New York Knicks News

Knicks' Chris Duhon gets to the point, again
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February 9
Bergen Record
 
"Some guards are point guards, Mike D'Antoni believes. Yet, Nate Robinson is a "points guard," he said Thus, it's back to square one, or square whatever for a 19-31 team the Knicks' coach admits is "getting to the end of the rope" in terms of making something of this season other than a trip for Utah to Secaucus for the draft lottery - the result of the 2004 trade for another point/points guard, Stephon Marbury. Now, the guard who eventually replaced Marbury at the point, Chris Duhon, gets his job back tonight from Robinson when the Knicks face struggling Sacramento in the final game before the All-Star break. He might have gotten it back, anyhow, for Robinson is questionable with a groin ..."
Dick McGuire a true Knick
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February 9
Bergen Record
 columnist Steve Adamek
"A sports writing peer offered an interesting point last week on the subject of Dick McGuire's passing. Almost everywhere else, when people think of the name "McGuire" and basketball, they think of Al, Marquette's national championship coach turned blustery TV guy. Not Dick, except in New York - where he made his name playing and being anything but blustery, except when it came to his opinions about players. Dick McGuire was buried Monday and most folks who go to the Garden these days probably will forget everything written about him since he died last week, if they bothered reading it at all. Some may even glance at the No. 15 banner hanging from the building's rafters and think it's for ..."
Saint Chris Super-charged by Porter pick-six
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February 9
New York Post
 
"As Tracy Porter ran back the game-clinching interception for the Saints on Sunday night, Chris Duhon started sprinting. "I ran with him," Duhon, a huge Saints fan who hails from Louisiana, recalled yesterday. "I ran all the way to my mailbox, I did his end zone dance and everything and I just knew that we finally got [the championship]." Duhon, who said he wanted to wear his Saints jersey to address the media yesterday but didn't get the chance to retrieve it before being swarmed, said the Saints' win was pretty indescribable for him. "It's been a long time," Duhon said. "We've been through a lot of paper bags and a lot of Aints calls and everything. But for them to finally be on top, ..."
Duhon back as Knicks' starting point
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February 9
New York Post
 
"Chris Duhon admits his eyes might have been opened when Mike D'Antoni demoted him to the bench two games ago. Tonight, Duhon will be back in the starting lineup, and he's prepared to return with one thing above all else -- energy. As the Post's Marc Berman first reported yesterday, D'Antoni will flip-flop Duhon and Nate Robinson for tonight's game against the Kings at the Garden, returning Duhon to his starting point guard role after a two-game bench banishment. Robinson will come off the bench as a shooting guard after starting at point last Friday and Saturday. Duhon, who revealed yesterday his demotion was "a reality check," said this time as a starter he needs to be sure he plays with ..."
Change makes it easier to sell Knicks, Rangers
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February 9
New York Post
 
"Investors will get a chance to bet directly on the fortunes of the Knicks and Rangers and their home arena, Madison Square Garden, beginning Tuesday. Cablevision Systems Corp. is splitting into two, returning the company to its roots as mainly a provider of subscription TV. The newly separate Madison Square Garden Inc. will include the arena, the basketball and hockey teams, regional sports channels and famed theaters such as Radio City Music Hall. The move also figures to make it easier for 83-year-old Cablevision founder Charles Dolan or his heirs to eventually sell either company. Members of the Dolan family will own about one-fifth of Madison Square Garden but control 70 percent of the ..."
David Lee represents Knicks players at funeral for Hall of Famer Dick McGuire
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February 9
New York Daily News
 
"Led by team president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks sent a full delegation of officials, coaches and current and former players to Hall of Famer Dick McGuire's funeral Monday on Long Island. Among the crowd of around 400 at St. Elizabeth Parish in Melville were St. John's icons Lou Carnesecca and Chris Mullin. McGuire, a star at St.John's before he went on to play for the Knicks, died last week at 84."
Knicks end experiment, remove Nate Robinson as starting point guard and restore Chris Duhon
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February 9
New York Daily News
 
