What’s lost in the hype surrounding Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin is the coaching ability of Mike D’Antoni.
The guy can still coach.
He didn’t forget over night, and if he eventually gets fired, he’ll still know how to. All D’Antoni needed were some players that bought into and ran his system.
Will Carmelo Anthony acquiesce to his coach and point guard when he returns from injury? The Knicks’ season depends on Anthony’s ability to leave the isolations at home.
Without Anthony, Lin stunned the NBA. In the Knicks’ five-game winning streak, Lin is averaging 26.8 ppg.
He went for 38 points in a seven-point win over the Lakers
What is amazing is how close the Knicks were to releasing Lin prior to his emergence. Reports had him possibly on his way out before his breakout against the New Jersey Nets.
Without Lin, D’Antoni might have been on his way out too.
All in a New York minute.
On to the rankings:
1. Chicago Bulls (23-6) With 40 percent of their starting lineup battling injuries, the Bulls can be expected to pick up a loss here and there. Even without Derrick Rose and Rip Hamilton, the shorthanded Bulls hung tough with the Boston Celtics, falling, 95-91. Rajon Rondo’s career-night was necessary to beat the Bulls. This team is the favorite.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-6) The Thunder never gets the benefit of the doubt from the national media. Oklahoma City will lose games. It just loses less games than almost everyone else. Almost.
3. Miami Heat (21-7) Miami obviously has the best talent, but even with that talent they’ve lost more games than the Bulls and Thunder. That probably won’t last long, though. Until it’s not the case, they’re No. 3.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (17-8) A win in Philadelphia should have opened eyes as to the Clippers’ toughness. Losing Chauncey Billups is a crushing blow, but Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are as good a tandem as exists in the league.
5. San Antonio Spurs (19-9) The Spurs beat the Sixers without Manu Ginobili. They got Ginobili back and cruised against the Nets. Just another solid NBA team sashaying their way to a top seed in the West.
6. Philadelphia 76ers (19-9) The Sixers have a road contest against the Charlotte Bobcats
Monday night. That will cure what ails them.
7. Atlanta Hawks (18-10) Horrible home loss to the Heat, but Al Horford is the difference-maker in that matchup. Here’s hoping to a speedy recovery for Mr. Horford.
8. Orlando Magic (17-11) Dwight Howard is the league’s MVP thus far in 2011-12. That makes trading him all the more difficult. Otis Smith is not in a desirable situation, but he can at least hope to make out like the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz of 2010-11. Unfortunately, Howard will never be replicated no matter what Smith receives in return.
9. Denver Nuggets (16-12) The Nuggets are caught in a bit of a downward spiral. They lost five straight before rebounding with a win over the Indiana Pacers. The struggles are not surprising as Nene, Danilo Gallinari, and Timofey Mozgov are all injured. Lockout basketball ladies and gentlemen!
10. Indiana Pacers (17-10) The Pacers have lost three straight games, but after a matchup with the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets await. A 2-1 week is necessary to remain in the Top 10.
11. Dallas Mavericks (17-11) The Mavericks have won three straight games against some stout competition, and the competition gets even tougher. The Mavs won’t have an easy night until they welcome the Nets to Dallas on Feb. 28. Can you say “Letdown game.”
12. Boston Celtics (14-12) The Celtics caught a break when the Bulls decided to rest a banged-up Derrick Rose. Rajon Rondo took advantage. He posted the season’s best individual performance with 32 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 95-91 win. Not many point guards can do what Rondo does. Chris Paul might be the only one.
13. Portland Trail Blazers (15-13) Everyone talks about what a great coach Nate McMillan is, but he seriously needs to right this ship. Thirteen losses is way too many for a team that has LaMarcus Aldridge, Jamal Crawford, Nicolas Batum, and Gerald Wallace. The Blazers have arguably the best all-around talent in the league, the onus is on McMillan to translate that into wins.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (16-12) Kobe Bryant and the Lakers got punked by Jeremy Lin and the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. The Lakers don’t have the speed, youth, or depth necessary to challenge for an NBA championship. Not this year anyway.
