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Knicks' Fields named to rookie-sophomore game

February 08, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

WASHINGTON – The game involving rookies and sophomores on All-Star Friday in Orlando will have a new format and name, and Knicks starting shooting guard Landry Fields has made it again to the Feb. 24 contest.
	 
Instead of having rookies face the sophomores, the two teams will be mixed, and the game has been renamed to the Rising Stars Challenge. Knicks first-round pick, Iman Shumpert, was not among the selectees after his fast start. Also new point-guard sensation, Jeremy Lin, in his second season, was not picked, despite being the most-hyped sophomore in the NBA right now after his back-to-back outbursts.
	 
Fields finished third in the Rookie-of-the-Year voting last season and was on the Rookie Team in last season’s All-Star Friday match in Los Angeles. Though Fields had a poor start to the regular season, he has come on the past two weeks and will benefit from Lin’s ability to penetrate.
	 
A force in coach Mike D’Antoni’s speedball system, Fields is averaging 9.7 points on 47.5 percent shooting but is only 28.4 percent from 3-point range.
	 
Other rookies named to the game Wednesday were Nets point guard MarShon Brooks, Bobcats PG Kemba Walker of the Bronx, Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio, Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving, Pistons PG Brandon Knight, Spurs SF Kawhi Leonard, Suns PF Markieff Morris, Cavaliers PF Tristan Thompson and Timberwolves PF Derrick Williams.

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Grieving Amar’e to miss Knicks' next three games

February 08, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

WASHINGTON -- Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said Amar’e Stoudemire will not rejoin the Knicks until Monday’s practice. That means the star forward will be out Wednesday night against Wizards, Friday... Read on

WASHINGTON -- Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said Amar’e Stoudemire will not rejoin the Knicks until Monday’s practice.
	 
That means the star forward will be out Wednesday night against Wizards, Friday against the Lakers and Saturday against the Timberwolves.
	 
Stoudemire is grieving the loss of his brother Hazell, who was killed in a car accident early Monday morning in Florida. The wake for Hazell is Friday, and the funeral is Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Lake Wales, Fla.
	 
"I've texted with him,'' D'Antoni said of Stoudemire at the morning shootaround here. "Tough time."
	 
Carmelo Anthony likely won’t be back before then, either, after suffering a strained groin in Monday’s win over the Jazz that is expected to sideline him for 1-2 weeks.
	 
Asked how to make up for the loss of his two stars for the next three games, D'Antoni said, "We're going to have to play really good defense and move the ball and try to make up the points they'd normally give us. We did that vs. Utah. Hopefully we can repeat it.
	 
"Everybody has to fill in,'' D'Antoni added. "You have to have a bunch of them do it. Last time, it was Jared (Jeffries) and Jeremy (Lin) and (Steve) Novak had a great game.''
	 
Jeremy Lin, the undrafted point-guard sensation out of Harvard, will make his second straight start Wednesday and face Wizards superstar John Wall. The two had a memorable battle before their rookie years at the 2010 Las Vegas summer league in a performance that ultimately led to Lin signing his first NBA contract with Golden State.
	 
Jeffries will fill in at power forward for Stoudemire, and Bill Walker will start at small forward for Anthony.

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Stoudemire to miss next Knicks game, at least

February 07, 2012 , ι By BRIAN LEWIS

Amar’e Stoudemire said he will stay with his family for the next few days, grieving the death of his brother Hazell. The All-Star forward will miss Wednesday’s game at Washington, but gave no clear... Read on

Amar’e Stoudemire said he will stay with his family for the next few days, grieving the death of his brother Hazell.
	 
The All-Star forward will miss Wednesday’s game at Washington, but gave no clear timeline for his return or his availability for Friday against the Lakers or Saturday in Minnesota.
	 
“I am humbled by all of the thoughts and prayers I have received. Thank you for all of the support,’’ Stoudemire said in a release. “I am going to take a few days to be with my family and grieve the loss of my big brother, Hazell Stoudemire. Although it is not clear to me now, I hope to make some good come from our tragedy."
	 
Asked earlier Tuesday at practice, coach Mike D’Antoni said he had not spoken directly with Stoudemire and had no clear idea when the latter would return.
	 
"Thx for all of your thoughts & prayers for me and my family. I hope to make something good come from the tragic loss of my brother, Hazell,'' Stoudemire tweeted earlier Tuesday.
	 
