Kevan Barlow fan club

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The Jeremy Lin-led Knicks are 9-2 after starting the season 8-15, standing at an even 17-17 record.

They are second in the Atlantic Division, trailing the Philadelphia 76ers by three games (who themselves are on a five-game skid).

If the playoffs started today, the Knicks would be the seventh seed playing the second seed Chicago Bulls.

With Carmelo and Lin both in the lineup, they are 2-1.

In their last 10, they are 8-2 (mostly due to the emergence of Lin) and have become a viable threat in the Eastern Conference (with two solid wins over the Lakers and Mavericks).

All signs are pointing to good things for the Knicks this season (obviously, providing they are healthy among the important factors).

They have tremendous depth on their team when you factor in the additions of Baron Davis and J.R. Smith (Smith had a great showing on Sunday against Dallas where he scored 15 points in his debut).

Guys like Steve Novak and Tyson Chandler get a boost when Lin is in the game (Novak, the beneficiary of open threes, and Chander, for his wide open lanes to the basket, not to mention pretty alley-oop plays).

Knicks or Heat?

Knicks Heat Submit Vote vote to see results

Knicks or Heat?

Knicks

66.7%

Heat

33.3%

Total votes: 21

The Knicks have the potential to go far, but before they take the weekend off, they have one more test to go through, and that is a very hot Miami Heat team.

The Heat have won seven in a row and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Big Three in Miami is playing like we expected to, with all the stars getting theirs and playing very good basketball.

Thursday’s nationally televised game will be a must-see for hoops fans everywhere.

If New York is expected to do anything this season, they will have to most likely go through Miami.

A win would give them a huge momentum boost going into the All-Star break (not to mention all the great publicity surrounding the team since the insertion of Lin).

They will be playing on Miami’s home floor, but more importantly, can this Knicks team show that is can beat the best of the best?

Miami advanced all the way to the NBA Finals last season before losing to Dallas in six games. They have started this season on a tear, going 26-7 through 34 games (they are tied with Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA).

If this Knicks team is for real, they will need to be on their A game if they want to get over D-Wade, Bron Bron and Chris Bosh.

The formula may be simply good team basketball and good defense. It could be something else. But the Heat are not an unstoppable force, as they do have seven losses on their record. Can the Knicks conquer their long-time rivals?

We’ll see if it happens tomorrow night.

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The recently inaugurated Hall of Famer, Chris Mullin, is finally being honored by his former team. The Golden State Warriors have decided to retire his No. 17 jersey.

Mullin topped the 20 points per game plateau on six different occasions with the Warriors. He shot greater than 50% from the floor in each of those seasons.

Mullin was with the Warriors from 1985 to 1997 before playing with Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers for three seasons. In 2000, Mullin returned to the Warriors for one last season before calling it quits.

He was inducted into the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame in August of 2011. Just three months later, he was inducted to the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mullin has most recently taken over as an NBA analyst for ESPN.

He also spent time in the Warriors’ front office from 2004 to 2009.

As for when the ceremony is planned to take place, the Golden State Warriors official website reports that it is not too far away. In fact, it’s less than a month away:

The Golden State Warriors will retire Chris Mullin’s jersey, #17, in a special ceremony on March 19, 2012, when the Warriors play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Oracle Arena.

Many old-school fans are certain to be on hand to celebrate the career of one of their all-time greats.

Hopefully, the new-school fans can honor him with a victory over Kevin Love and the Timberwolves…

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Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has been in talks with Minnesota Timberwolves brass in regards to Michael Beasley.

The 6’10″ forward could be a good fit with the Lakers, whether or not they choose to deal Pau Gasol. However, the risk that comes along with acquiring Beasley is the same reason that the Timberwolves want to ship him away.

That is, immaturity.

He was involved in a marijuana incident at the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program rookie camp, along with a slew of other drug related incidents.

Despite his off-the-court issues, there’s no denying his basketball ability. Last season, Beasley averaged just under 20 points a game in Minnesota while starting all but nine games. The season before that, he averaged 14 points per contest with the Miami Heat. That’s a good sign for the Lakers. It shows that he can still be productive while playing with a superstar.

