I'm graduating in 2 weeks from college and my parents made me a gift of 2 tickets to Thursday's Knicks game. Looking on stubhub, it seems the only tickets under $150 are at the 400 level and a few in the 300s. I haven't been to the Garden in awhile and I want some help choosing the best seats. The 300 seats are only in the corner. Should I go corner, baseline, or center?
Thanks in advance P&T!

The plan started with former majority owner of the New Jersey Nets, Bruce Ratner, riling up the citizens of Brooklyn, NY with an eminent domain land grab of the Atlantic Yards in Prospect Heights. Scheduled to open in 2011, the relocation of the Nets would have to wait until the 2012-13 season due to a lawsuit filed by local residents in protest of the use of the land. Therefore, even before we speak about the basketball product the Nets will put out on the floor, there was resistance to the move. The allocation of public funds for a team without proven support seriously angered current and former Brooklynites, including me.

Enter Prokhorov and what he allowed people to do. Besides providing easy puns for the team such as Nyets due to his Russian heritage, Prokhorov temporarily brought a sense of excitement for Nets fans. He made elaborate pitches to LeBron James in free agency but all the pomp and presentation did not pay off, as he "took his talents to South Beach." The beginning of a potential chain of disappointment started there. During the season, the Nets tried to acquire Carmelo Anthony only to have the Knicks tie a package together for the five-time all star.

In a show of force trying to make a statement of a commitment to winning, Prokhorov authorized GM Billy King to swing a deal for potential hall of fame point guard Deron Williams. Mortgaging their future, the Nets gave away two first round draft picks, a rookie with potential in Derrick Favors, and their former point guard Devin Harris. The deal would have been great, if not for one serious hitch: Deron Williams' contract expires right before the Nets start playing in Brooklyn.

The Nets are now desperate to improve their team and avoid losing Deron Williams to free agency. Coming to Brooklyn without Williams would be devastating to the franchise, validating the lawsuit's worries. The Nets are trying to trade for Dwight Howard in order to provide a second star for Williams to play with. The question is, whom can they trade for him? Brook Lopez, who couldn't rebound if he was in a dive bar at 2 a.m. after a breakup, and any combination of their glorified D-League players (Except Brooks and Humphries, who both look like legitimate players, though still not compelling trade pieces).

Even though the Knicks had a decade of losing, dysfunction, and embarrassment, they are still New York's team. Madison Square Garden still sold out on a nightly basis, despite the fact that fans paid to see Othella Harrington, Mardy Collins, and Eddy Curry dribble and shoot a ball. The Knicks are on the rise, while the Nets sit in purgatory waiting for a road to open, unsure if it will lead them to sports heaven or hell.

So, when Williams bolts for Dallas in the summer, and the Nets come to Brooklyn bearing banners with Mr. Kardashian, there is one bit of comfort for Brooklynites. Maybe the trains that were sitting in Atlantic Yards will be put to use and fans can ride the subway quicker to Penn Station to see a real basketball game.

So I come home from going out tonight, turn on the TV and what do I see? Dwight howard out with a herniated disc indefinitely. BOOM! Orlando has 7 games left, the Knicks are 3 games behind. We've dominated them by having Tyson shut down Dwight. Without him the Magic are not a great team. If we go 5-2 in our schedule which is definitely a possibility as our 'tough' games are Boston, Miami, LAC, and Atl, and ORL goes 2-5 (without DH is not a shocking thing), we can get the 6th seed and play the Pacers who we should've swept if we didn't blow that one fourth quarter, we get the 6th seed. So...Lets win the games we should win and go 1/3 on the ahard ones...Pacers for 1st round and then run the table. I'm feeling good about these chances!! Who's with me?

Tickets are up for the Knicks scrimmage on Sunday 12/18 at 12:00. Anyone interested in going? We could have a little P&T section to see pooping, dishing and swishing.

I'm probably going with my girl and a few friends, would be cool to have a big group watching Chandler patrol the rim and Amar'e dunking on him.

