NY KNICKS: THIS IS YOUR MAN!

Drifting Off Course

By: Chrystopher Mulligan

NFL PRO ZACH Staff Writer

Jason Kidd Accident Vehicle

Today’s sports universe is one that strongly displays both sides of the field. In the past athletes only had to worry about the things that Sports Illustrated or ESPN wrote about them. Yet now, in the age of Twitter and 24/7 information, it has become clear that the spotlight can be both a blessing and a curse. Lately, many professional athletes are finding themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Now a days athletes embrace the gossip side of sports. Their lives are now side pieces for journalistic outlets like TMZ and People Magazine. With the overwhelming attention, it has become a lot harder for athletes to have aspects of their lives hidden from the public. One area of their lives that will forever be a topic of debate amongst fans is their social lives.

In society today, it’s quite clear that partying and friendships will factor into your social status. Who you are with and where you are at are two subjects that ultimately effects the way you are seen by other people. It can be a sign of power or, if not handled properly, a signal of distress. Lately, the latter is happening at an alarming rate. It seems as though in the past few weeks, professional athletes are auditioning to be on a marathon of COPS. Since the Super Bowl on February 5^th, there has been 29 arrests of 27 NFL players¹, most recently Kenny Britt of the Tennessee Titans. Britt was arrested early Friday morning after trying to enter the Fort Campbell Military Base. He declined an administered breathalyzer and was taken into custody on DUI charges. Britt’s DUI arrest is yet another in the string of DUIs in the past few weeks involving professional athletes. Jason Kidd of the New York Knicks, David Diehl of the New York Giants, Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks and Nick Fairley of the Detroit Lions all have had notable arrests in recent months revolving around drinking and driving.

Jason Kidd - Mug Shot

The common denominator in all of these cases, besides alcohol and automobiles, is that all these men are making large sums of money, more than the average person, and still getting behind the wheel of their own car when they have the luxury of not needing to. Kidd and Lynch being the most notable of the aforementioned men having both been arrested over the weekend of July 14^th, each signing new contracts in their respective leagues in the past four months. Lynch secured a top-tier contract for a running back in the NFL, coming in at $31 million dollars, $17 million guaranteed over 4 years, while the point guard’s new contract with the Knicks is $9 million over 3 years. The point of all this is that between the $40 million dollars invested in these two men as well as the Super Bowl bonus for the Giants’ offensive lineman and Nick Fairley still earning his rookie contract of about $15.7 million dollars from the Lions is that the combined wealth should easily afford a fleet of taxis let alone a personal driver for each.

The separating factor from these athletes and the rest of society is that after all the salary figures and what not, these men still had the desire to get behind the wheel. Since 1990, the US has averaged a steady one-third rate of alcohol related car accidents out of all automobile accidents in the US². That is a scary statistic to look at considering the amount of fender benders an average person could see on their drive to and from work in a week. The fact of the matter is that drinking and driving is and will be prevalent in the US for quite some time and the only way we can break that trend would be by setting a better example, starting with those in the spotlight first.

Now this is in no regards a generalization of all professional sports figures. Many athletes show respect and regard for the law. But that does not mean that this should be ignored. Leagues should begin to attack offenders and levy a strong punishment to those who hold the law in disregard. These men are very well aware of their finances, leaving their inability to properly hold their lives and the lives of others in high regard all the more disappointing. No sports fan wants to see their favorite players suspended or banned, but sports fan would hate to see themselves lose a loved one due to a careless decision by an individual. Just ask the Reyes family.

1 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1266007-does-the-nfl-have-a-problem-with-player-arrests

2 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1105.pdf

NY KNICKS: Josh Harrellson

Josh Harrellson 

I think Jorts is going to get his own reality series! NY Loves him!!!

2012 NY Knicks Potential Draft Pick - 2nd Round - Pick 48

NY Knicks Draft Spotlight

Machado has 1st round talent. He would be a safe pick. Don't let the college he went to (Iona) fool you! This guy can ball!

Via Wikipedia

Scott Machado (born June 8, 1990) is an American college basketball player. He is a senior point guard for the Iona Gaels and the school's all-time leader in assists.