Don’t forget that Beasley absolutely destroyed the NCAA in his one year of college at Kansas State, too.

It’s no secret the Lakers are in desperate need of a point guard, but Beasley would definitely be a welcome addition to the team. The Lakers could take him on by absorbing him into their $8.9 million trade exemption.

In other news, a possible future Laker guard, Gilbert Arenas, is still on the market as he continues to be blackballed by the NBA.

The Timberwolves don’t want all that much in return for Beasley. They’re simply looking to get him out of their hair. It’s feasible that the Lakers would only have to give up a draft pick and some cash to bring him to Los Angeles.

The Lakers are 22nd overall in points per game. It’s no secret Kobe Bryant needs some help. The addition of Beasley would bump this total up, since he is a threat to score from all over the court.

The current state of the Lakers is not exactly stable. It stems from the Gasol trade talks and possibly Kobe’s lingering issues with Lamar Odom’s exit before the season.

When Kobe’s not happy, nobody is.

Beasley won’t be able to match the 14 points and eight rebounds per game that Odom put up last season, but he would be able to come off the bench ahead of Matt Barnes when Metta World Peace needs a rest.

In 33 minutes off the bench against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, Beasley scored 17 points on 16 shots, but also had seven rebounds. He played less than 20 minutes in the previous three games, so if Minnesota wants his value to go up, they should get him some more minutes.

Sooner or later, Beasley could end up in Los Angeles. Especially because there is no need for him in Minnesota with Kevin Love, Derrick Williams and Martell Webster.

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Have you heard about this guy Jeremy Lin? He is the point guard for the New York Knicks and he’s supposed to be quite the basketball player.

With all the attention he’s been getting in the past weeks, he must be. Lately, it seems like anybody with half a brain and a working knowledge of the English alphabet has been writing about what Lin does, what Lin means, and what Lin says about the American dream.

Well, I’ve got half a brain and fancy myself a writer, so that makes it my duty—and my pleasure, really—to contribute to what Janet Malcolm called that old, uncanny zeitgeist, by commenting on the latest flavor.

The Lin narrative that’s been pushed and repeated by almost every major American media outlet stresses determination. With a little hard work and a can-do attitude, even the most unlikely of us can make our dreams comes true. The Lin narrative is one that all Americans love to hear. Unfortunately, it isn’t an accurate view of Jeremy Lin.

In fact, it sells him a bit short. The Knicks, remember, didn’t just find this guy sleeping in Penn Station.

Lin is a lean 6’3”, 200 pounds, and is one of the strongest dribblers in the world. He’s got handle, and he can move at full speed with the ball. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics and left behind a legacy as one of the Ivy League’s greatest basketball players, right up there with another Knick, the former Princeton Tiger, Bill Bradley.

If the Knicks put out a yearbook, Lin would be voted “most likely to succeed.”

His teammate Amar’e Stoudemire, however, doesn’t have the same history we as a culture think of as breeding success. When Stoudemire was very young, his father died, his mother and older brother were incarcerated for various crimes (his mother on more than one occasion). Before graduating from Cypress Creek High School, Stoudemire bounced around to five others, six if you include the fake one made by an AAU coach as a way to guarantee Stoudemire on his team.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Through it all, he became NBA Rookie of The Year in 2003—despite also being nearly blind.

Not often, however, is Stoudemire praised as a symbol of the American dream fulfilled. But Lin has, and is. The reason has nothing to do with either of them as people—obviously, there are valuable lessons to be learned from both of their biographies—and everything to do with them as newsworthy stories.

The media system in the United States, and other countries, too, is based on a system of conventional wisdom. It’s been called the way in which a culture speaks to itself. History, economics and a number of other factors help determine what words and images will be broadcast over the airwaves in the form of messages. However, the meaning of those messages stems from, either consciously or subconsciously, a mutually agreed upon sense of cultural understanding, or stereotypes.

A newsworthy story is that which challenges those stereotypes. Stoudemire, despite what he has been able to achieve, doesn’t strike people as a challenge. African-American, 6’10”, solid and athletic, Stoudemire cuts the image Americans associate with the NBA. In truth, plenty of young African American basketball players with Stoudemire’s size and athleticism haven’t been able to achieve what he has. However, he is viewed as normal by basketball standards regardless.

