Knicks Chillin' on 21 Shump Street

On an off night in Indiana, the New York Knicks look like one big family. Here are some pics of them heading to dinner at New Orleans on the Avenue Restaurant in downtown Indianapolis.

Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and a large portion of the team, including head coach Mike Woodson were present. You love to see the unity, especially with the head coach hanging out with the players.

Knicks have 13 games left with a 2 game lead on the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. They play the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night without Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin. Unfortunately for NY they will not be available till the playoffs.

- Genovese

Source: Iman Shumpert's Instagram

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Till 4 In The Morning...

Sources say numerous Orlando Magic players were partying Tuesday night till the early morning Wednesday in NYC. The Knicks crushed the Magic by 22 points in MSG in a nationally televised game on ESPN later that day. Dwight Howard, one of the players who was partying that night, finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds, well under his averages of 20 and 15.

During one timeout, Howard and Jameer Nelson were taken out of the game but did not join the huddle with the rest of the team. Can you say hungover! Jeff Van Gundy, the former NBA coach and now announcer for ESPN ripped Howard and Nelson for their behavior.

Check the story HERE

- Genovese

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Amare Stoudemire Update

Sources say Amare Stoudemire will know as early as Tuesday if he needs season ending back surgery. Stat was diagnosed with a bulging disc after the Knicks win against the Pistons on Saturday. In the last week Amare's hops were back and it really looked like he was turning the corner. This would be a big setback to the up and down Knicks, who are 7-1 under interim head coach Mike Woodson. Even if it's not season ending, the injury will most likely have Amare sidelined till the playoffs.

Knicks are 2.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York is 6-1 without Stoudemire in the lineup.

Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points Monday against the Bucks in a very important game for both teams. Melo tweaked his groin in the third quarter, he is officially day to day. Knicks will need Jeremy Lin, who was out Monday with a sore knee to get back to his "Linsanity" role and be more of a scorer like he was in his amazing run.

For a 29 year old and over 60+ million owed to Amare, this isn't looking good for NY.

Fingers crossed in MSG...

- Genovese

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Linsanity to Woodsanity in NY

Just when everybody thought Linsanity was dead, Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks have won 5 in a row. Since the resignation of former coach Mike D'Antoni, new skipper Mike Woodson has the Knicks Bal-Lin. In 5 games with Woodson, NY is pounding opponents by 18.6 points per game.

Lin has thrived in the fourth quarter, Amare has found his explosiveness, and Melo has bought into the team. With the win Wednesday night in Philadelphia, NY is only 3 games back of the Sixers in the Atlantic division. First place for the Knicks is huge, they would avoid the Heat and Bulls in the first round of playoffs.

Mike Woodson has been vocal, holding players accountable, and preaching defense. I have never seen the Knicks play with this much passion on D since the 90's. With a great finish and a nice run in the playoffs, Woodson could ink a nice extension in New York. Woodsanity!

Back to Linsanity, Jeremy was touted by Volvo to be their brand ambassador. This is a global sponsorship for Lin, Volvo is based in China and feels he can reach younger people to buy their cars. Lin's deal is for two years and the first commercials featuring him should debut this summer.

"The thing that attracts us to him are his qualities as a person. It's terrific what he's doing on the court, but he is also the first NBA player in 57 years with a Harvard degree, and he's the most searched athlete in China. It's this star power and personality which is the reason we wanted to partner with him and tell the story." - John Maloney, President and CEO of Volvo Cars North America.

- Genovese

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NBA Trade Deadline Has Ended

Here are the NBA deadline deals today:

Ramon Sessions was moved with Christian Eyenga to the Lakers for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and their 2012 first-round pick

Nene, Brian Cook and a draft pick are going to the Wizards, Nick Young is going to the Clippers and JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf go to Denver.

