The Clippers Keep Winning, Growing Pains With DeMarcus Cousins, and Bulls-Knicks

 

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have the Clippers on the winning track. (Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images)

Christmas day is right around the corner and that means the NBA regular season is about to offically kick into high gear. It’s been a pretty interesting first part of the season with some intriguing storylines around the league. Here are some of my random thoughts and observations …

 Is anyone outside of the west coast paying attention to what’s going on in Los Angeles right now? I’m not talking about the soap opera that is known as the Los Angeles Lakers, however I am talking about the Los Angeles Clippers. This team is fun to watch and their loaded this season with depth and talent. It’s not just  Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and “Lob City” anymore with the Clippers, they are a legitimate threat in the west. While the Lakers have dominated most of the headlines coming from Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons, the Clippers are flying under the radar and winning basketball games …

 The Clippers are currently on a 12-game win streak after their most recent win over the Sacramento Kings. The Kings continue to have problems this season and can’t seem to win on the road either. It also seems that the act is beginning to wear thin in Sacramento with DeMarcus Cousins and his apparent maturity issues. Cousins was benched by Kings head coach Keith Smart for the entire second half of the Kings loss to the Clippers, he was reportedly even ordered to stay in the locker room.Cousins is extremely talented and he did take accountability for the part he played in all of this, however the Kings are going to have to decide if his growing pains are worth it for the best interest of the team. This is just the latest in a series of incidents involving Cousins and it might be time to just trade him while he still has value …

It’s become obvious after watching the Chicago Bulls play that their style of play isn’t exactly pretty to watch, however it’s effective.  Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau has his team playing ugly and gritty basketball while they wait on their franchise player Derrick Rose to return from injury. They were not exactly pretty to watch with Rose on the court, however their blue-collar approach is especially working now  and it’s also helped to stabilize them until Rose returns …

 In last night’s loss to the Bulls, the  New York Knicks lost Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and head coach Mike Woodson all to ejections by the referees. The Knicks are off to a great start this season, however with that success will come adversity and they must do a better job of handling those situations. That being said, the refs seemed to be very quick with the whistle last night instead of just letting the two teams battle it out. Watching this game left me with the impression that this could be a very intriguing seven-game series in the playoffs.

Accountability and Leadership Are Main Reasons For The Knicks Resurgence

Raymond Felton and Carmelo Anthony have the Knicks hungry and headed in the right direction. (Image Credit: Associated Press)

The New York Knicks are currently on top of the Atlantic division with an 8-1 record. They have quality wins at home over the Miami Heat and on the road over the San Antonio Spurs. They are beating up on the teams they are supposed to beat up, like the New Orleans Hornets.

If there was any thought that this kind of start to the season might be a fluke, the Knicks are slowly yet surely convincing everyone that’s definitely not the case.

Carmelo Anthony is playing a determined and all-around game that’s showing just how driven he is to win a championship. Anthony knows what kind of damage he can cause on offense, however he’s leading by example with his dedication to defense this season. He’s playing like the franchise player that he is. 

Knicks Head coach Mike Woodson (Image Credit: Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

Head coach Mike Woodson has been the key to the success the Knicks are currently enjoying. The numbers don’t dispute that Woodson’s leadership has been instrumental. He has stepped in and held each player accountable for what they do on the court and turned them into a resilient group. Woodson has shown he’s the right person at the right time for this team. Anthony has stepped his game up to another level and even a player like JR Smith appears to be showing a newfound maturity that has postively effected his play on the court.

 The Knicks decided to part ways with Jeremy Lin and let him sign with the Houston Rockets as a free agent over the summer. The move sparked a major debate that so far has been silenced because of how well Raymond Felton has played since he returned to the team. Meanwhile Lin hasn’t looked anywhere near the player fans saw last season.

 Felton and Jason Kidd have given the Knicks a sense of stability and leadership at the point guard position that they have not had in a long time. They are veterans and that’s one area the Knicks are not short on. This team is loaded with players well over the age of 30 and near the end of their playing careers. However they also bring experience and poise to the table and that compliments the talents of their younger core players. It’s the type of mix that an old school coach like Woodson believes can win championships.

