When the Knicks  decided to deal for center Tyson Chandler, they knew that they were going to have to let Chauncey Billups go.  They felt that 25-year old Toney Douglas was ready to replace Billups as the starting point guard, but it hasn’t went too well so far this year.  Douglas has played in 3 games (all starts) for the Knicks so far this year and he is averaging 32.0 minutes, 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  He is only shooting 34.2% from the floor so far as he has hit only 13 of 38 shots this year.  Douglas is likely just keeping the seat warm until Baron Davis is ready to return to action.  But, in the meantime the Knicks really need him to step up and start playing better.

The Knicks only shot 31.3% from the floor last night as it looked like the basket had a lid on it for them.  The Lakers shot 52.1% from the floor and they outrebounded the Knicks 40-32 which also explains the beating they took last night.  Carmelo Anthony came to play as he finished up with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 blocked shot.  Amare Stoudemire only shot 4 of 17 from the floor as he finished up with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots in a very disappointing performance last night.  Tyson Chandler came to play too as he filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots.  The Knicks are now 1-2 on the year.

The Knicks were outrebounded 47-31 in this game and they were outscored 28-14 in the 4th quarter  in a very disappointing loss.  Amare Stoudemire only shot 5 of 14 from the floor, but he led the way for the Knicks with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 1 steal.  Carmelo Anthony on shot 3 of 13 from the floor as he finished up with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in this game.  Landry Fields (14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) and Bill Walker (14 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 27 minutes) also pitched in for the Knicks last night.  The Knicks are now 1-1 on the year.

The Knicks will be without 21-year old rookie SG/PG Iman Shumpert for the next 2-4 weeks due to a sprained right knee.  Shumpert played in 22 minutes in his first NBA game against the Celtics on Christmas Day, and he had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.  The Knicks have claimed 23-year old point guard Jeremy Lin off waivers to replace Shumpert on the active roster.  Lin played in 29 games (0 starts) for the Warriors last year and he averaged 9.8 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

The Knicks outscored the Celtics 27-17 in the 4th quarter yesterday to surge to victory.  The Celtics outrebounded the Knicks 41-31 and they shot 51.3% from the floor, so the Knicks didn’t play any D yesterday.  In the end though, it didn’t matter.  Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks in this game with 37 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot.  Amare Stoudemire also filled up the stat sheet with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots.  Toney Douglas got the start at point guard yesterday and he looked really solid with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.  Rookie guard Iman Shumpert brought a lot of energy to the floor in 22 minutes off the bench despite only shooting 3 of 13 from the floor.  Shumpert finished up with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in his NBA debut.  The Knicks are off to a 1-0 start this year.

The Knicks have re-signed 30-year old forward Jared Jeffries.  Jeffries played in 24 games (9 starts) for the Knicks last year and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game.  He played in 42 games (9 starts) overall for the Knicks & Rockets last year and he averaged 14.3 minutes, 1.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Jeffries has now played in 552 games (331 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 22.6 minutes, 5.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Jeffries is a good defensive player and it was smart of the Knicks to bring him back for the 2011-12 season.

The Knicks have claimed 28-year old small forward Steve Novak off waivers from the Spurs.  He played in 30 games (0 starts) for the Spurs & Mavericks last year and he averaged 7.2 minutes, 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.  Novak shot an amazing 56.5% from three point range last year.  He has now played in 225 games (4 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 9.7 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  This was a good pickup for the Knicks’ bench as Novak can really shoot the ball.

The Knicks have signed 32-year old point guard Baron Davis to a 1-year, $2.5 million dollar deal.  Davis played in 58 games (44 starts) for the Clippers & Cavaliers last year and he averaged 28.4 minutes, 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He has now played in 806 games (678 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 34.7 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  Davis is a perfect fit for the Knicks, but they will have to wait a while as he is currently recovering from a herniated disc in his back which will cause him to miss at least 2-4 weeks and maybe as many as 8 weeks (if he requires surgery).

The Knicks have signed 33-year old point guard Mike Bibby to a 1-year deal.  Bibby played in 80 games (68 starts) for the Heat, Falcons and Wizards last year in which he averaged 28.6 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  He has now played in 751 games (740 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 35.0 minutes, 18.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He will compete with Toney Douglas for minutes at point guard in 2011-12.  I like this pickup for the Knicks as Bibby came at the right price.

The New York Knicks have acquired 29-year old center Tyson Chandler and the draft rights to 24-year old power forward Ahmad Nivins and 26-year old forward Giorgos Printezis from the Dallas Mavericks.  The Knicks have dealt 28-year old C/PF Ronny Turiaf, a 2nd round pick in 2013 and cash to the Wizards.  They also have sent 25-year old shooting guard Andy Rautins and a trade exception to the Dallas Mavericks.  The Wizards also get a 2012 2nd round pick from Dallas, while the Mavericks have gotten a protected 2nd  round pick from the Wizards.

29-year old Tyson Chandler signed a 4-year, $58 million dollar deal before he was traded to the Knicks.  He played in 74 games (all starts) for the Mavericks last year and he averaged 27.8 minutes, 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  Chandler has now played in 662 games (465 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 27.6 minutes, 8.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Chandler was force in the paint in the NBA Finals last year, so he is a money player.  The Knicks also got Ahmad Nivins who was picked in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Mavericks.  He played his college ball at St. Joseph’s.  Giorgos Printezis was a second round pick of the Spurs back in the 2007 NBA Draft.  The Knicks don’t expect Nivins or Printezis to come to the states any time soon as they are playing overseas.

Ronny Turiaf played in 64 games (21 starts) for the Knicks last year and he averaged 17.8 minutes, 4.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  Andy Rautins played in 5 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Knicks last year and he averaged 4.8 minutes, 1.6 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  The Knicks likely won’t miss either of these guys.

This was a master stroke for the Knicks as they now have one of the best frontlines in all of basketball.  Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are going to give the Knicks a good shot of winning every night they take the court.