Golden State traded the recently acquired Stephen Jackson to San Antonio for Richard Jefferson

Marcus Camby goes from Portland to Houston for Hasheem Thabeet and Johnny Flynn

Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a 2012 first-round pick (top 3 protected) head to the Blazers for Gerald Wallace

Rockets send Jordan Hill to the Los Angeles for Derek Fisher

Sam Young was traded to Philadelphia for the rights to 2005 second-round pick Ricky Sanchez

Hawks sold a second-round pick to Golden State

And earlier in the day Leandro Barbosa was shipped from Toronto to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a second-round pick

Analysis:

I love the Sessions trade for LA, excellent penetrating point guard, smart, great move.
The Jordan Hill move strengthens Lakers down low, big body, can block shots, very good rebounder.

The Nene deal for Wizards makes sense in that they wanted a vet to play along side John Wall. Nene has a long expensive contract but is a good locker room guy and is a nice one two piece with Wall.

Nick Young is an explosive one on one scorer, can post, and hit threes. This is a nice fit for the Clips.

Stephen Jackson is a tough vet forward who can score and run the floor. Popovich loves Jax and will fit right in the Spurs lineup. Great addition.

Camby is a great pickup for the Rockets, with them sending Hill to LA this gives them a vet big man that has been through the battles and is playoff tested. Camby is at the end of his run but will help greatly down the stretch this year.


- Genovese

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Updated Trade Blog

With less than 24 hours to go till in the NBA Trade Deadline lets look into the big headline today and a few rumors. As we know yesterday Milwaukee sent Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown. That was the first big trade of the deadline, there should be a few more.

The big headline today is that Dwight Howard has told Orlando ownership that he will "OPT IN" for next year. Nothing is confirmed in writing, but some anonymous Magic players have said that Superman has only said he would commit to this year.

Michael Beasley has been on the block for awhile, rumors have him making his way to La La Land to play for the Lakers. I like the fit there, Kobe and Fisher will make him grow up fast. There is no question the kid can score, super talented.

* CJ Miles is being courted by the Nets
* Timberwolves looking at Jamal Crawford
* Grizzlies looking to add FA Gilbert Arenas
* Bulls and Lakers have discussed Pau Gasol, I don't see this happening.

I will be updating through the day on any breaking news, stay tuned.

- Genovese

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The Christies...XXX?

Former NBA player Doug Christie and his wife Jackie are heading into the adult film business. They made it clear they are just making a movie, so I doubt we will get to see both of them in action. I guess the couple are getting pretty comfortable in the world of television. Either way, I am looking forward to see how this plays out. The couple of 20 years are featured on the reality TV show "Basketball Wives" which airs on VH1.

Check the story HERE

- Genovese

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Gerald Green Is Not Human!

Peep Gerald Green of the New Jersey Nets windmilling this alley-oop home against the Houston Rockets tonight. Not only did he windmill it, his head is over the rim. Dude has some serious hops! Check the pic and watch the video HERE.

- Genovese

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Updated Trade Rumors...

With the NBA Trade Deadline approaching, a lot of rumors are floating around the league. Who will be the big name moved by Thursday at 3PM EST?

We know Houston wants Pau Gasol bad, and the Lakers definitely aren't against trading him. Will Kobe put this trade to bed? Maybe call young Buss and tell him to kill it? Kobe does not want to lose Gasol.

We were hearing the last few weeks Rondo as the guy the Celtics might look to trade. Now the word is Paul Pierce could be on the block. Paul has two years left on contract at $16.7M and $15.3M. That's a lot of money for two years per, but Pierce is a proven scorer with a championship ring. If you can get the right package this might be a good move. Celtics would free up a lot of cap space. With Allen and Garnett's expiring contracts coming off the books after this year it could be house cleaning for Boston. Even though I do not like Celtics one bit, it's nice to see players play their whole career with one team. So as an NBA fan, I hope he stays in Boston.

The Wizards are shopping for a veteran big man to pair up with John "The Blur" Wall. As I said in last weeks trade update, Wizards are willing to trade anybody but Wall, including Javale McGee and Andray Blatche. This is the right thing to do. Wall is super talented but really needs some good vets to mentor him.

New York Knicks look to be quiet at this years trade deadline. They are having enough problems meshing with all the roster changes the past seasons.

Rumors floating in Philadelphia have Jrue Holiday on the move to Utah for Derrick Favors. I like that move for the Sixers, Favors is young and a super talented big man. Elton Brand has seen his better days, Favors would be a great fit. Holiday is a nice point guard, but with Jodie Meeks playing well and Turner, Williams, and Iguodala able to handle the ball, this trade could work.