Here's the link to the tickets:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1D004786A65A5DF1?artistid=805988&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=7

I'm in a contest right now with my friends; were first. Winners get a free trip to wherever they want, we're going Greek Island Hopping if we win. Help me out with some votes please guys! There's only 5 hours left in the contest and the 2nd place team is only like 50 votes behind. Maybe I'll bring back Spanoulis for the Knicks!

Link:

http://getonthecontikibus.com/basement-gang-2

Thanks a lot, this would be awesome if we won! Souvlaki for everyone!

This losing streak sucks...I don't think anyone's happy with it. So here's a little something to maybe cheer you up?

At least you'll laugh I think...just check it out lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oaJRX619-4

Damn, forgot the 75 words...Go NYK Go! Go Knicks! BEAT THE WIZARDS TOMORROW!

Kevin Durant is a piece of crap, hitting 27 footers with no time remaining to win the game...bullshit bullshit bullshit.

Go Knicks!

The Knicks are currently 22-17, which is a great result so far. Most of us would have been ecstatic to hear a guarantee that this would be their record come this time. We've had a recent string of some really tough games, but the rest of the schedule looks a lot lighter. It goes like this:

Mon 17	vs Phoenix	1:00pm	MSG
Wed 19	@ Houston	8:30pm	MSG
Fri 21	@ San Antonio	8:00pm	MSG
Sat 22	@ Oklahoma City	8:00pm	MSG
Mon 24	vs Washington	7:30pm	MSG
Thu 27	vs Miami	8:00pm
Fri 28	@ Atlanta	7:30pm	MSG
Sun 30	vs Detroit	7:30pm	MSG
February	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Wed 02	vs Dallas	7:30pm	MSG
Fri 04	@ Philadelphia	7:00pm	MSG
Sun 06	vs Philadelphia	12:00pm	MSG
Wed 09	vs LA Clippers	7:30pm	MSG
Fri 11	vs LA Lakers	8:00pm	MSG
Sat 12	@ New Jersey	7:00pm	MSG
Wed 16	vs Atlanta	7:30pm	MSG
Wed 23	vs Milwaukee	7:30pm	MSG
Fri 25	@ Cleveland	7:30pm	MSG
Sun 27	@ Miami	8:00pm	MSG
March	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Tue 01	@ Orlando	7:00pm	MSG
Wed 02	vs New Orleans	7:30pm	MSG
Fri 04	vs Cleveland	7:30pm	MSG
Sun 06	@ Atlanta	6:00pm	MSG
Mon 07	vs Utah	7:30pm	MSG
Wed 09	@ Memphis	8:00pm	MSG
Thu 10	@ Dallas	8:30pm	MSG
Sun 13	vs Indiana	6:00pm	MSG
Tue 15	@ Indiana	7:00pm	MSG
Thu 17	vs Memphis	7:30pm	MSG
Fri 18	@ Detroit	7:30pm	MSG
Sun 20	@ Milwaukee	3:00pm	MSG
Mon 21	vs Boston	7:30pm	MSG
Wed 23	vs Orlando	8:00pm	MSG
Fri 25	vs Milwaukee	7:30pm	MSG
Sat 26	@ Charlotte	7:00pm	MSG
Mon 28	vs Orlando	7:30pm
Wed 30	vs New Jersey	7:30pm	MSG
April	Opponent	Time	Local TV	Nat TV	Radio
Sun 03	vs Cleveland	6:00pm	MSG
Tue 05	vs Toronto	7:30pm	MSG
Wed 06	@ Philadelphia	7:00pm	MSG
Fri 08	@ New Jersey	7:00pm	MSG
Sun 10	@ Indiana	7:00pm	MSG
Tue 12	vs Chicago	8:00pm
Wed 13	@ Boston	8:00pm	MSG

Sorry for the formatting...but out of these next 43 games, 25 of them are against teams under .500.

That sounds good, but lets examine how the Knicks' previous games played out...

