Blazers mock Knicks’ Felton on Twitter with angry face

The Raymond Felton-Portland Trailblazer spat is a feud that keeps on giving — and getting.

Two days ago Felton gave an interview with two writers at an Under Armour appearance in midtown Manhattan where he went on a long rant about the unfair criticism of his conditioning repertoire as a Blazer.

The Portland organization got wind of Felton's diatribe and has fired back with a photo of their former player with an angry face via Twitter.

In March, Felton was heckled by the road fans inside the Rose Garden. Felton is still bitter at the taunts he believes he received in Portland two seasons ago.

"I laughed at the crowd," Felton said in the interview. "We’re in the playoffs. What about you all?"  He went on for more than a couple of minutes.

The Blazers posted this response on their official Twitter account:

Why so mad, Ray? pic.twitter.com/eOFVI9KNA1
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) September 24, 2013

"At the end of the day, they said a lot things about me," Felton said the other night regarding the Portland media and fans. "Said a lot of things about Jamal Crawford. They said me and Jamal were bad eggs. I’m sitting back like, ‘Jamal is with the Clippers having a great year, up for Sixth Man of the Year. His team was in the playoffs.’ And our team is in the playoffs. I don’t think we were the issues of bringing that team down. Not in the playoffs again and you want to put the blame on two guys. It was our fault they didn’t make the playoffs. Really?

“I don’t think that we were the issue because we were not there last year and they were not in the playoffs,” Felton added. “I was kind of upset about that because then you’re trying to kill my character. That’s not what I’m about. That part pissed me off. Now you’re trying to mess with my character? I was kind of upset about that. I’m not a type of cancer in the locker room."

Felton said he has lost at least 15 pounds since his stint with the Blazers during the lockout-shortened, 2011-12 season.

The Knicks visit Portland on Nov. 25. Expect a lot angry faces in the crowd.

[NY Post]

Metta World Peace: 'The Lakers are going to the NBA Finals'

If you believe Metta World Peace he hasn't been paying too much attention to the war of words between the Knicks and Nets this offseason and it sounds like the former Lakers player harbors no ill feelings towards his old team either.

World Peace signed with the Knicks after he was waived by the Lakers via the amnesty clause. He won a championship with the Lakers in 2010, and surprisingly believes his former team is poised to make another title run.

"I think Kobe [Bryant] is going to be healthy, they're going to have Pau [Gasol], the Lakers are going to make a big trade like they always do . . . and they're going to go to the Finals," World Peace said at a signing for his children's book, "Metta's Bedtime Stories," in TriBeCa.

As for the Knicks' competition in the Eastern Conference, World Peace was underwhelmed. But conceded that the two-time defending champion Heat is "pretty good."

"I think all those teams are good, but I think the Knicks are going to be great," World Peace said.

Regarding all of the summer yammering between the two New York teams, the Queens native sounded hungry for more than just coffee talk.

"I don't have no energy to go back and forth with words because there's just too many great things happening in New York City," said World Peace, who signed a two-year deal with the Knicks in July. "I just want apple pie. I don't feel like talking. I want to go to Whole Foods and enjoy my Whole Foods."

The Nets' acquisition of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry in a blockbuster trade with the Celtics shook up the basketball world. But World Peace claims he has barely paid attention.

"Honestly, I don't even know who's on their team," World Peace said. "I'm not going to lie. I'm just happy to be a Knick."

World Peace could start at small forward alongside Carmelo Anthony or come off the bench. He noted that every time in his career he was assigned a reserve role, he eventually was moved to the starting lineup.

"I don't have an issue with coming off the bench. I've been starting for 15 years, so it should be somebody else's chance to start," World Peace said. "I could have gone to any other team I wanted to and started. I got calls from Oklahoma and the Clippers and all these teams. But I came here and it wasn't to start, it was to win a ring."

Carmelo Anthony on leaving Knicks: 'I'm not going nowhere'

Carmelo Anthony can become a free agent after the upcoming season, and has made it clear he doesn't want to talk about it. But he gave the strongest indication yet that his plans include re-signing with the Knicks when the season is through.

"I'm not going nowhere," Anthony said during an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg Television's "Market Markers." 

"That is one of the reasons why I wanted to come here to New York, just so I could take on those pressures and those challenges," Anthony said. "A lot of people do not like to deal with the pressure. A lot of people do not know how to deal with the challenges they face. To me, it is everyday life."