High school career

Machado played for three years at St. Mary's High School in Manhasset, New York, where he was a teammate of NBA player Danny Green. He transferred to Saint Benedict's Preparatory School for his senior year, where he played for Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley's son, Danny.^[1]

College career

The 6'1" point guard then moved to Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. As a freshman, Machado led the Gaels in points scored (288, a 9.2 per game average), set a school record for assists by a freshman (150) and was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rookie of the year. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.5 points and 3.9 assists, leading the Gaels to a 21-win season. He was selected second team All-Conference. As a junior, Machado broke out, averaging 13.2 points and 7.6 assists per game (second in the nation). He set a school record for assists in a season (281) and was named first team all-conference.^[1]

As a senior, Machado broke the school record for assists in the first game of the season and broke Siena's Ronald Moore's MAAC record in a February 18 game against Nevada.^[2] Machado emerged as one of the top point guards in the country. He was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award^[3] and the Wooden Award.^[4]

Scott Machado
College	Iona
Conference	MAAC
Sport	Basketball
Position	Point guard
Jersey #	3
Class	Senior
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Nationality	American
Born	June 8, 1990 Queens, New York
High school	Saint Benedict's Prep Newark, New Jersey
Awards
*MAAC Player of the Year (2012) *2x First Team All-MAAC (2011, 2012) *MAAC Rookie of the Year (2009)
Honors
*MAAC, Iona all-time assist leader

Carmelo Anthony: The Nuggets & The Knicks

"I guess Peter Vecsey agrees with me"

BrainHeat

By PETER VECSEY - NY POST

Last Updated:5:59 AM, May 13, 2012

Posted:12:04 AM, May 13, 2012

If Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and general manager Masai Ujiri have made an important personnel mistake in the two years since their minds meshed as Babes in David Stern’s Toyland, feel free to alert me to it.

Regardless of the Game 7 outcome last night against the once heavily favored Lakers, the patient and prudent duet has transformed folly into a force after seemingly being ensnared for half a season in Carmelo Anthony’s tricked-out briar patch.

While hoodwinked outsiders believed Kroenke and Ujiri to be palmed hostages of Melo the Merciless, for months they played the Knicks and Nets against each other and copped far more than the original sticker price.

It pains me to concede Camp Cablevision concierge James Dolan was not alone in being masterfully manipulated by the Nuggets’ juvenile scam artists in blue jeans. Jewels also were shoplifted this season from the Blazers, Mavericks and Wizards.

Kroenke and Ujiri converted Raymond Felton, part of the Knicks booty, into Portland’s Andre Miller. The floor plan — wholly sanctioned, if not initiated, by coach George Karl — was to show Ty Lawson how much trust the coaching staff and management had in him as a scoring point guard, first by packaging Chauncey Billups with Melo then by substituting a young starter for an elderly understudy.

In a separate stroke of genius, listlessly endorsed in this space, Nene was exchanged for Washington’s JaVale McGee, whose finger rolls and one-handed dunks from 3-point range bring back thrilling images of Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins. Had rookie Kenneth Faried, a hardcore hitman plucked No. 22 in last year’s draft, not matured so rapidly, it’s doubtful management would have chanced giving up their chronically-wounded macho forward.

No pulse was even taken when Corey Brewer, a little-used member of Dallas’ championship congregation (23 minutes in six playoff games), and Rudy Fernandez were imported to Denver on Dec. 13, 2011.

Ten months after signing the amped-up 6-foot-8 free agent to a baffling three-year, $9 million guarantee, Mark Cuban surrendered the two-time titlist at Florida and the sharp-shooting Spaniard for — get this — a future second-round selection … additional salary-cap dumps that were overlooked in the wake of the departure of free agents Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson and Caron Butler.

Many talent scouts projected Brewer, chosen No. 7 overall in the 2007 draft by the Timberwolves, would be more effective as a pro than college teammates Al Horford and Joakim Noah.

It Minnesota decision-maker David Kahn 31⁄2 years to be convinced Brewer wouldn’t amount to much. It took the Knicks no time whatsoever. Joining New York as a monetary throw-in to complete the three-team Melo transaction, Brewer was cut a week later without so much as a casual glance.

(For posterity, Kevin Love was not happy to see Brewer go. He found his warp speed, effervescent behavior, practice habits and defensive tracking apparatus irresistible. Let it be written!)

In Thursday night’s 113-96 Game 6 Lakers liquidation, Brewer notched 18 points (8-for-12 field-goal shooting, including 2-for-3 from afar) in 19 minutes. His averages through six games: 17.3 minutes, 9.0 points (46.7 percent shooting) and 3.1 rebounds.

Not Melo-dramatic or Mini Melo (J.R. Smith) numbers, just another fundamental piece of management’s puzzle that was giving the Lakers fits and figures to stay intact for seasons to come.

Kroenke and Ujiri distanced the Nuggets from Melo, Billups, J.R., and Kenyon Martin, and retained Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler (now injured) and Aaron Afflalo, who was pilfered from the Pistons by the previous regime of Rex Chapman and Mark Warkentien.

Shrewd reasoning on all counts!

