With the 91-88 loss to the Suns in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, the Knicks fell to a concerning 6-8 on the season. It was their fourth home loss in seven attempts and the aging Suns had lost five-straight prior to the matchup against their old coach. Yet, despite their lackluster performance this season, the Knicks currently have the eighth best record in the East, just a half-game behind the Cavaliers (!) and a half-game ahead of the Celtics (!).

New York is 20-25 (including the playoff sweep) since acquiring “superstar” Carmelo Anthony (the Nuggets are 29-16 since dealing Anthony). In 9-cat leagues, Melo is currently the 21^st ranked player (three spots ahead of where he fell in my preseason ranks, but the recent drop-off is alarming). A lot of his recent struggles might be due to a sprained ankle and wrist, but the fact of the matter is he was and always will be a ball-stopper. In other words, he’s a Mike D’Antoni team’s worst nightmare. But it’s D’Antoni’s attempt to make Melo a point forward that’s killing this team. Amar’e Stoudemire has taken just nine shots all season out of the pick-and-roll and Anthony still relies on isolation plays more than any player in the league…which would be fine if he wasn’t shooting 27 percent on those plays. Over his last five games, Melo has hit only 35-of-102 shots. The rest of the roster isn’t much better.

The Knicks have no flow, but it’s not all Melo’s fault. In familiar Knicks fashion they made one of the worst offseason moves when they amnestied Chauncey Billups to save just one year and roughly $15 million in cap space, to sign a limited Tyson Chandler to a horrid four-year, $55 million contract. Needless to say, Chandler’s never been a player that contributes to a positive offensive flow (he does shoot very well when he gets the ball and is strong on the offensive glass, but the Compton Kid simply has no rhythm). If these big-money mistakes surprise you, then you haven’t been following the Knicks very long.

Iman Shumpert and Toney Douglas have both failed in quarterbacking what should be a potent offense. Both players are sound defenders, but lack the vision required to run a competitive NBA offense. The numbers are kind of staggering: despite playing at the third fastest pace in the NBA, the Knicks are 16^th in points per game and their offensive rating is 24^th out of 30 teams. It’s a mess.

Although I never thought I’d say this, what this team needs desperately is Baron Davis. Not only does Davis provide a legitimate third-scoring option (when Chandler’s third on your team in total points, you are in big trouble), but he understands how to operate a dynamic offense. He has been an engaged participant this season in analyzing his new teammates, coaching staff, and perhaps his own perceived role in what could be his final NBA stop. D’Antoni is itching to get him back on the court, and we could see Baron by next week.

While I don’t expect any miracles, there’s enough opportunity on this team for Baron to average 18 points, 8.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 three-pointers per game. That’s serious value. In his 15 games last season with Cleveland, he delivered 19.7 points, 8.7 assists, 3.4 three-pointers, and 1.5 steals, despite coming off the bench in six of those games.

Should he remain healthy, Davis will fix a lot of the Knicks problems and many fantasy teams, as well. It’s likely he can still be acquired at a discount in your league. Make the move.

Around The League

Speaking of the Suns, Steve Nash may be embracing what I wrote about earlier in the season: scoring. Put simply, he’s the best shooter by far on the Suns and for the team to succeed, he’s going to have to put up 20 points per game. That’s not his style, but if his basketball IQ is as high as we believe, he’ll adjust appropriately.

Hopefully you sold high on Derrick Rose when advised. The turf toe injury combined with the success of the Bulls and his backups could lead to more random off-nights throughout the course of the season.

Same for Dwyane Wade and his plantar fasciitis.

As Spencer Hawes continues to walk a fine day-to-day line with Achilles and back injuries, keep an eye on rookie Nikola Vucevic out of USC. The 16^th overall pick has played well this season and could be in line for a spike in minutes. Per 36 minutes, he’s averaging 11.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.2 steals on 55% shooting.

Eddie Curry could be back on the floor very soon. Various reports indicate he’s lost nearly 100 pounds. Will he bring such dedication to the Heat? The depth chart at center continues to be very vulnerable.

There’s speculation that Heat swingman Mike Miller’s minutes will hover around 20 per game this season, but I don’t see it. He’s the fourth best player on this team, and it’s not even close.

The Grizzlies are 6-3 without Zach Randolph. They were 1-4 with him. It’s not a coincidence. Give Marc Gasol the ball and he’s a top-3 fantasy center.

If you haven’t already, go get Jarrett Jack. His strong season could keep on getting better as the Hornets have next to no options behind him at point guard.

Tayshaun Prince has been red-hot, but I still highly recommend avoiding all Pistons. Bucks, too, for that matter.

Ricky Rubio made on field goal on Wednesday in Minnesota’s win over the Pistons. But he finished with 9 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and six steals. He’s a very, very good player already and the NBA is much better off with him. Houston’s rookie, Chandler Parsons, also continues to play a very good brand of basketball.

Call it a gut feeling, but I expect Carlos Boozer and Joe Johnson to both put up very good runs between now and the All-Star break.

For more on moves you should consider, re-visit my recent Buy-Low

Tags: Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Eddy Curry, Fantasy Basketball, Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson., Mike D'Antoni, NBA, New York Knicks, Nikola Vucevic, Ricky Rubio, Rotoinfo, Steve Nash

This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 11:30 am and is filed under Fantasy Basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.