Thursday, April 5, 2012

Knicks Beat Reeling Magic

The Knicks beat the Magic with Dwight Howard giving his best Melo impersonation. It doesn't look like Stan Van Gundy will make it past this weekend...The next three games are big, Bulls/@Bulls/@Bucks.


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  2. I am enjoying this.

    Stan Van Gundy doesn't care. He PUNKED Howard. And the Howard punked himself by whining like a baby and then playing like one.

    I salute Stan Van Gundy for being a MAN and viciously blasting Howard and the Orlando Magic.

  3. Orlando's drama is New York's Melo-drama on steroids: Star player tries to get coach fired.

    1. Yeah, it now looks like Knicks got two gifts (victories) over Orlando Magic where they basically just decided to quit and take the night off (if they were playing like they are capable of, I would have been happy with one victory in two games).

      Al Trautwig on MSG was talking with other commentators about why van Gundy made those statements yesterday morning, and he said it is always about money (is he trying to negotiate getting last year's salary and then step down now).

      Hopefully, that happens before Philly game on Saturday (I think they play Boston on Sunday), because Knicks really need those teams to lose some games and Orlando plays those others team a couple times each I think in remaining schedule.

  4. Best Melo impersonation? That's hilarious...

    It's too bad that Howard didn't let his play do the talking. Andrew Bynum, after being benched and acted like a teenager for a little bit, was a beast against the Clippers the other day and pretty much silenced whatever critiques out there.

    I've always liked Howard, at least he wasn't doing that passive aggressive act like Melo that got D'Antoni fired.

    1. I agree. I like Howard better than Anthony; I can just tell that Howard has much better character than Anthony. Anthony is more sly and fake in my opinion; and Anthony will contradict his own words at different times, thinking he's smarter than everybody. Just my gut feeling. Howards' facial expressions seem more genuine also compare to CarAnt.

      I give Howard the benefit of doubt BECAUSE - despite how much the media is trashing him now - I don't like the type of character the coach has exhibited by saying what he said JUST BEFORE the game (unethically setting up his team to lose, while stating that he's just focused on the upcoming game - in so many words) and while he's still their coach - and in a press conference type of setting. It Shows spitefulness and bad judgment on Van Gundy's part, so he could be hard to like. At this point, they need coaching change like tommorrow.

    2. In NBA circles, it is widely believed that Dwight Howard got his first pro coach Brian Hill fired.

      Stan Van Gundy is a veteran coach who has successfully battled off his firing by being brutally honest when he needs to be.

      There comes a point for real men when playing nice fails. That's when real men who are being shown the door kick the people who are forcibly ejecting them on the way out.

    3. I predict Stan Van Gundy won't be the coach by Monday. I think Dwight is a drama queen, which is to bad he just needs to focus on basketball get beyond all that crap. Gundy is a good coach but thats ruined for those two now. I also dont agree with the way Gundy handled the situation, even if it was said in private its something he could have handled alot better than they way he did.

      I have never seen Dwight pass the ball so quickly in the post. I mean I watched that game almost EVERY play. I'm sorry but he knows how to beat double teams... watch the game he never spun to baseline one time. He was making a point I suppose. Bad form all the way around.


    4. If I were Stan Van Gundy, I'd have done the exact same thing.

      Here you have a coach with a player who is begging to be traded to another team. The player is pulling incredible stunts to force that trade by laying waste to his current franchise. Everybody is playing nice because they don't want to "upset" that player even though he is trying his hardest to destroy the team AND leave.

      The guy receiving the most flak is the coach. The petulant superstar screws up the game plan, blows the team up from within, tanks on games when he should be competing, and refuses to respect the game or his franchise. For this, the coach takes the blame and is often never heard of again (like the last coach Howard ran out of town). What REALLY sux for SVG is that he'll lose his job AND Howard will leave anyway.

      So what does SVG do? He PROTECTS HIMSELF by calling out Howard. He lets everybody know that Howard is the one destroying the franchise even though he is going to leave anyway.

      Now Howard has to be on his best behavior. Also, future teams will be leery of Howard because of his franchise destroying nature. Since Howard is locked in for a year anyway, the next coach now knows what Howard will pull and will hopefully counter it with appropriate measures.

      SVG wins too. Now he doesn't have to play nice to a franchise destroyer. He can coach freely and not have to do preferential star treatment. Orlando's management can do nothing to stop SVG other than to fire him, and SVG feels that he's gone already anyway. Whoever hires SVG next will know that they're getting a bluntly honest guy who is not going to allow malcontents to ruin his reputation. SVG may not be polite about it, but he's let everybody know that he cannot be pushed around and will call people out.

