New York Knicks

Evening, friends! The Pacers and Heat play their Game 2 tonight in Miami. I hope it's as entertaining as Game 1. Tip-off's at 8:30. If you're watching, feel free to comment along here and check out Indy Cornrows and Hot Hot Hoops as well.

The towels are showing up all around Memphis. They hang over neighborhood signs and even at a door to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA Today Sports Some NBA fans may not want to admit it, but it’s time for veteran point guard Jason Kidd to retire. Though he had some bright moments this past season with the New York Knicks, the bad has started to outweigh the good, and team management needs to find a reason other than experience and leadership to keep him around. The 40-year-old Kidd signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Knicks last summer and posted six points and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 35 percent from three-point range in his 19th professional season. He fought back issues along the way, but emerged as a solid shooting option and defender on a New York squad that was just starting to get back into the limelight after nearly a decade of mediocrity. But that all changed when the playoffs came along. After spending the previous four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and being strong in the postseason as a shooter, defender and even passer, Kidd was a non-factor for New York in 2013. In 12 playoff games, he averaged just 0.9 points while shooting 12 percent from the field and 18 percent from long range. I don’t know whether it was fatigue or him just being off his game, but the writing is on the wall. Kidd is more of a liability than he is an asset, and it’s time for him to walk away from the game rather than risk injuring his legacy even more by coming back next season and embarrassing himself. This will allow the Knicks some more wiggle room in terms of money that can be used in free agency, not to mention in this year’s draft, in which the team must make a solid pick to ensure a bright future. The fact of the matter is that Kidd is a 10-time All Star with a championship ring, and he really doesn’t have anything left to prove. It’s time for him to retire, and the Knicks will be all the better next season if he does.

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports 36-year-old New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni is interested in returning to the NBA next year, contrary to previous reports. While his playoff performance has inspired some positive “whirlies” thanks to his ball-handling, shot-making and overall unselfishness, the Knicks should proceed with caution. It sounds crazy to say this, considering how integral he was to his team’s late season success, but consider this: the NBA is a young man’s game and the grinding season tends to expose age and induce injury. Prigioni only has to look to his elder teammate, the 40-year-old Jason Kidd and the extremely seasoned Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash to see what age-related breakdowns in the NBA look like. When Kidd was playing in his rookie season Ace of Base‘s “The Sign” was the top song in the country. When Nash was playing in his rookie year, Cuba Gooding, Jr. won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the film Jerry Maguire. You might remember Gooding’s celebration when his name was called. As shocking as those historical references are in relation to their careers, the infirmities they incurred on the court this season were equally appalling. Need you be reminded that Kidd did not score a single point in 10 games during the playoffs? The juice he had earlier in the season, when he was nailing open threes and facilitating the Knicks offense, completely evaporated in the postseason. That was probably due to the fact that he played in 76 of 82 games in the regular season. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old Nash missed 24 games due to a lower leg fracture and only played in two playoff games before bowing out with hip, hamstring and back issues. Kidd averaged just six points in the regular season, a career low. And Nash played in his fewest games in 14 years. Unfortunately, professional players blessed to have careers that last into their latter 30s and even 40s, can see their talents crash down mountains, Everest-sized. Body parts and bones they didn’t know they had begin to fracture. The Knicks should consider the cases of Kidd and Nash when pondering whether to resign Prigioni. While I’m not saying they shouldn’t bring him back, they should have some sort of contingency plan and lots of Geritol. Tacuma R. Roeback is a New York Knicks writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TacumaRoe, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