Obviously, Lawson, also gifted by the above unseated co-GMs, will be amply rewarded at some point in the next year. Timofey Mozgov is surely to follow at a lower pay grade, and Al Harrington is on the books for $21 million over the next three seasons.

Kroenke and Ujiri have taken guessing out of the game.

➤ As for the Lakers, how special of Magic Johnson to opine that should they not avoid the ignominy of septic-tanking a 3-1 lead against the Nuggets, “They’re going to run Mike Brown first out of town. Then second [Andrew] Bynum. Then third [Pau] Gasol.”

They don’t come any more vacuous.

Not surprisingly, Madge isn’t prepared to hold Jerry and Jim Buss, or GM Mitch Kupchak, accountable for failing to fill in the blanks sufficiently around Kobe Bryant, or care to note the same bosses that hired (and quickly fired) Rudy Tomjanovich couldn’t wait to sign Brown.

Predictably, Madge talks tough, if not intelligently, about Lakers he has little or no relationship with while giving a slide to former business partners and a teammate.

Win or lose, Brown hasn’t been around the Lakers long enough to receive extreme credit or definitive discredit. To suggest otherwise is unsophisticated.

And it’s hilarious to think Madge judges a possible swap of Bynum for Dwight Howard, and Dwight Howard alone, as constituting being run out of town. Gasol’s stock was so low during the preseason the Lakers had agreed in return to settle for Chris Paul before Stern rejected the swap.

Please, Madge, stick to commenting on a sport and a team, the Dodgers, you might know something about.

peter.vecsey@nypost.com

Read more:http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/nuggets_brassy_brass_made_out_like_UB93BC2MhesMYfxpCKKg2L#ixzz1ulmcEHWH

NY KNICKS: TRADE CARMELO ANTHONY NOW!

Starters	Pos	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
T. Mozgov	C	23:30	3-5	0-0	2-4	+16	1	4	2	0	0	1	1	3	8
K. Faried	F	27:53	6-11	0-0	3-3	+14	4	11	0	3	1	2	3	3	15
D. Gallinari	F	27:42	5-13	2-6	0-0	+27	1	4	7	0	1	1	1	3	12

Remember these guys? Yes Knick fans. Two of them (Mozgov & Gallinari) were part of the trade for Carmelo. The other guy (Faried) we passed on in the draft because we had Melo. Oh, and by the way, we gave up draft picks too. Above are the stats for last nights Denver vs. L.A game. Remember why Donnie Walsh was brought into the mix? To leaf through the mess created by Isiah and Layden and build a team that could compete. Donnie did EVERYTHING right. But then, Dolan stepped in and told him, “I want Carmelo at any cost”. Donnie said, “No”, “Let's wait and pick him up in Free Agency or sign another player in the off season”. Well, you know what happened after that! We shipped out the whole team and got back a player who only can succeed in isolation. Great. All that work that Donnie did and what have we got. Denver is laughing. They couldn't wait to get rid of Melo and knew that Dolan would give up the house. Now Denver is young and rising. D'Antoni took the heat for Dolan's stupidity. Woodson? Yes, he's a good coach, but did he have to go through all that losing while Donnie was rebuilding the team? NO! Is he a better coach then D'Antoni? NO! What 18-6 in his run?!? You get your ASS handed to you by the Heat?!? YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE AND THE KNICKS ARE WHAT THEY ARE. A mediocre team that was better before the Melo trade. Wake up Knicks Fans. Now trade Melo to another sucker so we can start again.  

NY Knicks: Late UNLV player and announcer Glen Gondrezick inducted into Colorado Hall of Fame

I was sad to hear this news...He was a class act who always out-hustled them all. Rest in Peace Gondo. BrainHeat

First, a story: Before Glen Gondrezick ever led the Hardway Eight in rebounding and helped put UNLV basketball on the map, he was a stud high school athlete in Colorado.

After the Boulder High School baseball coach pestered and nagged him to join the team, Gondrezick signed up. In his first game, he hit a home run in his first at-bat. And again in his second at-bat. And another in his third, after which he hung up his baseball uniform to do something more important: basketball.

His son, Kelan Gondrezick, laughs when he tells the tale his father told him countless times. Basketball was Glen Gondrezick’s singular focus, and his success on the court is the reason he will be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

“(Basketball) meant everything to him,” Kelan Gondrezick said. “His dedication to UNLV, Denver, the Nuggets and Las Vegas — he’s very, very proud of what he accomplished.”

Glen Gondrezick died in 2009 at age 53 of complications from a heart surgery. He had received a heart transplant the previous year. Kelan Gondrezick, 30, and his brother, Travis, 15, will travel to Denver to accept the honor and make a speech on their father’s behalf.

