It’s easy to build a number of deals that get Memphis under the tax around Calderon and spare parts on either side. Whether Gay fits next to another non-shooter in DeMar DeRozan is a fair question, but the Raptors might be in that Milwaukee boat — unlikely to land a can’t-miss foundational star in free agency, and so willing to roll the dice on a “B” guy via trade.

I don’t see any package the Raptors can provide that can make the Grizzlies a better title contender this year than with Gay. Then again, the Grizzlies are desperate to escape the luxury tax and starving for three-point shooters which Jose Calderon and/or Terrence Ross could provide. However, trading a young asset like Ross or another first round pick would represent Bryan Colangelo doubling down on his polarizing strategy of a quick “building” project. Could this be the “all-in” move that Colangelo pulls if he feels like his job is at risk?

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors tipped off the new year in the same fashion they bid farewell to 2012 — by winning.

Terrence Ross poured in a career-high 26 points, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first half, to lead the Raptors 102-79 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the eighth victory in nine games for Toronto.

The game was also Toronto’s first of the year, and the opener of a six-game homestand for a Raptors (12-20) team that was hammered by a particularly unkind early-season schedule.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 24 points, while Ed Davis had 19, Amir Johnson added 17 and point guards Jose Calderon and Kyle Lowry finished with 13 and nine assists respectively.

The rookie Ross drained six three-pointers, including the buzzer-beater that brought the crowd to its feet and saw him fall over backwards as he watched the ball fall through the hoop.

Damian Lillard had 18 to top the Blazers (16-15), who were coming off a 105-100 victory at New York the previous night.

The Raptors played with the same energy and unselfishness that saw them through such a strong December, and never trailed, leading by as much as 18 points in the first half before taking a 78-61 lead into the fourth quarter.

Toronto didn’t let up in the fourth, and back-to-back threes by John Lucas and Ross gave the Raptors a 25-point lead with 1:06 left on the clock.

The Raptors shot 53 per cent on the night, and connected on 8-of-23 shots from beyond the arc.

The game was the ninth in a row the Raptors have played without forward Andrea Bargnani, who suffered a ligament tear in his right elbow in Toronto’s last matchup with the Blazers, a 92-74 loss in Portland on Dec. 10. There’s no timeline for his return but Raptors coach Dwane Casey said prior to the game the Italian centre would undergo another MRI before he would be cleared to play.

The game marked Jay Triano’s first appearance back in Toronto since Canada’s men’s coach left the Raptors to become an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers. A large banner hung under a suite that read “Welcome Home Jay Triano!”

The Raptors will play 10 of their next 15 at home, and this key to this stretch at the Air Canada Centre, said Casey, will be continuing to play with the focus they showed in December.

“We’ve got to come out and compete, continue to compete, play the game the right way,” Casey said. “The competition, the level of focus, the level of team play, the togetherness. . . I’ve seen it for the last two-and-a-half, three weeks, and that’s something that’s got to continue.

“Win, lose or draw, we’ve got to come out and play as a unit, and we’ve done that and that’s what we’re pushing for.”

The Raptors raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first minute and a half of the game. DeRozan and Davis contributed 10 points apiece in the first quarter to help Toronto to a 25-17 lead heading into the second.

Toronto stretched their lead to 18 when Landry Fields converted a three-point play midway through the second. Ross’s three at the buzzer sent the Raptors into the halftime dressing room with a 55-39 lead.

A pull up jumper by DeRozan put the Raptors up by 19 points with three minutes left in the third — their biggest lead of the game to that point — and they led 78-61 with one quarter left.

1.

January 2, 2012: Nearly 47,000 hockey fans pack Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, a 3-2 New York Rangers win over the Flyers. — ©MSG

With the NHL labor dispute ongoing and the current season in jeopardy of being cancelled completely, I’m reaching all the way back to January for a couple of my favorite hockey shots of the year. This one is fairly non-traditional in that it’s at a baseball stadium and you can hardly see the players. Like many of my photos, it’s all about atmosphere, evidence that you don’t always need the biggest lens to capture memorable images at sporting events. For more info about how I took the photo, see this blog post. [Canon 1Ds Mark II camera, 16-35mm f2.8 lens @ 24mm, f4, 1/100th, ISO 100]

2.

January 17, 2012: New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist tosses his hockey stick to fans in celebration of his 20th win of the season, a 3-0 shutout of the Nashville Predators. — ©MSG

Henrik Lundqvist was awarded the Vezina Trophy for best goalie in the NHL last season, and I think this photo shows that his passion for Rangers fans matches his play. He finished the season with career highs in wins (39), save percentage (.930) and goals-against average (1.97). Many predict that when play resumes he will lead the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals and could bring the team its first championship since 1994. [Canon 7D camera, 400mm f2.8 lens @ f4.5, 1/400th, ISO 100, strobed]

3.

January 28, 2012: Adam Nelson, the Madison Square Garden all-time record holder in the shot put, throws in the venue’s inaugural U.S. Open Track & Field event. — ©MSG

Adam Nelson had quite a memorable 2012, winning an Olympic gold medal without even competing. How? Earlier this month, retroactive testing of competitors’ urine samples retained from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens by the International Olympic Committee revealed that shot put gold medalist Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine had been using performance enhancing drugs. Consequently, Nelson will trade in his 2004 silver medal for a gold. Gotta love modern technology (and old frozen urine!). [Canon 1D Mark IV camera, 16-35mm f2.8 II lens @ 16mm, f3.5, 1/640th, ISO 2500]

4.

February 22, 2012: New York Knicks Landry Fields and Tyson Chandler go through their pre-game routine during player introductions. — ©MSG

Being on the basketball court during player introductions at Madison Square Garden never gets old. Such a cool experience. I recount my (near disastrous) first time on the Knicks court in this interview. [Canon 1Ds Mark II camera, 16-35mm f2.8 II lens @ 16mm, f3.5, 1/250th, ISO 800]

5.

March 25, 2012: Fans of Japanese rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel at Madison Square Garden. — ©MSG

This was the first time a Japanese rock band headlined a show at Madison Square Garden. It may also be the first time a front-row fan at an MSG concert successfully pulled off a daring outfit with TWO giant bows. Kudos to her! [Canon 1Ds Mark II camera, 16-35mm f2.8 lens @ 16mm, f2.8, 1/5th, ISO 1600]

6.

June 5, 2012: Rainbow over Niagara Falls.

In this era of everything Photoshopped, it’s hard to trust that any image is real. But except for a teeny tiny twig poking out of the water that I removed digitally, this scene is 100% as I saw it. North America’s largest waterfall? Check. Spectacular rainbow framing the falls? Check. Blue skies and puffy clouds? Check. Three perfectly situated birds? Check. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was my first visit to Niagara Falls and certainly won’t be my last. [Canon 5D Mark III camera, 16-35mm f2.8 lens @ 16mm, f8, 1/1600th, ISO 400]

7.

June 5, 2012: Cairns Birdwing butterfly at the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory in Ontario, Canada.

Two of my favorite photos of 2012 taken on the same day? Thanks, Canada!

This walk-through exhibit features a mind-blowing collection of 2000 butterflies representing 40 species. You literally have to watch where you step to make sure you don’t crush one of these beauties. If you visit Niagara Falls, add this to your short list of side-trips. [Canon 5D Mark III camera, 70-200mm f4 IS lens @ 200mm, f5, 1/200th, ISO 320]

8.

August 8, 2012: Corporate portrait on a rooftop in midtown Manhattan.

This one takes me back to that high school photography assignment where we were told to go out and shoot repeating patterns. It seemed like a boring and pointless exercise at the time, but I’ve since learned that patterns make an excellent background for portraits, such as this one. Hear that, kids? Listen to your teachers! [Canon 1Ds Mark II camera, 50mm f1.4 lens @ f2.8, 1/640th, ISO 100]

9.

August 13, 2012: Judah celebrates his 6-month birthday.

There was no chance my son Judah (born in February) wasn’t going to make this list. It was tough to narrow it down to a single image, but I think this one is my favorite. Have you ever seen a baby so excited to be wearing old man clothes? I think not. [Canon 5D Mark III camera, 85mm f1.2 lens @ f2.0, 1/640th, ISO 320]

10.

