden the Rex Ryan Jets have become a constant visitor to the AFC championship game. Oh how the tables have turned. Today, the Jets are young, led by third year quarterback Mark Sanchez and a dynamite offensive line.

There defense is top in the league but aging quickly. The Patriots are led by the one of the all time greats in Tom Brady. They lack an effective running game and a star wide receiver but Coach Belichick has a knack of developing great role players with the likes of Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead. There defense is young, and becoming really good, really fast. The Giants have an average quarterback in Eli Manning, an inconsistent running game but a very good receiving corps led by Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith. There defense looks to be losing a key member in Osi Umenyiora and their secondary looks to improve with rookie addition Prince Awakamura.

The Edge:

Boston: The only reason I almost picked New York was because of Tom Brady’s draft day crying episode a few months back; oh and that hideous ponytail. The Patriots though, are still one of the best teams in the league. They have a hall of fame coach with a hall of fame quarterback; and any team that can make a star out of Danny Woodhead is doing something right. The Jets will still be solid but they’ll be losing key free agents whenever the lockout ends and it’s hard to tell if there defense can stay out of the trainer’s room. As for the Giants, well I just see no hope for them.  The team is going downhill instead of up and Eli’s play has become too inconsistent.

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

Ah, finally; the almighty rivalry of Yankees vs. Red Sox. There is so much history between these two teams that it’s hard not to get excited over the rivalry. From back in the days of Babe Ruth to Ted Williams to the present of Jeter and Pedroia, the rivalry never gets old. The Yankees are 27 time World Champions with their last championship coming in just 2009.  The Red Sox has been on fire recently and won two World Series since 2004 after an 86 year losing streak. Both teams seem to be 1 and 2 in the American League East every single year and seem to both make the playoffs. Every. Single. Year. (Do you think they get tired of playing each other?) Today, the Yankees are atop the AL East with the Red Sox less than two games behind and both teams are World Series contenders. All it comes down to really is who will beat who?

The Edge

New York: Got to give this one to the Yankees (You’re welcome Mom). The Yankees are the best franchise in all of sports. I know, I know, they had one collapse to the Red Sox back in 2004 but I’m sure the Yankees just felt bad and let them win. The Red Sox are known for losing; Babe, Bucky, Buchner, Boone anyone? If you’re going to pull the Yankees buy their team argument; well guess what? So, do the Red Sox. (Crawford, Gonzalez). The Yankees are currently first in the AL East ahead of the Red Sox and have the stronger lineup and bullpen. The Yankees take the cake on this one.

New York Knicks Vs Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have been one of the most consistently winning teams in all of the NBA for the past few seasons. After a forgetful start to the new millennium, the Celtics returned to prominence in 2007-2008 with the formation of The Big Three. The Big Three consisted of Boston superstar, Paul Pierce and new additions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.  The Celtics have gone on to win an NBA championship and win at least 60 games every season since the formation of the Big Three.

The Big three though is getting up there in years and coach Doc Rivers seems ready for retirement. The Knicks on the other hand have been well, awful. They were a league embarrassment under former President and Coach, Isaiah Thomas (Drafting Renaldo Balkman?!) and have only recently reinstated the winning to the Knicks faithful. With the additions of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks could have a bright future ahead of them.

The Edge:

Boston: It was almost a no brainer on this one. Even though Boston is a team full of old men, they are a well oiled machine. The Celtics put on a clinic this past spring and swept the new look Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks are on the rise but without a big man and a stable front office; I don’t see it happening quickly. The Celtics are destined to win for at least a few more seasons.

It looks like that Boston has edged out New York for the better sports city. (Sorry Mom). The battle is extremely close and could go either way but right now Boston just can’t seem to lose. Wicked awesome right?

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If you follow the NBA, it is important to know what happens behind the scenes. The truth of the matter is, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), is a major piece of the puzzle in regards to what happens within the NBA.

Creative Artists Agency has a huge advantage in signing elite athletes, especially elite NBA athletes. The agency represents famous and credentialed players such as: Yankees shortstop and captain, Derek Jeter, Colts QB, Peyton Manning, and Pittsburgh Penguins centre and captain, Sidney Crosby.

Despite only delving into the sports market in 2006, as USA Today columnist Thomas K. Arnold writes, the agency, “has built CAA Sports from concept to colossus.” There is no doubt that the agency, despite entering the sports agency business a short five years ago, represents an extremely impressive list of clientele. The interesting question is: how did the agency get this impressive list of clientele?

It has been reported by insider sources and journalists alike that the agency’s pull in signing elite NBA stars is because of LeBron James.

