D-Mizz's Wednesday Breakdown

Breakin' News! Jason Richardson is now joining Amare, Nash, and Shaq in Phoenix (!!). Ken Berger at CBS Sports breaks down the trade. The Suns gave up defensive specialist Raja Bell, and Boris "I got a big contract then fat and slow" Diaw. Interesting move for Steve Kerr, considering he wanted to focus on defense, and J Rich is definitely more O than D.

More about LeBron and Bosh already deciding to rendezvous at the Garden in 2010.

Awesome video of Darko Milicic ripping off his jersey Superman style two nights ago.

NBA; Where the Cavs Only Need 3 Quarters happens. Awesome read from Ballerblogger.com, about the Cavs recent domination.

Another, much less exciting trade. The Wizards trade for Javaris Crittenton and Mike James, both I'd assume will get some run right away. See if they can spark the struggling Wiz, and fill in while Gilbert Arenas recovers. Antonio Daniels went to New Orleans, where I'd also assume he will get backup point guard duties, since there is no one right now, and CP3 could use the help.

Concerning article for Minnesota fans. Players from the Wolves talking about Kevin McHale's lack of coaching ability, on the X's and O's side.

Dime asks us...If you can pick one player, for one defensive stop, who's your man? I think I'm going Kevin Garnett on this one...you?

For more from D Mizz, check out Breaking Down The Game

Latest from D-Mizz on your favorite team:

Knicks 104, Pistons 92

Wakey wakey, eggs and breaky. Early one this Sunday, with the Pistons suffering the classic curse of the NY-Noon game. It's hard for the players to resist partying the Saturday night before in the Big Apple. It showed with Allen Iverson and Pistons starting very slow, going down 10-0 before being forced to call a timeout and regroup. More of the same after the timeout, with a very poor showing from Allen Iverson who looked a bit slow and unlike himself. Coach Michael Curry sat Iverson a good chunk in the first quarter, putting in Rodney Stuckey to get the Pistons running some offensive plays, instead of Iverson's ineffectiveness. The first quarter ends, and the Knicks have a commanding lead, 29-12.

In the second quarter, the Pistons were able to get a lot of points, scoring 31 overall. However, there was no D on the Pistons end either, and the Knicks got 36 points, led mostly by timely buckets from Quentin Richardson, and Chris Duhon pushing the Pick n Roll with David Lee on almost every possession. David Lee only finished with 12 points, but his 19 rebounds and overall impact on both ends of the floor was outstanding. The Knicks wound up getting the lead to almost 30 points at one point. Towards the end of the first half, the Pistons went on a mini-run, looking to gain momentum at the break. Knicks fans are used to runs like these, which usually led to a horrible second half, repeating none of the success from the first two quarters. Would there be more of that tonight?

At the break, it was 65-43 Knicks. Looking at the box score, there was something very interesting that popped out. The Knicks were 20-40 from the field, while the Pistons were almost identical at 19-41...yet there was a 22 point lead! Breakin' it down further, you'll see the Knicks success came from the line (were they got 21 shot attempts to the Piston's 9), and from 3-point-land, where they hit 8 of 14. Add to that the great ball control of the Knicks (2 turnovers), and the Pistons looking sloppy (8 turnovers), and there's your lead.

In a game where the Knicks almost dominated from beginning to end, it was Jared Jeffries who was horrid and kept letting the Pistons get back in it. His decisions on offense, including fading, long jump shots (he's never hit one in his life), and repeated offenses charges, were really horrendous and his number should have gotten pulled much earlier. Jeffries was the only one on the team to log a negative +/- for the Knicks. Tempers flared a bit in the 3rd, with Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace both getting techs, but this time that didn't exactly ignite Sheed, and the Pistons were still down 18 at the start of the fourth.

Pretty bad game for the Pistons backcourt, with Iverson shooting 33% from the field, and Rip getting his second technical in the 4th quarter, resulting in his ejection just when the Pistons looked like they could make a run. I thought Michael Curry was supposed to have control over those tempers? Jared Jeffries continued his run of horrible ball in the fourth quarter. Combine that with the refs making even on their ejection of Rip, by giving the Pistons tons of calls in the fourth. Detroit managed to get the lead down to 5 (!), which I'm sure made half the (totally packed) arena think twice about calling this a win.

Tayshaun Prince really piled it on in the fourth quarter, and it seemed like almost every shot he hit was with the left hand, about 3 inches from the hoop (and one big dunk the same way). They probably should have went to that earlier in the game, since it was basically unstoppable. Tayshaun finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals on 11-19 shooting (!). But it wasn't enough for the Pistons, who gave up a huge 3-pointer from Al Harrington with 1:20 left, extending the lead to 9 points, sealing the win.

It was games like this, last year, that were the worst. A huge lead in the first half, leading to a complacent team, horrible second half and eventual loss. But tonight was different, and Coach Mike D'Antoni didn't let the team lose their energy and passion, and they pulled it out in the end in front of a packed Garden crowd. Great game for the Knicks, bouncing back from two tough losses, and they again showed that on any given night, they can compete on the basketball court.

For more from D Mizz, check out Breaking Down The Game 

The hostage situation at MSG continues.  Now we don't mean to make light of hostage situations, especially since last week's events in Mumbai, India, but what his happening between the NY Knicks and Stephon Marbury is almost comical.

Today, Stephon likened his situation to being shot down by his own his teammates when none of them stood up for him last year during his suspension aftet leaving the team in Phoenix.  What do you expect Steph?  That these individuals that depend upon your skills on and off the court were going to rally behind you?  In the "Me" first NBA?  Are you kidding?  They acted the same way you did, looking out for their best interests, which in this case was "where was Steph on the bench - if I have to listen to the coach, he does too".  What this unfortunately shows to the final degree is that Stephon is all about Stephon.  What he feels of his teammates throwing him under the bus is actually giving confirmation to the accusations that he is selfish, a loner, and a cancer in the locker-room.

