Lin Undergoes Surgery, Knicks Will Stand Pat
Jeremy Lin underwent successful surgery on his knee today, and may not be back on the floor for the Knicks this season, but New York intends to move forward with its current point guards, according to coach Mike Woodson. Woodson told Marc Berman of the New York Post there's no chance the Knicks sign another point guard in the season's final few weeks.
"Absolutely not, not at all," Woodson said. "What is in uniform is what we’re going with."
Baron Davis is dealing with a pulled hamstring, so the Knicks don't want to push him into playing too many minutes. However, Woodson is hoping that a combination of Davis, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and perhaps even Iman Shumpert can handle the point in Lin's absence.
"There’s a concern," Woodson said. "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."
Amidst weekend speculation that the Knicks might decide to sign a point guard, Mike James expressed a desire to play for the team, while Stephon Marbury said he wouldn't be interested.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Knicks
The Celtics have ridden a five-game winning streak to the top of the Atlantic Division. With the Sixers trailing just one game behind as well as having an easier schedule moving forward, Boston will have to remain sharp in order to head into the playoffs with home court advantage and avoid meeting the Heat or Bulls in the first round. The upcoming week will pit the Celtics against Chicago, San Antonio, and Miami, whereas the Sixers have Miami, Toronto, and Orlando before the two division rivals meet a week from tonight.
- Doc Rivers believes that his team is still trending up at this point in the season. Peter May of ESPN Boston takes a closer look at his mindset.
- Doug Collins looked to Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand to provide more leadership after the Sixers appeared at a low point after dropping a game to the Wizards last week. Bob Cooney of Philly.com caught up with Collins after the team had responded with a victory against Atlanta.
- The injury-riddled Knicks face an uphill battle for the remaining 13 games of the season, but the team isn't making any excuses, writes Al Iannazonne of Newsday.
Mike James Has Interest In Knicks
Ian Begley of ESPN New York writes that guard Mike James would welcome a chance to play for the Knicks, according to James' agent Brian Lee. New York is currently at the maximum roster limit and would have to waive a player in order to make room for Mike, which is why Lee isn't expecting a call from the team.
The Amityville product signed a nonguaranteed contract and two 10-day deals with the Bulls this season, and put up a notable 16 points and seven assists in 23 minutes before fouling out in a loss to the Nets on February 18th.
Marbury Not Interested In Joining Knicks
Former Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury has no interest in returning to the Knicks even if the team reaches out to him to help their beleaguered backcourt for the remainder of the season, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The New York Post contacted Marbury via email and asked him what he would do if the Knicks contacted him about a roster spot now that former head coach Mike D'Antoni is no longer with the team to which Marbury responded that he would do nothing.
The former Georgia Tech star led his team to the CBA championship on Friday night by scoring 42 points in the series-clinching game. While Marbury may be playing well and in great shape according to J.R. Smith, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson seems content moving forward with Baron Davis, Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas at the point. Davis will remain the starter with Bibby and Douglas competing for backup minutes as the season winds down.
Odds & Ends: Lin, Rockets, Camby, Hornets
The Bulls and Thunder square off tomorrow afternoon, but Chicago will likely be without the services of Derrick Rose for a tenth straight game. The Bulls could certainly use the help of the reigning MVP but they've found a way to win without him, going 14-5 without Rose in the lineup this season. Here's a look around the Association to close out the evening..
- Jeremy Lin's season is likely over but the popular guard says that he hopes to remain with the Knicks in 2012/13, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
- The acquisitions of Marcus Camby and Earl Boykins have given the Rockets some badly needed veteran leadership, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Excluding players now with the club's D-League affiliate, the Rockets have 4.69 years of NBA experience, taking them from one of the least to most experienced teams.
- Cartier Martin is already making a strong impression on the Wizards and is making a case for staying with the club beyond his current ten-day contract, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post.
- Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer remembers the phone call that made the Hornets organization a reality 25 years ago.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Lin, Bargnani, Nets
Here's a look at some items out of the Atlantic division, including some unfortunate news for Knicks fans..
- Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated told CSNNE.com that he can't imagine Duke's Austin Rivers being available by the the time the Celtics pick. The C's currently own the No. 18 and No. 21 picks in this year's draft.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson doesn't expect the club to sign a point guard in the wake of Jeremy Lin's injury, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com. "I haven't had a chance to sit down with [general manager] Glen [Grunwald] and [owner] Mr. [James] Dolan and see. My thinking is that we'll probably go with what we have," the coach said. "I don't think there's a whole lot out there right now who will make a big difference for our ball club."
- Lin's MRI revealed that he will require surgery for a torn meniscus and will be sidelined for six weeks, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks guard was already seeing reduced minutes and will now likely miss the remainder of the season as he looks ahead to free agency. Just a month ago, Lin was a lock to recieve the mid-level exception from the Knicks this summer but that is no longer the case.