Out of 39 games so far, 21 were against teams under .500.

The percentage of under .500 teams were 53.8% for the first games, and 58.3% for the next 43.

By doing simple math, the Knicks have a schedule that is 1.08 times better than what it has been so far.

We should then do slightly better percentage-wise than previously.

Doing the math for this yields: winning % from 1st 39 x 1.08 = winning % for next 43

Basically...we can expect to win 61% of our next games, which equates to 26 wins added to our 22 currently:

48-34 > probably good for 5th in the East, possibly 4th.

side: Obviously just basing our records on performance against under .500 teams isn't the greatest analysis, but I think its not too bad.

Its been talked about for a while now; the Knicks need a big man in the paint to play D and grab some boards. While one can be acquired through some trade this season, I think it would be better for us to wait for the summer and see how things play out with the Melo talks. Everyone has mentioned getting Marc Gasol, so I'll leave him out of this talk. I tried to focus on guys who would come reasonably cheap and can still help us out.

1) Chuck Hayes

2010-2011 salary: $1.972 mil

Stats/36 min: 21.5 mpg 10.1 pts 9.8 rbs 2.7 ast 1 blk 1.1 stl

Hayes has been the Rockets' starting C for 20 games this season, but does not play starter's minutes. He is a solid defender who, while undersized, can box out well and is very good with positioning. Signing him would be a nod to Turiaf and allow us to have a center by committee approach, with those two splitting the minutes at the 5.

2) Kris Humphries

2010-2011 salary: $3.2 mil

Stats/36: 25.1 mpg 12.2 pts 13.2 rbs 1.5 ast 1.4 blk .6 stl

Humphries is on the woeful Nets, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was inclined to leave this team. With Lopez taking a big step back this year as far as rebounding, Humphries has definitely picked up the slack. He is a great team player; the quintessential hustle guy that fans and teammates love. He isn't a great offensive player, but can hit the J from about 12-15 ft out if left open, and will get most points off putbacks and cuts to the basket.

3) Joel Przybilla

2010-2011 salary: $7.41 mil

2008-2009 stats/36: 23.8 mpg 8.3 pts 13.2 rbs .5 ast 1.8 blk .6 stl

Przybilla has been injured for the last two seasons and hasn't seen much playing time due to this. If he can stay healthy and work his way back to the numbers he posted in 08-09 the Knicks could definitely take a flyer on him.

4) Greg Oden

2010-2011 salary: $6.76 mil

2009-2010 stats/36: 23.9 mpg 16.7 pts 12.8 rbs 1.4 ast 3.4 blk .6 stl

Oden is a restricted free agent, but a lot of news outlets have been saying the Blazers would rather cut their losses with Oden and let another team hope he can stay healthy and be productive. You see the numbers; when Oden is healthy he is a beast and has the potential to be a top 5 center in the league. The question here isn't his skill, but his body. (pause) I would love to see Walsh roll the dice and take Oden with a not too large contract given his injury history. I don't know if he would though, given the recent failures of the Knicks and IT's disastrous signings/trades.

Ideally, all of these guys would be rotated with Turiaf at the center position for about 20 minutes a game, with the exception of Oden, who if he can be game-ready and healthy is a quality 35 mpg starter given his skill level. I think it is imperative that Walsh snap one of these guys up from the FA market if we can't get some of the more marquis names (Chandler, Gasol, Nene).

According to this article, the Wizards are having some chemistry issues off the court as well as their on-court struggles.

Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee haven’t functioned too well together on the court as the “frontcourt of the future” in Washington.

Both players have been suspended by the coach, and this looks like a dicey situation for the Wiz given their PR troubles with Arenas' locker room gun rack.

Here's a little trade to ponder:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2dqqn9k

Wizards reasons for this:

They get cap flexibility with 2 expiring contracts, and a great team motivator who will keep their energy up during this lost season in Turiaf. Williams is a capable player who can take the place of Howard as a backup 2/3. 