Anthony is due to make $23.3 million in the 2014-15 season. If he were to opt out, the Lakers likely would pursue the All-Star, but the Knicks can offer him significantly more —including a five-year deal. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the most the Lakers could offer is four years and roughly $96 million. Anthony could get a maximum five-year contract worth about $129 million from the Knicks, who can start negotiating with him in February.

Money aside, Anthony pushed for the February 2011 trade from Denver to be in the New York limelight and try to help the Knicks win their first championship since 1973. He led them to 54 wins last season and their first Atlantic Division title in 19 years, but they lost to Indiana in the second round.

The 29-year-old Anthony remains committed to bringing a title to Madison Square Garden.

"That is one of the reasons why I wanted to come here to New York, just so I could take on those pressures and those challenges,'' Anthony said. "A lot of people do not like to deal with the pressure. A lot of people do not know how to deal with the challenges they face. To me, it is everyday life.''

Still, Anthony doesn't want his future or free agency to be an everyday discussion with the New York media. He told The Associated Press at a Sept. 11 charity event Wednesday that he would not address either issue during the season. "I'm just not going to do it,'' he said. "I'm going to let everybody know the first day that I'm not going to talk about it.''

The Knicks were the No. 2 seed in the East last season behind eventual NBA champion Miami, but they lost veteran players Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace. Their big offseason additions this winter were Andrea Bargnani, Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih —making the team somewhat younger.

Anthony and the Knicks could be looking up the rebuilt Nets and improved Bulls and Pacers but Melo still believes his team is still a front runner.

"I actually see this team being better than last year,'' said Tuesday. "That's just my opinion, that's the way that we feel. And if we feel that way as a unit, then there's nothing that can come between us.''

J.R. Smith reportedly driving around NYC in armored car

It looks like New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith is already finding ways to spend some of the money from his new $24 million deal with the NBA team.

According to the New York Post, Smith was seen driving up to the restaurant Catch in Manhattan's  Meatpacking District behind the wheel of a Gurkha F5 armored vehicle. 

Smith, who’s recovering after surgery on his left knee in the off-season, rolled up to the hotspot in the $450,000 ride — which is made by Toronto-based Terradyne Armored Vehicles and used by police and the military. Smith parked the oversize truck on the street while he dined inside.

Hummers are so passe.

Amar'e Stoudemire applies for Israeli citizenship

While the New York Knicks had their own mass exodus from the NBA playoffs last season, Amar’e Stoudemire is now taking his own small steps closer to the Promised Land.

The Knicks power forward — with reported Hebrew roots but who wasn't raised Jewish — has applied for Israeli citizenship after becoming part owner of a Jerusalem basketball team earlier this year.

Stoudemire, who has been learning Hebrew and practicing Judaism, put in the paperwork while he was in the Jewish state for the annual Maccabiah Games, where he served as the assistant coach of the Canadian basketball squad.

“He applied, and he’s getting there now,” Stoudemire’s agent Happy Walters told New York Magazine.

Those ended earlier this week, but Stoudemire has more than religious reasons for forging closer ties with Israel.

In July, Stoudemire announced he had become a part owner in the Israeli basketball club Hapoel Jerusalem.

Stoudemire, who was signed by the Knicks in 2010 to a nearly $100 million five-year contract, has been considering joining the religion ever since he moved to New York and began telling people his wayward mother had Jewish ties. In interviews, Stoudemire has stated that he has "no formal religion," although he practices certain Jewish rituals because “we are all Jewish. It's the original culture.”

Also, Stoudemire donned a yarmulke and a prayer shawl when he and Alexis Welch tied the knot last year.

“I’m not a religious person, I’m more of a spiritual person,” he recently told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “So I follow the rules of the Bible that coordinate with and connect with the Hebrew culture.”

The gimpy, 30-year-old Stoudemire has virtually no chance of representing the USA at the 2016 Olympics but has already received an invitation from President Shimon Peres to play for the Israeli national team. 

Shalom!

Ossie Schectman, first player to score basket in NBA history, dies at age 94

Oscar "Ossie" Schectman, the former New York Knicks guard who scored the first basket in NBA history, died Tuesday. He was 94.

Schectman's son Peter confirmed his father's death, which was also announced by the Knicks and paid tribute by the NBA. Peter says his dad died of complications from respiratory failure.