After aligning with CAA—are Chris Paul and Deron Williams destined to pull a LeBron James?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo sports, reported in a June 11th article, that James is very valuable to Creative Artists Agency. In the article, an anonymous league executive is quoted as saying, “LeBron has almost become a movement within the league…With Worldwide Wes [CAA agent William Wesley] and him, you’re making a decision as a player to be packaged the way they packaged him. They follow him.”

Elaborating on this, Wojnarowski specifically says, “James has been a part of recruiting everyone else over to his side…” In reference to the article by Wojnarowski, the players that have been recruited by LeBron to unite with Creative Artists agency include stars like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.

Now, with the recent announcement that New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams fired his “longtime agent” and is considering joining Leon Rose of Creative Artists Agency, a question has been swirling: Will Williams switch teams?

The fact is, after Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony became clients of Creative Artists agency they switched teams. With the announcement of leaving his agent and possibly joining CAA, Williams will be asked the same questions as, free-agent-to-be, Chris Paul.

Chris Paul who, like Williams, is slated to become a free agent after the upcoming season, became a client of CAA a year ago. Interestingly, both Paul and Williams have been the subject of speculation in regards to switching teams when they become free agents; but would both of them switching to CAA before they’re slated to become free agents, be a coincidence or not?

The puzzle is all too similar to Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony. Chris Paul, who is playing for the small-market New Orleans Hornets, has already aligned himself with CAA and Deron Williams, who plays for the New Jersey Nets, appears to be ready to align himself with CAA.

Although Williams does not play for a small market, both Paul and him appear to be on a similar path as Bosh, Anthony and even James; all three players left smaller market teams in order to team up with superstars on bigger market teams. All three left their teams after joining Creative Artists Agency.

A great question was posed by a blogger for cbssports.com’s eye on the basketball blog. The blogger asks the following question, “James and company paved the way for star players to realize how to maximize their leverage. If you’re Williams, watching the Heat compete for a title in Year One, what is there to convince you that following in those footsteps isn’t a good idea?” A similarly pertinent question is: Are NBA superstars who are following in LeBron’s footsteps by signing with CAA, realizing that they need to sign with bigger markets in order to maximize their leverage or is this just a coincidence?

Will the Knicks front office decision be further indication of CAA’s influence?

Another tidbit of information, which might shed somelight on CAA’s influence within the NBA, is the Knicks situation. The decision the Knicks make about who to hire as their next general manager, might be a decision based on who they think gives them the best rapport with Creative Artists Agency.

Sports writers Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola addressed this subject in the New York Daily earlier this month. The article explained, how both, Mark Warkentien, who is currently a Knicks consultant and Isaiah Thomas, the ex-general manager of the Knicks, have a good relationship with CAA.

More specifically, Bondy and Isola state the following, “Warkentien is represented by Creative Artists Agency, the most influential representation in the NBA. Thomas also has a cozy relationship with CAA and its power broker, William Wesley, which he used to convince Dolan to get involved in the chases for LeBron James and Anthony.” Bondy and Isola elaborate that because of their good relationship with CAA, Thomas and Warkentien could be candidates to replace Donnie Walsh.

The fact is that if the Knicks re-hired Thomas it would be a public relations nightmare for the team. However, if the Knicks feel Thomas is the person best suited to form a rapport with CAA they could keep interim general manager Glen Grunwald as the GM. Grunwald has a close relationship with Thomas since their days together with the Pacers, Raptors, and most previously the Knicks front office.

As Frank Isola notes in a recent article, Grunwald’s relationship with Thomas’s could result in him being hired. Isola states, “Grunwald’s association with Thomas, who serves as an unofficial consultant to Dolan, doesn’t hurt either.”

Isola’s quote leads one to believe that Grunwald could be used as a pawn by Dolan to kill two birds with one stone. Grunwald could be hired by Dolan as the next general manager in order to prevent a public relations disaster. Or, at the same time he could be used to keep Thomas as a close adviser to the Knicks. Ultimately, he could be used as a link to CAA that forms a good rapport between the team and the agency before Paul and Williams are to become free agents.

Note: citations are courtesy of, Thomas K. Arnold of USA Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo sports, cbssports.com’s blog—eye on the basketball, and writers Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

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Despite criticism from much of the media about their decision, the Knicks and Donnie Walsh, for the situation they were in, completely made the right choice when they drafted Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech, with the 17 pick in last Thursday’s (June 21) NBA Draft.

Howard Beck of the New York Times explains the situation that the Knicks were in saying, “The need now is for high-quality role players, as well as shooting, rebounding and size. But the best shooters and big men were gone by the time the Knicks picked.”

These “shooters and big men” whom Beck refers to, most certainly include, Jimmer Fredette, Klay Thomson, Bismack Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic, all of whom the Knicks were rumored to have had interest in before the draft. With these four players gone, The Knicks were left with the predicament of who to choose and they obviously thought Shumpert fit their needs better.