December 21, 2012: The Radio City Rockettes bring holiday cheer to kids at a hospital in New Jersey. — ©MSG

The Rockettes are best known for their eye-high kicks in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, but they also make time to go out into the community through the Garden of Dreams Foundation. This was a truly touching moment and representative of what the Garden of Dreams does for its partner organizations in the tri-state area. [Canon 5D Mark III camera, 24-70mm f2.8 II lens @ 50mm, f3.5, 1/200th, ISO 640, with Canon 580EX II flash]

Looking for more? Check out my top photos of 2010 and 2011! Wishing you all the best in 2013!

The New York Knicks, off to a fantastic 21-8 start, have certainly stamped themselves as a legit NBA team this season.

A championship team? Well that’s unlikely, because they are, to date, a live-by-the-three, die-by-the-three team. And they are undersized as well.

But clearly, by bringing in a guy like Jason Kidd (the MVP of the Knicks after Carmelo Anthony, who may very well be the MVP of the whole league), the Knicks are an interesting team to watch and a team that will win 50 or more games this season.

But what exactly does that mean for them, short- and long-term, as a championship team?  Well, for decades, New York Rangers fans had to live with “1940, 1940” as a chant that other teams’ fans threw at them. And if you were around in the 1970s to the ‘80s and ‘90s, you know how it went from “30 years since a Cup” to “40 years since a Cup” to “50 years since a Cup.” The torture, of course, finally ended in 1994 and, unfortunately, Sam Rosen’s “This one will last a lifetime” may turn out to be truer than any Rangers fan had hoped for.

The Knicks?  Well they are certainly entering 1940-territory. At the end of this season, they will be looking at their own 40-year nightmare without a championship.  It;s hard to believe that this Knicks team can beat the Heat (despite their two big wins over them already), the Thunder, the Clippers or even, it says here, the Lakers.

But they are very competitive and are playing at a very high level. Mike Woodson can not only coach, but, just as importantly (see Avery Johnson), he seems to have the respect of the players. When Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert come back, the Knicks will be very deep.

But, to this writer, they are in that second tier of teams after the top four or five.

THE RETURN OF AMAR’E

It’s probably the most overpublicized and overanalyzed story in New York sports this year, outside of the Jets’ QB situation (an absurdity for another day).

The return of Stoudemire shouldn’t really be a big deal. It’s very clear that Anthony, the main man no matter who is on the Knicks, has to get the overwhelming majority of his minutes at the four. If you didn’t understand that last season, anybody with even half a basketball brain can see it this season.

But the Stoudemire solution is very simple if his dedication as a real “team player” is true (and it says here that it is true).  Anthony is averaging 36 minutes per game. Tyson Chandler, at the five, is averaging 32 minutes per game.  While some of that is overlapping, there should be minutes at the four and five for Stoudemire when these guys are out of the game.

On straight math, that’s 28 minutes per game (again, with some overlap) that Woodson can insert Stoudemire into the game and not hurt the chemistry that the team has up to this point. His minutes at the five should be carefully crafted by Woodson to have Stoudemire play against second-string centers so the already undersized Knicks don’t get killed on the boards. In addition, add some time where, maybe (MAYBE), Woodson can try Stoudemire at the four and Anthony at the three (that obviously did not work last year).

Then, there will be lots of minutes for Stoudemire.

Frankly, Woodson should limit Stoudemire’s minutes to somewhere in the 20-22 minute range. Everybody thought (correctly) that his knees wouldn’t hold up over time. There’s no point to test that theory by playing him 30-plus minutes.

That’s a recipe for disaster.

JEREMY LIN

The Jeremy Lin dynamic was an amazing one to watch in New York earlier this year. Unfortunately, many “experts” decided not to give Lin the benefit of the doubt and, to this day, continue to criticize him. It’s hard to escape the notion that there is some prejudice involved. Certainly, at a minimum, there was stereotyping going on, as anyone who has played basketball at any high level knows that, when an Asian guy walks on a basketball court, the initial reaction for many is that “this guy can’t play.”

The discussion about his contract, to be kind, was misguided. Maybe Chris Rock said it best in a Tweet: “If linn were a 23 year old black kid who came straight from high school and had tat on his neck that said thug life and happened to score 38 points on the Lakers I don’t think anyone would question his contract.”

Truer words were never spoken.

And maybe Kobe Bryant said it best, in terms of his ability to play and the fact that he was overlooked, after Lin did torch the Lakers for 38.

“Players don’t usually come out of nowhere,” Bryant said. “If you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the very beginning, but no one ever noticed.”

The “experts” who didn’t believe (or couldn’t see) Lin’s obvious skill set (he’s quick, fast and has no fear but, most important, he simply sees the floor as a point guard better than most point guards in the NBA already), still had to stick with their stories this year. The fools (and there are a bunch) who said that his knee surgery for a torn meniscus was “just minor” clearly don’t understand what a damaged knee (of any degree) does to an NBA point guard.

You see, the day that Lin can’t compete on a speed level through injury or age is the day he can’t play in the NBA.  But that’s true for virtually every quick NBA point guard.

The myths about Lin abound. He can’t go left? Google Jeremy Lin/John Wall Summer League Game and watch Lin torch the then-top draft pick by blowing by him twice to Lin’s left.

How about he’s a “shoot-first” point guard? Again, beyond stupid. Lin sees the floor better than most point guards, and he is just now finishing, essentially, enough games to have played ONE season in the NBA. He had to shoot a lot last year when “Linsanity”started. Why?  Well, that’s easy.

In the first nine games of “Linsanity,” Anthony and Stoudemire were in the lineup together for only one game. They both were out of the lineup for three of those nine games.

So what’s a point guard to do?  Score — that’s what. As an example, here’s the starting lineup when the Knicks played against the Timberwolves on February 11, 2012 — the fifth game of “Linsanity”: Lin, Chandler, Landry Fields, Jared Jeffries and Bill Walker.

Any questions? Of course he had to shoot.

Back to his “minor” knee surgery, where, clearly, Lin was a little gun-shy coming back. Criticized for that, he certainly was not 100 percent earlier this season. In his first game against the Knicks, he simply couldn’t cut or run as fast as he could last season. So the uninformed “experts” who made their bed last year by, essentially, saying that he was a flash in the pan, continued to criticize him as an NBA player.

But then came the second Rockets-Knicks game, where Lin, completely recovered, did whatever he wanted against the Knicks, shooting 9-of-15 for 22 points and getting to the rim whenever he felt like it (blowing by Raymond Felton or Kidd at will).

The problem for Lin is his tenacity. And while he would probably tell you that his fearlessness is the reason that he got to the NBA and has been successful, he really needs to back off and take a page from Russell Westbrook’s book. Westbrook, with the best mid-range jumper in the NBA, avoids lots of collisions by simply pulling up for 10-foot jumpers. Lin, rather than getting hammered by Chandler, needs to get over the macho stuff and pull up for short jumpers.

If he does that, he will lengthen his career, help his team and have a less likely chance of getting injured. Conversely, if Westbrook can ever see the floor like Lin does, Westbrook will become one of the three greatest point guards ever, behind Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy.

So Lin landed in a good spot and, now, with James Harden, will eventually become part of one of the top backcourts in the NBA. Could he have been better on the Knicks and made them a better team than they are now?

We’ll never know the answer to that question.

Felton, who has been excellent for the Knicks, has been aided by having one of the great point guards of all-time (Kidd) starting at the two. Would Kidd have helped Lin as much as he has helped Felton? Again, we’ll never know, although it sure looked like Kidd went out of his way to try to score on Lin last year in their second meeting — and even, maybe, try to hurt Lin in that second game.

Whether anyone will admit it or not, everybody seems to try harder against Lin for whatever reason. Add the poor, uncalled-for comments by J.R. Smith and Anthony about Lin’s contract offer from the Rockets, and you just don’t know what would have happened had Lin stayed with the Knicks.

But make no mistake about it: No matter what you read or hear from the “experts,” Lin is already a good-to-very-good NBA point guard whose game will continue to improve if he stays healthy.

How will Amar’e fit into the Knicks’ rotation, and will Lin be a very good NBA point guard for years to come? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below…

From Friday’s win over Orlando – let’s consider the Terrence Ross dunks in the NBA video above — and the 5-8 shooting for 13 points in 23 minutes that went with them — as the rookie’s official coming out party. After a slow start, the momentum had been building over the course of December, but now it’s official. He’s here.