A TMZ report claimed Stoudemire would miss the next three games after his brother was killed in a car accident Monday morning. It repeats the same quote provided by the Knicks, but cites “sources close to the basketball star” as saying he would miss three games.
	 
Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walters, said he had no new information, and more would be known "in the next couple of days."

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Knicks' Anthony to miss 1-2 weeks with groin injury

February 07, 2012 , ι By BRIAN LEWIS

Carmelo Anthony will miss the next one-to-two weeks with a strained right groin, according to the Knicks. Anthony was injured in the first quarter of last night’s 99-88 victory over the Jazz.He left... Read on

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Lin to start for Knicks against Jazz

February 06, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Mike D’Antoni announced at the Knicks morning shootaround that Jeremy Lin would start Monday night at point guard while revealing more bad news regarding Baron Davis’ delayed debut.
	 
D’Antoni said Davis, recovering from herniated disks, is at least seven to 10 days away from playing in the very best-case scenario and wouldn’t rule out him making his first appearance for the Knicks after All-Star Weekend later this month.
	 
D’Antoni said Lin’s defense in Saturday night’s breakthrough performance against the Nets was a big factor in making the move vs. Utah and not waiting.
	 
D’Antoni also said he feels it’s less pressure on Lin to start than come off the bench, where he’d likely receive a huge ovation and hear fans chanting of his name. Lin, the new Madison Square Garden folk hero, is coming off a 25-point, seven-assist performance off the bench Saturday in which the crowd chanted “Jer-e-my!’’ across the second half.
	 
The emergence of the former Harvard guard is huge considering the Davis situation had taken a turn for the worst last week.
	 
D’Antoni was asked if Davis could return before the All-Star Break, and replied, "We don’t know. Right now we’re not counting on it. If he does, great.’’
	 
Davis may return to practice Tuesday but the Knicks coach isn’t sure.
	 
“I don’t know that,’’ D’Antoni said. “ I think it’s safe to say he had a little setback. I don’t know how bad. He sat two, three days to calm down. Then he’ll pick up where he left off. We’re still a week-to-10 days out once the process restarts. I don’t know if that’s tomorrow."
	 
D’Antoni much prefers to talk about Lin, whom the coaching staff now feels can solve their greatest weakness.
	 
“He runs the pick-and-roll which a lot my offense is predicated," D'Antoni said. "He did a good job finding the open guy. He took the right shots. Above all I thought his defense was really good. That’s why I don’t hesitate throwing him in with the starters. I thought he defended really well.’’

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Clippers sign Martin, not Knicks

February 03, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

The Clippers agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent Kenyon Martin on Friday, according to NBA sources.Martin was recently cleared by FIBA after spending the start of the NBA season in China.The... Read on

The Clippers agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent Kenyon Martin on Friday, according to NBA sources.
	 
Martin was recently cleared by FIBA after spending the start of the NBA season in China.
	 
The Knicks had mild interest in the former Nuggets forward and ex-teammate of Carmelo Anthony, whom The Post reported was interested in having Martin join the club.
	 
Martin, who broke his contract with his team in China, had not been permitted to sign with an NBA team until his Chinese team’s season ended. The 34-year-old power forward averaged a career-low 8.6 points per game last season with the Nuggets and has never played a full 82-game schedule in his 11 seasons.
	 
The Knicks have other needs greater than Martin, including the point guard position, which has been in disarray following the delayed return of Baron Davis (back).
	 
The team has expressed interest in J.R. Smith, who also played in China earlier this season, but it is believed its $2.5 million cap exemption will not be enough to sign the former Nugget.
	 
The Knicks would need to cut a player in order to make room if they sign a free agent.

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Stoudemire's 3-pt shot against Bulls shows Knicks flaws

February 03, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

BOSTON -- Last night’s final-second loss to Chicago underscores the mediocrity of the Knicks as a 3-point shooting unit.After the dizzying amount of moves made since November 2008, it is amazing the... Read on

BOSTON -- Last night’s final-second loss to Chicago underscores the mediocrity of the Knicks as a 3-point shooting unit.
	 
After the dizzying amount of moves made since November 2008, it is amazing the Knicks still don’t have a point guard or a starter who can be considered a very good 3-point shooter, a staple in Mike D’Antoni’s speedball offense. Carmelo Anthony probably would agree that it is not his strong suit. Maybe Baron Davis changes both.
	 
And that brings us to last night. Trailing by three points, D’Antoni drew up a 3-point shot for hot power forward Amar’e Stoudemire off the inbounds. Stoudemire had a semi-open look from up top and clanged it off the back iron with 10 seconds left. Game lost. Nobody should be surprised.
	 