Sad News: Former Knick Oscar B. "Ossie" Schectman passed away this a.m. Ossie scored the first basket in @NBAHistory (11/1/46). Ossie was 94
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) July 30, 2013

Schectman scored the opening basket of a game in what was then known as the BAA on Nov. 1, 1946 for the Knicks against the Toronto Huskies.

Schectman was born in Queens, N.Y., and won two NIT titles as the point guard for Long Island University before turning pro. From Newsday's Al Iannazzone:

Schectman, a 6-foot guard played in the American Basketball League with the Philadelphia Sphas — whose nickname came from the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association — before the Knicks signed him in 1946 to play in the new Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA. [...] Schectman played just one season and 54 games with the Knicks. He averaged 8.1 points and was third in the league with 2.0 assists.

Commissioner David Stern said Tuesday in a statement that Schectman was a "pioneer." The commissioner says, "Playing for the New York Knickerbockers in the 1946-47 season, Ossie scored the league's first basket, which placed him permanently in the annals of NBA history. On behalf of the entire NBA family, our condolences go out to Ossie's family."

Metta World Peace wants fans to pick new nickname

After word spread around the Internet that Metta World Peace might be changing his name again ahead of playing for the Knicks next season, the former St. John's star — where he was known as Ron Artest — took to his Twitter account to squash the idea.

“Don’t believe anyone who said I’m changing my name again,” World Peace tweeted. “I am letting fans give me a new nickname. I am not legally changing my name.”

Don't believe anyone who said I'm changing my name again. I am letting fans give me a new nick name. I am not legally changing my name.
— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) July 26, 2013

World Peace also said he will be picking a nickname a fan suggests in a couple of weeks, and that fans could tell him what nickname by going to his website.

And, so far,  it sounds as if MWP likes what's what he's hearing.

I love the nicknames that's coming . Keep them coming!!!;)
— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) July 27, 2013

World Peace is making his return to New York this fall as a member of the Knicks after agreeing to a two-year deal — the second year a player option — shortly after being amnestied by the Lakers this month.

How about The Artest Formally Known As Peace?

Madison Square Garden gets eviction notice

The shot clock is winding down on the World's Most Famous Arena and Madison Square Garden has to move from its current spot above Penn Station to a new location within 10 years.

Despite public pleas from former New York Knicks stars Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier and celebrities like superfan Spike Lee, the City Council voted 47-1 in favor of the 10-year limit to the lease after MSG had requested to operate continually —although there is a puncher's chance it could be extended.

Council members and civic leaders want to move the New York City home to the Knicks and Rangers so Penn Station can be overhauled in a three-year, $1 billion renovation.

The current Garden opened in 1968 and has hosted many legendary concerts and boxing matches to go with its glorious hockey and basketball past but has recently had to duke it out with the slick new Barclays Center across the East River and heavy-fisted NYC  bureaucrats.

“Madison Square Garden will have to move, and I think this permit sends the message that that work needs to begin now,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said. “We need to make sure Penn Station becomes what we need it to be, a really 21st century grand entrance into the greatest city in the world, not ... what Sen. [Daniel] Moynihan or others historically described as a bunch of rat tunnels that lead people in and out of the city every day.”

Since the City Planning Department already approved the permit, the Council vote makes it final. It does not need a signoff from Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Madison Square Garden Company predicted the arena has a “bright” future. “Madison Square Garden has operated at its current site for generations, and has been proud to bring New Yorkers some of the greatest and most iconic moments in sports and entertainment,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. “We now look forward to the reopening of the arena in fall 2013, following the completion of our historic, three-year, nearly billion-dollar transformation, which will ensure our future is as bright as our celebrated past.”

Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street will never be the same. Neither will Spike.

Knicks signed J.R. Smith to three-year deal — not four as reported

The revelation about J.R. Smith's knee surgery on Monday had a lot of people wondering where the New York Knicks' school of thought was.

The team reportedly knew their Sixth Man of the Year needed surgery in May, got it done in July, needs four months of rehab and the season begins in October.

Did the Knicks hide the shooting guard's injury during his free-agency or were they kept in the dark?

Next time, do the math.

Now another little fib by the Knicks has leaked out via The New York Times and it also has to do with basic mathematics and defies logic.

Maybe the Knicks didn't necessarily lie about the length of J.R. Smith's new deal—originally reported to be for four years at $24.5 million with a player option for the 2016-2017 season—but they certainly didn't correct the misconception.