On the phone with my brother yesterday, he gave me a hard time about for not giving T-Ross’s recent rise any time on the blog. The more I thought about it, the more I thought he deserved it, and the more I realized he represented Coach Dwane Casey‘s third difficult decision.

The first two, of course, are where to slot Kyle Lowry and Andrea Bargnani once they’re healthy. Assuming the team’s still playing well, Casey will have to decide whether  to bring both off the bench, insert both back into the starting lineup, or start one and sub the other. I liked Tim Chisholm’s comment last week on the Calderon/Lowry situation.

But fewer people are talking about how to use the quickly improving Ross, who’s turning into the overall offensive talent the team drafted, while also showing a willingness to defend.

This decision needs to be made now and could be just as difficult to sort out, especially when looking at the five-man log-jam at the three that includes Alan Anderson, Landry Fields, Mickael Pietrus and Linas Kleiza, when his knee’s healthy.

In late November — when the team signed Pietrus — things were quite different. With Fields and Anderson injured, Ross not quite ready for prime time, and Dominic McGuire not really working out, it seemed like a great enough idea.

Pietrus starts, Anderson/Ross finish

Indeed, Pietrus has started during the recent five-game win streak, but his chuck-and-clank offensive game has seen him lose mid-game and crunch-time minutes to a healthy, hot-shooting Anderson, as well as the official arrival of Ross.

Composed mainly of grit and toughness with a dash of talent, I really like Anderson. But he’s not a starting NBA three.

I also like Ross and the flashes of brilliance he’s starting to show while getting his shot selection under control, as well as the fact he didn’t whine while playing limited minutes to start the season. All this said, it’s going to take time before he plays well consistently.

And then there’s Landry Fields. Signed to mid-level free agent contract, he’s still something of an unknown as a Raptor. Aside from making cheeky comments in Play Station Vita commercials, we haven’t seen or heard much out of him, other than an atrocious start to the season blamed, at least partly, on an elbow injury.

Way too early to give up on Fields

After a five-week recovery period, Fields hasn’t played since being medically cleared last week, and I haven’t seen anything saying whether he’s likely to play tonight against the Spurs. Although I’ve been unimpressed thus far, it’s way too early to give up on him.

If Ross continues on his current rise, I’d start him at the three — not playing heavy minutes and understanding he’s going to have off nights where he’ll need to sit — and insert him at shooting guard for DeMar DeRozan, if and when it makes sense.

I’d back Ross up using a combination of Anderson and Fields and, at times, Kleiza, depending on how each matched up on a given night. If this arrangement is working by the All-Star break, I’d dump Pietrus.

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=b9p45gt

This four team BLOCKBUSTER trade is with the Lakers, Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Toronto Raptors. The reason this trade could happen is because while the talent may not be the same in return, the stars that are on the move either want out from their old team (Bargnani, Williams) or their old team wants them out (Sources say Gasol, Calderon, Millsap, Jefferson).

So first lets look at the Lakers. There have been so many rumors that Gasol is being shipped and that he doesn’t fit D’antoni’s system. So if he were to get traded this is a pretty good trade for the Lakers. They want New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, but the Hor–Pelicans aren’t going to let him go any time soon. The Lakers need to shore up their bench and this could do it.

The Lakers could insert Paul Millsap into the starting lineup alongside MWP and Dwight Howard. Millsap is an active player, good defender, and a solid double double guy. Jose Calderon will be the best back up point guard the Lakers have had since Derek Fisher was a young guy playing behind Ron Harper. Millsap can also run and could play extra small ball if he is inserted into the center position when Dwight rests.

For the Timberwolves, they have been wanting Gasol for a long time. They think the Ricky Rubio-Pau Gasol combo would be a match made in heaven (It would). And Kevin Love and Gasol would play perfectly together because Kevin Love doesn’t take up space in the paint. They also would have to take back Steve Blake, but when healthy, he is a nice back up to play fifteen minutes a game. This is Ricky Rubio’s position and he will play the bulk of the minutes.

The Raptors get two things. They finally rid themselves of Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, but also get cap room. Al Jefferson could be a great low post addition for this team and could sign an extension, but if he didn’t, the Raptors would save over 15million in cap relief for next summer. Andre Kirilenko would be a great wing player for them and it would finally be handing over the team to Kyle Lowry.

The Jazz are in this trade for two reasons. To get rid of Paul Millsap and to get rid of Al Jefferson. Enes Kanter and Derek Favors are the future frontline for this team. Sliding them into starting roles and having Bargnani come off the bench and be a stretch the floor center would be a nice change of pace for this team. They were great when they had Mehmet Okur stretching the floor, and Bargnani could do the same thing. As a sixth man, Bargnani could really excel as a player. They also get more youthful with Landry Fields (Who hasn’t panned out in Toronto), Derek Williams (Who hasn’t done ANYTHING in Minnesota) and a good back up in J.J. Barea. The Jazz would be even younger, but they would all be unselfish players who would run the floor and play hard.

This is a decent trade for each team. I don’t know if it would make any of the teams better than they are, but it would accomplish what each team has been looking for (According to the rumors) and that is pretty much fresh starts from the players they’ve had.

Make This Trade. Win Some Games. Be Here Now.

Bright Spots – easier to compile tonight than it would have been last week, but still a challenge

• DeMar DeRozan – I’m happy to backtrack on the displeasure voiced early on in the season after the team looked Double D up before it had to. It’s still a little early to say, but if things continue as they’re going for DeRozan, the contract could look like a sound decision come June, if not a bargain.
• Jonas Valanciunas – the young Lithuanian was nearly dropped into the Opaque Areas list with a string of sub-par games, but I just didn’t have the heart to do that. Who would, with the way the kid’s run the floor, rebounded and shown flashes of surprising offensive skill?
• Ed Davis and Amir Johnson – I know these are two totally different guys, but their games and roles are similar. If they keep playing well, it makes me wonder how long both of them will remain Raptors. Although I’ve been more impressed by Davis’s play of late, and he certainly has the higher ceiling, I’d vote to keep Johnson.
• Jose Calderon in the starting lineup – it’s way too close to my bedtime to search out numbers on how well Jose played as a starter, but two triple doubles is enough proof for me. It was mentioned during tonight’s broadcast — and tonnes of Raptors fans won’t like the idea — but given his performance and the recent streak, I’d like to see Jose given a chance to start even when Lowry’s healthy.

Opaque Areas – much easier to compile than the first list, if not quite as fun

• Alan Anderson – would be on the first list, but he hasn’t played all that many games. That said, his surreal shooting this evening nearly made him a Bright Spot.
• Coach Casey – now I’m a Casey fan, and might even call him the best coach the team’s ever had. But until recently, it seemed as though he hadn’t really been able to get through to this team. We’ll see what the rest of the season holds. If the Raps continue to compete hard, I’m happy to move him up.
• Terrence Ross – it’s been a shaky start for the Raptors trigger-happy 2012 first-round pick, but he’s been coming on of late. I like his upside and think he could begin to really impress after the All-Star Break.

                                                                                      photo Paul Gorbould, flickr creative commons

• Linas Kleiza – when LK’s stroking it from the outside, he’s really stroking it. When he isn’t, he really isn’t. ‘Nuff said.

Dark Omens – not to dwell on, given the current ray of sunshine in Raptorland, but there have been more than a few

• Andrea Bargnani – what’s there to say here? He’s not performing anywhere near the All-Star level expected of him when he’s healthy, nine-tenths of the Canadian basketball fan nation is calling for him to be traded or beheaded, and he seems to have lost what little defensive enthusiasm he showed last year. If this win streak continues, I’d like to see Andrea provide scoring punch off the bench, and start one of the scrappy Raps fours of Johnson or Davis.
• Kyle Lowry – this was a tough call, but given the team’s success with Lowry out of the lineup and the lack of energy displayed while he was their floor leader, Lowry’s currently a Dark Omen. That said,  I still like him and think he has the potential to be a Bright Spot by the All-Star Break, if he returns and keeps the train rolling in the right direction.
• Bryan Colangelo – upon further reflection, I’m not sure we can blame him for everything that’s gone wrong — as I basically did during our first podcast — but I just think things may have run their course for Colangelo in Toronto. Given his level of success, I feel he’s been given far longer to execute his game plan than he would have been in many other pro sports markets. Unlike so many Toronto fans, I don’t hate him, I just think his time is up.
• Landry Fields – so to state the obvious and unnecessarily rehash the past, when you don’t sign Steve Nash, you really don’t sign Steve Nash. Instead, if you’re Toronto, you sign Landry Fields. I realize he was having elbow issues even before the season started, and said issue has apparently been fixed. Even so, this guy isn’t a starting NBA three man, bionic elbow or not.