"Nate Robinson has a better chance of winning his slam-dunk crown than he has of starting again at point guard for the Knicks. After the Knicks lost twice over the weekend with Robinson elevated to a starting role, he is going back to the bench Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings at the Garden. "I think Nate is better as an off guard," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said Monday after practice in Greenburgh. "He understands that. I think the team functions a little bit better with a true point." Robinson, who will back up Wilson Chandler, did not make himself available to the media after practice. He sat out with a groin strain but is expected to be OK to play against the Kings in the team's ..."
Dueling Priorities as the Knicks Rebuild
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February 9
New York Times
 
"As the Knicks slogged through another too-little, too-late rally Saturday night, the franchise's confused priorities were on full display. Nate Robinson and Al Harrington, two impending free agents who have no chance of re-signing with the Knicks, led the near comeback in Cleveland. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, two prized building blocks, spent the fourth quarter on the bench. The Knicks lost again, their playoff hopes flickering. The Knicks' present is gloomy, their future uncertain, and their short- and long-term goals in clear conflict. Call it an unfortunate but necessary side effect of rebuilding."
LeBron still waiting to 'take care of business'
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February 8
New York Post
 
"Despite the Cavaliers' 11-game winning streak and NBA's best record, LeBron James didn't sound as if he's close to knowing where he will be next season on Saturday night. When asked if he's further along on giving a commitment to Team USA for the World Championships this summer, James said he can't do it until he knows what's up with his new contract. "I got a very busy schedule. You guys already know what my schedule is -- what's going to happen this summer," James said. "I got to take care of business [first]." That's not a bad sign for those convinced he'll be a Knick next season. James also made a significant reading-between-the-lines comment after his 47-point outing vs. the Knicks. ..."
Duhon returning from reserve role
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February 8
New York Post
 
"Mike D'Antoni is ready to reinstall Chris Duhon as the Knicks starting point guard, and also wants to make him a quasi-assistant coach as he seeks more input from the players. The Post has learned Duhon and D'Antoni held an important meeting in their Cleveland hotel Saturday afternoon as the desperate Knicks coach picked his captain's brain on the Knicks' troubles for 30 minutes. Coincidence or not, Duhon, with the club 0-2 since he went to the pine, is expected to return as the starting point guard tomorrow vs. Sacramento in their last game before the All-Star break. Nate Robinson will return to a reserve role. "It was typical coach-talking-to-his-captain type talk, trying to see what we ..."
If Cleveland Cavaliers keep winning, LeBron James seems less likely to join New York Knicks
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February 8
New York Daily News
 
"LeBron James was yukking it up with his younger Cavs teammates and working on his dance moves during pregame warm-ups on Saturday. It's not exactly conduct becoming a reigning MVP and yet another example that this is not Magic Johnson's, Larry Bird's and Michael Jordan's NBA anymore. But it's hard to argue with James' unique preparation after he scores 31 points in a little under 15 minutes. James, who put up 35 of his game-high 47 points in the first half, was having fun before, during and after beating the Knicks, and in the process is throwing a wrench into Donnie Walsh's plans this summer. The worst-kept secret in sports is that James, a pending free agent, is the Knicks' primary ..."
LeBron torches Knicks with 47 points
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February 7
The Journal News
 
"LeBron James arrived fashionably late Saturday night to his New York party. He didn't need long to catch up. James scored 47 points, including 24 straight for Cleveland in the first half, and the Cavaliers held off the Knicks 113-106 for their 11th straight victory. "It's something that can't be explained," James said of his stunning streak. "It's a feeling I wish I could be in every game, but it's not possible. It was a great moment." James, who historically has saved some of his best performances for the Knicks, set a franchise record with 35 points in the first half. He finished one point shy of his season high while adding eight rebounds and eight assists. He needed just 5:29 to score ..."
Eddy Curry sighting
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February 7
Bergen Record
 
"Eddy Curry made the trip, something he hasn't done since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Jan. 18, and although he said he thinks he can be ready to play in two to three weeks, he doesn't expect to. "Even if I come back, obviously I'm not going to play," said Curry, who's played seven games this season, the last Dec. 17. "For my own sanity, I would like to come back and go into the summertime being able to get on the court, work on my game a little bit.""
LeBron James scores 47 to beat the Knicks
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February 7
Bergen Record
 