 This is a team that leans heavy on their veterans and Woodson is going to have a year-long challenge keeping all of them fresh while also making sure they get enough minutes to contribute. That challenge will grow once Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert are healthy and ready to return to the team.

 It’s still early in the season, however if you are a long-time suffering Knicks fan then this type of start to the season has to feel extra good.

What’s Ahead For Amar’e Stoudemire and The Knicks

Amar’e Stoudemire (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Time is a valuable commodity and for Amar’e Stoudemire and the New York Knicks it may very well be running out. The Knicks opened their 2012-2013 season without Stoudemire who is sidelined with another injury. Reports have Stoudemire missing up to two months because of surgery to his left knee. It’s the latest in what has been a list of setbacks lately for Stoudemire and it maybe now time for the Knicks to begin reassessing where he fits in there immediate and future plans.

 The Knicks were hoping for a fresh start that involved Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony leading them into the playoffs and towards a championship. That’s been the vision ever since Anthony joined the Knicks to partner up with Stoudemire. When the Miami Heat abrubtly ended any championship aspirations held by the Knicks last season, Stoudemire and Anthony both looked forward to having a full training camp to prepare for a full season together on the court and once again that hasn’t happened. Anthony led the Knicks onto the court to open the new season while temporarily occupying Stoudemire’s power forward position. The numbers have clearly indicated that Anthony will most likely thrive in that role. Meanwhile, Stoudemire can only do what it seems like he’s been doing forever lately and that’s watch while preparing himself for yet another comeback.

 If we are to go by recent history, then Stoudemire may need to prepare himself for change. The Knicks clealy have become Anthony’s team. The offense runs through him and he seems more at ease playing at the “4” position than he does the “3” which is where he’d be when Stoudemire returns. It’s great that they both say the right things when asked about if they can succeed on the floor together, however the 31-40 record the Knicks have put up when their both on the court together indicates otherwise.

 

Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler

Stoudemire’s next best move might be to accept a sixth man role off the bench. The next move after that would be for him to embrace that role. Stoudemire thrives in a pick and roll game on offense and that is limited with Anthony and Tyson Chandler in the frontcourt. Chandler is the Knicks main pick and roll option while Anthony excels in an isolation offense. Stoudemire could come in off the bench and get his fair share of touches that way. The injuries have taken it’s toll on Stoudemire’s game and playing 25-30 minutes off the bench and leading the second unit could work to his advantage in the long-term.

 Pride will play a factor in what ultimately happens when Stoudemire returns to the lineup. He’s a max-contract player who couldn’t wait to come to New York and lead the Knicks back into the playoffs. He’s making a lot of money and carries a contract that makes it nearly impossible to trade or justify having him come off the bench. Head coach Mike Woodson is also old school and extremely loyal to his star players. Most likely the Knicks will try everything they can to get Stoudemire and Anthony on the court together and give them time to succeed together. The odds are strongly against that working. It’ll then be interesting to see if the Knicks will then go with what seems to be the inevitable at this point and that’s bringing Stoudemire off the bench.

Setting The Tone: Melo, Felton & The Knicks Take Down Miami In Season Opener

The Knicks got a big game from Carmelo Anthony to help open their season with a convincing win over the Miami Heat. (Image Credit: Howard Simmons)

The Knicks could not have asked for a better season opener than the one they had last night at home against the Miami Heat. A 104-84 victory with 30 points from Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks looked sharp and into it from the opening tipoff. It was a great tone-setter to a new season where the expectations are high for this ballclub. Head coach Mike Woodson pressed all the right buttons with the roster and the Knicks did a good job of making sure that Miami stayed down after they knocked them down. A big key to this team this season is going to be point guard play and Raymond Felton along with Jason Kidd are going to be essential to whatever success this team has. Anthony looks like a man on a mission and if there is one thing I’m taking from that is that it’s time to offically conclude that this is his ballclub. The Knicks are a better team with Anthony in that starting “4” position. Miami had an off-night and that’s going to happen from time to time. It’s not the end of the world for them.