“It’s a great honor for us to be able to do that for him,” Kelan Gondrezick said. “It’s been difficult to deal with all of this, but we’re trying to do our best for him.”

Glen Gondrezick, or “Gondo” as he was often called, led the 1976-77 team in rebounds (10.8 per game) and steals (1.9). That squad, led by fourth-year coach Jerry Tarkanian, was the first Rebels team in history to make the Final Four, where they lost by one point to North Carolina.

Glen Gondrezick finished his career with 1,311 points and 831 rebounds, which rank 17th and ninth in school history, respectively. The Knicks drafted him in the second round of the NBA draft. He played two seasons in New York and then four more with the Denver Nuggets.

Kelan Gondrezick was too young to remember watching his father’s games, but he grew up around UNLV as Glen Gondrezick handled the color commentary of Rebels games for 17 years. His No. 25 jersey was retired in 1997.

“We wanted to give a special thanks to Las Vegas for the help and support they’ve given us,” said Kelan Gondrezick, who along with Travis still lives in Vegas. “We really appreciate it.”

Glen Gondrezick is one of six members of this year’s Colorado Hall of Fame, a class headlined by longtime Colorado Avalanche goalie Peter Forsberg. Tim Tebow will also be in attendance.

Kelan Gondrezick said this is a chance for the entire family to get together, something they don’t get to do very often.

It’s an opportunity to retell their favorite stories.

Once a Knick, always a Knick

Knicks hire Larry Johnson as Basketball and Business Operations Representative

AP

The New York Knicks announced today that Larry Johnson has been named Basketball and Business Operations Representative.
“I consider coming back to work for a franchise that I had so much success with a great honor,” Johnson said.  “As I move onto the next phase of my career, I have been given an opportunity to touch so many different areas of the organization – helping develop young players, connecting with the community and actively involving myself in the business of basketball. I couldn’t be more excited to get going and learn as much as I can.”
In this new role, Johnson will work closely with the basketball operations department, focusing on player development; the community relations department, working to support the Garden of Dreams Foundation and on fan development; and the marketing and partnership departments, with involvement in numerous business initiatives.
The author of perhaps the most famous play in franchise history, “LJ” converted a four-point play with :05.7 remaining en route to a 92-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Jun. 5, 1999.
In five seasons in the Blue & Orange, Johnson, a four-time Knicks captain, averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds over 330 games from 1996 through 2001, and led the team into the playoffs each year before announcing his retirement on Oct. 10, 2001. Once acquired from the Charlotte Hornets on Jul. 14, 1996, Johnson’s reputation as being a great teammate and a player willing to sacrifice for the team’s greater-good quickly became evident to the Knicks’ faithful.
Johnson currently joins an extensive list of Knicks alumni employed by The Madison Square Garden Company, including: Mike Woodson (interim head coach), Darrell Walker and Herb Williams (assistant coaches), Allan Houston (assistant general manager/general manager Erie BayHawks), Cal Ramsey (director, special projects and community relations representative), John Starks (alumni relations and fan development advisor) and Walt “Clyde” Frazier (Network broadcaster).

Read more: http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=9643#ixzz1rUYlpPPh

MELO WANTS TO BE TRADED!!!!

NY POST ARTICLE

BREAKING!
Melo wants to be traded by the deadline

Knicks vs Celtics - Post Game

By BrainHeat

The Knicks had the game. They were up by 3 with a strong 4th quarter by Melo.  Then Pierce tied it to go into OT. If your the Knicks, you have to win these games. Rondo had a deep triple double. 17 points, 20 assists and a trillion rebounds. The Knicks D was rotating too much. They weren't fighting thru screens, leaving Lin or Shumpert guarding Garnett or Pierce. The Knicks WILL fix this. They were aggressive and never gave up. They came back from a huge deficit to gain the lead with seconds remaining. This one slipped through the cracks...

Heat Burn Knicks

By BrainHeat

Questions:

• With novacaine hot, should D'Antoni have just left him in the game? 
• Melo? How many rejections until you realize you have to draw contact and throw it down?

It was a big moment for Lin. I'm giving him a pass for not surviving the league MVP's onslaught.

LeBron is on fire!

Knicks need rest and practice and they will get it soon. 

They are far from reaching the Eastern Conference finals as of right now, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. When J.R and Baron start meshing with the rest of the team, the Knicks WILL contend for the title. Right now I have the Knicks  in the #5 spot in the Eastern Rankings. They will be at #3 in Mid March. 

Let's not get crazy too soon. 

They deserve some time with the emergence of Lin and the additions of Smith & Davis.