Lin, on the other hand, has been seen as a challenge to those stereotypes. As an Asian American, Lin is rare in the NBA. But beyond that, he is an Ivy League graduate. Balling and book worming are not supposed to exist within the same person, and with Lin we see that they can. And we are supposed to be surprised by it.

Contrary to the presented narrative, Jeremy Lin’s story doesn’t teach us anything more about that value of hard work and determination that we can’t find in other NBA players. Within any locker room around the country you will be able to find inspirational stories about achieving goals against the force of adversity. He is just one more incredibly talented basketball player.

All the “Linsanity,” however, says we are supposed to be excited about him more so than other players. That, in a weird way, contributes to the kind of stereotypes Lin is supposed to be challenging.

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Wade and James have grown into an unstoppable force.
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We are only a few days away from the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando on Sunday. Just a few miles away, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have been leading the Miami Heat on a tear as of late.

From strong defense, half-court ally-oops and beating teams by the third quarter the Heat are looking impossible to beat. Late February is good time to get a feel for who will be vying for the playoffs in May. The Miami Heat are showing why the best teams need a balance of star power and chemistry.

The Heat are a cut above all other franchises currently. It seems the growing pains of last year have led to the maturity of the 2011-12 roster. They are beating teams by double digits and crash out of the gates like a pack of greyhounds from start to finish on a nightly basis. After being embarrassed in the 2011 NBA playoffs, it looks as if they are playing with a chip on their shoulder.

The Evil Empire might be hated by many basketball fans, but they are a must-watch for all fans of the game. 

LeBron James might be the biggest villain in the NBA but is a hero in South Beach. He is en route to taking the MVP award by March. Even though he has tons of talent around him, that should not take away from his historical production this season. During the Dwyane Wade injury, James put the team on his back and was a scoring machine as he improved his three-point shot. James is shooting over 50 percent from the field even though all of this shots come various areas on the court. All the other players that are in that percentage are big men whose offense stems from the post. Only Dwight Howard has been to the foul line more than LeBron.

Can the Heat dominate in the playoffs?

Yes No Submit Vote vote to see results

Can the Heat dominate in the playoffs?

Yes

100.0%

No

0.0%

Total votes: 9

If the other contenders in the East want to make it to the Finals, they will have to find an answer for the Big Three in Miami.

The Boston Celtics are showing their age. Many think Danny Ainge needs to blow up the team to start the rebuilding process. The old Big Three needs to make way for the new Big Three.

The Chicago Bulls are right behind the Heat from a record standpoint, but all teams start 0-0 come playoff time. Derrick Rose has been hampered by injuries and Carlos Boozer is still a defensive liability. We have seen that Rose still needs another running mate to take on the Heat.

The New York Knicks are definitely a work in progress. Even though Jeremy Lin has been the headline at Madison Square Garden, the chemistry between Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire will be the Achilles’ heel for a deep playoff run.

The Orlando Magic will most likely lose Dwight Howard right after the All-Star Game. He has been very outspoken about wanting out of town, which means that if an Eastern Conference team acquires him it could be an instant threat.

Unless something drastic happens, look for the Miami Heat to be playing into June in dominating fashion.

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I’m taking a break from writing about my unhealthy Cleveland Cavaliers fandom to write about my new unhealthy basketball obsession, Jeremy Lin, who has set New York and the basketball world on fire with highlights and puns.

His underdog story will be that of legend, and will inspire people to really make the best of the chances they are given in life. I mean Lin is the reason that I will be flying to Charlotte to try to get a contract with the Bobcats. 

Here is the obligatory section where I’m supposed to tell you how great his stats are compared to the likes of Stockton and Magic over his first nine games, but if you don’t already know you’ve been living under a rock or haven’t watched SportsCenter in the past month.

Therefore, I’m not going to do it because you’ve already heard it.

Anyway, enough praise, what are his horrible flaws? What is his deep, dark secret that he is hiding? Is it drugs? Alcohol? A Warcraft subscription?