      I did the exact same thing as SVG in one of my jobs, only I was the Jeremy Lin little Asian peon and the malcontent was the Dwight Howard superstar. After a vicious bout of disrespect, I CALLED THAT GUY OUT and let it know that I'd stomp him if he tried that again. Even though the other guy was a superstar and I was a reject, it put everybody on notice that I wasn't going to be stepped on. In the end, I survived and the superstar punked his way out of the job.

    5. KHuang,

      Chuckle... Wow, you make it seem like Mike D'Antoni is a saint (his mental discipline is apparent), since most people know he was in a similar situation with Carmelo Anthony - even though he did not talk to reporters.

      But guess what, "righteous anger" is *usually* best served not reacted, and especially in public, more especially when one holds a high profile position (in this instance I'm not talking about players) in business world (including sports & entertainment business). People can be jailed, fired, or demoted for that - victims of their own bad publicity.

      Like in physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It boomerangs back to the sender (though in human behavior, it's usually not immediate, thus most people don't make the connection).

      One need not *always* react to the instigator in the same negative manner (one of the exceptions is a physical self-defense), because in time things will take care of themselves.

      As for Howard - okay, he is worse than I thought, but between the two, I'll take him over Anthony any day - as a NBA owner or as a friend. Geez, the superstars in team sports have too much power.

    6. My experience is that bad people use the politeness of people they abuse to cover up their misdeed so that they can hurt others.

      In the case of Dwight Howard and the guy I roasted, those were REPEAT OFFENDERS who were EMBOLDENED by silence and inaction. Besides, a guy like me has nothing to lose since I'm a hated Asian American anyway.

      I always make sure that when some bigwig or AMOG (alpha male other guy) comes after me to hurt me, I put down a major and public smackdown on that guy. I end up scaring a lot of people who would otherwise be emboldened to attack me, and thus my life is peaceful if a bit too quiet for my tastes.

      I can't stop people from disliking me for being an Asian like Jeremy Lin, but I sure know how to punish guys that try to disrespect me and terrify their comrades into staying out of my way.

    7. Mike Dantoni punked Carmelo Anthony too.

      Via intermediaries, he let it be known that Carmelo Anthony and other players were destroying his team. People (including a lot of us here) thought that Dantoni was the reason the Knicks were losing, but Dantoni let everybody know that Carmelo Anthony and his boys were to blame.

      Both DAntoni and SVG set themselves up for future coaching jobs by calling out the punk superstars. I did the same thing with that nationally known bigwig punk that came after me years ago, and my very public display of four letter force earned me MORE work because my bosses knew that I would forcibly prevent bad people from blowing up the jobs I was hired for.

  5. I would still love Dwight and Jeremy together in Brooklyn...

    PG: Jeremy Lin
    SG: Anthony Morrow/Marshon Brooks
    SF: Gerald Wallace/2012 Lottery Pick
    PF: Kris Humphries
    C: Dwight Howard

    Yes, please.

    1. Oh my goodness! Sounds great!

    2. Brook Lopez staying on would be fine, too, if they can't get Dwight. Lopez is such a versatile scorer and his lack of rebounding can be made up by Humphries and Wallace.

      Wallace is a great glue guy and defender who brings veteran intensity (ten years experience but still only 29). Morrow is a superb 3pt sniper who will spread the floor like Novak. Brooks is a young talent who can hit tough mid-range jumpers.

      Who knows? Maybe Avery Johnson doesn't work out and the Nets get Jerry Sloan. Or Mike D'Antoni, ha. Whether it's this year or next year, the Nets will almost certainly make a play for Jeremy, and I'd love to see him in Brooklyn with guys like the ones above.

    3. Also, J-Lin already has a fan in Humphries:

      "[Lin] just said, 'Hey, I don't know why they boo you, but I think it's crap, and you're playing really well.' That was nice of him to say. He's a really nice guy... It's nice to see great things happen for nice people."

  6. we should stop posting non lin news.

    1. LOL. Then this site would be dead, or as nearly as dead.

  7. Yeah, too bad the Magic are ahead 4 games up on the Knicks. Knicks can't catch up to them in the standings with the schedule they have.

    Looks like it's the 8th seed or bust. With no lottery draft picks this year.

