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The New York Knicks are on the brink of elimination.
That, of course, has caused much chatter from the team, with plenty of talk about who deserves blame for the team’s demise.
Tyson Chandler somewhat started it all when he said the team wasn’t playing team basketball. Confronted by Carmelo Anthony about the statement, the center had to clarify his statement, from Al Iannazzone of Newsday:
Hello and welcome to the Evening News.
Here’s the latest news from around the league:
According to the Dallas Morning News, Dirk Nowitzki told KRLD-FM 105.3 that he is willing to take a pay cut after his current contract runs out after next season.
“I got one year left on this deal and then I’m coming off the books. So if that helps for us to be better I’m going to take a paycut. That’s part of the pitch. Cuban and Donnie have got to be part of the pitch.”
Nowitzki’s Mavericks won the 2011 NBA title but have been largely disappointing since as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2012 and finished as the Western Conference’s 10th seed in 2013.
O.J. Mayo, the team’s second leading scorer behind Nowitzki, will likely opt-out of his player option for next season to test free agency. The Mavericks have identified re-signing Mayo as a top priority for the offseason. Still, Dirk Nowitzki has not ruled out hope that Dallas can make a run at either Dwight Howard or Chris Paul as well.
Bobcats and Magic might try for “double play” in draft
Many fans expect the winner of the NBA lottery to be wary of drafting Nerlens Noel due to his torn ACL figuring to sideline him for most of the 2013-2014 season. Chad Ford of ESPN, however, believes that the injury might actually help Noel’s case for being the number one pick.
“I actually think that’s helping Noel’s case with teams like Orlando and Charlotte,” wrote Ford. “Going for the double-play.”
By this, Ford means that because there is not a consensus top pick in this year’s draft, it might make sense for a team to draft Noel and let him rehab all season. By doing this, the team would all but ensure themselves another high pick in the loaded draft of 2014.
Mobley eyes comeback to NBA
Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com reports that Cuttino Mobley is hoping for a return to the NBA.
Mobley, 37, has not played in a game in nearly five years. He was forced to retire from the league in 2008 after a physical with the Knicks revealed that he had a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mobley’s ailment is the same one that tragically took the lives of both Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis in the early 1990s.
Mobley played eleven seasons in the NBA and averaged 16 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals. He had his best season in 2001-2002 when he averaged 21.7 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting .395% from deep.
Mobley was a key player in the trades that sent Tracy McGrady to Houston in 2004 and Zach Randolph out of New York in 2008.
Mobley will be one of several former NBA players working out on May 31st for ASM Sports’ pro-day.
Here’s the bottom line on Carmelo Anthony’s recent play. Using the measuring stick of points per shot, it is his worst four-game stretch of the postseason since the first four playoff games of his career.
Furthermore, when compared alongside other worst four-game stretches of contemporary solo superstars, it is near the bottom.
Following Sunday’s loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference semifinals opener, the Knicks are 1-3 in their last four games, including 0-2 at home. Their only win saw them nearly squander a 26-point lead in a matter of minutes as they repeatedly force-fed Anthony (and, to be fair, J.R. Smith) in isolation situations.
When Mike Brown was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, there were multiple feelings of déjà vu. One was obvious – Brown was returning to a team that had fired him three years earlier.
We have all been here before.
But the other was more subtle and had to do with the fundamental reality not only of today’s NBA, but also of today’s professional sports.
Jae Crowder only has 88 assists in his young NBA career, and when it’s all said and done, these 88 will be mostly irrelevant.
Except for one.