"Was LeBron James trying to show the Knicks what they'd be missing next season? Or what they'd be getting? Those are questions for another day, July 1 or later, unless he signs an extension to stay in Cleveland. He posed only one question while the team that would rename the Garden after him or sacrifice virgins on his behalf just to bring him to New York scared the Cavs with a desperate fourth-quarter comeback. They finally succumbed, 113-106, on Saturday night. How many would he, could he score against what passed for defense played by Mike D'Antoni's team? Answer: 35 in the first half, including 24 straight in one stretch, before he cooled down in the final two quarters to finish with ..."
LeBron racks up another win
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February 7
Akron Beacon Journal
 
"LeBron James unleashed a scoring barrage in the opening moments of tonight's game against the New York Knicks that put the team from the East into a funk from which it never recovered. With 23 points in the first quarter, James tied a Quicken Loans Arena record that he set last week. Just as impressively and importantly, he scored 24 consecutive points during the last three-plus minutes of that period and heading into the second. By the time he finished, the Cavs had amassed a 19-point lead, and the the Knicks were reeling. The Cavs beat the Knicks 113-106 behind James' game-high 47 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals to extend their winning streak to 11. Cavaliers center ..."
LeBron early and a scare late: James' 47-point night helps Cleveland Cavaliers outlast the Knicks
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February 7
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"So what happened in the second half? It was like a giant Super Bowl party in the first half, with LeBron James hitting eight straight shots en route to scoring a team-record 35 points as the Cavaliers built a 24-point lead against the New York Knicks. It seemed as if the shots got longer each time and the fans went crazier with each one. But the Cavaliers had to hold on for dear life in order to beat those Knicks, 113-106, Saturday night at The Q for their 11th straight victory. It was a game essentially void of defense, unless you count the back-to-back blocked shots by Shaquille O'Neal on one end or the 5-9 Nate Robinson blocking a shot by the 7-1 O'Neal on the other end. "It was a ..."
This 'simple man' had a huge heart
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February 7
New York Post
 columnist Peter Vecsey
"The easiest columns to write are about peo ple you love. No reaching fouls. No nonsense. No censoring concerns. No painful creative thought process. No substance search. Just a refresher course or two to round up stories heard over many years. Every once in a while I'd nuzzle up to Dick McGuire and tell him I couldn't wait until he died so I could write his obituary and recount Teri's accounts and descriptions of their 54-year marriage, Yogi Berra-style anecdotes that family, friends and countrymen could match or outdo off the top without even trying. When Don McLean wrote "Vincent" he also may have had Dick McGuire in mind when he sang, "The world was never meant for one as beautiful as ..."
Knicks' Eddy Curry could've delayed surgery
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February 7
New York Post
 
"Injured Knicks center Eddy Curry, attending his first game since January arthroscopic left knee surgery, admitted to The Post he could have delayed the procedure until after the season. Curry apparently decided to go ahead with surgery because he wasn't playing. The Curry sighting at Quicken Loans Arena before the Knicks' 113-106 loss to the Cavaliers last night was a surprise, because he had not attended a game since undergoing surgery on Jan. 17. Curry, in his first remarks since the surgery, told The Post that he will know if he will be back this season after the All-Star break next weekend. The center said he feels he will be ready sometime in early-to-mid March, and he wants to play. ..."
Don't worry, Cleveland, James exit a longshot
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February 7
New York Post
 columnist Marc Berman
"The easiest way to get the goat of a Clevelander is such: When a native asks if you're attending the Saturday night Knicks-Cleveland game at the Q, reply, "Yes, and I'm excited about seeing LeBron James play his final season in Cleveland." The response is either laughter, utter disdain or both. A guy on Cleveland's Rapid Transit rail tells me it's "80-20" — 80 percent of Northeast Ohio patrons believe James will re-sign with the Cavaliers. Then he adds curiously, "But if the Cavs win the championship, that drops to 50-50. He'll want to win another one somewhere else." That is the Cleveland inferiority complex at work. Even if James reaches the summit in Cleveland, bringing the city its ..."
LeBron drops 47 to hold off valiant Knicks
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February 7
New York Post
 
