Knicks turn their focus to matinee vs. Suns
New York Knicks forward Bill Walker (5) and Sacramento Kings point guard Beno Udrih (19) play for a rebounded basketball during the first half at Madison Square Garden. (Jan. 14, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
As news spread that Carmelo Anthony's "ultimate dream" is to play his home games in New York, the Knicks were experiencing a shooting night that was nothing short of an ultimate nightmare.
Although the comments Anthony made in an interview with ESPN were somewhat ambiguous - he didn't specify between the Knicks or the Brooklyn-bound Nets - all indications are that the Knicks remain in the thick of the Anthony sweepstakes.
Reports surfaced that the Knicks have a deal in place to trade Anthony Randolph for a first-round draft pick, a chip that could be used in a potential deal with the Nuggets. Leon Rose, Anthony's agent, was at the Garden on Friday night and shook hands with Knicks president Donnie Walsh, an image Knicks fans hope to see again after Rose's client signs an extension.
But overshadowing Melo's New York state of mind was a dismal performance by the Knicks, who lost to the Kings, 93-83, in a game they were expected to win handily after a promising 2-2 West Coast trip.
Sacramento, which entered the game at 8-28 overall and 2-13 on the road - with a 12-game road losing streak - held the Knicks to a season-low 31.5 percent from the floor and their second-lowest output of the season. The Knicks scored only 58 points in the first three quarters.
Fresh off an appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman," Amar'e Stoudemire had 25 points and 13 rebounds but shot 6-for-22 from the field and said he felt "fatigued."
Number one on Letterman's Top Ten list of reasons the Knicks lost to the lowly Kings might be because the franchise player returned home from a West Coast trip at 6 a.m. and taped a television appearance later that day.
But barring any prolonged shooting slumps, lethargic efforts or appearances on "The Tonight Show," the loss to the Kings will be considered nothing more than an aberration.
In the locker room after the disheartening loss, the focus already had shifted to the Suns, whom the Knicks will play Monday in the annual Martin Luther King Day matinee at the Garden. After making his return to Phoenix Jan. 7 in a 121-96 Knicks win, Stoudemire will welcome his former teammates to his new home.
"We have to make sure that we are ready for Phoenix," Stoudemire said. "I am pretty sure they are seeking revenge, so we have to be ready for those guys. We have to make sure we understand our upcoming schedule, so we have to get our mind right and get ready for those big games, and first up is Phoenix."
Added Raymond Felton: "We have to put it behind us. We've got to turn it back around. We've got a tough game versus Phoenix. They're going to be coming back for revenge for the way we played against them down there.''
Meanwhile, Walsh will continue to explore all possibilities as he evaluates the trade market.
"There are things we need, that we all know we need, so we'll look and see," Walsh said before Friday's game. "But the guys that are out there, I'm very pleased with. They're giving everything they've got and they're competitive in almost every game. But our job is to make the team better, so if there's something out there to make the team better, we're going to do it."
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