Our reasons:

I love Turiaf as much as the next guy, but his potential doesn't have much of an upside. McGee is getting 9 points 8 boards and 2.5 blocks a game right now in 27 minutes. This comes to 12 pts, 10.5 rbs, and 3.2 blks per 36 minutes. This is exactly the type of center we need to help Amar'e on D and the boards.

The catch here is that this trade only looks appealing to the Wizards if they want to save their media department and lose the stigma of bad relations between players and knuckleheads on the team by getting rid of Blatche or McGee. If thats true, I think this would be a reasonable offer.

Clearly from the games the Knicks have played so far its easy to see they need a backup to Felton to spell him for 5-10 minutes a night. I was watching a Rockets game and saw Ish Smith playing. He started a few games due to Brooks' injury, and performed well. Since then he has been getting about 10 minutes a night and is producing. (8 pts, 7 ast, and 1.5 stl per 36)

With Brooks soon to return from injury, and Lowry playing really well, it looks like the Rockets will be short on minutes for Smith. The Rockets don't really have shooters other than Martin and Brooks, so maybe we can swing a deal that works for both sides.

We send them Walker for Smith and some cash to match the salaries. They get a shooter, we get a 5-10 minute a game backup. Everyones happy.

I brought this point up in the recap or postgame for NOLA, and I think its an interesting way to look at the 'we need Melo, we need role players, we need cheese' debate. Currently the Knicks are 11-9 but we have started playing like a team that is better than this record. If we played the way we have been playing recently for all 20 games we could have been say, 15-5? 

The question then is: If this team is a 55 win team as constructed, do we want to add Melo to shore up scoring, or role players to shore up our most vulnerable positions: big man and backup point?

I really don't have an answer and think we need to see this team play at least twenty more games to figure this out, but I'd like to know what you guys think.

So I was talkin to some friends and drinkin and we got to freestylin...then I put em on my facebook, and was inspired to write a Knicks-based rap. Judging from these lines, how do you guys feel about me makng a Knicks/P&T theme song?

jump...

Continue reading this post »

So I was checking the P&T fantasy league and I noticed a quote from Wilson Chandler on yahoo regarding him not getting a contract extension before the deadline:

"I spent most of my life with no money, so (to wait) a year won't be hard to deal with. Whatever I get will be better than what I have."

—Wilson Chandler, on not getting a contract extension by Monday's deadline, which would mean he'd become a restricted free agent in the offseason.

 

Continue reading this post »

Looks like there's been some infighting on P&T. I'm not really sure why I took the time to write this, but there have been some snipy exchanges (pause?) recently. Everyone's waiting for the season to start, on edge from a lack of basketball. Shit, people gettin testy...lots of bitchin, acting like divas. There ain't no point to make personal arguments between each other over sports opinions we all love our Knicks so lets get some positive feedback. Have some Snickers boys

Side: this whole post might need to be paused

The more I think about it...the more I realize I don't want to trade him. He's been dangled as an asset for every, single, trade. I really don't like losing him for 3 reasons. Jump...

Continue reading this post »

(Osborn's Note: Nice catch here by Kupe. I tend to agree with his assessment as well; who else were we gonna get? Unlike last year, during which we had approximately 35 swing men on the roster, we actually have centers and point guards now, so we can afford this type of athletic signing. Additionally, I think Pat Jr. showed everyone something in Summer League, and this is evidence that Donnie picked up on it as well. What do you guys think?)

According to Alan Hahn's twitter:

 alanhahn:The Knicks just announced the signing of Patrick Ewing Jr. There is your 15th Man.

23 minutes ago via ÜberTwitter

Our 15th man is none other than the comeback kid. He's finally made the team, Patrick Ewing Jr. This means no more talk of Earl Barron or anyone else to fill out the roster. Personally I'm cool with this signing, nice to see a legend's son on the team.

He seems like a high energy guy, should challenge the starters in practice. Maybe he gets his dad's sweet shot and cracks the rotation, but I highly doubt it. Anyway, good lookin Knicks fans.