"If LeBron James was evaluating the Knicks last night as a potential destination, he can check off the "they don't quit" box. But that's about it. James and the Cavaliers figured they had knocked the Knicks into oblivion after a spectacular 74-54 first half -- keyed by James' 35-point clinic. James, in the end, finished with 47 points -- and needed almost all of it. The Knicks made a giant comeback from 23 points down late in the third quarter before the Cavs survived a bizarre 113-106 decision at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs led by an unspeakable 44-24, after one quarter as James matched his jersey number by scoring an otherworldly 23 points in the period. In one 5-minute, 30-second run, ..."
LeBron James scores 47, including team-record 35 in first half, as Cavaliers hold off Knicks 113-106
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February 7
New York Daily News
 
"LeBron James was on a pace to break Wilt Chamberlain's single-game scoring record Saturday night and there appeared to be nothing the Knicks could do to stop him. "If I'm on fire and feeling well," James said, "I can put up some points." But something happened on the way to basketball immortality. The Knicks began to double-team James and the league's reigning MVP reacted by deferring to his teammates. The result was a wild fourth-quarter rally by the Knicks that ultimately fell short once LeBron became LeBron again. James finished with 47 points, including the game's last two jumpers, as the Cavs held off the Knicks for a 113-106 victory. He scored 31 in the first 15 minutes as Cleveland, ..."
Eddy Curry: I'm ready to play, but Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni won't give me a chance
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February 7
New York Daily News
 
"Eddy Curry vowed to be healthy enough to play again this season even though the veteran center is convinced Mike D'Antoni won't give him a chance to get on the court. "Odds are I'm not going to play," he said. "For my own sanity I would like to come back.""
James' mindset murky to Knicks
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February 6
New York Post
 
"Reading the tea leaves on whether LeBron James will sign with the Knicks in July can be exasperating for New York fans, if not Knicks president Donnie Walsh himself. Last week, in an online Q & A, Reggie Miller emphatically said James won't be a Knick next season, replying, "It won't be LeBron but maybe [Walsh] can get two others. No, [the Knicks] are not getting LeBron." Walsh nearly spit up his morning coffee. According to a source, Walsh was so concerned, he called up his former Indiana star to find out if Miller had inside information. Miller told Walsh not to worry. Miller was just needling Knicks fans and simply stating an opinion -- not based in concrete fact. Walsh will be close ..."
Big fan CC says go get LeBron, Knicks
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February 6
New York Post
 columnist Kevin kernan
"Mike D'Antoni is looking for a playmaker. Good luck. The Knicks' best playmaker was sitting courtside last night: Yankees ace CC Sabathia. Operation LeBron is still in play, and that is the only hope the Knicks have to become rele vant. Sabathia has his New York world championship. He wants his buddy LeBron James to get a New York title of his own. Sabathia said that New York living could be as good for James as it has been for him. "That's what it'll be like," Sabathia said as the Knicks collapsed once again, a dreadful 114-107 loss to the Bucks at the Garden. "The Knicks have a little ways to go, but any time you add that guy with another guy, you definitely have a chance to win. [James] ..."
Jennings makes Knicks pay for draft
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February 6
New York Post
 
"The Knicks still are looking for the right point guard for their team. Last night, they saw him -- again. Brandon Jennings, who the Knicks passed on in last year's draft, ran circles around them during Milwaukee's 114-107 victory at the Garden. "He's a good little point guard," was all Mike D'Antoni could bring himself to say of the rookie, who overcame a rough shooting night to finish with 22 points, as the coach tries to figure out whether to go with Nate Robinson or Chris Duhon at the position. "They churned us up." It wasn't as simple as Jennings outplaying Robinson, who made his first start of the season. "The only thing we look at is that we lose," said D'Antoni, whose team plays in ..."
Brandon Jennings leads second-half rally as Milwaukee Bucks beat New York Knicks
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February 6
New York Daily News
 