"I know we had a lot of time left," Stoudemire said. "Coach explained if I'm open, shoot it. I was open. That shot normally falls for me.''
	 
Really? That shot normally falls for Stoudemire?
	 
Stoudemire came back to training camp bragging that he had worked on increasing his shooting range, even though he also spent most of the extended offseason working on his back.
	 
But he is not a legitimate 3-point shooter, not now, not ever, at least not yet. In 9,135 shot attempts during his 10-year NBA career, 118 of them were from 3-point range. He has made 30 in his career for a 25.4 percentage. This season he is making 31.3 percent of his treys.
	 
Last night, despite his 34 points, he didn’t make a single 3-pointer and finished 0 for 2. It is not a shot that usually falls for Stoudemire, who will need the coach’s vote to get him into the All-Star Game and it’s no given. (Team USA did not put Stoudemire on its final 20 roster).
	 
D’Antoni does not have a lot of options when he needs a 3-pointer at game’s end. Anthony can be suspect from 3-point range and was having a bad shooting night. Landry Fields is coming on, but no sure thing. Toney Douglas is forever erratic.
	 
My suggestion would’ve been to put in 3-point specialist Steve Novak for that possession, at least serving as a decoy Chicago would have to guard at the 3-point stripe. The only thing Novak does is shoot the 3. Maybe the Knicks could’ve had an easier chance at a 2-point field goal with Novak spacing the floor.
	 
The Novak suggestion highlights the suspect state of The Anthony Roster. Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton were probably the best 3-point shooters on the Knicks and were traded for Anthony. D’Antoni is in a tough spot.

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Knicks could pursue Cavaliers guard Sessions

February 01, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Ramon Sessions? Mike D’Antoni didn’t dismiss that possibility of upgrading the Knicks roster, with the team linked to free agent Kenyon Martin and in the past having pursued Cavaliers point guard... Read on

Ramon Sessions?
	 
Mike D’Antoni didn’t dismiss that possibility of upgrading the Knicks roster, with the team linked to free agent Kenyon Martin and in the past having pursued Cavaliers point guard Sessions, who's being shopped.
	 
Sessions, who played under Dan D’Antoni in South Carolina’s AAU program, has long been a target of the Knicks. Former team president Donnie Walsh nearly signed him in the summer of 2009 but elected against it when he feared it would take too much of their salary-cap space for 2010.
	 
Sessions has a year left on his contract and the Cavaliers are looking to clear cap space. The Knicks are starting to realize the iffy proposition that is Baron Davis, who has been too sore to practice with contact this week and whose debut is up in the air, with the Knicks coaching staffing saying it won't be until next week at the earliest.
	 
Asked directly about Sessions, D’Antoni said, “Glen (Grunwald), I’m sure he’s sitting there going what could we do if Plan A doesn’t work. Plan B, Plan C. He’s looking into every possibility. Whether there’s a possibility or not, I don’t think so. I’m sure it would be thoroughly discussed and looked at. Whatever will make our team better we’ll do it.’’
	 
Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith are two of the Chinese Basketball Association players who will be eligible later this month once they are cleared for the NBA by FIBA. The Post has reported Carmelo Anthony would like Martin, his former teammate in Denver, on the club.
	 
The Knicks would have to cut a player to make room for either, and probably at this stage could axe erratic and injury-prone Mike Bibby rather than prospect Jeremy Lin, whose contract is not guaranteed.
	 
“Those are things you monitor,’’ D’Antoni said. “Things you keep your eye on. We have the $2.5 million (salary cap) exception left and we’ll look at it. ... If it makes sense we’ll do it in a heartbeat. If it doesn’t make sense we won’t. Most of the time it’s agents saying they’re looking at my guy but I’m sure we’ll do our due diligence.’’
	 
If the Knicks ever got Sessions from Cleveland, it would be a boon for D’Antoni’s job security. Toney Douglas’ option for next year was picked up at $2 million, so he could be of interest to the Cavaliers.
	 
D’Antoni said he expected Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire to play all three games during this three-night stretch despite their ailments, starting Thursday vs. Chicago and finishing in Boston and vs. the Nets.
	 
Stoudemire missed part of practice Wednesday to get treatment on the sprained ankle he suffered during second-half warmups Tuesday night against the Pistons. Anthony returned from various ailments and looked super scoring 25 points with six assists.