Many players on the Knicks were jealous of Jeremy Lin’s success last year. Carmelo Anthony responded it is up to the Knicks to match the ridiculous offer after Lin signed the Houston Rocket offer sheet 3 years for 25 million. J.R. Smith said Lin’s contract would be a problem with the veterans in the Knicks locker room. The problem would only have been with J.R. Smith who makes a little less than 3 million a year. Raymond Felton who was signed to replace Lin as the point guard stated he is better than him.

The Knicks are having a great start to their season 18 – 6 and 10 – 1 at home. Last night was their 1^st loss at home. The Knicks are number one in the weak Eastern Conference. The team chemistry right now is good. Once Amar’e Stoudemire returns I expect the Knicks locker room to become dysfunctional again.

I love how Jeremy Lin came in last night to show he was a very good player. He had a great game and his team won. He has moved on from the Knicks and their negativity. He didn’t get into a war of words with his former teammates and let his play do the talking. The Rockets are presently a .500 team who is struggling to be in the top 8 teams in the Western Conference. The Rockets still seem to have a bright future. Too bad the Raptors didn’t give Lin the offer sheet instead of signing Landry Fields and trading for Kyle Lowry.

Would Lin have been a good addition to the Raptors?

Enjoy your day!

Nope.  Earlier this year, Lin left the Knicks amid a stir – he signed a three year, $25 million offer sheet with the Houston Rockets – a contract that the Knicks left unclaimed and allowed the one popular guy they had on the team go.

In the brief, but spectacular fifty days of Linsanity, Lin averaged 18.5 points in those 26 games and had at least eight assists in 12 of 25 games he started.  He carried the Knicks, who had barely seen success outside of the early days of Amare Stoudemire’s reign over the course of the prior decade, to a 7-game winning streak.  When the embattled Carmelo Anthony and Amare were out, all we had, and all the Knicks needed, was Jeremy Lin.

He lit up the city, he became the most popular sports star in New York, and he became a cultural icon.

So now as he returns, people are wondering, will he get booed by the Garden crowd?

First of all, he left.  Many will believe he saw a money grab and took it.

Of course, many of us would have done the same.  Sports careers can be quite short and if Lin did not get all the money he could now, who knew if it would be out there later?  He has been in and out of the NBA in his short career; a three year deal guarantees he can stay.

Second, he’s on the Rockets, otherwise known as not a Knick.

Plenty of Knicks return and get decent ovations, but few were at their height with the Knicks when they left (perhaps that’s why the Knicks have been awful for a long time).  When David Lee returned, he got cheered.  That could be because he technically got traded so the Knicks could get Amare and because we all knew he could not fit under the cap if we wanted Lebron or any other future Free Agent.

Third, it’s New York, and we can be a bit prickly.

If the fans in attendence feel like Lin betrayed them, or wronged them in any way, they will be more than willing to boo.  Knicks fans probably have a lot of boos saved up considering how large the quota has been for each season recently, and how few moments of despair we have actually had this year in comparison.

But of course, we are good, and we are happy.  The Knicks are giving us all they can and are one of the best teams in the NBA.  It’s much easier to look at prior times in a positive light when we’re happy.

That’s why we should not forget the good Lin gave us, even for a short time.  Shane Spencer still makes a living over his run in NY;  same with Aaron Small.  Ray Lucas had a half of a good season with the Jets and his voice is still strong here in NY.

New Yorkers are seen as smart fans who are loyal.  It sure is time we support that fact tonight.  Don’t boo Lin.  Celebrate the good times he gave us.  Lord knows, as Knicks fans, we never get enough of those.

Just a reminder….Bang!

He returns Monday having proven he’s a legitimate starter and sometimes star, capable of energizing a franchise and a fan base, a player who saved his team’s season and was rewarded with a lucrative contract.

Linsanity was a short, but spectacular time in Knicks’ history.  Even though he’s gone, the New York Knicks’ locker room is filled with Lin admirers.

Yet on the court, his old team hasn’t missed him at all.

“What he did was amazing. I mean, I was watching every game. He was hitting game-winners, he was doing all that. He was amazing,” point guard Raymond Felton said. “But it’s time to move on. We’re 18-5, whatever the record is, we’re 10-0 at home, so no need to talk about that no more.”

Lin makes his lone New York appearance with the Houston Rockets, who threw big dollars at Lin in July and were maybe just as surprised as so many others when the Knicks let them have him. They could have kept Lin simply by matching the Rockets’ offer, which was widely considered to be a foregone conclusion, and the big-market Knicks certainly could have afforded him.

Instead, they traded for Felton, and signed Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, and nobody can argue now. The Knicks are the best in the league in taking care of the ball — a Lin weakness even during his highest point — and they have the best record in the Eastern Conference with Felton and Kidd starting together in a two point guard backcourt.

“I’m not taking anything away from what we had last year, those guys gave us all they had, but to win at a big level in this league you’ve got to have good point guard play. I think Jason Kidd and Raymond and Pablo have filled that void that we were somewhat missing last year,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

The Knicks were going nowhere without anyone to run former coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense and just days from needing to cut Lin or guarantee his salary for the remainder of the season when D’Antoni turned to him in a Feb. 4 game against the Nets. Lin scored 25 points off the bench, was promoted to the starting lineup two nights later, and the phenomenon known as Linsanity was born.

An undrafted player from Harvard who had been cut three times already and was so uncertain of his NBA future that he had slept on teammate Landry Fields’ couch the night before his breakout because he had refused to get his own place with an non-guaranteed contract, Lin became an immediate hit with fans around the world. The first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent made a massive impact for the Knicks at the box office and merchandise stands, not to mention what he did for them in the standings.

A season’s worth of highlights were packed into just a few weeks: the double-double in a national TV rout of defending champion Dallas; the 38 points to out-duel Kobe Bryant in a victory over the Lakers; the 3-pointer in the final second to win a game at Toronto. He became a media sensation, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated in consecutive weeks, and brought the Knicks more positive attention than they had received in ages.

D’Antoni was booed when he returned Thursday with the Lakers, but the Knicks think Lin has earned and will receive a huge welcome back.

“I think that he touched a lot of people who are going to be in the stands,” said Steve Novak, one of Lin’s best friends on the team. “There’s going to be some people come to see Jeremy, there’s no doubt about it, because he did have an incredible run and touched a lot of their lives, and a lot of little kids got Lin jerseys and stuff like that. So I think it was tough when he left for all those people that have those jerseys and stuff, but they remember how much fun it was when he was here.”

It wasn’t long. Lin ended up needing knee surgery in March that ended his season after just 25 starts. Woodson had insisted Lin would be back, even after Lin and the Rockets had agreed to a contract that was worth about $28 million over four years. The terms were then amended to about $25 million over three years, the final year worth nearly $15 million but would cost the Knicks more than twice that in luxury tax payments under the harsher penalties in the new collective bargaining agreement.

So they let him go, and so far Lin has had some solid moments, but few that indicate he could turn into a $25 million player. He did match his career high with 38 points in a recent loss to San Antonio and helped the Rockets rout the Knicks in Houston last month, but was averaging about 11 for the season while shooting under 40 percent from the field and even occasionally replaced by backup Toney Douglas, another former Knick, in the closing minutes of close games.

That’s far below the 24.6 points and 9.2 assists he averaged in those first 10 games from Feb. 4-20, when he was the biggest story in basketball. That’s what the Knicks expect fans to remember on Monday night.

“He did an excellent job of bringing a lot of cheer. He brought a lot of great vibes to the city and just the arena in general. I had a fun time playing with him,” center Tyson Chandler said. “So I don’t know what his reception is, but whatever it is he’s on the other side now, so he has to pay for that.”

What kind of reception do you expect Lin to get in his MSG return?  Let us know…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

C.J. Watson chipped in with 16 points for the Nets (12-9), who snapped a season-high five-game losing streak, including a crushing 100-97 loss to the cross-town rival New York Knicks at home Tuesday.