    1. Well, the knicks are only 2.5 games behind Boston at the moment, and they'll square off on 4/17. If they just play their defensive like they've been and avoid mental breakdown like @ Indy, it's not an unreachable act.

      Worst case scenario? Surpassing the Sixers to the 7th and playing Miami in the first round. Game over.

    2. The Knicks players were doing unbelieveable with 3-pointers today (as well as in general recently).

      Also, they are indirectly benefiting from Jeremy Lin because JR Smith, the 3 point specialist, is doing exactly what the Knicks got him for. Smith implied that if it wasn't for Lin, he'd have gone elsewhere (although I have feeling that Smith is one of the few players who have switched to Anthony's clique in the Woodson era).

      I do not like the Lin-less Knicks because of all the backstabbing things that's been going on.... but if they keep playing like this (Anthony not hogging the ball and being best at 3 point shooting) and with a little luck the Knicks could do very well in the playoff. But they likely will not play like this all the time and their luck may run out too - which is fine by me.

      I'm one of those people who is not a Knicks' fan, but just Lin's fan. Some CarAnt's fans call folks like me a "fake" Knicks fan, BUT I'm not Knicks fan at all (whether real or fake).

  8. I support the Knicks because this is the team Jeremy will probably play out in his whole career. Let's face it, they won't let him go and Jeremy doesn't seem like the type who will force out. I will also support the Knicks to make the playoffs and go far so that Jeremy has a chance of playing and gaining more all-important postseason experience.

    1. I want Lin to stay with the Knicks, but he could easily get lured away by more money and better playing opportunities elsewhere.

      For Asian American men like Lin, it is important that they work for employers who don't let race discrimination cloud their judgment. Too many times an Asian American man will get kicked out of a job not for doing the job poorly, but for doing it too well.

      Another scenario that could happen is that Lin gets traded. As unbelievable as that sounds to us here, remember that the leaguewide opinion of Lin is that he is "just a D League player" according to scouts and personnel types. We value Lin highly here because we look at his actual production on the court and see an ELITE player, but many NBA scouts refuse to believe the numbers or what they're seeing on the court just because Lin is Asian American.

      I still think that Mike Woodson doesn't believe Lin can play in the NBA. As a veteran warrior who has battled racism for decades, my radar screams that Mike Woodson thinks that Lin isn't NBA worthy because of his race. Woodson cannot hide his disdain for Lin even though Lin is playing PG for him as well as any PG ever has (and yes I am talking about the great Chauncey Billups on Detroit's championship team).

    2. The knicks are run and controlled by Mike Dolan. If Dolan wants Lin to play, he will play. Woodson can try to bench Lin all he wants this year or next.. but once they start losing $$ based on lost fans because Lin is on the bench.. that stance will change. Lin being in NY is still the best career move in terms of media interest. Unless he goes to the Lakers which has a larger Asian following, going anywhere else for a higher salary will never equate to his media potentail with regards to endorsement deals.

    3. I totally agree with you and Cara, double-d.

      Dolan is an unpredictable owner who does unpredictable things. That's why the Knicks are usually a lottery team and have not won a playoff game since 2001 or something like that.

      Like you and Cara, I WANT Dolan to act like a greedy owner who wants to make money off Lin. I hope that Dolan's sense of greed overrides the opinion of basketball "expurts" who think Lin is not capable of playing in the NBA.

    4. @KHuang:

      You just can't call Mike Woodson a racist against Asians without evidence. It isn't right when blacks accuse whites of being racist without evidence - which happens frequently - and it also isn't right when Asians make those same accusations. I don't see any evidence that Woodson is treating Lin any worse than he did Jeff Teague - who is black like Woodson - in Atlanta. Teague didn't start getting real playing time until Woodson left, and Teague was a 1st round pick (#19 overall). Woodson kept claiming that Teague wasn't ready, and played Mike Bibby - and his 9 points and 4 assists a game - instead. And Woodson wasn't one of the many coaches, owners, GMs etc. who either released Lin, sent him to D-League, or let him languish on the bench.

      If anything, it appears that your accusations against Woodson are motivated more by Woodson's favoring Carmelo Anthony over Lin. Sorry, but failing to adhere to your preference of Lin over Anthony is not racism. And as Lin's race is the sole reason for your interest in Lin in the first place, there is much more justification for calling you a racist than Woodson.

    5. ^you're not asian or a fan of lin. why do you still continue to troll this site?

      EVERYBODY: stop giving this racist attention. let the troll go away.