No, much like Tim Tebow, who for some reason Lin is compared to, his flaw is actually quite obviously with his game. For Tebow it’s his throwing motion and propensity to run—for Lin it’s his turnovers.

In the games that Lin has started he has a habit of attempting the home run pass or play, which has caused him to average almost six turnovers over the past nine games.

The big question is, exactly how big of an issue is this?

Ask one person and you’ll hear it’s going to catch up to him and the Knicks will start losing again—ask another and they’ll say it’s because he is running a Mike D’Antoni offense, which is very fast-paced and prone to turnovers.

My question is, do the turnovers really matter if you win the game?

I think both yes and no.

Yes because everyone knows that defense picks up in the playoffs—which is when every turnover will matter more than ever—and no because if it wasn’t for these wins, the Knicks would be a lottery team.

How big of a deal are Lin’s turnovers?

They will be his downfall It’s kind of a big deal They are caused by the D’Antoni system No he makes up for it in steals I’m so high off Lin puns I really don’t care Submit Vote vote to see results

How big of a deal are Lin’s turnovers?

They will be his downfall

0.0%

It’s kind of a big deal

50.0%

They are caused by the D’Antoni system

0.0%

No he makes up for it in steals

0.0%

I’m so high off Lin puns I really don’t care

50.0%

Total votes: 2

The real test will be this Thursday at the Miami Heat, who are sporting one of the best defenses right now. If Lin can help the Knicks win against LeBron James and the Heat, then I would say that this team can go anywhere.

Why is this one game such a big measuring stick for me?

Well quite frankly I believe LeBron wants the spotlight back and will look to squash this “Linsanity” once and for all. I fully expect LeBron and Wade to take turns on Lin, much like the Mavericks placed their best perimeter defender Shawn Marion in charge of trying to limit Lin.

Now if Lin can produce against that kind of defensive pressure, then I would be comfortable saying that he has proven he is indeed not just the “flash in the pan” that some still like to believe.  

Will it happen?

Heck I don’t know, this season has been completely “Linsane” and I’ve been loving it.

What do you guys think? 

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I’m sure you have heard the name Isaiah Thomas, but I’m not referring to the Hall of Fame point guard from the Pistons that has been known, more recently, for his shortcomings in NBA front offices.

I’m talking about the rookie point guard out of the University of Washington that has been heating things up for the Sacramento Kings.

He has reached double-figures in his past three games, averaging 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.3 three-pointer while shooting 51.4 percent from the field, 40 percent from downtown, and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.

On Sunday he nearly messed around and got a triple-double, racking up 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists.

He was a nice college player, though, averaging 15.5, 16.9 and 16.8 ppg in his three seasons for the Huskies. He had decent assist numbers in his first two seasons at 2.6 and 3.2 a game before really stepping it up in his final year with a 6.1 a game.

His numbers so far this season are hardly impressive at 7.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.6 spg and 1.0 three a game. He has started the past two games for the Kings, though, so he should continue to see heavy minutes if he continues to produce. Even if he ends up coming off the bench, he has earned a spot in the rotation.

If he keeps putting up solid numbers your window of opportunity to grab him will be gone. Currently he is owned in 51.1 percent of ESPN leagues and 34.0 percent of Yahoo! leagues. As always, you have to have an expendable player if you want to move on Thomas.

Also check out:

Should You Add Marco Belinelli?

Hit up Ersan Ilyasova and Chris Kaman for Rebounding Help

Fantasy Basketball: Jump on Brook Lopez

Fantasy Basketball Find: Jeremy Lin

2012 Fantasy Basketball Team Names

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No, the New York Knicks did not win in Carmelo Anthony’s return to action on Monday, falling to the New Jersey Nets and a red-hot Deron Williams, 100-92. But they did show glimpses of the team they might be, and that Jeremy Lin and ‘Melo co-existing could be a beautiful thing.

Anthony was rusty, as is expected coming off an injury, scoring 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting with six assists and six turnovers. But it was the manner in which he played and the attitude he expressed after the game that is a positive for this Knicks team.

From Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY:

“My mind-set was not try to come in and do too much. Try to fit in. Try to play my game within the system that they’ve been playing the last couple of week — passing the ball, finding the open man, making the right play,” Anthony said.

Anthony continued to at least express the right attitude when talking about Lin:

“I want Jeremy to have the ball, hands down,” Anthony said. “I want him to create for me. I want him to create for Amar’e. I want him to create for everybody and still be aggressive as he’s been in the past two weeks.”

Should the Knicks be considered championship contenders?

Yes No As much as any 16-17 team could be considered a championship contender, I guess… Submit Vote vote to see results

Should the Knicks be considered championship contenders?

Yes

0%

No

0%

As much as any 16-17 team could be considered a championship contender, I guess…

0%

Total votes: 0

Knicks fans should be very pleased with that outlook, and the team will thrive if what Anthony has said translates to the court. Not that the team needs him to post six assists every night, but if his mentality isn’t “the rock ends here” and he continues the flow of this offense by moving the ball to teammates, this Knicks team will be frightening to defend.

The Knicks are lucky to have the approaching All-Star break to work together as a team and push forward the adjustment time of J.R. Smith, just as they are lucky to have a front-row seat for Lin’s meteoric rise to basketball celebrity and to have a superstar in ‘Melo who seems to be buying into the new team concept.

If the Knicks get all of their talented pieces working together, this could be a very, very dangerous team.

To Linfinity and beyond, indeed.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets have the perfect amount of foam at the top.

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In a league overflowing with talent at the point guard position, it is hard for all of the rising stars and seasoned veterans in the game to get their fair share of ink in the daily paper. 

This inability of NBA headlines to discuss and address all the new, developing stories has become increasingly evident with the emergence of one Harvard grad taking the NBA landscape by storm. 

Everyone, even those lacking the slightest “:interest” in basketball, has become aware of Jeremy Lin and his on-court exploits by now, and rightfully so. 

The second-year stud has managed to carry the Knicks to an 8-1 record on the back of his 25 points and 9.2 assists a night. 

He has revolutionized the game through his inspirational story and electrifying play, which has resonated with so many different individuals and groups across the globe. 

As great as Lin’s accomplishments have been, though, another point guard in the Western Conference is quietly boasting more efficient numbers, on a better team and in the midst of a better run—a Frenchman by the name of Tony Parker. 

Parker’s recent success shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, considering he has proven repeatedly his ability to knife through opposing defenses, knock down mid-range jump shots and orchestrate the Spurs offense, but should the man be receiving more recognition?

To go even further, is he currently the best PG in the game? 

Before you get up in arms about the question, let’s take a look at the facts. 

In the month of February, Tony Parker is averaging 25.8 points, 7.9 assists and only 2.4 turnovers a game. To try and put that into perspective, when comparing Parker’s numbers to the rest of the league averages, he is the only player in the top 10 of both points and assists (fourth in points and seventh in assists). 

Parker has had outbursts of 42 points and nine assists, 37 points and eight assists, 34 points and 14 assists and, most recently, 30 points and 10 assists. 

Despite taking more shots, playing more minutes and being entrusted to handle the ball more, Parker’s field-goal, free-throw, turnover and efficiency numbers haven’t suffered in the least. 

Lastly, the Spurs are on an impressive 10-game win streak, and have six wins over above-.500 teams including the Grizzlies, Thunder and Clippers. 

To again put this into perspective, and to point out how ludicrous it is that Parker hasn’t been featured in his fair share of headlines, it’s only right to compare him to the hottest topic in basketball right now: Jeremy Lin. 

Jeremy Lin is averaging less points (albeit with a marginally better field-goal percentage), a worse free-throw percentage, significantly more turnovers (nearly three-and-a-half more a game) and has only one win against an above-.500 team. 

None of this is meant to deter the basketball world from Jeremy Lin’s meteoric rise to stardom, nor is it meant to knock him off his well-deserved pedestal. The man is worthy of all the fame and attention that he is receiving. 

What this should make you wonder, though, is why little to no attention has been directed towards Parker. 

Not only is he playing better than Lin, I would go as far as to say that there is an argument for him playing better than any other point in the game right now. 

Who is the best Point Guard in the game currently?