"Brandon Jennings is the point guard who got away even if Mike D'Antoni won't admit it. While the Knicks play Russian roulette with their point guards, Jennings played with pace, smarts and clutch playmaking ability in rallying the Milwaukee Bucks to an impressive 114-107 victory Friday night at the Garden. The Knicks, who are in Cleveland Saturday night to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers, failed to keep the rookie point guard out of the lane in the second half as the Bucks scored 60 points, including 19 from Jennings. "He's good," D'Antoni said. "Good little point guard." D'Antoni was in no mood to heap further praise on Jennings before or after the 20-year-old led the Bucks to their ..."
Knicks Booed for Their Play and Their Picks
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February 6
New York Times
 
"The point guard the Knicks could have had visited Madison Square Garden on Friday, on the same night the Knicks turned to the point guard they once shunned. There was discontent in the air even before tipoff. It only grew thicker over the course of the evening, as Brandon Jennings - the point guard the Knicks passed up in the June draft - burned them again and led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 114-107 victory. The night ended with boos, which might have been about the Knicks' play, their failure to draft Jennings or all of the above."
All-Star Game snub serves as more motivation for Knicks' Lee
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February 5
USA Today
 
"Being passed over for an All-Star Game berth probably won't motivate New York Knicks forward/center David Lee any more than the incentive that has made him a rising star."I've been given the opportunity to be one of the captains in the league and on this team and I'm just trying to make the right decisions and play for the right reasons," Lee says. After breaking out last season by averaging 16 points, Lee is averaging a career-best 19.7 points (second among centers) with 11.5 rebounds (third). He has emerged as the leader of a team that at times looks like a playoff qualifier - and at times falls woefully short of that goal. The Knicks went 6-9 in January, including a 50-point home loss ..."
Jennings seeks glory in Gotham
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February 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"He's coming off one of his worst games of the season, if not the worst. So you just know rookie point guard Brandon Jennings wants to make amends when the Milwaukee Bucks play the New York Knicks on Friday night. And what better place to do it than Madison Square Garden? Jennings will play his first pro game at the Garden and give Knicks fans a first-hand glimpse at what they're missing after New York passed on him with the eighth overall pick in last June's draft. He has experienced his ups and downs over a captivating rookie campaign, and Jennings' 55-point game against Golden State on Nov. 14 remains the top scoring game in the league this season. But Jennings was 1 of 7 from the field ..."
It's true: Robinson will start for Knicks on Friday
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February 5
New York Post
 
"Expect to see Nate Robinson starting tomorrow night when the Knicks play the Bucks at Madison Square Garden. "It looks like Nate probably will start as the point guard," Mike D'Antoni said after practice today. "We'll go with the way we finished up the game [last night], which I thought was good, good energy and then we'll see what the rotation will look like, but that seems to be the plan right now." Robinson helped spark the Knicks' turnaround in their win over Washington at the Garden last night. He, like several teammates, has been in and out of D'Antoni's rotation this season. "I've just gotta be ready," Robinson said. "Just continue to play my game. The basic thing of basketball is ..."
Robinson Is Set to Start
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February 5
New York Times
 
"Nate Robinson will start at point guard for the Knicks on Friday, completing a stunning turnaround. Coach Mike D'Antoni made the announcement Thursday, a day after Robinson sparked a comeback victory over the Washington Wizards. Robinson scored 23 points and started the second half in place of Chris Duhon, who will go to the bench. Robinson was benched for 14 games in December, after falling out of favor with D'Antoni. Since returning to the rotation, he has frequently outplayed Duhon, who was D'Antoni's favored point guard for the last two seasons. Robinson is more of a scorer than a true point guard and has often been criticized for his impulsiveness and showboating. D'Antoni generally ..."
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni benches Chris Duhon in favor of Nate Robinson
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February 4
New York Daily News
 
"Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is changing point guards, benching starter Chris Duhon and elevating Nate Robinson to the starting job for Friday night's game against the Bucks. D'Antoni made the announcement after practice Thursday in Greenburgh, saying that the Knicks need Robinson's energy and production. Then he told Robinson, who hasn't started since last season. "Whether I start or come off the bench, I'll play my same game," said Robinson, who was benched for 14 straight games in December and has been a reserve since. "I'll contribute to the team the best I know how.""
Washington Wizards get run out of New York by the Knicks, 107-85
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February 4
Washington Post
 
