Knicks Blog

Knicks coach tells Smith he wants 'his shorts pulled up'

April 05, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson continued his spiel that J.R. Smith needs to be more professional “on and off the court," even taking on the fashion statement the player makes. Woodson had... Read on

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson continued his spiel that J.R. Smith needs to be more professional “on and off the court," even taking on the fashion statement the player makes.
	 
Woodson had a long talk with Smith in the wake of Tuesday’s ejection with 10.7 seconds left in Indiana for throwing down Leandro Barbosa.
	 
“I told him I’m going to continue to coach him as long as I’m coaching the team," Woodson said at the Thursday morning shootaround at Amway Center. “I told him I’m not going to let him off the hook. I want his shorts pulled up. I want him to look presentable. Be a professional. That’s what it’s all about.’’
	 
In following a new fashion trend for youth, Smith likes to wear his pants and shorts around the hips in what has been termed as “sagging,’’ exposing underwear.
	 
Woodson also said his lecture to Smith centered on his poor body language on the court when things are going badly.
	 
Asked specifically how he wanted Smith to be more professional, Woodson said, “On and off the court. On the floor I want him to be happy when he’s playing, feel good about himself. When things go bad, I don’t want that look on his face that the world is coming down on him. We make mistakes and we miss shots. It’s OK.’’
	 
Smith was noticeably dejected Tuesday after he threw in an inbounds pass that was intercepted in the backcourt by Paul George, who dunked. That’s when Smith dropped his head dejectedly. On the way up court, he kept bumping Barbosa until they became entangled and Smith threw him down.
	 
The NBA reversed the flagrant 2 foul (an automatic ejection) to a flagrant 1 yesterday.
	 
Smith was fined $25,000 by the NBA in March for posting a partially naked woman in his Milwaukee hotel room on his Twitter feed.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Knicks 'better' on defense without injured stars: Van Gundy

April 05, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Before he claimed Dwight Howard wants him fired, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was on another riff in stating the Knicks are “a far better defensive team’’ without Amar’e Stoudemire... Read on

ORLANDO, Fla. --
	 Before he claimed Dwight Howard wants him fired, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was on another riff in stating the Knicks are “a far better defensive team’’ without Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin and may be better off for the short term.
	 
Van Gundy said with Stoudemire’s absence, they’ve benefitted from going small with Carmelo Anthony at power forward and stout defender Iman Shumpert entering the starting lineup at small forward. Van Gundy said ailing PG Baron Davis is a better on-ball defender than the undrafted Harvard point guard. The Knicks, who play Van Gundy's Magic on Thursday night, are 4-2 in the six games without Lin-Stoudemire.
	 
“They’ve gone to a smaller lineup and it did things for them,’’ said Van Gundy, who may not be the Magic coach much longer. “I’m not saying they are better without Amar’e. But they are quick as hell (on defense). Switching on pick and rolls has been outstanding.’’
	 
“They’re better defensively in my mind,’’ Van Gundy added. “The thing that’s helped them defensively, is Carmelo is playing real, real hard but they got Shumpert back in the lineup. That’s been a big part of that. And Baron Davis is probably a better defender than Jeremy Lin at this point. What’s happened is their injuries have made them a far better defensive team.’’
	 
Van Gundy said the injuries also have given them more structure on offense in focusing on Anthony, instead of the Mike D’Antoni spread-the-wealth system.
	 
“Not that they wanted these injuries. If you ask them, they’d love to take Stoudemire and Lin back,’’ Van Gundy said. “But it’s defined what they’re going to do.. They’re going to play the game through Carmelo. They’re not (messing) around and making other people happy. At least in the short term, it’s helped them a bit - defensively it’s helped them no question about that.’’
	 