15. New York Knicks (13-15) Jeremy Lin is to the NBA what Tim Tebow is to the NFL. The sports world loves a rags-to-riches story, although Harvard is not exactly a tale of woe. Maybe in a sports context it is. Nevertheless, Lin can seriously play. Let’s see if Carmelo Anthony allows him to continue playing upon his return from a groin injury.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15) The T’Wolves’ home loss to the Knicks, without Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, against the Knicks coming off a back-to-back shows that Minny is not quite there yet. Kevin Love is all the way there, however, and should be starting in the All-Star game. Gotta love fan voting.
17. Houston Rockets (16-12) The Rockets had a three-game winning streak snapped by the Warriors in what has been a roller-coaster season for Houston. The Rockets are one of two teams to suffer through a week in which former reserve Jeremy Lin had one of the great weeks in NBA history. Kyle Lowry’s no slouch, though.
18. Utah Jazz (14-12) Devin Harris bounced out the clock in a 98-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night with a smile on his face. The last time he smiled playing basketball was probably 2009.
19. Memphis Grizzlies (14-14) It’s fun to think about just how good the Grizzlies will be with Zach Randolph, who might make it back by late February. That means early March. Hopefully we’ll see him this season.
20. Milwaukee Bucks (12-15) Brandon Jennings putting a feeler out there that he will explore all his options during free agency. Does that scenario ever play out well for the small-town team involved?
21. Phoenix Suns (12-15) The Suns are probably in the worst spot of any team. They won’t make the playoffs and they won’t get a high draft pick. And their best player is closer to retirement than he is to another MVP award.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-16) A damper was put on an encouraging season when Kyrie Irving came down with a concussion. Here’s to a speedy recovery, Kyrie, and hopefully some better health for the Cavs in the not too distant future.
23. Sacramento Kings (10-17) Keith Smart, whose team upset the Thunder Thursday, with the quote of the week: "If all our starters aren't on, we're off."
24. Golden State Warriors (10-14) If Mark Jackson keeps up what he’s doing, he won’t be a coach for long. After leading a pretty solid cast to a 10-14 record, he’s now whining about Klay Thompson’s omission from the Rising Stars challenge. "I'm astounded that Klay Thompson is not in the rookie-sophomore All-Star game. What rookies made it? Can you show me nine rookies playing better than Klay Thompson?" Shall we remind Mr. Jackson that Thompson is averaging a paltry 7.3 ppg, and Jackson himself played the rookie under nine minutes in two different games in February.
25. Toronto Raptors (9-20) The Raptors beat the Celtics and hung tough with the Lakers, falling by two points. It’s not all bad in Toronto, although it certainly isn’t good.
26. Detroit Pistons (8-21) Lawrence Frank gets the last laugh on the New Jersey Nets. Larry must have felt pretty good up by 30 on Friday night. A rare moment in an otherwise forgettable season.
27. New Jersey Nets (8-21) The Nets send Deron Williams to the All-Star game, where he’ll likely meet with Dwight Howard and discuss which team they want to play with next season. If the Nets continue like this, it probably won’t be in Brooklyn...
28. Washington Wizards (6-22) The Wizards beat the Pistons by 22, and the Pistons were beating the Nets by 30 before settling on a 17 point win. Now I’m no math major, but the equation means the Nets are dangerously close to sliding even further in the polls.
29. New Orleans Hornets (4-23) The Hornets made the playoffs with their 46 wins last season. They have won a grand total of four in 2011-12. Chris Paul is in the same stratosphere as LeBron James, Derrick Rose, and Dwight Howard.
30. Charlotte Bobcats (3-24) The Bobcats have lost 14 straight games. Does anyone expect that streak to end any time soon?
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