"When David Lee made a baseline jumper to give the New York Knicks a 16-point lead with 2 minutes, 40 seconds remaining, Coach Flip Saunders called timeout and Antawn Jamison grabbed a seat on the far end of the bench. Jamison plopped his hands upon his head, elbows pointed out, and stared blankly toward the rafters. He then angrily started to shake his head in frustration. "You don't want to know what I was thinking," Jamison said. The worse was far from over, as the Knicks scored seven more unanswered points, before Randy Foye drove down the lane for a layup that snapped a nearly three-minute scoring drought. The Washington Wizards lost, 107-85, on Wednesday night at Madison Square ..."
Dick McGuire was a true New Yorker and Knick until the end
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February 4
New York Daily News
 columnist Mike Lupica
"Dick McGuire died the only way he could Wednesday, which means he died quietly, died out on Long Island at the age of 84, not so far from Rockaway Beach, where his story in basketball really began. His brother Al, he was the talker, the comic, he was the one everybody finally knew better in basketball because of the television career he made for himself out of the national championship he won as a coach at Marquette. But his brother Dick was the basketball star of the family, his brother Dick is the one whose No. 15 hangs from the top of the Garden the way Earl Monroe's No. 15 does. Al and Dick McGuire came from the court at 108th St. in Rockaway to become basketball royalty and now both ..."
New York Knicks Hall of Famer Dick McGuire dies at 84
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February 4
New York Daily News
 
"Willis Reed was a Knick rookie in 1964 when he used to play three-on-three games with a retired player, Dick McGuire, who Reed had remembered as a star from the great Joe Lapchick teams of the early 1950s. "Playing with Dick in those games, the one thing I realized right away is that I would have loved to play with him in the NBA, because he would never shoot the ball," Reed said yesterday. "He just wanted to pass it. I thought, yeah, this is my kind of player." McGuire, whose number, 15, hangs from the Garden rafters, died Wednesday in Huntington, L.I. of natural causes. He was 84. Before the Knicks played the Wizards at the Garden last night, a moment of silence was observed in McGuire's ..."
Nate Robinson nets 23 points, plays entire second half to lead New York Knicks over Wizards
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February 4
New York Daily News
 
"If Mike D'Antoni had his way, Nate Robinson would be on the next flight out of town, if not sooner. And if there were room for two more, D'Antoni would gladly hand Larry Hughes and Al Harrington one-way tickets. But with the Knicks' season teetering on irrelevance, D'Antoni's stubborn side gave way to his practical side. And in a stunning turn of events, it was one of D'Antoni's favorites - point guard Chris Duhon - who was exiled, perhaps for good. D'Antoni revamped his rotation (a long overdue move), and the newest lineup featuring Robinson, Harrington and Hughes rallied to defeat the Washington Wizards, 107-85, Wednesday night at the Garden. "When you lose three in a row and you're ..."
New York Knicks forward David Lee may play with USA Basketball
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February 4
New York Daily News
 
"David Lee has been invited back to train with USA Basketball this summer and is a candidate to play with the national team at the World Championships in Turkey in August. Lee was part of the player pool last July but opted not to practice with the national team in Las Vegas because he was a restricted free agent and had not yet signed a contract. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has started the process of contacting players and their agents about their participation this summer. Colangelo is hoping that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will all commit to the team even though the three players from the 2008 Olympic gold medal squad will be free agents this summer. In all ..."
Dick truly basketball royalty
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February 4
New York Post
 