- In today's mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star does his best to quell the concerns of a reader who is unhappy with Andrea Bargnani's poor rebounding. The Raptors forward is averaging just 5.7 boards per contest but Smith points out that rebounds have never been the big man's forte. Bargnani's name has been linked to trade rumors all season long and Toronto expects to have the services of fifth-overall pick Jonas Valančiūnas soon.
- Ben Couch of Nets.com caught up with Dennis Horner, whom the Nets signed to a 10-day contract yesterday. The forward saw D-League teammates Jeff Foote and Jerry Smith get NBA time earlier in the year before getting his opportunity in New Jersey.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Garnett, Knicks, Nets
Last night, Kevin Garnett made it 6-0 against his former team, the Timberwolves. Here's more on the Celtics and the rest of the Atlantic Division..
- During the second quarter of last night's game in Minnesota, a fan hollered at Garnett, "Hey Kevin, please come back next year!" and the forward simply muttered: "No way," according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press.
- Knicks rookie center Josh Harrellson isn't sure if his former coach at Kentucky John Calipari is suited to succeed in the NBA, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- The Nets pulled out an exciting win in Golden State last night but it will cost them in the draft lottery, writes Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. The Nets' pick will belong to the Trail Blazers if it falls outside of the top three.
- Former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury helped propel his team to the CBA championship and now hopes to someday coach the Chinese national team, writes Guan Weijia of Sheridan Hoops.
Stein On Wilson Chandler, Coaching Rumors
In his latest Weekend Dime, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that Wilson Chandler's long-term deal with the Nuggets isn't worth quite as much as had been previously reported. According to Stein, the contract is for $31.7MM in total, starting at $5.5MM this season and topping out at $7.2MM in 2015/16. Only $2MM of that final season is guaranteed, Stein adds.
The rest of Stein's rumors this week revolve around coaching positions, so let's dive in….
- The Bulls hold a team option on Tom Thibodeau for next season, but the Chicago coach is "dismayed" that he hasn't been offered a lucrative contract extension, according to Stein. Stein hears that Thibodeau's displeasure with his contract situation is an "open secret in team circles."
- Mike Woodson is increasingly hopeful of keeping the Knicks coaching job, though if Phil Jackson expressed interest in the position, rival teams assume James Dolan would do whatever it takes to sign the Zen Master.
- The Clippers may be in the market for a new coach this summer, ideally one who could convince Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to remain in Los Angeles long-term.
- If Stan Van Gundy were to be replaced as the Magic coach, Nate McMillan appears to be the top candidate, says Stein.
- Stein spoke to "[John] Calipari experts," who suggested the Wildcats coach may not be inclined to give up his power and prestige at Kentucky to coach in the NBA.
Atlantic Notes: O’Neal, Garnett, D-League, Davis
The Celtics announced today that Jermaine O'Neal underwent successful surgery on his injured left wrist. And as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets, all went well with Chris Wilcox's heart surgery yesterday too. Wilcox was waived by the Celtics earlier this month, and Boston could choose to let O'Neal go as well if the team needs to use his roster spot. For now though, the Celtics don't appear to be eyeing any free agents.
Here are a few more Friday afternoon updates out of the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics big man Kevin Garnett appeared on WEEI's Mutt and Merloni show yesterday, and made some interesting comments, as Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes. "I never wanted to be pieced around, or treated like a pawn, or a piece on the board," Garnett said. "Loyalty in this game has been depleted on both sides. The business of this game is terrible for players. It's all over the place. I have to choose and make a decision to whether to be part of the future of that. I wish players would take more of a stand in our league and understand that it's a player's league." Reading between the lines, Levine surmises that Garnett may have been referring to the lockout, the trade deadline, or both.
- The NBA's D-League has turned into more of a true minor league system and is helping players reach the NBA, writes Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger. Castillo's piece is an interesting read, with a focus on the Nets' D-League call-ups, including Gerald Green and Jerry Smith.
- The Knicks' offseason addition of Baron Davis fell under the radar following Jeremy Lin's emergence, but Lin's injury has given Davis a chance to re-enter the spotlight, says Keith Schlosser of the New York Times.
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Woodson, D’Antoni
The Knicks have a well-earned night off after a 108-86 thrashing of the Magic on Wednesday evening thanks to a balanced effort led by Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert. With the victory, the Knicks are now 8-1 under new head coach Mike Woodson, who took over for Mike D'Antoni, who resigned on March 14th. Let's take a look at what else is going on with the Knicks as they continue to deal with the injury bug.
- Tasked as the Knicks' top scoring option since his arrival from the Nuggets, Anthony has finally stepped up as a scorer with two consecutive 25-point performances in his last two games, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- While Woodson once had a respectable NBA career that stretched over a decade, his foray into coaching was not something he had initially anticipated doing, says Howard Beck of The New York Times.
- By shifting away from D'Antoni's style of play to a heightened emphasis on defense, the Knicks have become more of a complete team driven by energetic play and forcing turnovers, reports Jim Cavan of The New York Times.