The Knicks will not be held hostage to his financial demands and if they have to pay close to the required contract price to buy him out, they would rather see him rot, at home, with his skills diminishing for the remainder of the season.  Then its good luck to him next year.  Just the fact that he won't accept a more reasonable buy-out will scare off more teams willing to take a look at him.  Steph, your shelf life is growing short.  Make a deal and get out of New York.  You should never have been here in the first place - the expectations you had to live up to were unfair.  Get a fresh start while you still have some ball left in you.

Soon, real woon, there will be a push by Madison Square Garden to reminder us that 2010 is only 1 1/2 short years away.  And we all know what that will bring . . . a New Knick begin.  The rise of a new dynasty, centered around the potential of not just King LeBron James but an additional superstar free-agent, such as Chris Bosh or Dwayne Wade.

This past weeks deals to dump salary to put the Knicks in such a position has only been asked by the Knick fans for the past 8 years.  Thru what can only be termed mismanagement beginning with the Patrick Ewing trade in his last year of contract to the "Seattle Supersonics" for three dead weight onng termed contracts, the Knicks have just been digging a deeper hole for themselves.

Obviously current Knick president has more power than his predecessors.  He has in essence told us that the team will look to be competitive the next two years but its long term goal is the long term competitiveness of the franchise.  He is finally talking what the most knowledgeable fan base already knows, the Knicks, as presently set up, will not win a title.  But they will position themselves to do so.

They also will not allow their cross-river and sometime in the next century borough neighbor Nets to steal away their birth right.  Now all they have to do is hope that LeBron doesn't injure himself before suiting up in orage-blue-and-white.  Or decide that Cleveland (with max salary of $130 million is better than NY at max salary of $102 million.)

We were going to comment after the announced trade of NY Knick guard Jamal Crawford for Golden State's Al Harrington but decided to wait and see some of the comments on the transaction.  What a difference a couple of hours make.

The original deal had little used Malik Rose going to Golden State, which we could understand.  But Crawford, the leading scorer on the team.  We thought there would at least be some pretext of being competitive for the two years until the free agent bonaza of 2010.

And then the deal of we-can't-wait-to-get-rid-of Zach Randolph that-we-would-drive-him-to-the-train-station and Mardy Collins for driftwood named Tim Thomas and Cutino Mobley.  While Mobley is an understandable acquistion, truth is he isn't the player he used to be.  As for Thomas, the only comment is: isn't once with Thomas one-too-many-times already?

Between the lines: At first the deals look like something out of the Isiah Thomas reign.  Donnie Walsh, Knick trade master, is not just trying to get under the cap early, he is trying to get so far under that he can go for two maximum type free agents (do we hear Chris Bosh's name over the MSG loud speaker during team intro's?).  Rumor has it Walsh is still trying to find some taker for Eddie Curry to provide that little extra bit of space.  Of course that means that tryouts will be held at MSG tomorrow to fill out the roster for two years until King James arrives.  By the way, what happens if LeBron stays in Cleveland?  Just asking.

One more point: What does it say when the Knicks are willing to take back Tim Thomas for a second go-round but aren't willing to give Stephon Marbury a second look?  Game Over

Most of you that are reading this will unfortunately not know his name, or at least his significance to the game you love.  But let us tell you that the game of basketball has lost one of the great coaches with the passing of Hall of Famer Pete Newell.

Coach Newell won a NCAA championship with the University of California in 1959.  The following year he coach the US men's Olympic basketball team to a gold medal in Rome.  This was the original dream team, starting a back court of NCAA and NBA legends and Hall of Famer's Oscar Robertson and jerry West (The team also had fellow Hall of Famer and former NY Knick Jerry Lucas).

He had to leave the day-to-day responsibilities of coaching due to the advice of his doctors, siting the stress on his health.  He then created a form of graduate school for big men.  Attending his Big Man Camp were such legends as LA Lker Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Celtic Hall of Famer Bill Walton, Shaquille O'Neal and Ralph Sampson.

It is very easy to say that if you are a High School player your coach is probably teaching you something that their coaches taught them that they learned from Pete Newell.  In coaching, the lessons are always passed on, even if we don't remember who the first teacher was.  Game Over

Getting season tickets to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden was once almost as difficult as ascending the NY Giants season ticket list.  It was impossible.  Perhaps no greater damage has been perpretrated on the Knick organization by the Isiah Thomas regime than the total erosion of the season ticket fan base.  The waiting list is no longer existant.  In fact, its now possible to buy game tickets, something that was only by answering a whisper of "Who needs Two?" on 7th Ave and 32nd Street, at a discount store.  How the mighty have fallen.

As you enter your local Costco, next to the discount AMC Movie tickets (two for $15.99), you can purchase 2 Knick tickets (subject to blackout dates, cause, after all, why allow someone to see Lebron James or the champion Celtics) for $69.99.  They are in the 300 level (a.k.a. nose bleeds), on a first come - first availabilty basis.  Even a greater indication of how available tickets are, they are discounted 40%!  This, the World's Most Famous Arena, is not so exclusive anymore. 

It used to be that the NJ Nets were viewed as an inferior organization in the New York community, playing weak brother to the more established Knicks.  The Nets, even when led by Jason Kidd during their championship runs, could not sell out in the swamps of the Meadowlands, thus prompting their move to Brooklyn.  If the Knicks are selling tickets in Costco now, what will they do when the Nets steal all their thunder in the new Barclay Center, stand in front of the Garden and give spectators money to come in?  Game Over