--
	 
Stoudemire broke his promise and didn’t speak to the media this morning after doing his back exercises. He seemed in a less jovial mood than he was in Indiana on Tuesday, meaning he may not be as closer as he once thought. Next Wednesday’s showdown in Milwaukee would mark the end of the second week since he received his epidural steroid injection shot for his bulging disk. The Knicks gave a timetable of 2-to-4 weeks from the time of the shot. “I’ll keep you updated,’’ said Stoudemire, who hasn’t spoken since the night he injured his back vs. Detroit 12 days ago.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Knicks' Smith won't be suspended; NBA downgrades foul

April 04, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Not only won’t the NBA suspend Knicks guard J.R. Smith but it has downgraded his infraction that occurred with 10 seconds left in their loss in Indiana on Tuesday when he threw Leandro Barbosa to the... Read on

Not only won’t the NBA suspend Knicks guard J.R. Smith but it has downgraded his infraction that occurred with 10 seconds left in their loss in Indiana on Tuesday when he threw Leandro Barbosa to the floor, causing his ejection.
	 
According to an NBA source, the league downgraded Smith’s foul on Barbosa from a Flagrant 2 to a Flagrant 1, essentially ruling he didn't need to be ejected.
	 
A flagrant foul 2, according to the rulebook, is “unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent. It is an unsportsmanlike act and the offender is ejected following confirmation by instant replay review. The offender will be subject to a fine not exceeding $50,000 and/or suspension by the Commissioner.’’
	 
Though Mike Woodson could be seen having a talk with Smith after Wednesday’s practice in Orlando, the Knicks coach was supportive of Smith’s act that occurred after he threw away an inbounds pass for an easy Pacers dunk. On the way back upcourt, Smith appeared to be intentionally bumping Barbosa. A few seconds later, when the two became entangled underneath, Smith threw him down.
	 
Woodson called it unprofessional last night but softened his stance.
	 
“I didn’t see the play and when I went back and watched it, I didn’t think anything was wrong with it," Woodson said. "The call [the referee] made should’ve been a double foul. The kid (Barbosa) had him locked up. He just threw him off of him. Maybe he did it out of frustration. I probably would’ve done the same thing, I don’t know.’’
	 
The NBA fined Smith $25,000 last month for posting a photo of a partially naked woman in his Milwaukee hotel room on his Twitter feed.
	 
Smith was a participant in the Knicks-Nuggets brawl in 2006 while with Denver.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Amar'e travels with Knicks, but long shot to return next week

April 03, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

INDIANAPOLIS -- Amar’e Stoudemire stayed back at the Knicks hotel getting treatment for his bulging disk during Tuesday’s morning shootaround, with coach Mike Woodson giving a vague “day to day’’... Read on

INDIANAPOLIS -- Amar’e Stoudemire stayed back at the Knicks hotel getting treatment for his bulging disk during Tuesday’s morning shootaround, with coach Mike Woodson giving a vague “day to day’’ diagnosis for power forward.
	 
Wednesday, the Knicks gave a timetable of 2-4 weeks for Stoudemire to return, and he took an epidural steroid injection Thursday. So having Stoudemire back April 11 in time for the Milwaukee showdown would seem to fit the early end of the timeframe. But a person close to the situation said it would be a long shot.
	 
The Bucks game looms crucial to the Knicks playoff bid; they lead the Bucks by two games for the final Eastern Confernece playoff spot. Milwaukee will own the tiebreaker with a win.
	 
“All we can do with him is just take it a day at a time and see where he is physically,’’ Woodson said. “He comes back, he tells me he’s ready to play. I’ll put him in uniform and back on the floor. Like I said, he’s day to day. He’s getting his treatment. The fact he wants to be around the team during this process says a lot.
	 
“I wish I could tell you it would be this weekend. I really don’t know.”
	 
Stoudemire hurt his back 10 days ago vs. Detroit. Medical experts believe Stoudemire may have had the bulging disk for a while and that’s what could have caused back-spasm symptoms that limited him severely in the Celtics sweep of the Knicks in last season’s playoffs. Stoudemire has chosen not to have surgery yet. Nor has he spoken to the media since the diagnosis.
	 