    6. You're not Asian and hate us Asians, unknown so your imprint of racism stinks just like Woodson's does.

      If you looked back at these posts like I told you to, you'd see that I like Lin for BASKETBALL reasons and not racial ones. For example, I think Yi Jianlian is not an NBA player and would like to see him out of the league. It is RACISM on your part to suggest that I follow Lin just for racial reasons, especially since I have previously posted that Yi's Chinese ethnicity doesn't make me his fan.

      Racists like you give yourselves away in other ways. Body language, tone of voice, disrespect of people - guys like me can sense your and Woodson's racism even when you post the uninformed kind of garbage in order to flame us. We can smell your racist stink from miles away, and we are more aware of your racial hatred than you are yourself.

      I dare you, unknown, to reveal your real identity here. I promise that I will come at you HARDER if you are a known journalist or TV personality. Guys like me who've endured decades of your racial hatred are ITCHING to take you on.

    7. Also, I posted in another thread that I am a "big fan of Carmelo Anthony". I even got got calles out for it, though I enjoyed it!

      I like Carmelo Anthony and his game. Yet unknown says that I'm a Lin fan just because of Lin's race. Then I must be a fan of black people too because I'm a Lin. I'm also a fan of Jimmer Fredette, so that makes me a fan of white people too.

      Mike Woodson called Lin a "rookie who needs to sit". Calling a 2nd year NBA player a rookie is the highest form of disrespect, even if Lin never got to play as a rookie.

      Mike Woodson also says other players have played through Lin's injury. Instead of supporting his player, he insinuated that Lin was not tough enough to play through his injury.

      The picture I get of Woodson is of a coach who feels that Jeremy Lin is a soft minor league player who is starting in the NBA because that is what Woodson was ordered to do. Like Woodson's former associate said, "Woody's inclination is not to play Lin". Unlike Jeff Teague who is a good but not great NBA pg, Lin is a statistical marvel who would be celebrated as a GREAT PLAYER if he were white, black, or any other color than Asian. Then Woodson would be happy about playing him the way he is happy about playing rookie Iman Shumpert.

      Despite all that, I WANT Woodson to be Lin's pro coach next season. Woodson, despite his judgement, continues to play Lin as a starter. The team looks GREAT with Woodson and Lin and Anthony coexisting. I had my doubts about Woodson from Atlanta, but I am happy to be Woodson's fan if he keeps coaching the way he has.

      I am a Woodson fan, a Carmelo Anthony fan, and a Jeremy Lin fan. I want them all to do well together in the NBA. I couldn't care less whether they like each other or not.

    8. edit: "I must be a fan of black people too because I'm a Carmelo fan". And I am PROUD OF IT.

      Lots of times I've worked with people who HATED ME for being an Asian but put that aside to get the job done. Those people have my utmost respect.

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    10. C'mon man! Most people here, including you follow Lin because he's Asian, Chinese in particular. There's nothing wrong with that. But to say the reason that you like Lin has nothing to do with race is bogus. If Yi was semi decent, you'd be a fan and pulling for him, wouldn't you? Race is not the only reason, it definitely is one of the reasons.

      With respect to Woodson, what did he do to Lin that pissed you off? You've got to have some solid evidence what you call somebody a racist. No, I haven't been following this site/threads for a while.



    12. I'll assume you're talking to me, lka789.

      I posted various ways in which Woodson publically questioned Lin's skill, legitimacy and toughness. Combined, they paint the picture of a coach who thinks Lin can't play despite the overwhelming statistical evidence that Lin is EXCELLING in the NBA.
      It would be one thing if Jeremy Lin were doing Baron Davis or Mike Bibby production. But Jeremy Lin has been an excellent statistical producer. He's arguably the biggest producer on the Knicks, yet his coach doesn't think he can play.

      I don't see Woodson calling out other players in the press the way he does Lin. Amare Stoudemire is day to day, yet Woodson isn't saying that other people have played through his injury. Iman Shumpert and Josh Harrelson are a rookie, yet Woodson isn't talking garbage in the press about how Shumpert and Harrelson need to SIT the way he says Lin does. Baron Davis has been firing turnovers left and right while getting blitzed defensively, but Woodson hasn't called him out. Jared Jeffries has a knee injury too, but Woodson hasn't said that other players should play through the same injury.

