5. Sixers Avoiding History
The Knicks dispatched the Sixers on Saturday night and sent them to the loss column for the 13th time this season. Philadelphia is dangerously close to setting the record for the worst start in NBA history. In 2009-10, the Nets opened their season 0-18 and Philadelphia now sits at 0-13 with games against Portland, Brooklyn, Dallas, San Antonio, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City over its next six. Last year, the Sixers set a record with 26 straight losses.
4. Bargnani’s Setback Just when Andrea Bargnani saw the light at the end of the tunnel to return to the Knicks lineup, the big man was hit with the injury bug again. Bargnani has not suited up this season due to a hamstring issue and at Friday’s practice he suffered from a calf strain that forced him to miss Saturday’s game against Philadelphia. There is no timetable for his return.
3. Stoudemire’s Efficiency On Saturday, Amar’e Stoudemire provided the Knicks bench with a big boost by scoring 16 points in 19 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting and 6-of-6 at the charity stripe. Over his last three outings, Stoudemire is averaging 16.3 points per game on 81 percent shooting from the floor. Aside from the extreme efficiency in a reserve role, Stoudemire is also producing on the glass by averaging 6.3 boards over his last three games.
2. Point Guard Depth Chart
One of the questions surrounding Jose Calderon’s return to the lineup was the effect on the point guard depth chart. On Saturday, head coach Derek Fisher decided to start Calderon and bring Pablo Prigioni off the bench as the first replacement for Calderon. Shane Larkin did not play in Saturday’s contest despite receiving the starting nod for a majority of the games Calderon missed. Prigioni is performing at a high level off the bench and has provided the second unit with some perimeter shooting and direction at the point guard spot. One assumes Fisher will continue to tweak the rotation over the next couple of weeks while Calderon regains his conditioning.
1. Calderon’s Debut Calderon’s box score numbers from Saturday do not jump off the page but his impact in the lineup was noticeable. As a savvy veteran point guard, Calderon seems to bring stability and comfort for this Knicks crew. Following the win, Carmelo Anthony said, “He knows how to run a team and offense especially an offense like this. His IQ out there is very high.” The Spaniard will improve from a conditioning standpoint while gaining some chemistry with his teammates in game situations. This upcoming road trip against two elite Western Conference teams will force Calderon to assimilate quickly to his new squad.