According to the Times:

The precise terms were confirmed Tuesday by a rival team executive and a second person with access to the contract. Despite the intense scrutiny of the deal, Knicks General Manager Glen Grunwald made no attempt to correct the erroneous reports during a 16-minute conference call with reporters Tuesday.

The contract calls for Smith to make $5.57 million next season and $5.98 million in 2014-15, with a third-year player option at $6.4 million. It is still a considerable commitment for a player with a checkered career and now a surgically repaired left knee. But Grunwald betrayed no concern on Tuesday. 

Grunwald initially danced around the issue of Smith's timing for Monday's knee surgery. Because the rehab is expected to take between 12 and 16 weeks, the beginning of Smith's 2013-2014 season is now up in the air.

Ultimately Grunwald conceded that it was Smith's decision (a player cannot be forced by a team to have surgery) and once it was determined that his left knee wasn't responding to rest, both Smith and the Knicks opted for surgery.

Obviously Smith's decision was complicated by his status as a free agent (he opted out of his previous contract).

In any case, Monday's surgery to repair his patella tendon and to correct a tear in the lateral meniscus in Smith's left knee was deemed successful and Grunwald insists he does not regret the decision to re-sign the troubling Smith.

Summer school is now in session.

Kidd pleads guilty to drunken driving charge, gets ripped by judge

New Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, nearly a year after he smashed his Cadillac SUV into a utility pole on eastern Long Island.

The judge placed Kidd on interim probation but the stern Hamptons judge didn't let the rookie coach off easy.

Kidd got dressed down by Judge Andrea Schiavoni after his plea of guilty to a drunk driving crash that destroyed his SUV and a the light pole after a night of partying last summer.

"You could have killed yourself that night," said Schiavoni at the Southampton Town justice court. 

"You could have killed somebody else."

Dressed in a gray suit and accompanied by his wife, Kidd agreed to give two lectures about the dangers of drunk driving to a pair of unidentified Suffolk County high schools as part of his plea deal.

If he completes those duties by Sept. 30, Kidd will be allowed to have his current misdemeanor drunk driving charged knocked down to Driving While Ability Impaired -- a violation.

Kidd, who retired as an NBA player after last season, was recently hired to coach the Nets — the team he took to two NBA Finals as a player when the franchise played in New Jersey.

"Because of his status as a professional athlete Mr. Kidd is the perfect person to reinforce the important message we've been trying to send, which is don't drink and drive," Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said in a statement.

Police said Kidd crashed his SUV into a telephone pole in the Hamptons community of Water Mill on July 15, 2012. He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

Defense attorney Ed Burke Jr., said Kidd was returning from a charity function before his accident. A Southampton Town Police report noted the 10-time all-star and Olympic gold medalist was unsteady on his feet, smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot and glassy eyes.

The 18-year NBA veteran retired after playing last season the Knicks. He was hired as the Nets' new head coach two weeks later.

While playing with Phoenix in 2001, Kidd was arrested on a domestic violence charge, acknowledging he struck his former wife.

Metta's dad wants son to finish career with Knicks

Ron Artest Sr. is hoping if his son, Metta World Peace, is waived today by the Los Angeles Lakers via the amnesty rule, he will attempt to finish his career with the Knicks.

Even though World Peace is seriously considering retiring instead of finishing his NBA career anywhere but L.A., Senior is hopeful his son will return to the city where he played his high school and college ball as Ron Artest.

Artest Sr. told The New York Post his son’s strong preference is to remain with the Lakers and he may decide to end his career instead of signing with the Knicks, because he does not want to uproot his kids in Los Angeles.

The Lakers intend to waive World Peace, according to reports. Subsequent reports stated no decision had been made. Kobe Bryant took to twitter Monday night, stating the club should keep World Peace and try to win a title with what they have.

If Metta World Peace becomes a free agent, his father, Ron Artest Sr., would love to see the Queens product sign with the hometown Knicks as the last stop in his NBA career.

Earlier in the day, Artest Sr. said, “He wants to stay with the Lakers for a couple of more years but if not, he wants to finish his career in New York if he can. This would be full circle.

By last night, the son was having a change of heart, feeling retirement would be best.

“I know he said he doesn’t want to play with a team like Milwaukee or Minnesota,’’ Artest Sr. said.