      The reason I am suspicious of Woodson being a racist is because he'll criticize Lin in the media but won't do the same for other players in the same predicament. Not only that, he treats his rookies Jorts and Shumpert BETTER than he treats his 2nd year player Lin. This pattern of disrespect toward Lin reeks of racism, especially since Lin is such a good performer as evidenced by his statistical domination.

      Despite my suspicion that Woodson is racist toward Lin, I STILL want him to be Lin's head coach next season. I like what Woodson is doing on the court for the Knicks, and I like the role Lin is playing for Woodson. Woodson can think whatever he wants as long as he starts Lin over guys like Bibby and Davis who do not produce as much as Lin does.

      If the Knicks sign a pg that can outperform Jeremy Lin, I'm all for Lin sitting behind that superior producer. But I'm not going to sit here and meekly clap my hands when Woodson treats Lin worse than he treats a black or white rookie and questions Lin's toughness.

    13. And if nonAsians want to call me out for defending myself, FINE.

      However, I do not fit the negative stereotype of the meek Asian who's going to meekly back down when nonAsians come after him. I STAND MY GROUND and will battle anybody to the bitterest end.

      It's typical for racists to accuse me of racism when I call it out when it's being done to me or somebody else of ANY color. Plus, they like to come at me in groups as is evidenced here by unknown and lka789. To those haters, I have this to say:

      "You hunt me, I hunt YOU."

    14. If Yi was semi decent, lka789, I would follow him because I am a NBA fan first and foremost.

      I'd say that if there was a player who is in the NBA just because he's Chinese, it's Yi. I didn't like his game when he was drafted and I don't like his game now. He's a poor producer who has done nothing to show that he belongs in the NBA.

      Contrary to what you write about me, lka789, I don't follow Jeremy Lin because he's Asian. I follow him because he is a great player who I enjoy watching. I love Omar Samhan's game and follow it just as closely as I do Lin's, yet nobody like you is accusing me of liking Samhan just because he's Egyptian Irish.

      I deeply resent it when guys like unknown write that I am a Lin fan just because he's Asian.

    15. lka789:

      Actually, I think Lin's most fervent support base are Taiwan or Taiwanese Americans, particularly Taiwan Christians--in other words, people with the same background as Lin. Just look at those Taiwan flagwavers who show up in the stands at Lin's games.

      The term "Asian" is very broad and glosses over many different ethnic groups.

    16. You followed him way before he blew up as a Knick, way back when he was in the summer league, then to the bench of GS. Your words have always been to me to be way too extreme more often than not, speak louder than what you are claiming now. But if you say him being Taiwanese/Chinese has nothing to do with it, then I'll just have to leave it at that.

    17. Like I said above, I follow Omar Samhan. He's Irish and Middle Eastern. I've written here that it was my interest in Samhan that led me to Lin. Are you going to accuse me of following Samhan just because he's Irish and Middle Eastern?

      If Lin had no game, I wouldn't follow him. I even posted elsewhere that from the way people talked about Lin, I was going to see some short unathletic guy that could barely play. I am not kidding when I had in my mind that Lin was the 2nd coming of Yuta Tabuse who I also refuse to follow because he has no game.

      Your problem, lka789, is that you listen too much to racists like unknown and then cast negative opinions on Asians like me base on their INCORRECT opinions. And that's why you agree with him against me when he says that I follow Lin just because I'm Asian. Right now now you are acting like a RACIST just like him.

      I know that your little brain cannot accept the possibility that an Asian fan like me might like Lin for basketball and not racial reasons. So when I post my rebuttals against you, it isn't to convince you. It's to communicate to all the others here that I am a bigger basketball fan than you say I am.

      While you're at it lka789, there are a lot of others here who like Lin and are Asian. But you won't call them out because you'll only go after guys with Asian screennames like me. That's because you think Asians like me are too afraid to call you on your lies.

      Keep coming at me. Give me AMMO to fight racism using you as my punching bag, just like I intend to do with unknown.

    18. KHuang, you obvious carries a huge race chip on you shoulder. You are a very troubled man! You are calling anyone who disagrees with you a racist when Lin is involved in the conversation. The sad part is that you don't even know you have conditioned yourself to be overly sensitive about your race and overly suspicious of being discriminated against in every instance. I see a bitter man. If you keep looking for wrong reasons, you will find them. You see, everything is made from the mind! Chew on it.