Woodson said he has spoken to Jeremy Lin, who had arthroscopic knee surgery Monday and is listed as out approximately six weeks. There’s hope Lin beats the six-week timetable and can play sometime during the first round of the playoffs, if the Knicks qualify.
	 
“I don’t know,’’ Woodson said. “I hope so. I‘d love to get him back. But you can’t rush any major injury like that. He had major surgery yesterday. A lot will depend on the doctors and how he feels. I’d hate to rush him back and he reinjures himself and then he’s really done for the rest of the year.’’

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Jeremy Lin completes knee surgery

April 02, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Jeremy Lin had "successful'' surgery today on his chronic small meniscal tear in his left knee, the Knicks announced tonight. The procedure was performed by team orthopedist Dr. Answorth Allen at the... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Knicks will stick with Baron, won't sign another point guard

April 02, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Baron or Bust. Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said there’s no chance the club will look to sign another point guard for the roster in the wake of Jeremy Lin being out for the regular season. That... Read on

Baron or Bust.
	 
Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said there’s no chance the club will look to sign another point guard for the roster in the wake of Jeremy Lin being out for the regular season. That means Baron Davis, battling a hamstring pull, is clearly the starting point guard for April.
	 
“Absolutely not, not at all,’’ Woodson said on whether they’ve decided to add another PG. “What is in uniform is what we’re going with.’’
	 
Lin underwent arthroscopic surgery Monday to repair his torn meniscus in the left knee and is out for the regular season, which ends April 26.
	 
Woodson said the Knicks will have a three-headed point guard monster of Davis-Mike Bibby-Toney Douglas and will use rookie Iman Shumpert some, too. Woodson is aiming to lessen the minutes of Davis, who said Monday he feels the Knicks would be better off playing at a slower pace.
	 
“I can’t play him 30 minutes, 35 minutes,’’ Woodson said of Davis. “I just can’t do it. I don’t think he’ll have much left and it might take a day or two for him to recover. He’s getting there but not there yet.’’
	 
Davis said the herniated disk in his back feels fine but the hamstring is still nagging at him. However, Davis said his leg is better from the two days of rest between games. The Knicks play in Indiana Tuesday night.
	 
Davis recommended the club might want to slow it down from Mike D’Antoni’s speedball from here on in and become more of a halfcourt club.
	 
"We have such explosive scorers on this team that playing a grind-it-out halfcourt game could be to our advantage,'' Davis said after Monday's practice.
	 
The Knicks said they expect Lin to miss six weeks, but a medical expert, Dr. Wellington Hsu, a leading orthopedic surgeon from Northwestern, told The Post Sunday that timetable could conceivably be beaten if a low level of arthritis is found in the meniscus cartilage removed during surgery.
	 
“There’s a concern,’’ Woodson admitted regarding not having Lin. “We got three point guards and we can put the rook to the point guard and we can go four point guards to help us until the time Jeremy might come back. I don’t know. We’ll wait and see.’’
	 
If Lin takes six weeks, he wouldn’t be back until about the start of the second round.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Lin out for Knicks with sore left knee, could return Tuesday

March 30, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

ATLANTA -- Knicks interim head coach Mike Woodson made an ominous remark at the Friday morning shootaround when announcing starting point guard Jeremy Lin will miss his third straight game because of... Read on

ATLANTA -- Knicks interim head coach Mike Woodson made an ominous remark at the Friday morning shootaround when announcing starting point guard Jeremy Lin will miss his third straight game because of a sore left knee.
	 
Woodson lumped Lin with Amar’e Stoudemire in not giving any assurance Lin will return anytime soon. Despite Woodson's remark, Lin is hoping to play on the Knicks' next road trip, either Tuesday at Indiana or Thursday at Orlando.
	 
“He’s out,’’ Woodson said. “Still day to day. Amare’s out. Had his epidural shot yesterday. He’s day to day with Lin. I have no idea when these guys are going to return, if they’re going to return. I just don’t know.’’
	 