"I consider myself a stu dent of the game and a historian. The McGuire name in New York City is royalty when you talk about basketball. I always will be indebted and grateful to Dick McGuire, who passed away yesterday. McGuire is the reason I fulfilled my dream and became a Knick. Dick is the man who made the move to draft me in 1987 out of St. John's, his alma-mater, with the 18th pick in the draft. It wasn't until afterward that I discovered how it played out. That draft, McGuire was calling the shots as it was before the Knicks hired general manager Al Bianchi and coach Rick Pitino. Dick was the guy who made the decision. I remember when the teams from 13 to 17 were selecting and was ..."
Take it from Cousy, this guy could play
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February 4
New York Post
 columnist Jay Greenberg
"Take it from Bob Cousy: Before there was a Bob Cousy, there was a Richard "Dick" McGuire. "We didn't think of role models in those days," Cousy, 81, said yesterday from West Palm Beach. "But if somebody would have asked me of all the players who I competed against whose game I most admire, Richard would have been the one I would have chosen. "He was kind of a waterbug, the way he could penetrate. He saw the floor so well, was more creative than John Stockton. What hurt him was his insecurity about his own shooting. [Knicks' coach] Joe Lapchick used to tear his hair out to get Richard to take more shots. He would have made them, and made his creativity that much more effective."
Knicks' Hall of Famer pioneer of NYC hoops
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February 4
New York Post
 
"Dick McGuire, pride of Rockaway Beach, St. John's and the Knicks, passed away yesterday in a Long Island hospital, leaving a legacy of longevity in setting the tone for the New York City's first pass-first point guard. He was 84. The Hall-of-Famer, who worked for the Knicks for 53 years as a player, head coach, assistant coach and chief scout, died at Huntington Hospital of natural causes. He was still scouting college games for team president Donnie Walsh's Knicks as a senior basketball consultant. "He's been part of this [Garden] like the bricks," Walsh said last night before the Knicks' 107-85 victory over the Wizards at the Garden. A moment of silence was held before the game."
After Knicks beat Wizards, D'Antoni plans to start Nate instead of Duhon
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February 4
New York Post
 
"Stop the presses. In the wake of last night's 107-85 Nate Robinson-inspired Garden rout of the Wizards, Mike D'Antoni dropped a bomb during his postgame press conference, saying he is ready to pull the plug on Chris Duhon as the team's starting point guard. Robinson, who started the second half in place of the slumping Duhon, lit up the Wizards to ignite a rally from a four-point deficit at intermission that broke a three-game losing streak and moved them four games behind in the loss column for eighth place in the East. Robinson was a buzz-saw, finishing with 23 points in 35 minutes, hitting 10 of 15 shots, mostly runners and layups. Duhon did not play in the second half, finishing ..."
Dick McGuire, a Fixture With the Knicks for More Than Half a Century, Dies at 84
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February 4
New York Times
 
"Dick McGuire, whose deft ball-handling and passing wizardry led the New York Knicks to three straight National Basketball Association finals, and who then coached and scouted for them in a Hall of Fame career that lasted more than half a century, died Wednesday in Huntington, N.Y. He was 84. His death, at Huntington Hospital, was announced by the Knicks. He lived in nearby Dix Hills on Long Island. At his death he was a senior basketball consultant to the team and was about to leave on a scouting trip when he had an aortic aneurysm, his wife, Teri, said. Few players in basketball history have been associated with a city as McGuire was with New York. He and his younger brother Al, who also ..."
Given a Shot, Hughes Gives the Knicks a Boost
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February 4
New York Times
 
"While assessing his team's recent poor form, Coach Mike D'Antoni pointed to the Knicks' lack of energy and their defensive neglect as the primary problems. He could not say why the Knicks had arrived at this lackluster state, but he knew he needed to find a solution quickly before their season spun out of control. D'Antoni was so desperate for a spark, in fact, that he turned to a player whom he had relegated to the bench. Guard Larry Hughes, who did not play in 13 of the previous 15 games, came off the bench Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden and helped the Knicks to a 107-85 victory over Washington Wizards, halting a three-game losing streak. Hughes had not played in five games, ..."
Caron Butler to miss Knicks game with left knee injury
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February 3
Washington Post
 
