Posted: February 23, 2011 9:16 a.m. CT
By JEFF GRAYSON
FOX Sports Wisconsin
Tonight's game took just a tiny step forward in visibility, didn't it?
I apologize for the lengthy notes, but there are so many angles to this game now.
It's suddenly the must-see game in the NBA tonight as Carmelo Anthony makes his Knicks debut at The Garden; the Knicks were already set to honor their legends, and now comes 'Melo's debut. On knicks.com Tuesday night, no seats were available; it's a ticket scalper's dream.
'Melo scored 38 points in his last game as a Nugget...against the Bucks last week. Now he plays his first game as a Knick exactly one week later...against the Bucks.
The Bucks will now have faced the two highest-scoring teams in the last two Wednesdays, and 'Melo has been on both of them.
Topic Buffet for Jim, Jon and Telly
* Jon knows blockbuster deals having been a player when the Bucks acquired Oscar Robertson in 1970 and traded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 (coincidentally, like 'Melo, stories said Kareem preferred a trade to his native New York, but L.A. offered a better deal). He and Jim could discuss what it's like for a team, teammates and fans when this happens.
* Telly could give us the excitement at The Garden and in the city for this game and 'Melo's arrival. It's likely one of the most anticipated regular-season games in the history of a storied franchise.
* 'Melo is averaging just over 25 points per game, and about eight rebounds and three assists. He played for the NBA's top-scoring team in Denver and now joins the Knicks, who are second with more than 106 points per game. How will D'Antoni coach a team that has completely changed overnight?
* How will Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire work together? Will it work with their respective games? And is Chauncey Billups the key to making this work for the rest of the season?
* The Knicks gave up Raymond Felton (17 points, nine assists (fifth in the NBA) and 1.8 steals (fifth) while playing about 39 minutes per game. Now Billups fills his spot. They also dealt Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari (16 points per game apiece).
* Who got the better end of the deal?
* Is this good for the NBA to not only have deals like this, but in the biggest market and in the way it went down with a player getting his way after disrupting a season?
* Jon Brockman: 14 rebounds!
THE BUCKS (22-34)
Bucks beat Knicks 107-80 on November 9 in Milwaukee; 7 Bucks scored in double figures.
Bucks defeated Minnesota 94-88 last night; Bucks shot just .380 but held Minnesota to .381. Bucks had 7 blocked shots (Bogut with 4, Jennings 2) and outscored Wolves 17-2 on the fast break. Bucks also had 9 steals to just 4 for Minnesota; Brandon Jennings had 3, Carlos Delfino and John Salmons, 2 each.
Brandon Jennings led the way with 27 points; Corey Maggette, 20 off the bench.
THE KNICKS (28-26, including 15-12 at home)
New York went into the All-Star break with two straight wins, 102-90 over the Hawks Wednesday and 105-95 at New Jersey on February 12. So they should've been well-rested until half of their team changed.
But before those two games, they had lost four of five (at home to Dallas, the Clippers and Lakers, and at Philadelphia).
The Knicks are the NBA's most publicized .519 winning percentage team, but GM Donnie Walsh and D'Antoni made great progress in year three of their rebuilding plan-which just went into another mode with the Anthony deal.
Their record so far has them five wins from the regime's best record.
2008-'09: 32-50
2009-'10: 29-53
2010-'11: 28-26
However, like D'Antoni's Phoenix teams that weren't known for defense, the Knicks also are second in most points allowed, just over 106. Will that change at all?
The Knicks are a good free-throw shooting team at .803 (third in the NBA).
Stoudemire is a legitimate MVP candidate and at the heart of the Knicks' resurgence. He averages about 26 points (second only to Kevin Durant), nine rebounds, 2.21 blocks (fourth) and three assists per game. He leads the NBA with 9.8 FG per game, just ahead of Durant's 9.6. He had 29 points in the All-Star Game. Stoudemire also plays about 37 minutes per game.
We'll see two of the game's top shot blockers tonight, since Bogut still is tops in the league.
Landry Fields averages about ten points and seven rebounds. Fields was the 39th pick in last summer's draft, but among all rookies he is third in scoring; third in rebounds; first in FG percentage, second in three-point percentage, and in the top three in steals. He is a great argument for staying in school, having played four years at Stanford. Like Rajon Rondo was untradeable to Danny Ainge when the Celtics dealt for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007, Fields was an untouchable player in the Anthony deal.