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Anthony playing for Knicks against Pistons

January 31, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Carmelo Anthony is playing for the Knicks on Tuesday night against the Pistons.Anthony participated in the morning shootaround and worked out before it, and returned to the lineup vs. Detroit when... Read on

Carmelo Anthony is playing for the Knicks on Tuesday night against the Pistons.
	 
Anthony participated in the morning shootaround and worked out before it, and returned to the lineup vs. Detroit when the reeling Knicks try to reverse their 1-9 slide.
	 
“He was cutting more and it felt pretty good,’’ Mike D’Antoni said after shottaround.
	 
The Knicks normally don’t hold morning shootarounds but did so for Anthony’s benefit. The forward missed the prior two games to rest his sprained ankle and wrist, which he injured in Memphis on Jan. 12.
	 
*
	 
Amar’e Stoudemire seemed oddly detached from the Anthony saga. In fact, none of the players mentioned Anthony’s name after the loss in Houston.
	 
“I don’t know what’s going on with his situation,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’m totally out of the loop. I think he had an ankle sprain a few weeks ago. I’m not totally sure what’s going on. For guys who are going to play tonight, they got to be ready to go.’’
	 
*
	 
As expected, Baron Davis is out tonight and D'Antoni admitted his debut could still be a week away. The Post reported Monday some players are surprised the point guard hasn’t made his debut after returning to practice eight days ago. Davis, recovering from herniated disks, sat out Monday’s practice for a recovery day, with D’Antoni saying he was sore.
	 
"They gave him some down days,’’ D’Antoni said. ‘I don think it’s a setback but he needs more time for things to calm down.’’
	 
Davis will practice Wednesday, according to D’Antoni. "They'll ramp him up again,'' the coach said. The earliest for Davis' debut may be Saturday vs. the Nets.
	 
Stoudemire said he won't sit out any part of the three-games-in-three-nights stretch that begins vs. Chicago on Thursday. The Knicks play in Boston on Friday and play host to the Nets on Saturday.
	 
It is the first time the Knicks have played on back-to-back-to-back nights since the 1999 season. Stoudemire said in preseason he could see himself sitting out a game here and there during the condensed 66-game schedule.
	 
“Don’t worry about me man, I’m a warrior,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’ve been playing and preserving my whole career. It’s not a real problem at all. We got to win.’’

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Anthony, Davis miss Knicks practice, doubtful to face Pistons on Tuesday

January 30, 2012 , ι By BRIAN LEWIS

In a double dose of bad news, Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis sat out Knicks practice Monday and are listed as doubtful for Tuesday's game against visiting Detroit.“(Anthony) is probably doubtful. He... Read on

In a double dose of bad news, Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis sat out Knicks practice Monday and are listed as doubtful for Tuesday's game against visiting Detroit.
	 
“(Anthony) is probably doubtful. He didn’t practice today so I’m thinking doubtful. But it will always be game-to-game and we’ll see,’’ coach Mike D’Antoni said, adding of Davis, “He didn’t practice also, so again, day-to-day, but doubtful.’’
	 
Anthony missed two games this weekend dealing with wrist, thumb and ankle injuries. Davis has not played for the Knicks as he recovers from herniated disks.
	 
Asked if he would update his status, Davis replied, "No.”
	 
He started practicing a week ago, and D’Antoni is hopeful the guard can return to practice Wednesday in advance of a stretch of back-to-back-to-back games.
	 
Anthony refused to rule out playing against the Pistons, as unlikely as it seems.
	 
“It’s getting better man; it’s getting much better,’’ Anthony said. “I came out here and shot a little bit today. I didn’t do too much running. They wanted me to give it another 24 hours of rest of it. I’ll get a workout in tomorrow, a full workout in the morning and then shootaround, and see how it goes from there.
	 
“There’s a chance (I’ll play). I didn’t really put any pressure on it the last couple of days. I’ve just given myself a chance to get a bunch of treatment, loading up on the treatment. Tomorrow’s going to be the first time if I see if I can push off. I know I can run, but it’s just a matter of me being able to push off.’’

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About the Author

MARC BERMAN Marc Berman has been covering the Knicks since 1998, after serving as Islanders beat writer for a year when he joined the Post. He’s also covered U.S. Open tennis, and authored "Living Without Ew: The Crash of the Post-Ewing Knicks." The APSE award winner and SUNY-Albany graduate covered Phil Jackson, Bill Musselman and George Karl as Albany Patroons beat writer.

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