On the Nets front, it's pretty much the same as last week. Michael Beasley is still rumored to be Jersey bound. Dwight Howard talk is sure to pick up in the next few days. I really don't see the Nets getting Superman, for the fact that it's not the package that Orlando really wants. Magic are looking for a "Carmelo" type deal the Nuggets received last year from New York. The Nets can offer maybe a Brook Lopez, Marshon Brooks, draft picks combo.

The next five days until the March 15th deadline I will be updating any and all rumors, trades, and happenings going on. Gonna be a crazy week people!

- Genovese

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Swish and Tahiry?

What a way to get back to the USA for JR Smith. After going to play ball in China during the NBA Lockout, JR landed on American soil last month and signed with the New York Knicks. Since then, he has cemented his role with the team, and bagged the sexy model Tahiry.

"Swish" has been a big part of the bench, bringing the energy NY was lacking. Rumors have been floating the internet about JR dating Tahiry, the ex-girlfriend of rapper (and die hard Knicks fan) Joe Budden. There has been some chatter on Twitter, and back and forth tweets between Budden and Smith.

Check the link for the story.

CLICK HERE

- Genovese

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Trade News From The Atlantic...

As I reported weeks ago, Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics are playing with the idea of breaking up the Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. There are rumors now circulating about All Star point guard Rajon Rondo on the block. My only thinking is Boston must be looking to clear cap space to maybe make a push to acquire Dwight Howard. Rondo is only 26 years old, I can't see Ainge trading him, especially after they dealt Kendrick Perkins last year which destroyed the Celtics interior defense and messed with their chemistry.

Late Thursday there were rumors floating around of the New Jersey Nets looking to deal for the super talented but often troublesome Michael Beasley of the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the emergence of rookie Derrick Williams, Minnesota is looking to deal the 23 year old. Beasley is averaging 12.8 points a game this year, much lower than his 15.6 career average.

The Washington Wizards are desperately looking to deal Andray Blatche. A multi dimensional big man, who at 6' 11" can pass, dribble, and shoot the rock. I believe he's one of those players that needs a change of scenery. A perfect fit would be a veteran team, somewhere he won't have any pressure every night. This is Blatche's seventh year in lowly Washington. Blatche is owed 23 million after this year which will make it even tougher to trade him. If the Wizards do not find a partner to trade, they could amnesty him.

There will be a lot of rumblings in the next few weeks leading up to the March 15th NBA trade deadline. Stay tuned to NBAFrontpage.com for all the latest moves.

- Genovese

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Jeremy Lin/Mars Blackmon T-shirt

Check the new T-shirt that has the internet going bananas after Spike Lee wore it to All-Star Weekend and retweeted it to his 200k+ followers on Twitter. The shirt was created by The Forest Lab, they call the shirt "BAL#!LIN".

The T-shirt is available on The Forest Lab website : http://www.theforestlab.com/store/

Spike played the character "Mars Blackmon" in various Nike commercials with Michael Jordan in the 90's.


The Linsanity continues....

- Genovese

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West Knocks Off The East In A Thriller

WEST 152 - EAST 149

Nailbiter, squeaker, whatever you want to call it.

The Eastern Conference cut a 21 point deficit to one in the final minute. Dwyane Wade (triple-double) had a chance to send them ahead but fumbled a pass from teammate LeBron James.

LeBron (36 pts) looked like he usually does at the end of close games,
defeated and rejected as the buzzer sounded. After scoring at will to bring the East back, he made some bad decisions in crunch time.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, moving past Michael Jordan as the career scoring leader in the All Star Game.

The star of the night was Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant. KD dropped 36 for the Western Conference and took home the MVP honors.

"It was fun," Durant said. "That's the type of All-Star game you want to see."


- Genovese

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Saturday Roundup & ASG News

Congrats to Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz for winning the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest. Jeremy was a late replacement for Iman Shumpert. Jeremy had some pretty sick dunks this season so far, I figured he would do his thing in Orlando. For the first time ever, fans voted for the winner through text message.