Ed Davis had a career-high 24 points with 12 rebounds and rookie centre Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points for Toronto (4-19), which was coming off a winless western road swing that saw the team’s roster ravaged by injuries and a suspension. The Raptors have now lost 12 of their last 13 games.

Toronto’s infirmary includes Andrea Bargnani, Kyle Lowry (right tricep), Linas Kleiza (sore right knee), Alan Anderson (sprained left foot) and Landry Fields (right elbow surgery).

The Raptors announced during the game that Lowry is expected to be out 10 days, while Bargnani, who has a ligament tear in his right elbow and a strained right wrist, is out indefinitely.

Toronto was also missing reserve forward Amir Johnson, who served his one-game suspension for throwing his mouthguard at official David Jones during Monday’s loss in Portland.

Johnson found his rhythm in the final quarter with seven points in the first four minutes. He hit a three, swished a fadeaway jumper and then made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 77-68 for Brooklyn. He then found Watson in the corner for a three to stretch the Nets’ lead to 12.

Boos rained down with five minutes left and fans headed for the exits as Toronto eased off their defence. Andray Blatche met little resistance when he drove in and made an easy finger roll layup to give the Nets a 86-71 advantage.

Toronto crawled back to make it 90-86 with 17 seconds left to play, but Watson made both his free throws and John Lucas III missed a three from the corner to stall the late rally.

Toronto came out aggressively in the third with Jose Calderon finding Davis for an easy layup to give the Raptors a 53-42 edge. But Brooklyn cut the lead to five with quick back-to-back threes by Deron Williams and Johnson, forcing Raptors head coach Dwane Casey to call time out.

Johnson hit another three with just over two minutes left to tie the game 60-60 before Watson gave Brooklyn its first lead with another dagger from behind the arc.

The Raptors opened a 33-24 cushion four minutes into the second when Lucas made an easy layup as Toronto capitalized on some sloppy ball handling by Brooklyn. The Nets had 10 turnovers to Toronto’s three midway through the quarter.

With 26 seconds left, Lucas hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe and Aaron Gray tipped in DeMar DeRozan’s jumper to finish the half with Toronto up 45-37.

Valanciunas and Davis combined for 17 points to give the Raptors an 20-15 lead with three minutes left in the opening quarter. Davis pushed the lead with a driving hook before Terrence Ross slammed it home off a turnover to make it 26-17 with a minute left. Davis finished the frame with 11 points.

The Raptors’ depleted roster forced forward Quincy Acy to be rushed from the team’s developmental league in Bakersfield, Calif., only to land in Toronto an hour before tip-off.

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Bryan Colangelo should be given the mandate to trade Andrea Bargnani before the season’s end. There are rumors circulating that the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to trade Pau Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon.

The Lakers don’t really want Bargnani in this deal. They want Calderon as an insurance policy and as Steve Nash’s backup. Mike D’Antoni’s offense relies on an effective point guard, which the Lakers don’t have right now due to injuries to Nash and Blake. This trade, if it was offered, should be done immediately.

The general manager and president Bryan Colangelo is in the last year of his contract and Coach Casey will have 1 year remaining on his contract after this year. The Raptors will finally replace Colangelo. Coach Casey will get to complete his contract because the Raptors don’t like to pay a coach and hire a new one. If they fire Coach Casey, they would be paying for 2 coaches next year.

The roster has no franchise player, all-star, or anybody who can win an individual award. DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas will be good players. Amir Johnson is a player who hustles every time he plays, but is below average in terms of talent. Once Calderon is traded, Johnson numbers will drop dramatically. Terrance Ross has not had an opportunity to show anything but I doubt he will be better than DeRozan. Linas Kleiza is a player who can score. Hopefully, the Raptors will be able to trade him for a second round pick. The team will be stuck with Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields due to the size and length of their contracts. They will be 6-million-dollar bums. The rest of the roster is not even worth talking about.

The Toronto Raptors should apologize to their season ticket holders by giving them either a partial refund or discount towards next year’s season tickets.

How long before the Raptors make the playoffs again?

Enjoy your day!

[nba-video vid=teams/kings/2012/12/06/KingsvsRaptorsPostgameReactionmo-2316633]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – It turned personal at the strangest of times, with a couple minutes remaining between two lottery-bound teams and about 10,000 people, if that, watching on a rainy night.

Tyreke Evans heard someone on the Raptors bench – he thinks injured forward Landry Fields – shout “Hell no!” as Evans lined up a three-pointer in a tight game Wednesday.

Evans connected from a few feet away from the visitors and gave a long, punctuating stare.

Next Kings possession, same thing. He heard “Leave him open!” as the Raptors did just that, backing off in understandable strategy. Evans hit again and stared again. He said something too, a message that very possibly included a word beginning with F.

“Maybe so,” Evans said later, smiling.

Vindication and the baskets that turned a 95-95 tie into an eventual 107-100 victory. Yes, this is a good run.

Evans has scored 27, 20 and, most recently, 23 points his last three games, a streak interrupted only by the bruised left knee that cost him two contests before the return to exchange holiday greetings with the Raptors. He is shooting 50 percent. He is sticking to a commitment to defense that started in training camp to regularly check two positions a night and is on alert that a three – both backcourt spots and small forward – is possible. He gets the opponent’s biggest scoring threat on the wing as long as it is not a small point guard.

Of course Toronto played it right Wednesday. Maybe not the trash-talking part, but Evans had made six three-pointers all season, for a 27.3-percent success rate. Everybody knows to go into prevent defense and collapse around the lane when he gets the ball on the perimeter, because Evans will put his head down and barrel to the rim. That he made the Raptors pay for doing nothing wrong is the flashing bright light of exactly how good he is going.

These are the moments, however brief, that remind of Evans as Rookie of the Year, either three seasons or a lifetime ago, of why he may still be an integral part of the rebuilding puzzle. Or of why he could still be traded.

The topic is on the clock, especially when he plays like this, because the sides did not reach an agreement on an extension to Evans’ rookie contract by Oct. 31, putting him on schedule to become a restricted free agent on July 1. The decision made perfect sense for the Kings – he was regressing, had no position, and no certain place in the future, and to spend big to lock him up before the Halloween deadline would have been ill-advised.

The decision also raised the stakes on trade considerations, because now it was possible to see them losing a starter for nothing in July, if another team reaches deep enough for an offer sheet the Kings do not match. (To say they could simply sign-and-trade their way into a return is an oversimplification. Team X may not offer any assets Sacramento wants, and the Kings certainly won’t take bad contracts back.) He could stay in the summer with a new deal, he could leave without compensation or he could leave in a swap, but new rookie extension means new uncertainty.

Potential suitors won’t be swayed by a few games set against seasons, plural, of Evans trying to find his way while backsliding from a dynamic rookie season. But it will attract some eyes. So will a few more fourth-quarter Hell no! jumpers.

The truth, though, is that his real value would be as a point guard, and that isn’t going to happen. Maybe another team sees the potential to coach him into a permanent starter, thinking it can work past the endless moments of Evans driving into three defenders waiting in the lane and passing to no one. The Kings had the same vision when they took him at No. 4 in 2009, still a pretty good pick, of someone 6 foot 6 and 220 pounds with the speed and ability to immediately run past and through most grown men. In Sacramento, though, Aaron Brooks has the job and Evans is a swingman.

Playing point guard was the entire hook. Strong, fast shooting guards and small forwards are not unique, and shooting guards and small forwards without a perimeter game, when everyone knows to play them for the drive, don’t bring a lot in return. That is the unavoidable part of the Evans predicament that can’t be stared down.

[nba-video vid=games/kings/2012/12/05/0021200266-tor-sac-play4.nba]

Eastern Conference:

New York Knicks – 13-4 after playing one of the hardest schedules in the league. As expected they are banged up; Amare, Shumpert, Camby and Kidd are all out and Felton looks like he’s going to play with a bone bruise in his hand. This hasn’t stopped them from holding a 20 point lead in 8 out of their first 16 games. Tough D, Melo averaging the most points per 36 minutes and Chandler on pace for the all time highest FG% for a season have been huge reasons why the Knicks are on such a tear. By the end of the month everyone except Shumpert is supposed to be back so it will be interesting to see if that makes them better or provides chemistry issues. And hopefully Rasheed Wallace can stay on the court more than 90 seconds next game without getting ejected.