"Caron Butler has ruled himself out of tonight's game against the New York Knicks because of swelling in his left knee. He sat with his left knee wrapped in ice at the morning walk-through on Wednesday but said that he hopes to be available on Friday against Orlando. The Wizards have not made plans for Butler to have an MRI, but will monitor his knee closely over the next few days. He was limited in practice on Tuesday and applied ice to his knees last night. But when he woke up on Wednesday morning, his knee had swollen. He is averaging 16.5 points and has missed two games this season. Butler was injured near the end of the first half of the Wizards' 99-88 loss to the Boston Celtics on ..."
D'Antoni calls for gut check
Comment
February 3
New York Post
 
"After three straight losses, the last a disturbing capitulation in Minnesota, Knicks president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni were critical of their team, unhappy with their lack of fire, focus and fortitude. To which the players could only say: Guilty as charged. "We just don't have the right energy, the right determination to play. And you see it at different times," D'Antoni said yesterday. "We start off well and then we get in a little bit of trouble and we kind of cave in a little bit. You should play the same way: Play hard, play with heart and soul, and we're searching for that." The Knicks (18-29) clearly haven't found it, coughing up a 15-point lead Sunday to the ..."
Donnie Walsh sees New York Knicks' struggles and mulls trades
Comment
February 3
New York Daily News
 
"Before making his pitch to LeBron James on July 1, Knicks president Donnie Walsh wanted to make the playoffs. Making the playoffs, which the Knicks haven't reached in six years, might have helped in recruiting James as a free agent this summer. But Walsh has seen anything but a playoff-quality team in the last few weeks, as the Knicks lost nine of their last 12 games in January to fall into 10th place in the East, 5-1/2 games behind struggling Miami for eighth place. Walsh was especially troubled by the team's back-to-back losses in Washington and Minnesota last weekend. Those defeats to teams headed to the lottery dropped the Knicks to 18-29 - the first time since early December that they ..."
Isiah Thomas tries to help New York Knicks court LeBron James
Comment
February 3
New York Daily News
 
"Isiah Thomas did more than anyone to send the Knicks into basketball oblivion during his reign as team president, but now he wants to help by recommending the team to LeBron James. In an interview on WFAN Tuesday, Thomas said he would give the Knicks the thumbs up to James, who can opt for freedom in July. "If Jim Dolan owns the team, because I know he looks out for the players, looks out for the franchise," Thomas said. "Everything is first-class and above." The Knicks have not had a winning season in the eight years that Dolan has owned them."
Fuming Hughes stuck in 'jail'
Comment
February 2
New York Post
 
"As a simmering Larry Hughes left the visitor's locker room late Sunday night in Minnesota sporting a new beard, he said his facial hair growth was related to his banishment from the rotation. When will he shave it? "When I get out of jail," Hughes cracked. Hughes' release from coach Mike D'Antoni's prison could occur this month -- even if the Knicks can't trade his expiring contract at the Feb. 18 deadline. Hughes, who played a total of just 15 minutes in two games in January, is more ticked off than ever at his status and is hoping something comes down at the trade deadline in two weeks. "I'm looking at it, I'm looking at it," Hughes said, indicating his agent, Jeff Wexler, is in ..."
Larry Hughes stews as status with New York Knicks becomes more unsettled
Comment
February 2
New York Daily News
 
"Larry Hughes' thick beard isn't so much a fashion statement as it is a sign of frustration. Apparently, the veteran guard has no plans of trimming his facial hair until he is traded, released or is playing regularly again for the Knicks, the latter of which Hughes is convinced will never happen. "I'm not going to play," he said in a whisper. "I know that." Hughes seems more distraught and confused than angry following a month that saw him log 15 minutes over two games. Hughes' fate seemed clear over the weekend when Mike D'Antoni curiously played Jonathan Bender ahead of him with the team's best reserve, Al Harrington, sidelined with a sore left knee. Sure, Hughes may not be an All-Star ..."
Al Harrington listed as questionable for Wednesday
Comment
February 1
New York Post
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"There is no excuse for falling behind by as much as 23 points in the fourth quarter to Minnesota -- even if Harrington was missing for the second straight night with a swollen left knee. It was Harrington's call to miss the last two games. Indications were the coaching staff hoped he would give what he had. "Obviously they want me to play, but I can't stop," said Harrington, referring to pulling up on drives. "I wouldn't be effective.""