      I read your early posts of pre-linsanity days. To say you followed Lin has nothing to do with him being Taiwanese is a flat out lie! I disagreed with your extreme view then and I disagree with your everyone-is-against-you racially biased extremist view now. When I visit this site, I learned early on to skip over your long winded comments because they were pretty stupid! I have myself to blame this time to have taken a peek at one of your posts and saw that you called out Woodson for something only you could have concocted with your little brain that is filled with anger in the name of fighting racism, self proclaimed I may add. Get real! Tell the board what you have done for the fight against racism? Other than bitching and moaning on an Chinese heavy internet forum, I say nothing!

      Now, here's a question for you, I speak and write Mandarin, and, Cantonese fluently, which I don't think you can. Am I more Chinese than you? You are wrong about me for all to see here. I hope you learn from this little example and don't be too quick to judge others with your small mind only because they disagree with you! I know you are very proud of being Chinese, so proud that you use KHuang as your internet handle. I am a full blooded Chinese, but I don't feel the need to advertise it, especially on the internet. Isn't the internet beautiful? You can just be a person without color and border! That's not good enough for you, you have to bring race into it every chance you get.

      I'm sure you will reply to this because you just can't help it. I have to tell you in advance though, I for sure from now on will stick to my previously learned behavior of skipping over all your posts of the past, present, and future! May be you should channel your anger toward something more wholesome, like go talk to your mom more, instead of barking up the wrong tree and act like a tough guy on an internet forum.

    19. That's right I'd respond to your hate filled post.

      That's right I am proud to use my real Chinese name. I'm not afraid of haters like you who'll criticize me for being proud of it. A nonAsian like you who hates Asians like me could never understand that. And if you are Chinese, SHAME ON YOU for criticizing another Chinese for his name.

      Fortunately for you, I am a lot less tough on the Internet than I am in real life. You stay right where you are hiding behind your screenname, racist.

      Explaining my basketball likes of Lin to a racist like you is a waste of our time. Lin isn't even my favorite NBA player, as Tim Duncan is.

  9. "Dwight I know I said just quit on your team to get your coach to resign, but you're being too obvious tonight!!!"
    -- CARMELO


    1. DHoward is such a drama queen with all the fake blowing kisses in the air. He's too full of himself now. Never thought he'd be like this. man, all these petty personalities just resonnates stupidity. No wonder most of these nba guys go broke after their career ends.

    2. One more, I am now officially a stan van gundy fan.

  10. I'm not sure this is the best place for it but while I wait for JLin to come back I find myself looking over the best Youtube videos. I thought I would post my top 10 peronsal favorite videos from this season.

    My personal top 10
    10.) Jeremy Lin vs Ricky Rubio TW

    9.) ESPN Sport Science: Jeremy Lin

    8.) Magic Johnson, ESPN JLin is Legit (Mavs)

    7.)Where it all started (Nets highlights)

    6.) Jeremy Lin - Rise of a Legend

    5.) Jeremy Lin Kobe Bryant

    4.)JLin Highlighs vs Dalas Mav

    3.) Jeremy Lin Utah Jazz

    2.) JLin vs Raptors - Includes game winning 3!

    1.) Lakers vs Knicks (This is the entire game)

    One of the great games to me JLin played was against the Lakers. He has had so many solid games but this was my favorite what a game he had.


    1. Sorry for the formatting it looked good on my screen before I posted it lol. Enjoy.

    2. Thanks Bohdi !

    3. That's a nice list. Here is another video I found that is really memorable. Jeremy Lin's first NBA start with the starting lineups for the Jazz and Knicks!

  11. I just read the latest sports illustrated and there was a small part about Jeremy's injury and they stated if he came back while the Knicks were still playing he would be benched anyway. Did anyone else read this??????

  12. Correction: it wasn't sports illustrated, it's the new issue of People magazine. Do they know something we don't??

  13. I was a huge fan of Dwight Howard when he entered the NBA, when his personality was far different ... he was a sheltered churchgoing kid who attended a tiny fundamentalist Christian school. The money, fame and NBA culture really changed him for the worse (and not just this incident but some rather severe off-the-court stuff that I won't get into). Then again, some very wise people claim that money and fame don't change you, but rather reveal the person that you always were, so maybe that is true in this case.