It sounded like Woodson was overstating Lin’s injury and misspoke. But Lin said earlier this week he didn’t want to come back until he was 100 percent so he won’t have to deal with the injury later in the playoffs. Stoudemire is listed as being out two-to-four weeks.
	 
Baron Davis will make his third straight start in place of Lin against the Hawks here Friday night.
	 
Woodson could well be frustrated that Lin isn’t ready yet because of the vagueness of his injury. Lin wasn’t made available for comment at shootaround nor did he talk Wednesday before or after the game vs. Orlando.
	 
***
	 
Woodson was peppered with questions about his six-season stint in Atlanta, and one noteworthy response came when he was asked if he’s been in contact with his successor, Larry Drew.
	 
“We haven’t talked,’’ Woodson said. “I just want to talk about basketball and leave it that way.’’
	 
Drew hardly gave Woodson praise for the Knicks' 8-1 run under their interim coach, saying teams often respond to “a coaching change.’’ Drew also said Woodson didn’t have much of an advantage Friday despite having coached many of the Hawks players.
	 
<iframe src="http://embed.newsinc.com/Single/iframe.html?WID=2&VID=23605845&freewheel=90081&sitesection=nypost&height=233&width=415" height=233 width=415 frameborder=no scrolling=no noresize marginwidth=0px marginheight=0px></iframe>

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Knicks could use Douglas to help fill in for Lin

March 28, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

With Jeremy Lin out for the Knicks again tonight vs. Orlando with a sore left knee, coach Mike Woodson said he will try to limit new starting point guard Baron Davis’ minutes and is strongly... Read on

With Jeremy Lin out for the Knicks again tonight vs. Orlando with a sore left knee, coach Mike Woodson said he will try to limit new starting point guard Baron Davis’ minutes and is strongly considering dusting off Toney Douglas.
	 
Davis was ineffective in his start vs. the Bucks on Monday, committing nine turnovers. Douglas was benched in early February when Linsanity raged at Madison Square Garden. Douglas paid the biggest price and hasn’t been in the rotation since. In fact, the Knicks looked to move Douglas at the NBA trade deadline.
	 
Woodson, asked if he would turn to Douglas to limit Davis’ minutes, said, "Absolutely. I've got to find a way to play three point guards, even four because the rookie (Iman Shumpert) can go both ways. I've got to figure that out as I go along.’’
	 
Douglas has appeared in three games since Feb. 6, all in garbage time. He began the season as the starting point guard but never mastered former coach Mike D’Antoni’s speedball offense. Woodson has made adjustments to the offense, slowing the pace and putting in more structure and isolation plays. That could be more suited for Douglas’ style because he has never impressed as a cerebral, read-and-react point guard.
	 
In Davis' first Knicks’ start in the win over the Bucks on Monday, Davis was noticeably fatigued, which likely caused the sloppy play as he logged a season-high 35 minutes. Davis made his Knicks debut Feb. 20 and admits he’s still battling a hamstring injury suffered 12 days ago vs. Indiana. But stamina seems a bigger issue.
	 
“I’m a little banged up,’’ Davis said. “At this point, with Jeremy being injured and my minutes doubling, I have to figure out how to pace myself out there. If I‘m going to play 30, 35 minutes, I've got to figure out how to pace myself.’’
	 
The Knicks haven’t guaranteed Lin will be back Friday in Atlanta. He said yesterday he wants his knee to be 100 percent so he won’t have to deal with the issue in the playoffs should the Knicks qualify.
	 
“He’s doing fine and just going through the treatment process,’’ Woodson said of Lin. “He’s day to day. How long that is, I have no idea."
	 
The Knicks will play the Magic without Lin, Amar’e Stoudemire (who could be back at the end of the regular season), Jared Jeffries and Bill Walker. Carmelo Anthony will play with a sore groin.
	 
“I had a groin injury before, this is nowhere near the first time, where I had to sit out six, seven games,” he said, referring to an injury on Feb. 6. “I’m able to run around out there, I’m able to move, I’m able to cut and do a lot more stuff. So I’ll be out there, so that’s the most important thing.”
	 
