The Knicks came out on fire and smoked the Suns. Completely smoked ‘em. At the half, the Knicks had 71 points and ended up winning 126-99. The win improved the Knicks to 4-14, while the Suns dropped to 14-4.

Danilo Gallinari, the second-year forward from Italy, led the way for the Knicks with 27 points, ten rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 36 minutes. David Lee had 24 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Off the bench, Al Harrington had 22 points and eight boards.

Steve Nash was the lone bright spot for the Suns, finishing with 20 points and eight assists. After the game, Nash didn’t exactly mince words.

“Terrible performance. I’m embarrassed. Obviously just a disastrous effort,” said Nash.

This game was also the first time this season that the Suns didn’t score 100 points. D’Antoni had one wish after the game.

Said D’Antoni: “If we can bottle this up.”

Mike D'Antoni got the last laugh on Tuesday (Image: Zuma Press)

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Mike D’Antoni Gets Sweet Revenge

Rafer Alston was King of Suck on the night. The starting point guard for the Nets had three points on 1-for-7 shooting. The good news is that he didn’t stab anyone. Sean Williams chipped in by missing all five of his shots and committing two turnovers in 16 minutes. The good news is that he didn’t throw a computer monitor.

The 3-9 Knicks aren’t exactly world beaters but they looked the part going up against the putrid Nets. Their entire starting lineup was in double figures. Even the Round Mound of Not Getting Rebounds got in on the mix. Eddy Curry finished with three points in 12 minutes as he played in his second contest of the year.

The next lucky team to play the Nets will be the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. How much will the Nuggets win by? My guess is 25. What’s yours?

Lawrence Frank couldn't watch loss #13 in action (Image: Zuma Press)

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Nets Lose to Knicks, Prove They Suck

According to SI.com, the president of the New York Knicks is planning to make a move in order to get Iverson to New York. Donnie Walsh confirmed yesterday that he is interested in signing the former league MVP.  Apparently Iverson is interested in playing for Mike D’Antoni and living in the Big Apple.

What I don’t understand is that the Knicks passed on Iverson over the summer. So why are they interested in him now? Probably because their season is already off to a rocky start. Perhaps they feel that Iverson is “The Answer” to all of their problems.

In honor of the 10-time All Star, here are Iverson’s Top Ten Plays, courtesy of YouTube:

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Iverson May Join The Knicks

If it wasn’t odd enough that the coach continued to linger near the bench, at one point a rabbi tried to intervene, asking the officials to allow Gershon to stay.

Image: Zuma Press

“I explained that this is not a regular game and the kids are watching and [it's] important that there will be peace and forgive him,” Rabbi Yitchak Dovid Grossman said of his discussions with the officials. “If you forgive him, I can speak to the children and say, ‘You also forgive. If you have a fight, you forgive.’ But he says this is the law, that you must obey.”

After talking with the refs, his assistants and NBA security personnel, Gershon eventually agreed to leave.

Maccabi picked up four technical fouls in a 53-second time span in the third quarter, including the two that caused Gershon to be ejected. Weirdly, the second tech on the Maccabi coach came when he was a screaming at the official on a call that went his team’s way (an offensive foul on Al Harrington of the Knicks).

Many players and coaches have been dissatisfied with the officiating so far in the NBA preseason. The current referees are replacements for the regular officials, who are in the middle of a labor dispute.

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Maccabi Tel Aviv Coach Refuses to Leave

Image: Zuma Press

But in the end, the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a suitable long-term deal. On Thursday, Lee and the Knicks finally reached an agreement — a one-year contract that is said to be worth up to $8 million. The deal means that Lee will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Lee will just be one of many top free agents available in the star-studded and much-anticipated free agent class of 2010. In terms of bigmen, he’ll have to compete with Toronto forward Chris Bosh and Utah forward Carlos Boozer for the cash.

It’s unusual for a restricted free agent to sign a one-year deal for more than the qualifying offer (Lee’s QO was $2.7 million). Therfore, Lee and his agent are definitely pleased in that regard.

“I think they really wanted to show David great respect for what he’s done for the organization. They came and met us and did something that was very unique,” Bartelstein said.

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Knicks, Lee Reach Agreement on One-Year Deal

The 32-year-old was signed by the Mavericks to add perimeter marksmanship to the club. Last year, he shot 42.1% from three-point land in his 36 games with the New York Knicks. In 18 games he played with the Chicago Bulls, he shot 44.2% from beyond the three-point arc.

If Thomas misses a lot of training camp, he may find it difficult to carve out a niche in Dallas. At the forward positions, Thomas has to compete with a number of talented players including Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and James Singleton.

Thomas has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Phildadelphia 76ers in his dozen seasons in the NBA.

Tim Thomas - Dallas Mavericks (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tim Thomas to Undergo Knee Surgery

As long as Lee plays well next season, this may actually end up being better for the power forward out of Florida. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer and he will be one of the better free agents on the market in a summer in which many teams targetting.

Last season, Lee averaged 16 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 34.9 minutes. He shot 54.9% from the field and 75.5% at the charity stripe. If he can stay healthy and have a similar season in the 2009-2010 campaign, Lee won’t have anything to worry about in next year’s free agency market.

Nate Robinson, another Knicks restricted free agent, may also sign a one-year contract and take a similar route.

David Lee and Nate Robinson (Image: Zuma Press)

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Knicks’ David Lee Close to One-Year Deal

Balkman was arrested in the city of Temple Terrance. The 25-year-old may face fines and/or a suspension from the NBA.

Prior to last season, Balkman was traded from the New York Knicks to the Nuggets. In 53 games, he averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 steal per contest in 14.7 minutes. It was his third season in the NBA after spending his first two years with the Knicks.

This coming season, the 6-foot-8 forward is likely to have a bench role with the team. He’s a player who always plays with a high amount of energy and is capable of playing both small forward and power forward. With Linas Kleiza signing in Europe, Balkman could receive a good chunk of his minutes.

Renaldo Balkman - Denver Nuggets (Image: Zuma Press)

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Renaldo Balkman Arrested in Florida

4. Sacramento Kings
The Kings are in the middle of a rebuilding process. While they have a few good pieces, they won’t be a contender for the playoffs next season. If they struggle with injury, they could be the worst team in the NBA.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves looked to be taking steps in the right direction last season. But after an offseason overhaul and a coaching change, the T’Wolves seemingly started over once again. Simply put — they’ll be bad.

2. New York Knicks
If they could, the Knicks would like to skip next season. They are looking forward to the summer of 2010 when they can try to woo a big name free agent to the Big Apple.

1. New Jersey Nets
The Nets are reportedly for sale and they are trimming salary left and right. Winning, at the point, seems to be the lowest priority for New Jersey.

It will be a long season for Mike D'Antoni and the Knicks (Image: Zuma Press)

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This has been an interesting offseason for Robinson. Even though he posted above average stats last year and became a popular player after winning the slam dunk contest, the 5-foot-9 native of Seattle has had a difficult time finding any interest on the free agent market.

Last year with the Knicks, Robinson averaged 17.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. He shot 43.7% from the field and 32.5% from beyond the three-point line.

Prior to his arrest, Robinson was expected to sign a one-year deal with the Knicks so that he could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, following his brush with the law, the Knicks may be less interested in bringing him back.

While Robinson seems like a good fit in Mike D’Antoni’s offense, the Knicks seem happy to go in a different direction.

Nate Robinson of the Knicks was Arrested (Image: Zuma Press)

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Knicks’ Nate Robinson Arrested