    In any event, we CAN SAY that a person can look at Dwight Howard and come to the conclusion that a player can certainly have reasons for feuding with his coach that have nothing to do with what the nonsense that Carmelo Anthony is accused of regarding D'Antoni and Lin. I have (off and on) followed that Magic franchise ever since Shaquille O'Neal went there, and Howard is far from the first player that the Magic organization's incompetence has frustrated. I still remember when the Magic signed Grant Hill to that gigantic contract without giving him an adequate physical examination (result: Hill spent almost his entire Magic tenure injured while collecting a huge salary) and on top of that traded Ben Wallace - the same who went to an outstanding career - away for pretty much nothing in that same offseason. Had they stayed away from Hill and retained Wallace, who knows how many NBA titles they would have won. You can fault Howard for his off-the-court scandals all you want, but his being fed up with the Orlando Magic ownership and management (for a time the Magic actually hired a hockey executive to be their basketball GM because they were too cheap to hire anyone else!) is perfectly legitimate. Just as were Carmelo Anthony's frustrations with D'Antoni. There is the notion that Anthony and Howard are obligated to behave professionally, but truthfully, what leverage do NBA players signed to long-term contracts have? Especially since if the team loses, fans, endorsers etc. blame the the star players, NOT the coach. If the Magic lose early in the playoffs AGAIN - which they will because apart from Howard the team stinks - who gets the blame? Howard. It is a tough situation to be in, which is why I don't envy these NBA players one bit.

  14. Now back to basketball:

    Knicks are 28-27. The Bucks are 26-28. There are 11 games left (12 for the Bucks). Good news: the Knicks play the Bucks and can probably beat them as the Knicks are a good defensive team and the Bucks aren't great as an offensive team. Bad news: the Bucks have a more favorable schedule. The Knicks have the Bulls TWICE, the Bucks, Boston, Miami, Atlanta and the Clippers. That's 7 out of 11 games. They're pretty much guaranteed wins in the other 4, but I don't know that 32-34 will be enough. (Though 34-32 likely will be.)

    1. you're not asian or a fan of lin. why do you still continue to troll this site?


    2. Unknown is really stephen a smith in disguise.

    3. Unknown felt the need to state that he is an "Asian" because he'd made a lot of vicious comments about Lin and many glowing comments about Anthony and Lin; I was lmao big time.... Hahahha, he could be related to one of them or one of their inner circle.... Anyway, as a super fan of Anthony and/or Woodson, Unknown doesn't belong here. Go away.

    4. No, let unknown continue flaming and shaming here.

      I am enjoying making him my PUNCHING BAG. His racially motivated desire to ignore statistics and flame Asians like me gives us all a chance to expose the very reasons why Asians like Jeremy Lin gets so disrespected.

      So c'mon unknown. BRING IT ON. I look forward to an unfair fight in which you engineer your own racially motivated downfall.

    5. To unknown
      Just get out. Go to the site where you racist belongs! Shame on you!

  15. Nice article here:

  16. I don't mind Woodson becoming the Knicks permanent head coach. AND in that case (important) Jeremy Lin lured away to the Lakers (or other teams); I read that there are a couple of ways (will not get into it here).

    In any case, Lin DOES NOT HAVE TO to re-sign with the Knicks for more than one (1) year. If Lin does stay with the Knicks for one more year (due to restricted status), it will be a double negative for Lin *if* Woodson becomes the permanent head coach. But it's not the end of the world for Lin and the year will pass by. If Lin signs a multi-year contract with the Knicks, Lin will lose control over his career : The money will be FAR from the best (they will put fear into him and try to lock in at mid-level pay when he is worth $7 mil to $10 mil per year) and MOST IMPORTANTLY, he'll be stuck working with Anthony for at least 3 more years - and maybe with Wood also.

    Even if Woodson doesn't get the promotion, it would be difficult for Jeremy Lin to *thrive* in the negative environment. Sure Lin can put up a stoic or even happy face for one more year because he's a peace maker, but it's not a good situation for him. And it's highly unlikely Carmelo would ever be traded; even if they do, no team would want him (but a possibility *if* Dolan takes a huge loss in the trade - remember, in team sports, one's character is important also).

    And for some of you optimists: We don't live in Disneyland. leopards do not change their spots. Yankees' jerseys do not change their stripes. It's extremely rare for someone to change his character unless that person has a life changing experience.

    1. I don't care what Mike Woodson or Carmelo Anthony or Jeremy Lin think. For all I care, each one could want to lynch each other and I couldn't care less.

      What I want to see is a properly executing Knicks team in which all three guys set aside personal agendas and PLAY THE GAME. So far, those three have done that beautifully. I want to see that continue.

      I may not care for Mike Woodson's constant media insults of Jeremy Lin, but I will be the first to say that he is the RIGHT guy to be coaching this Knicks team if he can get his players to play to their fullest potential.