The Brooklyn Nets are right behind the Knicks in the standings, however they’ve played a much easier schedule. They did survive an attack by Rajon Rondo. Even though they have the worst crowd chant and the worst mascot it looks like they are going to be a good team.

Andrew Bynum hurt his knee (the supposedly good one) bowling. There is no timetable for his return. Is it possible to be a part of a three team trade where all 3 teams got worse?

Rondo was tied for the second longest double-digit assist streak in NBA history before he attacked Mr. Kardashian. His team is still reeling too. Avery Bradley can’t come back soon enough.

The Toronto Raptors are a very bad team. Kyle Lowry has been the one bright spot. Landry Fields has been terrible but something tells me he’s going to be just fine.

Fortunately for Chicago they are in the worst division in the NBA. It’s totally possible for them to steal a #4 seed without Derrick Rose and then have him healthy for a playoff run.

The Milwaukee Bucks started off 6-2 and are 2-6 since. That’s pretty much a microcosm of their last 5 seasons.

We knew the Pacers would struggle to score without Granger but they are currently 28^th in PPG. Ouch. Even with Granger it’s starting to look like this squad peaked last year. Especially with their max contract guy, Roy Hibbert, averaging 10-8.

When your three highest plaid players all come off the bench your team is a complete mess. I’m looking at you Detroit.

Varejao, Irving and Thompson are playing really well. The other 12 guys on the Cavs aren’t.

Surprise surprise, the Miami Heat have one of the best records in the east. LeBron is also having the best season of his career…for the 3^rd straight season. Ray Allen is also 3-3 in game winning shots this season. It’s going to take a long-term injury to LeBron, Wade, Bosh and/or Allen for the Heat to not finish in 1^st.

The Atlanta Hawks….zzzzzzzzz…sorry, fell asleep. Same team as the last billion seasons, good enough for a 4-6 seed and a first round out.

The Bobcats have 7 wins in 16 games. Doesn’t sound too great until you realize they had 7 in 66 games last season. A pleasant surprise. It’s also rumored that New Orleans may change their team name which would open the door for the return of the Charlotte Hornets.

The Orlando Magic are the 2^nd team of the 3 team trade that made everyone worse. They did beat the Lakers, the 3^rd team in the Dwight Howard trade the other night. So I guess there’s that.

The thought David Stern was going to fine the Wizards for the roster they’ve been playing until I realized that is their actual roster and they weren’t sitting anyone. It took them 13 games to get their first win. Anyone who argues for contraction needs to look no further than D.C.

Western Conference:

It’s looking like trading Harden wasn’t the end of an era for Oklahoma City like many people thought. They are 14-4 and have the biggest point differential in the league at +9.8. Ibaka has taking a huge step forward so far (he had a ridiculous 13 blocks in 2 games last week, what?) and Kevin Martin has been the perfect 6^th man.

I have no idea who that madman was who picked the Nuggets to come out of the west in the last column. Computer must have been hacked. I’m assuming whoever wrote that based it on the fact that Wilson Chandler wouldn’t be constantly injured, Gallinari wouldn’t have the lowest 3-point percentage for any player with at least 80 attempts and Ty Lawson wouldn’t revert backwards.

The Jazz need to make a move, they are good enough right now to just miss the playoffs and get a very mediocre draft pick.

Kevin Love is already back and being awesome, Rubio is practicing and might be back by Christmas and the Wolves were able to go 7-8 while having Barea, Budinger, Pekovic, Roy, Love and Rubio all missing time. This could be the season the Wolves finally get back to the postseason.

Portland still has the worst bench in the NBA and it’s already cost them a few W’s.

DeAndre Jordan has taken a big leap forward this season. Lamar Odom has not. He’s averaging 1.5 points in 13 minutes. Not sure what to make of this team. They are very good but don’t quite look like contenders right now.

The Warriors are probably the biggest surprise in the NBA this season. Even with Bogut out indefinitely (suprise surprise), Brandon Rush out for the season and Biedrins still on the roster they’ve started out 10-7. They are really undersized and will have a lot of trouble against the bigger teams. This week starts a 7 game road trip, but against fairly weak competition so they may be able to keep this winning ways going until their brutal January schedule.

The Lakers are a mess. Kobe called out Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard is already getting complainy, Nash and Blake have been injured and their backups Morris and Duhon have been atrocious and their defense has been horrible. Who would have though defense would be a problem with D’Antoni at the helm? Everyone who said the 9-10 Lakers were going to stomp through the west should have noticed that their roster goes about 5 deep.

I miss the Suns of last decade. Dragic is a nice PG, but he was to pass to Markieff Morris and Micheal Beasley. He’s probably be way higher than 13^th in the league in assists if he didn’t have to pass to them.

Sacramento. Crapping out terrible basketball teams for 7 years and counting.

We finally get to see what the Grizzlies look like when Gay and Randolph are 100%. Throw in Marc Gasol and this front line is downright scary. How scary? The Spurs rested 4 of their starters against Miami just to prepare for their game against Memphis.

As mentioned above, the Spurs rested 4 of their starters against Miami (which resulted in a $250,000 fine) and also had Jackson and Leonard injured and still almost beat the Heat. They are also averaging the 5^th most points a game. Not bad for a slow, over the hill, washed up team.

Shut down Harden and you can beat the Rockets. It didn’t take long for the league to figure that one out. Harden is averaging 11 less points in losses than in wins.

Dallas is 8-9 without Dirk, but there is no timetable for his return and the Twolves and Lakers are not going to be sub-500 for long. Also, raise your hand if you thought Derick Fisher would be their starting point guard?

Anthony Davis can’t stay on the court and Eric Gordon isn’t even close to coming back. Not quite the speedy rebuilding process the Hornets were hoping for. Maybe a name and color change will take some attention away from all the losses.

This is one of the pieces I wrote for Popblerd.com.  Be sure to check Popblerd out regularly and join their Facebook group for around the league talk.

However, that may change if Gasol continues to struggle to adapt to Mike D’Antoni’s system.

The Los Angeles Lakers are still not playing as well as most thought they would, even with the hiring of D’Antoni, who was supposed to be the offensive mastermind that would get them performing at a high level. Antawn Jamison has played very well off the bench, while Gasol, who has been playing through tendinitis in both knees, has been hurting the team. He has not been able to perform at the high level that most NBA fans are accustomed to and has looked out of place in D’Antoni’s offense. It also doesn’t help when Kobe Bryant is calling him out in the media.

The trade does make some sense for the Lakers. Dwight Howard has played with floor spacers throughout most of his career in Orlando. He had Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson as his stretch fours, so playing with Andrea Bargnani wouldn’t be something new to him. Of course, he would have to put a lot more effort on the boards and on defense.

Calderon would also give the Lakers a great backup guard because the combination of Chris Duhon and Steve Blake, who is now out 6-8 weeks with an abdominal injury, have been terrible. He could also fill an important role coming off the bench as the Lakers will most likely be looking to limit Nash’s minutes when he returns to the court.

Financially, the trade allows to Lakers to save close to $10 million dollars. They have luxury tax payments to worry about and Dwight will be looking for a major pay day in the summer,  so it would be beneficial for them to do this trade just on a purely financial basis.

However, would this trade make sense for the Raptors?

Gasol would give the team a much needed post presence since the departure of Chris Bosh. Gasol replacing Bargnani in the starting power forward position would infinitely improve the team’s defense and they would have another body fighting for rebounds.

This is assuming that he will be performing at a high level. He has not in the past couple of weeks, and with his knee tendinitis issues, it is unclear whether he will get back to form this season.

The major issue is that it could limit the Raptors’ spending options this summer. Taking on Gasol would bring their total salaries up to around $67.4 million and would leave them close to the luxury tax threshold, which is expected to be around $71-72 million this summer.

They would still be able to use the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level exception if they want to, as they are below the “apron”, but won’t be able to go above the “apron” for the remainder of the season. So if any important player (i.e. Lowry) goes down with a major injury and they have no existing replacement on the roster, their free agent options could be limited.

Then there is the issue of trading for a player that is on the downside of his NBA career. Gasol’s knee issues are flaring up and he will be 34 when his current contract expires. Raptor fans already know how the Jermaine O’Neal experiment went, and given the team’s recent misfortunes, there is a good chance it doesn’t work out for them.

