Knicks Notes: Anthony, Davis, Stoudemire
With 15 points, eight assists and two steals three quarters into his first start as a Knick, Jeremy Lin is making a strong case to cool some of the point guard trade rumors surrounding Madison Square Garden. Beyond Lin, the uncertain state of the Knicks roster has occupied NBA conversation in the wake of new and old health concerns as well as personal tragedy.
Here are a few evening items on the Knicks as they lead the Utah Jazz 75-73 through three quarters of play:
- Already limited by Amare Stoudemire's untimely departure from the team, the Knicks lost All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony early in the first quarter to a strained groin, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley. Anthony will not return to the game and may require the Knicks to scour the D-League for frontcourt help.
- Baron Davis is not expected to join the Knicks until after the All-Star break (Feb. 24-27) thanks to an elbow infection, writes Matt Buser of Yahoo! Sports. If newly-minted starter Lin cannot build on his breakout performance of Saturday night, the Knicks could look to sign a point guard to a 10-day contract, which teams can now offer free agents as of today.
- Reeling from the loss of his brother in a traffic accident earlier this morning, Stoudemire's status with the team remains unknown as he flew to Florida to be with his family, says Newsday's Al Iannazzone. With three more games this week, the Knicks will start Jared Jeffries at power forward, who may be able to boost his trade value as he currently has 13 points and seven rebounds through three quarters this evening.
Trade Machine: Sessions To Knicks
The New York Knicks, losers of 11 of their past 14 games, need a point guard. The Cavaliers, having an excellent backup point guard in Ramon Sessions, need as many young pieces around their star rookie point guard Kyrie Irving as possible.
Despite the Knicks previous reluctance to part with last year's prized second round pick Landry Fields, a trade package centered around Fields and Sessions would appear to make sense for both teams.
The Knicks offense has sputtered out of the gate this season, averaging 94.7 ppg–good for 14th in the NBA. They are currently 24th in the league with 18.9 assists per game. Those two aspects of the game had previously been staples of a Mike D'Antoni offense.
Sessions, currently averaging 9.2 points and 4.8 assists per game in just slightly over 20 minutes, would provide the Knicks with the pick and roll ball handler the Knicks sorely lack, allowing D'Antoni to open up his system and properly utilize Amare Stoudemire.
Fields, a surprising second round find, would provide, at worst, quality depth on the wings for a team that leans heavily on Antawn Jamison, Alonzo Gee, Anthony Parker, and Daniel Gibson.
While the Knicks have Baron Davis waiting in the wings, relying on a player with his history of injuries and conditioning troubles in the condensed lockout season could be a recipe for disaster. Not that playing Anthony in a point forward role hasn't been so far this season.
Even though Sessions likely would not be the long term answer, the Knicks have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, and it would be best to evaluate D'Antoni and his system in its natural habitat, with a point guard that can execute his offense.
Thorn: 76ers Didn’t Inquire On Amare Stoudemire
TUESDAY, 8:17am: Sixers team president Rod Thorn told Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com that there's no truth whatsoever to the report that Philadelphia inquired on Stoudemire. "Neither team made an inquiry," said Thorn. John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer also hears from a source that there have been no talks, "preliminary or otherwise," between the two sides for Stoudemire.
MONDAY, 3:47pm: The 76ers have inquired on Amare Stoudemire's availability, John Finger of CSNPhilly.com reported yesterday. Finger cautions that it was likely just due diligence on the Sixers' part, as there's no indication talks advanced past the early stages.
Stoudemire doesn't appear to be a particularly desirable trade target at the moment. The 29-year-old, who has a history of knee problems, was slowed by an ankle injury earlier this season, and has struggled to find his usual scoring touch. His 17.7 PPG and .428 FG% are down from his career averages of 21.8 and .533. On top of that, he's owed approximately $80MM through 2015.
I'd guess the Sixers placed a call to the Knicks to see if a buy-low opportunity might present itself in the coming weeks. With over two-thirds of the season still to play, I don't expect to see the Knicks considering any blockbuster deals involving Stoudemire just yet.
For the rest of today's Knicks notes, click here.