The Knicks are in search of a defensive small forward off the free-agent market and World Peace is intriguing to then. The Queensbridge product would seek the $1.4 million veteran’s minimum, which is basically what the Knicks have to offer. (They also have the remaining $1.7 million left of their mini mid-level.)

Artest Sr. said he still was hoping his son doesn’t retire and comes home.

“Let’s hope and pray it happens,’’ Artest Sr. said.

Knicks fans still haven't forgiven the team for passing on the former St. John's star with their first-round pick to select French center Frederic Weis in 1999. Artest/World Peace went on to a spectacular — if not somewhat controversial — career in the NBA, while the Frenchman never even set foot on Seventh Avenue.

The Lakers would save a good deal in salary and luxury tax, as World Peace is scheduled to making $7.7 million in his final season.

The Knicks and Brooklyn Nets would not get first crack at World Peace; teams under the cap would be eligible to bid on him first.

J.R. Smith ready to sign four-year deal with Knicks: Report

J.R. Smith and the New York Knicks are hammering out a contract extension that will keep the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year with the team for another four years.

The deal could be completed by Thursday, reports The New York Daily News. Smith is expected to receive the “Average Player Salary Exception” which could amount to $24 million over four seasons.

According to the Daily News report,  the New York Knicks and Smith are finalizing a contract extension that will keep the shooting guard with the club until 2017.

Smith's signing assures the Knicks of having their top five players under contract next season — Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler. Also, according to a basketball site in Argentina, the Knicks have offered Pablo Prigioni a two-year contract extension.

A person who spoke to the 35-year-old free agent point guard on Wednesday told The News that Prigioni “hopes” a deal is completed “real soon.” Prigioni is a priority because Jason Kidd retired, leaving Felton as the team’s only point guard under contract.

The 27-year-old Smith averaged a career-best 18.1 points last season in 80 games, all as a reserve, and it became the Knicks’ focus this summer to re-sign him.

For months, Smith had said his desire was to return to the Knicks. The former New Jersey prep star also had two influential power brokers in his corner: Garden Chairman James Dolan and Anthony, who was also Smith’s teammate with the Denver Nuggets.

Smith’s best season, however, ended on a down note. The troubled star slumped in the playoffs, averaging 14.3 points and shooting 27% on three-pointers. The Knicks’ postseason took an ugly turn when Smith was suspended one game for elbowing then-Celtic Jason Terry at the end of the Game 3 of their first-round series. Although the Knicks went on to defeat Boston in six games and capture their first playoff series win in 13 years, they went 3-6 in their last nine playoff games starting with Game 4 against the Celtics.

Smith would be willing to sign elsewhere only if he received a lucrative contract that the Knicks, because of salary-cap restrictions, are unable to match. But the deal Smith would receive from the Knicks is comparable to what shooting guards are receiving this year. 

J.R. Smith's Twitter tease to fans: 'Fun while it lasted'

J.R. Smith — with his New York Knicks status loosely in one hand and his iPhone tight in the other — caused a commotion among Knicks fans when he tweeted, "It was fun while it lasted," Friday afternoon.

Was the Knicks free-agent guard announcing his departure from the team less than 24 hours after the Knicks drafted Tim Hardaway Jr., a similar player? Or was Smith — who is well-known for  his outrageous tweets off the court— just teasing the Knicks faithful.

While only Smith knows for sure, the NBA's 2013 Sixth Man of the Year tweeted again soon after denying that the initial comment had anything to do with basketball.

“What y’all talking bout?” Smith wrote. “I’m talking bout the talk the cab driver an I just had!”

It was fun while it lasted...
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) June 28, 2013

What y'all talking bout? I'm talking bout the talk the cab driver an I just had! #FunnyDude
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) June 28, 2013

It wouldn't be the first time a tweet caused a commotion for Smith. Last year he was fined $25,000 by the NBA for posting a lewd naked photo of a woman and even pop star Rihanna, once a reported love interest, called him out on Instagram for partying too hard during the 2013 playoffs.

The Knicks, who have “early Bird rights” on Smith, only can offer him as much as $5.4 million per year. Teams under the cap — such as the Bucks, a rumored landing spot — can offer him more.

The 27-year-old Smith had a great regular season, averaging 18.1 points per game, but struggled mightily in the playoffs, averaging just 14.3 per contest on 33 percent shooting.