In the 3 Point Shootout, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love took home the long distance trophy. Love is having a breakout year averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds.

With Knicks super fan Spike Lee looking on, Team New York had the touch from the outside and won the Shooting Stars event. The trio of former Knicks star Allan Houston, current Knicks guard Landry Fields, and Cappie Pondexter of the WNBA's New York Liberty took home the victory.

Now to the big game on Sunday, East-Side vs. West-Side.

Eastern Conference All Stars: Starters - Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard: Reserves - Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Roy Hibbert, Andre Iguodala, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams.
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau


Western Conference All Stars: Starters - Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum. Reserves - LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook.
Head Coach: Scott Brooks

NOTES:
Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller will be on the call.
Tip-off 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Mary J. Blige will sing the US Anthem, and Neverest will do the Canadian Anthem.
The Eastern Conference is a three-point favorite in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.

- Genovese

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Tonight's NBA All-Star Weekend Lineup

Lineup for tonight's All Star Weekend activities:

SKILLS CHALLENGE:

Kyrie Irving - Cleveland Cavaliers
Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs
John Wall - Washington Wizards
Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma City Thunder
Deron Williams - New Jersey Nets
Rajon Rondo - Boston Celtics

3 POINT CONTEST:

Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Love - Minnesota Timberwolves
Ryan Anderson - Orlando Magic
Anthony Morrow - New Jersey Nets
Mario Chalmers - Miami Heat

SLAM DUNK CONTEST:

Derrick Williams - Minnesota Timberwolves
Paul George - Indiana Pacers
Jeremy Evans - Utah Jazz
Chase Budinger - Houston Rockets

The NBA’s “All-Star Saturday Night” kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT

- Genovese

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Kyrie Irving wins MVP of Rising Stars Challenge

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving scored 34 points including 8 three pointers and took home MVP honors in the Rising Stars Challenge. Kyrie was 12 for 13 from the field and 8 for 8 behind the arc. He also had 9 dimes in a little bit over 27 minutes of game time.

“In the first half, when I hit four threes in a row, I just kept telling ‘em, I’m feeling it,” Irving said. “I’m proud of them for actually having confidence in me. It’s fun getting hot, especially in an All-Star game where millions of people are watching. It was an enjoyable game.”

Kyrie has been a bright spot in Cleveland after the Cavaliers drafted him number one overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. He's averaging 18.1 points and 5.1 assists in 28 games so far this season.

- Genovese

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Evan Turner Breaks Guinness World Record!

Friday morning at practice for the the Rising Stars Challenge, Evan Turner of the Philadelphia 76ers broke the Guinness World Record for most shots made from behind the backboard in a minute with 14.

Click HERE for the video and picture of him holding his new record.



- Genovese

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Lineups For Rising Stars Game

TEAM SHAQ -

Blake Griffin, LA Clippers
Jeremy Lin, NY Knicks
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves
Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns
Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats
Landry Fields, NY Knicks
Norris Cole, Miami Heat
Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons




TEAM CHUCK -

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
MarShon Brooks, NJ Nets
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz





The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will be televised Friday live on TNT at 9 PM EST

- Genovese

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Nick Young...The Wedding Crasher?

So what does sharp-shooter Nick Young of the Washington Wizards do on a Saturday night 48 hours before the last game of a 5 game road trip? Well let's just say Nick isn't the most shy NBA player. Young ended up in the Ritz-Carlton and before you knew it he was taking pictures and eating cake at a strangers wedding. Can you say Wedding Crasher?

"I just said, ‘Congratulations to the bride and groom,' " Young said with a laugh. "I didn't know nobody. I went in there and gave a speech. I was a wedding crasher. Will Ferrell. I didn't have nothing else to do."

When your 7-25, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to get some laughs and a little press!

Keep crashing Nick!

- Genovese

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Carmelo Anthony Talks Jeremy Lin & Return to Knicks

On Wednesday, Carmelo Anthony spoke with the well renowned radio talk show host Mike Francesa of WFAN radio in NY. Melo answers questions about his health, fitting back into the Knicks offense, and of course the Lin-sanity going on in Madison Square Garden.

CLICK HERE

- Genovese

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