Knicks management, Donnie Walsh in particular, said the Knicks decided to go with the smaller Shumpert because he was thought fit the needs of the team more. In reference these comments by Walsh, Chris Sheridan of ESPN writes that, “the Knicks chose a defensive-minded guard rather than a defensive-minded forward simply because of the lack of playing time opportunities available at those positions behind Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.”

The media has been critical of the Knicks decision and have been saying that the team should have scooped up forwards Chris Singleton or Kenneth Faried instead.  However, at the present moment these players would be excessive if added to the Knicks roster, due to the fact that the team is already stacked with players at the forward position.

Although many experts have said it was a stretch to take Shumpert with the 17th pick, he does give the Knicks added depth and multiple options being able to play both the point guard and two guard position.

Additionally to the holes Shumpert fills for the Knicks, management thinks of him highly because of the performance he displayed at pre-draft workouts. in reference to one of Shumperts workouts, Donnie Walsh said, “He shot the ball extremely well. His shot’s not broke. Some guys you see, and you can tell right away they can’t shoot and they’re going to have to learn form. He has good form, he was hitting shots, he can defend very well. Very well. And he’s got tremendously long arms, so I really liked him a lot,”

Also impressing the Knicks was Shumpert’s athleticism and physique. Jared Zwerling of ESPN refers to Shumpert as having  “freakish athleticism”. At the Chicago combine, Shumpert impressed onlookers, including the Knicks, with this “freakish athleticism” recording a 36.5-inch standing vertical leap. In terms of physique, what is unique about Shumpert, is, how tall he is for a point guard, yet still manages to play this position. Shumpert stands at 6-6 feet tall, with a wingspan of 6-10. Not many point guards have a wingspan of 7 feet!  Shumpert’s length, both in height and wingspan, are physical attributes considered to help him on the defensive end of the floor.

Shumpert is known more for his defensive prowess than his offense; however, if he can improve his offense even a modest amount Shumpert could be a sleeper pick that many teams will regret passing on. Even if Shumpert does not necessarily improve his offense, he can still contribute and be a valuable part of the Knicks roster. As New York Times writer Howard Beck explains, “Shumpert does not need the ball to be effective, making him a solid complement to the Knicks’ three stars.” Surely, he will be a formidable addition to the team as they come together to contend for a championship next year.

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With the NBA draft approaching fast, Knick fans know the sand is running out of the hourglass. Each ticking minute until the draft will give Knick fans a queasy stomach, especially, with the recent announcement of a supposed mutual ending to Donnie Walsh’s time as Knicks General manager.

The story of the Knicks since last summer, despite a vastly improved roster with superstars Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, led by veteran point guard Chauncey Billups, has been besmirched by allegations of wrong doing on the part of owner James Dolan and former Knick general manager and coach Isiah Thomas. The story started last summer when James Dolan tried to hire Thomas, his close friend, as a consultant for the Knicks, despite Walsh not being keen to the idea and despite Thomas already being basketball coach for the college Florida International University (FSU).  Many in the media saw the move, that was eventually shot down by Commissioner David Stern because of Thomas’s obvious conflict of interest if he were to become a consultant for the Knicks, as a slap in the face to Donnie Walsh.  The divide in the front office between Dolan and Walsh did not end there.

According to well-known sportswriter, Frank Isola, of the New York Daily News, in January Dolan and Walsh’s relationship deteriorated further after a “heated exchange over the telephone”. which included profanity. Isola elaborates on the telephone conversation, saying, the disagreement was due to an interview Walsh granted to another well-known sportswriter for the Daily News Mike Lupica. As Isola writes, “Dolan was upset that Walsh had granted an interview to Dolan’s arch nemesis in the media, Daily News columnist Mike Lupica. Although Lupica’s column was favorable toward Walsh and the Knicks, Dolan saw it as a sign of betrayal.”  What came next was the straw that broke the camels back: the Carmelo Anthony saga, which seemed to last for months. The saga was riddled with stories of Dolan unfairly usurping Walsh’s power in public. Because of Dolan’s promise to Walsh in 2008, this action was seen as an about-face. Dolan had previously promised that Walsh would have full authority to make all decisions related to basketball operations when he became GM in 2008.

Now we are faced with Friday’s news of Walsh’s departure. Knicks fans must have queasy stomachs at the thought of Isiah Thomas whispering in his good friend Dolan’s ear. The last thing the Knicks need right now is front office turmoil. This month’s draft is a pivotal one for the Knicks; it signifies what direction the Knicks will go in during the next basketball season and more importantly during the next off-season. The Knicks are trying to follow the successful blueprint of the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, trying to attain three superstar players surrounded by a cast of role players.  It is no secret to any Knicks fan that both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard will be free agents next summer, therefore, the 17^th pick in the NBA draft will shed some light on which of these players the organization thinks is best suited to complete its attainment of the big three. It would behoove the Knicks to have someone as competent, smart, and as seasoned as Donnie Walsh at the Helm. Unfortunately, Friday’s news leaves Knicks management like a ship without a captain.