Derrick Rose Chris Paul Russell Westbrook Tony Parker Jeremy Lin Submit Vote vote to see results

Who is the best Point Guard in the game currently?

Derrick Rose

40.0%

Chris Paul

20.0%

Russell Westbrook

0.0%

Tony Parker

40.0%

Jeremy Lin

0.0%

Total votes: 5

Several names came to my mind for this season’s best PGs, but only four stuck out above the rest: Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker. 

Derrick Rose has been hampered by injuries all month long, so to compare him to the likes of Tony Parker at this point in his career would be unfair. The former MVP has been absent nearly all of February, although he no doubt belongs in the conversation. 

Chris Paul, who has been repeatedly mentioned as a legitimate MVP candidate, is averaging a little over 18 points and 8.5 assists a game. He has managed to turn the Clippers into a title contender, but I believe that his impact has been over-exaggerated when considering the supporting cast he has.

Parker has had noticeably better numbers with a less-significant cast, which has resulted in a better record. 

The last person in the argument is Russell Westbrook, who probably has the greatest case as of recently. 

He is putting up 26.5 points, five assists and five rebounds a game. His 40-point outburst last night is just a sample of his potential on the offensive end. Westbrook has managed to help lead the Thunder to the best record in the West.

My only issue with Westbrook is that he is undoubtedly Robin in OKC, and strays farther than any of the aforementioned players from the true definition of point guard. 

While Rose, Paul, Westbrook and recently even Lin have been given the spotlight as far as point guards go, Parker might currently be the best of them all and deserves far more praise and acknowledgment than he is presently receiving. 

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When teams start to streak, people start to talk—it’s just what’s always happened in the National Basketball Association. Sometimes they chalk up several wins in a row; other times they can’t seem to find a win no matter how hard they try.

But no matter what the streak is, it will always cause people to talk and this year is no exception.

Currently, there are 12 teams on a streak of three or more matches—that’s 40 percent of the entire league on some sort of streak.

However, streaks do mean different things to different teams. Say, for example, the Sacramento Kings lose three in a row and the Miami Heat lose three in a row at the same time. The talk and speculation is going to be on the Miami Heat and not on the Sacramento Kings.

Why? Because Miami are considered a playoff team, a team likely to challenge for the championship title and a team that shouldn’t be losing three in a row.

So in 2012, when the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics are both on a three-game skid, who is the concern and talk going to center on?

You guessed it, the Boston Celtics because in the minds of nearly every one, they are a side that should still be there come playoff time.

And on the back of a three-game skid which has led them a 15-15 record for the season, the Boston Celtics current streak has to be causing some concern for the faithful.

Perhaps the reason why the streak hurts so much is that it’s come in games that they feel they should have won.

Is the Celtics’ current streak cause for concern?

Yes. No. Submit Vote vote to see results

Is the Celtics’ current streak cause for concern?

Yes.

100.0%

No.

0.0%

Total votes: 1

A home game to the 9-22 Detroit Pistons should not result in a loss; neither should the return game in Detroit—yet that’s exactly what the Celtics managed to do.

Throw in a loss in the middle of those to the championship-hopeful Chicago Bulls, and Rajon Rondo’s triple-double seems a lifetime ago, especially when that 95-91 victory has been their only win in their last six matches.

And with away matches to the ever-improving Dallas Mavericks and league-leaders Oklahoma City Thunder, that streak may well sit at five, and the Celtics will have chalked up one win in two weeks of basketball.

Three games in a row might not be cause for concern, but five games?

March will be the key month for the Boston Celtics.

All-up, they face teams with a win-loss record of 222-238, but they have two weeks without a home match in the middle of all that.

The C’s aren’t in danger of missing the playoffs just yet, but if they can’t stop the streak and chalk a few wins together before the road trip from hell, then that cause for concern may well be justified.

Maybe momentum is mathematically supported; maybe it’s just psychological.

But whatever the case is, it can be the difference between a win and a loss, which can be the difference between a win and a loss the following night.

Which, in turn, can be the difference between the playoffs and the couch.

Read more by Dan here or follow him on Twitter: @dantalintyre.

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