They would be making a short-term trade here, but might not be getting the results they are looking for.

This trade would only make sense if the Raptors could dump more useless salary on the Lakers. Landry Fields had his best years under Mike D’Antoni and the Lakers have a need for a backup wing. Kleiza could also be a fit in their backup small forward role, but they already rebuffed him once.

Since Gasol is not the ideal fit in Toronto, another interesting scenario could involve the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three team trade. They have made both Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic available for Gasol, and both of those players are better fits long-term wise for the Toronto Raptors.

This move would address multiple team needs for the Raptors  and won’t have a negative impact on their finances. They can try out Williams at small forward, a position of need for the Raptors. They also get some immediate low post scoring with Nikola Pekovic, and replace Calderon with J.J. Barea.

Luck hasn’t been on the Raptors side when looking at the wing.  Landry Fields suffered an early season injury and has yet to make an impact for the team.  His replacement Alan Anderson, a capable veteran presence, also succumbed to injury.  The Raptors were left starting Dominic McGuire, a decent young player, but one who was barely able to make the roster out of training camp and one that certainly shouldn’t be starting in NBA games.

Linas Kleiza was also thrust into a larger role and has been unable to adapt to his increased playing time.  Pietrus may well end up as the starting small forward until the return of Landry Fields.

Mickael Pietrus is known as a smart veteran player and his addition to the Raptors roster will hopefully turn around the fortunes of the beleaguered squad.

Colangelo reached out to an old friend in Pietrus to fill the glaring hole in the Raptors starting five.

Pietrus infamously signed a contract with the Raptors a year ago only to have the Raptors back out when his knee appeared to be an issue.  He ended up in Boston and played a fairly insignificant role on their playoff team last year.  ”I always wanted to be a raptor”, he told reporters after his first appearance in Raptor red on Friday night.

But what exactly does Pietrus give the Raptors?

Pietrus is known as a strong defensive player and one that, when healthy, is capable of guarding the premier small forwards in the league.  He can also score by driving the lane or shooting the three.  He is an unselfish player and has a high basketball IQ.  On a young Raptors squad he will fit in quite nicely.  He plays within the game and knows his role.  He won’t become a black hole on the offensice end and will be more than happy to defer to the younger stars in Toronto.

Pietrus’s most important role will be as a mentor for Terrence Ross and DeMar DeRozan.  He will be a tough matchup in practice and his presence means that neither of those two players will have to slide into the three.  He’s also very happy to be here.  Something that cannot be undervalued. Positivity is in short supply in Raptorland, they can use any positive presence they can get right now.

There was a very real chance that Pietrus could have been done in the NBA.  He was out of work and his knees have seen better days.  This gives him a chance to show once again that he can still make an impact in the league and it gives the Raptors a dependable fill in while they wait for the $6.5 million dollar man to return from injury.

A positive story all around for the Raptors.

This move was a no-brainer for Colangelo and judging by his immediate impact on Friday night (32min, 6pts, 2threes 2 reb, and  a +12 on the night) it could also help turn the fortunes of this team around.

Bienvenue à Toronto Monsieur Pietrus.

***

Kristoffer Pedlar

–

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***

* Their supposed offensive focus, Andrea Bargnani, is floating in and out of games as he pleases.

* Their new point guard, Kyle Lowry, is playing at half-speed.

* It is possible their best option at small forward, Mickael Pietrus, was unemployed until he signed with the team on Friday morning.

But, they won.

Somehow.

In a season that has been defined by a cocktail of misfortune, heartbreak and poor play, the Raptors snapped a six-game losing streak with a 101-97 victory.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 23 points, but it was defence that saved them. The Suns managed only one Shannon Brown layup down the stretch. Believe it or not: Bargnani was even involved in some of those key defensive moments.

Amir Johnson was sensational for the Raptors. In a game in which Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas were ineffective, Johnson came off the bench to provide 16 points and even better defence in 31 minutes.

Pietrus added six points and solid defence in his first game as a Raptor.

Toronto waived Dominic McGuire to make room for the 10-year veteran.

Bargnani, who missed Wednesday’s game with an ankle injury, existed mostly in the theoretical realm against the Suns.

Part of it was the Raptors not looking for Bargnani, but part of it was him not looking to be looked at. He took just four shots. He did make a key defensive play, causing Goran Dragic to turn the ball over in the final minutes.

But at this stage, the biggest worry might be Lowry, who scored 15 points. Lowry just does not look the same player who was so effective in the Raptors’ first three games, before he suffered an ankle injury.

He had a few flashes offensively, particularly on a one-man fast break he finished with a layup in the first quarter.

Still, he is having more trouble navigating the pick-and-roll than he did before the injury, when he was dominant in the half court.

One turnover in the second quarter out of the pick-and-roll led both to a Phoenix three-point play and a very loud expletive finding its way out of Lowry’s mouth.

It is defence where the injury is clearer. Marcin Gortat is a large human mammal and a wonderful screen-setter. Lowry was having no luck getting around him to keep up with his former Houston teammate, Dragic.

(It was Dragic who took Lowry’s starting job last year when Lowry missed a month with a mysterious bacterial infection in March.)

If there is something Raptors fans have seen enough of in a lifetime, it is point guard struggling to contain dribble penetration. Lowry was trailing Dragic before he even got to Gortat’s screen.

However, that is the reality of where he is at right now. His injury — a bruise of the cuboid bone on his ankle — is not something that disappears without significant rest. He feels he can play, so he is on the court and that is to be commended. But he has said himself he is not 100 per cent.

And Lowry’s injury has an impact on the starting unit.

Surprisingly, Jonas Valanciunas is further along offensively than defensively at this point, with his help defence on pick-and-roll lacking. That will come in time. However, it meant the Raptors got off to uninspired starts in both the first and third quarters.

It was the second unit, plus DeRozan, that kept the Raptors in the game through three quarters.

Johnson, playing on a sore ankle, was good for his usual blend of intelligent help defence and offensive competence — some of his no-no-no-no-yes jumpers even went down.

And Jose Calderon backed up Lowry nicely, scoring 13 points and dishing out nine assists.

It was ugly. But given what lies ahead, absolutely necessary.

National Post

ekoreen@nationalpost.com

twitter.com/ekoreen

The New York Knicks are a sad franchise up to this point. With unlimited resources and the allure of the big apple, the team has managed to win the NBA championship only twice.  Only three years ago, their star player was Nate Robinson (a bench player that same year for the Celtics). Their coach at the time, Isiah Thomas has since been fired by not only them, but Florida International (who?) as well. With that being said it is time to be optimistic in New York. In the current state of the NBA, it seems all players are looking to hit a big market. That means the Knicks have something only Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas can offer. A big time market with financial opportunities galore. However, that does not mean there are not things to worry about. With that being said, here are my top 10 storylines for the New York Knicks season going forward.

#10- The Salary Cap

New York Knicks Team Salary

*Hoopsworld.com

The salary cap is 58.044 million dollars. The New York Knicks are spending $79,353,916 this year. They are going to be paying luxury taxes as you can see. Plenty of it. The Knicks, unless drastically changing their roster, will be paying luxury taxes for the next three years. This means they can kiss the 5-million dollar mid-level exception goodbye. What does this mean? For three years the Knicks will  only be able to offer the mid-level exception of 3.09 million dollars, a major disadvantage when signing free agents. Also, with contracts tied in as they are, do not expect any major pickups in the next few years unless there is a preceding blockbuster deal. Knicks fans, love it or hate it, this is your team. I give the Knicks a thumbs down.

#9- Head Coach Mike Woodson

Mike Woodson took over the team earlier this season after Mike D’antoni was fired. Since then he has led the Knicks to an (18-6) record and been given a contract to coach the team for two years with a third year option at approximately 4-million dollars per year. There is no doubt the Knicks improved when Woodson began coaching. Personally, I believe D’antoni’s system allowed for Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to slack on the defensive end. Although a good coach, he was not what the New York Knicks needed. I expect that if the Knicks have any shot at improving over last season, it will be with the backing of Mike Woodson’s more defensive mentality. Thumbs up to New York on this one.