The NBA draft is an event that receives ample speculation and scrutiny by pundits and non-pundits alike, allowing for wide-ranging opinion and debate. For the Knicks this year the three positions that have been tossed around, as the most logical are a point guard, center or power forward.  The question is, who is making these decisions? Are they pundits or non-pundits? With the departure of Donnie Walsh the speculation is that non-pundits will make many of the Knicks’s decisions. More specifically, similar to speculation of Thomas having Dolans ear and being a primary behind the scene decision maker, speculation has recently come out about how Creative Artists Agency will have a fluid hand in many of the Knicks decisions, including, who the teams next GM will be and whether coach Mike D’Antoni will be back. Ric Bucher of ESPN.com shares this in a column he wrote Saturday saying,

“Speculation from other team general managers is that Creative Artists Agency, which represents recently acquired superstar Carmelo Anthony as well as assistant general manager Allan Houston and consultant Mark Warkentien, will exert influence not only on who the Knicks hire to replace Walsh, but also whether D’Antoni is the Knicks coach beyond next season.”

Knicks fans have to ask themselves the following questions: Who is making the decisions behind James Dolan’s Oz like curtain of deception? Will the people or person be as competent, as smart and as seasoned as Donnie Walsh? And finally will the people or person be a hindrance to making the right decision in this year’s draft?Dark days seem to loom large over Knicks fans heads. If only Donnie Walsh were still general manager, not only would we find comfort and solace today, but  our splitting headaches would go away and our nausea would subside.

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The NBA playoffs are right around the corner, beginning April 16, and teams are preparing for the home stretch of the season. With the playoffs looming, there are several intriguing matchups in the Eastern Conference that will result in great playoff series, and must-watch TV.

No. 1 Bulls vs. No. 8 Pacers: The Bulls are neck and neck with the Celtics for the best record in the East, and as their team begins to get healthy, they have a solid starting five. Derrick Rose is unstoppable, and he is the engine that drives this team. Luol Deng, and Carlos Boozer are two nice scoring options, and Joakim Noah is a rebounding stud down low. The Pacers will have their hands full with the Bulls, but this young upstart team is fun to watch. They will enter the playoffs with a losing record, and although they boast good size inside with Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansbrough, their guards will not be able to shut down Rose, and the Bulls just have too many offensive weapons to overwhelm the Pacers.

No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Knicks: The Celtics could be the No. 1 or 2 seed in the East depending on how they finish the season. This difference between facing the Knicks, Sixers, or Pacers in the first round is huge. The Knicks with Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Chauncey Billups are dangerous and exude playoff experience. The Knicks like to play a high tempo game which could wear out the Celtics’ older players, namely Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal. The Celtics added Shaq to help their playoff run, but his inability to run the floor in transition could make him ineffective on defense. Billups will have trouble keeping up with Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen is always dangerous, but this could be a much more interesting series than a 2 vs. 7 matchup should be.

No. 3 Heat vs. No. 6 76ers: The Sixers have a nice young team that they have been building for several years now. Elton Brand has been healthy this year and back to his All-Star form. The team has talented young guards Jrue Holiday, and Jodie Meeks, with Evan Turner and Lou Williams coming off the bench, but Andre Iguodala is their biggest offensive threat, and the key to their potential playoff success. The Sixers are young and deep, but the big three of the Heat will be tough to shut down, especially in the playoffs. Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will be hungry and dangerous, and with some depth now on the bench with Mike Miller, Eddie House, and Mike Bibby. The Heat should be able to handle the up and coming Sixers, trying to shut-up most of the basketball world who hates them, or at least quiet their dissenters in the first round.

No. 4 Magic vs. No. 5 Hawks: The Magic overhauled their team early in the season to try to change the dynamics, and play more to Dwight Howard’s strengths. This team looks much different than the team that competed in the playoffs last season. The additions of Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu help make the team more dangerous, and Gilbert Arenas off the bench could come in, change the tempo, and fill up the basket when the team needs a spark. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford lead the Hawks, who seem to have a solid playoff team from year to year. They are a tough team to face, and although they are having more of a down year, they will still be a tough out for the Magic. This series could easily go seven games, but the dominance of Howard in the end will help the Magic edge out the Hawks who lack an answer to arguably the best center in the game.

This should be a year of great matchups in the East, with the wealth of stars now in the conference. Whoever ends up representing the Conference will be battle-tested, and they will be well suited to win a championship against whoever comes out of the West.

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