Woodson brought up Walker’s name Wednesday morning as he continues rehab from elbow surgery from early March. Walker, who shot with the club, could be in the mix in 1-2 weeks, Woodson said. With Stoudemire out and Anthony having to play power forward, Walker could be needed; he started at small forward for much of the Linsanity 8-1 streak.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Knicks say Stoudemire won't need surgery, out 2-4 weeks

March 28, 2012 , ι By MARC BERMAN

The Knicks said Wednesday they expect Amar’e Stoudemire to return in 2-4 weeks from the bulging disk in his back. After a second opinion agreed with the Knicks' original diagnosis, Stoudemire will... Read on

The Knicks said Wednesday they expect Amar’e Stoudemire to return in 2-4 weeks from the bulging disk in his back.
	 
After a second opinion agreed with the Knicks' original diagnosis, Stoudemire will undergo non-surgical treatment that will include an epidural steroid injection for the injury he suffered in a win over the Pistons on Saturday.
	 
The Knicks also announced Jeremy Lin would not play Wednesday against the Magic because of soreness in his left knee. It is the second straight game the point guard will miss.
	 
Stoudemire, who will fly back from Miami after meeting with doctors, could be back toward the end of the regular season and be ready for the first round of the playoffs if the Knicks qualify.
	 
The Knicks are hoping to get Stoudemire into a couple of late-season games to prepare him for the postseason. The Knicks hold a 2½ game lead over the Bucks, whom they beat Monday night, for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
	 
“We will welcome him back as soon as he can get back on the floor because we need him,’’ Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said at Wednesday's shootaround. “He’s a big piece to the puzzle. I want him to be healthy when he comes back and not come back trying to play hurt. That’s the most important thing.’’
	 
Before the Knicks confirmed their diagnosis, Dr. Wellington Hsu , an orthopedic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago who specializes in sports medicine, told The Post that the epidural in addition to oral anti-inflammatory medication is a common way to treat the ailment.
	 
That treatment conceivably could get Stoudemire back on the court in as fast as 10 days, but Hsu said it would be unwise. According to Hsu, back-strengthening, rehab exercises to increase power in the core over a four-week period is the likeliest course to give Stoudemire a chance of not being prone to reinjuring it.
	 
Hsu, who has not treated Stoudemire, has done studies on NBA players with bulging disk injuries.
	 
“They need him to withstand the rigors of a seven-game series,’’ said Hsu, who is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
	 
“The more you wait, the likelihood is of getting stronger. He needs to demonstrate full range of motion of his back without any pain. The question they are probably asking is how long to shut activity down and work on his core, seeing they have the playoffs in mind and using that as a timetable.’’
	 
The Knicks end their regular-season schedule April 26 in Charlotte and the playoffs begin two days later. Surgery would have put Stoudemire out for the playoffs, too.
	 
“I just want him to be healthy, that’s the most important thing for him," Carmelo Anthony said. "For us, we just want him to be healthy.”
	 
Stoudemire suffered back spasms and a pulled back muscle in Game 2 of the first round vs. Boston last April and was very limited the rest of the series. He spent six months rehabbing.
	 
Hsu said it is possible Stoudemire had a bulging disk for a while and that caused spasms and a muscle pull. Stoudemire said Saturday night after his back stiffened it was a separate injury from the one suffered in Boston. Hsu also said a bulging disk doesn’t go away unless surgery takes place.
	 
 <iframe src="http://embed.newsinc.com/Single/iframe.html?WID=2&VID=23604751&freewheel=90081&sitesection=nypost&height=320&width=425" height=320 width=425 frameborder=no scrolling=no noresize marginwidth=0px marginheight=0px></iframe>

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

VIDEO: Berman, Hale on Knicks injuries

March 28, 2012 , ι NYPOST.COM

Knicks beat writer Marc Berman and reporter Mark Hale discuss the injuries that could derail the team's season.Amar'e Stoudemire is out with a bulging disc in his back and he is out indefinitely.... Read on