#8- Additions of Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, Marcus Camby, Ronnie Brewer

If I were a Knick fan, I would be most excited for the signing of Raymond Felton. During his 2010-2011 stint with the team, Felton averaged 17 points and  9 assists per game. Those are big time numbers that if duplicated, will do more than enough in replacing Jeremy Lin. Ronnie Brewer, Marcus Camby, and Jason Kidd have also been added to the roster. Brewer averaged less than 2 points per game last year. Camby and Kidd are both on the decline of their careers. However there is no doubt these additions soften the blow of the Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert losses. I can’t give the Knicks an edge here as they lost what some consider the steal of last year’s draft in Shumpert. Thumbs down for the Knicks here.

#7- Loss of Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert

The loss of these two players are big. Shumpert represented everything that was good regarding the new look Knicks. His high-flying dunks and great on the ball defense brought energy to the court that a Carmelo Anthony team needs. Shumpert did tear his ACL in round one of the playoffs against the Miami Heat, which brings major questions going forward. As an explosive player, it will be difficult to come off the injury without any issues. We root for this young man’s future.

Landry Fields’ numbers were better in year one than year two, going from over 9 points per game to 8.8. His time dipped about 3 minutes per game in year two as well. These drop offs have been credited to the arrival of Carmelo Anthony. ”Carmelo-itis” seems to have hit Fields, although a little less severely than Amare Stoudemire. There is no doubt Fields was a reliable wing-man that is now gone and will have to be replaced by Ronnie Brewer. I give the Knicks a thumbs down for the loss of these two players.

#6- ”Linsanity” Gone

I think everyone was going a little “Linsane” during the season. People had the ”Linclination” he was going to be the next great superstar. It seemed like the Knicks were “Linning” every game. Okay, I will stop, but that is what it was like watching Sportscenter for a couple of weeks. People were saying MSG’s stock may go up, the hysteria was so big. I remember checking out tickets on a Friday night against the Raptors that cost $400 at the cheapest.  After leading Knicks to a 10-2 winning record highlighted by a 37-point game against the Lakers, people were ready to crown the new member of the team.

People were calling to trade Carmelo Anthony and hand over the team to the Harvard star. Fast-forward, Lin is hurt, Lin in a free-agent, Lin is gone. I do not blame the Knicks for the loss. They would have had to pay 30-million dollars in three years thanks to the way the Rockets structured the deal. With that being said, it is a crushing blow to take the one thing New Yorkers could call their own. I am sure Raymond Felton will do more than enough on the court. However as a fan, it is an emotional blow.  With that being said I do give the Knicks a thumbs up for making the correct financial decision although it was a difficult one.

#5- The Continuity of Tyson Chandler’s Dominance

Tyson Chandler is in my mind, the most important player on the Knicks. He should be the highest paid player.  Tyson Chandler was the anchor for a championship Mavericks team and is everything that Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are not. Last year he won the Defensive Player of the Year award and even cracked a joke about the crappy defense his fellow Knicks play in his acceptance speech. The Knicks let up about 15 points per game more when Chandler was out. That’s huge. If the Knicks have any shot of being anything (title contender, playoff team, winning team), it is going to start with Tyson Chandler. New York Knicks fans, do not take this man for granted. Fortunately, I do have faith in Chandler. I give the Knicks a big thumbs up for Tyson next season.

#4- The Brooklyn Nets

In New Jersey, the Nets were a harmless fly on the wall of the Knicks ”NYC-Metropolitian” radar. MSG is sold out every night. The Prudential Center can not fill up half way for the Nets, except when the Knicks come to town. The Nets move to Brooklyn changes things. With a billionaire owner and the king of hip-hop marketing the Brooklyn Nets, this could be an appealing time for young Brooklyn-ites to change or begin allegiances to the, yes I said it, Nets. Brooklyn is the fourth biggest city in the country believe it or not. On top of this, the Nets are improving quickly. Most analysts project them to be better than the Knicks next year with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, and Brook Lopez leading the team to begin the season. On top of this, the longer Dwight Howard takes to get traded, the more likely he will end up in his preferred destination of Brooklyn. To add onto all of this, the Barclays Center is the most state-of-the-art building in the country with over a dozen restaurants. Expect the Brooklyn Nets to be relevant.

Many of you may say that Knicks fans will never switch and will use the Lakers/Clippers as an example. You are missing one big difference. The Knicks do not have 16 championships to trump the Nets. They have one. If the Nets build the super-team that they are close to creating, I expect some people to be turning their allegiance and New Jersey will be a distant memory. And to be honest, I can not blame them. It is acceptable during this first year of a new franchise to switch teams without being a “band-wagoner”. If the Brooklyn Nets are title contenders and the Knicks are fighting for a playoff spot, do not be surprised to see a shift in the Battle for New York. In terms of Brooklyn affecting the Knicks, I give New York a thumbs down.

#3- The Decline of Amare Stoudemire

Two years ago Amare Stoudemire was an MVP candidate leading the New York Knicks back to relevance. He was averaging over 26 points per game and taking the NBA by storm. For the first time in a while, the Knicks mattered again. Then came Carmelo Anthony. By the end of the season Stoudemire average 25.3 points per game and began to develop chronic back issues that kept him out for weeks. The drop continued last season when Stoudemire averaged only 17.5 points per game, along with less rebounds, assists, and blocks per game, not to mention declining field goal and three-point percentages. The former all-star also played in a mere 47 games compared to 78 the year before. With chronic back issues that have lasted a year and a half now, I do not expect Amare Stoudemire to live up to the 18 million he is owed this year, nor the increased salary in the future. I give the Knicks a major thumbs down for the Amare Stoudemire situation.

*NBA.com

#2- Carmelo Anthony is Selfish

Carmelo Anthony is a superstar. Personally, I believe he is the best, if not the second best, scorer in the NBA. He can pretty much score any way he wants on you one-on-one. He has the best percentage of last second shots in the NBA. With that being said he is the most selfish superstar in the league. If you watch a Knicks game, you will notice for the majority of the time he holds the ball for three seconds at the top of the key, taking any rhythm or flow anyone else had and removing it from the game. Amare Stoudemire averaged 8 fewer points per game upon the arrival of Anthony. Landry Fields scoring declined as well. On top of this, he does not play any defense. The Knicks started off last year 18-24 and then Anthony got injured. Upon his two-week hiatus, Jeremy Lin led the Knicks to a 10-2 record. Name me one other superstar in the NBA where all this could happen?

Of all the Carmelo Anthony statistics there are, these are the worst and most deflating as a Knicks fan. Carmelo Anthony’s playoff record is the worst in the history of any player in the NBA. Ever. The following is from a USA Today article written by Tom Weir.

“But lost amid the Knicks’ swoon is that Carmelo Anthony has been setting an individual record for postseason futility. The Wall Street Journal noted after New York’s first loss in the series that it was Anthony’s 50th career playoff game, and that he had the worst win-loss percentage of anyone to make that many postseason appearances in the last 20 years.

Since then, Anthony has been in two more playoff defeats, leaving him with a 16-36 (.308) career record.”

You read correctly, 16-36.

It’s hard to blame Anthony. He has played this way his whole life. He does not know how to play any other way. It is not his fault that I can’t picture him coming off of a screen despite watching the majority of his games. I give the New York Knicks a major thumbs down on their title chances with Carmelo Anthony.

#1- Can the Knicks Make a Playoff Run?

Over the past two years the New York Knicks are 1-8 in the playoffs. That one win was when they were down 3-0 and was their first playoff win in a decade. Of those eight losses in the last two years, four of them were complete blowouts.  The New York Knicks had to finish the year 18-6 to be the #7 seed in the east. Since finishing 7th and losing in the first round, the Knicks have lost their steal of the draft in Shumpert, their diamond in the rough in Jeremy Lin, and their promising young player Landry Fields from the year before. They have added Camby, Felton, Kidd, and Brewer. We will call that a scratch. With the Brooklyn Nets improving, the pressure is on for Carmelo Anthony, the man who is supposedly their ticket to an Eastern Conference playoff run. I am excited to see if the Knicks can make something of this team. It is likely now or never for the squad. In the coming years their payroll only becomes heavier, making them more restricted for future moves.

I have the New York Knicks finishing in the 7th spot in the conference this year. No one in New York has proven anything to me aside from Tyson Chandler. Expect Brooklyn to be the best team in New York City next year. We will see. Only time can tell.