It's been a bit tough to follow the news surrounding Pablo Prigioni rumors since the season ended. First we had regurgitated rumors about a return to Spain or Argentina because his wife was tired of New York. Then we had secondhand reports of Argentine radio interviews in which Prigioni said he'd like to stay in the NBA. Most recently, some nutjob tried to lure Pablo back to New York by giving him the Falkland Islands. It's wild out there. Thankfully, Pablo is a blogger, and took to the internet himself to speak directly to us. You can read the full post (in Spanish) here. The first two paragraphs discuss the disappointment of losing to the Pacers while also mentioning the satisfaction of playing big minutes in Game 6. The last two paragraphs discuss Pablo's adjustments to NBA competition and his travel plans for the summer. Here's my attempt at translating the middle paragraph: In the first few months, it took time for me to get accustomed to the Knicks and for my family to adapt to life in the United States. By midseason we started to feel better and better. I noticed this while playing and it reflected on the court, because I was able to do my best during the last part of the season. My family also ended up very happy and got hooked on the city. I would like to play another year in the NBA, so I will wait for movement and then make a decision. So, there's nothing especially novel in there. This is just firsthand confirmation that Pablo wants to keep playing in the NBA and suggestion that, if he does leave New York, it won't be because his family is dissatisfied with the city. In other Knick writing news, Steve Novak wrote the foreword to this book. For real.

That the 2012-13 Knicks were a flawed team to begin with was an unpopular opinion, especially after a 14-4 start, but the truth won out.

Posting & Toasting! It's your good friend Ross Bernhardt (aka viva_morrison) back for yet another round of Know the Prospects. If you can believe it, this will mark four glorious years of KtP profiles. It all started with a Jimmer Fredette profile (back when he was a second-round wannabe and not a first-round bust) and look what we have blossomed into! It's a pleasure to be back, even though I do still wish I was watching Knicks basketball instead. Before we get into today's prospect, I do want to offer up a warning. In the three years I have been doing this, I have yet to write up a profile on the player the Knicks actually select in the draft. I had started Shump's but then got sidetracked. So as tantalizing as I might make a prospect sound, just know that I have a 0% success rate in writing up players that we draft. Don't take my profiles with a grain of salt; take them with a whole shaker. But we're back in the first round this year, albeit the late first round because we're so awesome, and the probability of knowing who the Knicks might want to take seems much greater, especially with the wonderful Paul Chillsap on board to help out. But I swear if he writes up the guy the Knicks take, I will rue the day I agreed to let him do this. Enough of my blabbering, you guys want a prospect to fawn over. Here he is, straight out of North Texas (not Texas State, the school from Necessary Roughness starring Scott Bakula and Sinbad). The talented sophomore forward regressed from his freshman to sophomore years (in pretty much every single category), but he still carries plenty of potential and would be terrific value where the Knicks pick. Let's learn more about him, shall we? The Rundown Measurements: 6' 7.5" (w/o shoes), 6' 8.75" w/shoes), 236 pounds, 7' 2.5" wingspan, 8' 10.5" standing reach, 5.6% body fat, 33' no-step vert, 38' max vert. Projected Draft Position (as of right now): 21 at Draft Express, 26 at NBADraft.net, 19 at SI.com, 22 at ProBasketballDraft Actual Draft Profiles/Stats: Draft Express, NBADraft.net, StatSheet, North Texas Page Amateur Take - Offense: Mitchell is an imposing presence on offense who is a true inside/outside threat. He can score with jumpers in the face-up game, or he could power his way by you off the bounce. Mitchell isn't a real back-to-the-basket threat, but he is an excellent finisher around the rim. It's tough to gauge exactly how much of this you can attribute to the weaker competition he went up against (North Texas didn't really play anybody: Virginia? Creighton? Saint Louis?) and even against weaker teams in conference, Mitchell disappeared at times. But there is no denying the guy can score inside and outside. He averaged 14.7 points as a freshman on an absurd 56% shooting from the field (including 43.9% from three). He opted to stay in school for his sophomore year, and he regressed across the board. Scoring was down (13), shooting percentages down (44%/30%/67%), his assist numbers were cut in half. He was taking more shots, but he only averaged one more shot a game on the season. He has put the decline on a lack of effort playing for a bad team, so you wonder if a change of environment is what the kid means. Mechanics-wise, Mitchell has decent form on his shot (though it is a little low for my taste) and he's extremely coordinated with the ball both in the air and dribbling. Amateur Take - Defense: Mitchell can do a lot of things defensively to help a team. His length and leaping ability make him a great shot-blocker (3 a game as a freshman, slightly down to 2.7 a game as a soph.) and he is also a solid rebounder on that end. He averaged a double-double as a freshman (Anthony Davis was the only other one) but his defensive rebound rate slid drastically his sophomore year (29% to 20.6%). He can probably put more weight on his frame and become even more of a presence down low to bang inside. His athleticism and ability to rebound/block shots are things that should translate ov

Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports Folks looking to assign blame for the New York Knicks’ postseason failure may look at the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Glen Grunwald. They should also make sure they praise Grunwald, who helped New York have its most successful season in 13 years. As much as people want to bag on the Knicks for falling short of a title this year, fans should be grateful. Grunwald, who’s been on board with the team since 2006, has been pivotal in overhauling a team that was hapless not too long ago. Ungrateful fans should rent a time machine and zoom back to the early aughts, when Isiah Thomas, legendary baller and legendarily awful basketball executive, was named Knicks president of basketball operations in 2003. He also assumed head coaching duties in 2006, replacing the legendary Larry Brown. Thomas’s overall record with the Knicks was 56-108. Needless to say, there were many more craters than peaks. There was the 2004 team, a veritable mish-mash of non-complementary talent. Ball-hogging guards Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford took the court with disappointing forwards Tim Thomas and Vin Baker. There was Kurt Thomas, who did average a double double. They also had a first round draft bust by the name of Michael Sweetney, who was in his second year. And let’s not forget Allan Houston, who averaged 11.9 points per game, but made more than $17 million (more on this later). That team finished 16 games below .500, good for fifth in the Atlantic Division. And then there was the 2007-08 season, the bleakest time to be a Knicks fan in recent history, when the team lost 59 games, tying a franchise record. That’s back when they had Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson, before those guys would mature into solid players for contending ball clubs. If you think Amar’e Stoudemire’s contract was bad, go back to 2001, when the Knicks gave Houston perennial All-Star money: a 6-year, $100 million contract, widely considered one of the worst deals in sports history, particularly since he was a decent player with a one-dimensional game. Houston’s knees derailed his playing career, but his contract was so high he was still the NBA’s second highest paid player in 2005-06, even though he didn’t play a single game that year– not one. When Thomas had control of the Knicks’ checkbook in those bad old days, more shenanigans ensued. A trio of all-time terrible pacts standout: Marbury’s, 4-year, $76 million contract in 2003, Eddy Curry’s 6-year, $56 million deal in 2005 and Jerome James’s 5-year, $30 million contract, also in 2005. All fell precipitously short of living up to their deals. Curry could never get in shape and had knee problems and James was an underachiever who got paid due to a nice run during the 2005 NBA Playoffs when he was a member of the Seattle Supersonics. The Marbury contract was a disaster. When Marbury got the deal he was widely considered one of the best point guards in basketball. But he was a cancer in the locker room and never won as a Knick. Then there was that sex scandal involving a team intern that emerged in 2007. The Knicks eventually banned him from their premises and finally bought him out in 2009, thankfully ending that marriage. So, before fans go mouthing off about Carmelo Anthony or J.R. Smith or even Stoudemire, they should remember those bleak times. Speaking of Stoudemire, another low point in recent team history occurred when the Knicks signed another freakishly athletic power forward in 2002 by the name of Antonio McDyess. But McDyess fractured his left kneecap on a putback dunk in a preseason game. He was never the same after that injury and was traded in a deal that brought Marbury to New York.  It was another instance where a promise went unfulfilled for the Knicks. At least the Knicks got some return with Stoudemire, who gave them one spectacular season in 2010-11 and another decent one in 2011-12 before knee problems hampered him this seaso

[New York Post] Vogel rips Knicks (Fri, 24 May 2013 04:00:30 -0500) In the wake of Frank Vogel’s decision to bench center Roy Hibbert for the final two defensive possessions of the Heat’s 103-102 win over the Pacers on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers coach directed some criticism toward [...]

When Chris Andersen does something particularly impressive for the Miami Heat, a heavy metal guitar riff blares through their arena. Some children have shown up for games with replicas of his tattoos drawn upon their bodies. Others have gotten their hair gelled and shaped to match his Mohawk 'do.