Just saw this...

chadfordinsider     Nets & Travis Outlaw agree to a 5 year, $35M deal reports ESPN's @RicBucher http://es.pn/9WxsrL

I know a lot of people were high on Travis Outlaw, me included. If we don't get LeBron, what would you guys like to do in terms of signing free agents? I'm definitely for getting Redick, Barnes, and Shannon Brown if they're available.

Also, what would you guys like to do with Lee? Keep him or try to spin a sign & trade with him? Maybe we could get Melo from the Nuggets in some kind of deal involving Lee & Curry's EC?

Just woke up and saw the news that Chris Bosh is joining D Wade in Miami. They're gonna have a solid team now: but what does this mean for NY? Thursday night I think Lebron will either announce that he is going to Chicago or NY, and I'm pretty confident it will be NY since we've got Amare now. Like Amare said, "New York is Back!" What do you guys think about this?

It just makes me upset seeing the touch fouls that are called. Please tell me other people feel the same way. The way fouls are called in the NBA now; players don't foul hard when a guy drives to the lane and its a cakewalk. I don't know if hard fouls and defense stopped being in vogue because of the quicker whistles of the refs, or vice versa but it really pisses me off. Hate to rant, but I wish this changed; I think its one of the biggest reasons that the NBA's market share relative to other sports is declining. Watching pussy fouls get called every minute just hurts the quality of the product and its gotta be changed. 

Maybe we start the "Charles Oakley Petition for Toughness" for David Stern?

Just ran across this article...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Gilbert-Arenas-might-be-leaving-Washington-prett;_ylt=Ag1i5vOoLofpNZsGrZW97fW8vLYF?urn=nba,243284

I'll sum it up, basically the Wizards are willing to do anything to get rid of Agent Zero, and aren't putting a buyout off the table. If they buy out his contract and he becomes a free agent, I would have nothing wrong with signing him; could probably get him for the MLE or less. 

We need a big man, preferably one who can shoot for the MDA offense. People have talked about getting Channing Frye, and thats all gravy, but think about this: Clyde; "Toney Douglas passes it to the Squirmin German. He's dishing and Dirk is swishing!" Dirk Nowitzki has an Early Termination Option on his contract, and many people think he won't use it. However, their early exit and Haywood's own FA dreams might make Dirk follow suit. He's 31 years old, but hasn't really had injury problems and doesn't play too physical a game on offense. I would love to see Nowitzki in a Knick uniform.

This HWSNBN going to the Knicks...not coming...wait he said this, he might be! talk has been going on for a long long time. I hate to bring it back up but I'm curious what the results of this playoff series will pose to Cleveland's chances of resigning LeBron. If they lose here, they don't have cap space to sign other players to augment their team...and they're stuck in one spot like the Jazz of the 90s. Does HWSNBN walk? Thoughts...ideas...random animal photos?

While commenting on tonight's game, I said someone should make a site called heyalharringtonstoptakingbadshots.com....well, I did it.

Not exactly sure about the design, or what content I want to put on it. Maybe I should make other sites like...heychrisduhonridethebenchforever.com, eddycurrylostweightbutstillcantplay.com. I'm thinking an add-on blog for P&T, some personal ramblings, and just general debauchery. 

If anyone has any suggestions for what should be on it, can help with the design, or anything like that, let me know

I'd been clamoring for the Knicks to insert Darko Milicic into the lineup for awhile before he was traded for the NBA's least important player. Our season can be capitalized by the lack of a defensive presence, especially in the frontcourt. This is why I thought Darko needed to be placed in the lineup, regardless of his antics. The man cares about the game, sometimes too much, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci3j363HWQM.

However, he could have been helping us, as he played his first game for Minnesota, getting 19 minutes, 8 pts, 8 boards...these types of things frustrate the hell outta me. The fact that D'Antoni won't even look into the D-League for big men is also unexplainable when we clearly need a defensive-minded big.