      Now if Woodson permanently benches the highly producing Lin because he favors a poorly performing point guard of his choice, he will get rightfully criticized.

      This is the NBA where guys can hate each other but must fulfill their contractual obligations by playing as a TEAM. As long as Jeremy Lin's race doesn't prevent him from continuing to excel in the NBA, I look forward to Lin and Anthony and Woodson playing well as a team.

  17. I like the idea of Jeremy Lin signing a long-term contract with the Nets and rebuilding the glory of Linsanity in Brooklyn after 1, maybe 2 more years of seasoning with the Knicks, including a respectable play-off run or two.

    The historical comparison is Steve Nash leaving the Mavericks as a proven point guard, a good player but a co-star, to become the team leader and a league MVP with the Suns. The Nets can be for Lin what the Suns were for Nash. Dirk Nowitzki was the Mavericks' centerpiece when Nash was the Mavs PG, and Nash had to leave Nowitzki and a very good Mavs team in order to become a superstar in his own right. As long as Anthony is the featured Knick, Lin can win and improve as a player with the Knicks, but the Knicks won't be his team, not like the Knicks were Lin's team during Linsanity. (The counter-example is Marbury leaving budding superstar Kevin Garnett and a promising young Timberwolves team only to fail as the leader of the Nets.)

    The Nets can be Lin's team. The New Jersey Nets will become the Brooklyn Nets starting next, the 2012-2013, season. The franchise will be in search of a new brand and identity in their new home. They had hoped the Brooklyn team would be built around Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, but with Howard staying with the Magic, it looks like Williams likely will leave the Nets for the Mavericks. There is no better identity for NYC's new NBA franchise than one defined by Jeremy Lin's leadership, swagger, and tough, clutch, gutsy play on the court, and his grounded humility, meta self-awareness, and savvy public relations off the court. (Lin is very comfortable with social media.) Brooklyn is diverse, proudly ethnic, and full of immigrant stock, and Lin is an ethnic, 1st generation American exemplar. With Lin as the face of the franchise, the Nets would become the heirs of the Brooklyn Dodgers in that regard. Even Lin's evangelical Christianity would play better in the outer boroughs, where traditional religiosity is respected, than secular Manhattan.

    Assuming Deron Williams is leaving, Lin and the Nets should be a perfect marriage. One or two more good years on the Knicks with play-off experience would refine Lin's game and solidify his New York fan base. The Nets will have all the makings of a rebuilding team with decent talent in search of a franchise-defining leader. A hungry, ready now-veteran Lin would slot right in as the Nets centerpiece just like Nash was an instant fit with the Suns. With Linsanity reborn in Brooklyn, the Nets would quickly win over New York as a rising, exciting, lovable team.

    From a business perspective, the Nets projected fan base of Brooklyn basketball fans are Knicks fans right now. While it's reasonable to expect many, maybe most, Brooklynites will eventually convert to become Nets fans, the team would first have to prove itself to fans who are already loyal to a long-established local team. Meanwhile, the Linsanity streak has been mythologized. Ironically, his knee injury has raised Lin's public image in NYC. Knicks fans lamenting his loss have classified Lin a star. While Lin's game would be furthered by the Knicks holding on to the 8th seed and Lin recovering in time to gain precious play-off experience, his 'Q rating' would actually go up if the Knicks missed the play-offs due to his absence. In short, Lin is already adored by the NYC basketball fans whom the Nets need to win over and adding Lin would establish an instant fan base for the Nets by bringing many New York fans with him to the Nets. Finally, a Knicks-Nets subway rivalry with a Lin-led Nets versus a Melo-led Knicks would immediately electrify the city. The Nets ownership couldn't ask for a better start to their Brooklyn franchise.

    Perhaps most importantly, I want Lin to stay in New York. If Lin signs long term with the Brooklyn Nets, I'd get to watch him all the time on a local broadcast. I don't mind if Lin leaves the Knicks, but only if he stays in NYC with the Nets.

  18. I think the Knicks will do everything they can to lock JLin into a long-term deal, even if it means trading Melo or STAT to stay under the salary cap. I can see JLin wanting to stay in NY because he's got family there, and he will try to work out a long-term deal as long as it's fair and reasonable. Since Brooklyn is nearby, the Nets will probably be his second choice, assuming D.Williams leaves. I definitely do not see JLin coming back to Golden State, at least not in the near future.