LINSANITY! 39 years of Drought could lead the Knicks to Water

Remember these Guys?

Willis Reed
Bill Bradley
Dave DeBusschere
Dick Barnett
Walt Frazier

                                                                         Coach: Red Holzman

Jeremy Lin: Take some fashion tips from Clyde!

THE KNICKS ARE BACK!!!!!!

Jeremy Lin - NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Jeremy Lin - NY Knicks

LINCREDIBLE!

Jeremy Lin becomes the first player 
to earn player-of-the-week honors in the
NBA and D-League. 
Won it last season with Reno Bighorns.

Week End's Commentary - 2/12/2012

By BrainHeat

Topic 1 – LinSanity Poses Questions

The Knicks were on life support. Melo and Stat weren't meshing, D'Antoni was counting the days and James Dolan was rethinking his contract with Time Warner Cable. Then came Jeremy Lin. The Asian born Harvard Grad that couldn't get arrested, even in China Town. If you are a fan of the Knicks and the NBA in general, it makes you wonder how many players never get a chance. That's a loaded question isn't it! The D-League, Europe, China, Russia. How many players slip through the cracks? What if every coach in the NBA had a directive from the commissioner that the starting 5 sits for a few games and the bench gets a chance? What would happen? If a bench warmer had the opportunity to shoot 25 shots for that stretch, could he be the next Jeremy Lin? Lebron, Wade and other NBA A-listers are given the opportunity to shoot to there hearts content. We can go on all day about this, but it leads to this question...How many teams have a Jeremy Lin and don't know it?

Topic 2 – The NFL Draft & Combine

We are close to the NFL Combine. The NFL Combine is an audition of sorts for players to show there abilities to NFL scouts. The Jets picked Vernon Gholston with the #6 pick in the draft mainly because of his strong showing at the combine. Do you know where I'm going with this? I am waiting on a book, (One may be out already), on how many teams have been duked at the combine. How did Ryan Leaf do there? Harrington? How many players make NFL rosters that were not drafted? I need a stat guy who can help me with this! Are you out there?

Lastly...

To the new bloggers who have joined the 

NFL PRO ZACH team. 

Thrillionaire & The Big Ragu; 

Blog - O - Licious!

LINsane!

Knicks vs T-Wolves tonight! 

The LIN Dynasty!!! 

Will he do it again?

LINSANITY!

By BrainHeat

In an earlier post, I explained my reasoning for trading Carmelo Anthony straight up for Deron Williams. Although it still may be a possible trade, an unknown until last week has taken center stage.

Jeremy "Grasshopper" Lin has exploded onto the scene. He is putting up solid numbers and invigorated a depleted Knicks roster. D'antoni said, "I'm gonna ride him like Secretariat"! This is the makings of a great story on Broadway. With Stoudemire and Anthony out of the lineup, the Knicks bench is looking like they can climb the Empire State building and bat enemy planes. D'antoni's system maybe realized after all. Before the Melo trade, the Knicks were headed in that direction. They were exciting to watch. It took a dive upon Melo's arrival. D'antoni's system could not be achieved. It's called chemistry. The Knicks may still need to move Melo or Stat to create more chemistry. But it's worth the wait to see if Lin can lead them all to the promised land.

Does the emergence of Jeremy Lin move D'antoni out of the hot seat? 

YES! 

To all Knick fans: 

May the LINSANITY continue!

What the Knicks Need to do...

By BrainHeat

The Knicks stink. Yep. They stink. Things looked promising when STAT (Amare Stoudemire) signed up. Then Knick owner James (Knucklehead) Dolan 

didn't listen to the guru (Donnie Walsh) and traded for Carmelo Anthony. Donnie was doing just fine with his long term plan. He wanted to wait until the deal was right. That's what great GM's do. Play chicken.

Instead, Dolan shipped the team Donnie built and picks. Donnie wanted a point guard and a center. He didn't want Melo. Donnie Walsh knew Melo was a scoring machine, but he also knew Melo didn't fit in his plan.

 Teams have to have chemistry. Right now, the Knicks have no chemistry. Baron Davis is a good player, but he can't save the sinking ship.

A move has to be made.

Hopefully, Donnie Walsh is in the background advising the Knicks current GM (Glen Grunwald). 

Here is my solution.

Trade Carmelo Anthony straight up for Deron Williams. This trade will make both teams better. I would hate to see Melo go, but, it has to happen. Brooklyn needs a star for the new arena. Melo is that star. Deron would sign his new contract with the knicks, which the Nets couldn't accomplish. This may also draw Dwight Howard to the Nets. 

Everyone is happy. Especially me....