From Frank Isola of the Daily News:

According to a team source, Knicks president Donnie Walsh recently rejected a three-team deal that would have sent Anthony Randolph to Indiana, a first-round pick to Portland and Fernandez to New York.

Because the Trail Blazers are insisting on receiving a first-round pick in return for Fernandez, the Knicks likely need to recruit a third team in order to complete a deal.

As it stands, potential trade partners are not enthralled by the prospect of having to wait until 2014 for a pick, which is why a third team (Indiana) would have to be recruited. And you have to think the Knicks would be able to get more for Randolph than Rudy. Rudy may well have already reached, or at least neared, his full potential, while Randolph still has a tremendous amount of room to grow. Even at the moment, the difference between the two may not be that dramatic to warrant a swap. Last year, Randolph produced 7.1 more points per 40 minutes than Fernandez (25.3 to 18.2), despite being four years younger.

While new Denver GM may be far from committing to a trade of Carmelo Anthony, another big name might be hitting the market, with An exec from the West saying that he suspects Deron Williams will be the next guy on the hot stove. We’ve talked about Melo, we’ve talked about Chris Paul. Williams would represent the logical next step in a progression of star players perhaps disgruntled by the direction of their longtime team. Utah let Carlos Boozer slip to Chicago, and while Al Jefferson is a good replacement, the Jazz have failed to take the “next step” in the playoffs – so some might argue that this should come as a surprise to no one.

Quick Links: Debunking the CP3 over Deron myth | Why Deron Will Leave Utah for Dallas | Why Deron Won’t Leave Utah for Dallas

The darker the tint, the worse a player’s performance in that said area. Amar’e may have the greatest variety of shots within the arc, having added a good midrange jumper in recent years. Ronnie Turiaf, meanwhile, remarkably shot 80 percent at the rim last year, blowing the other seven players out of the water.

Like above, the darker tint, the worse the player’s rebounding rate is. As it should seem, the map is arranged in ascending order of the best defensive rebounders, which generally corresponds to prowess on the offensive boards. One would hope a player of Gallinari’s size would post better rebounding numbers. Gallo actually posted a decent defensive rebound rate last season (14%), but was miserable on the other end (2.6%). Was this a result of how he was utilized, or indicative of a lack of talent rebounding skill? With him being integrated more than ever into the Knicks’ schemes this season, hopefully some answers will pop up.

The heat maps were made in R, a statistical software environment. For examples and tutorials on R use, check out the awesome blog at FlowingData.

The Knicks need another impact player, and there’s little doubt about that. Yeah, the team might make the playoffs, but the it don’t have the roster to vanquish the top three team that would surely be faced. The expectations of postseason games at the Garden already have Amar’e, Felton, Gallo, and Randolph shouldering great burdens. How much of Amar’e's game was Steve Nash? Is Felton able to command an offense? Can Gallinari expand his game? Will Randolph live up to his potential?

This is why the Knicks want Carmelo Anthony. Sure, he hasn’t been a defender, and maybe he isn’t the most efficient of shooters. But Carmelo represents a known quantity, a player who has the pure ability to score from anywhere at anytime and who is a lock for twenty point games. In this respect, acquiring Carmelo would be as much about relaxing the psyches of the Knicks players as bringing in the coveted second star.

But clearly, the atmosphere of MSG has been turned over this summer. Hope springs anew, the specter of the Isiah era having all but dissipated with an infusion of fresh, optimistic blood. They have the requisite flashiness in Amar’e, so is it possible that the equally flashy Carmelo could be detriment to the revived team culture? Not only would the price for Carmelo exceed the precise the players’ who were supposed to have their burdens eased, but an Amar’e and Carmelo duo would be ultimate rejection of statistical analysis. There are eight All-Star appearances between the two, but neither plays acceptable defense and thus there is a tremendous dichotomy between the two schools of basketball thought. The public infatuation with the two, resulting from rim-rattling dunks, has drawn the ire of basketball statisticians, who point to lackluster adjusted +/- ratings and merely average efficiency numbers.

As has been repeated ad nauseam, it is no sure thing that Carmelo would put the Knicks over the top. So with the renovation of the team’s character already well on it’s way, should the Knicks’ direct their attention to function over flash? Read more…

The third post of a series used explaining the statistics that have and will be used on this site, noting their strengths, shortcomings, and how they apply to the Knicks. (Intro, Adjusted Plus/Minus)

If you asked someone to name a new, advanced basketball statistic, chances are they would mention Player Efficiency (PER). It has flaws, but by virtue of being the basketball statistic of choice on ESPN, it is arguably the most referenced statistic. Whether it is used correctly or not is another question.

Contrary to adjusted +/-, PER generally reinforces the public perception of players. Of the top 20 players by PER last season, 19 had made at least one All-Star Game during their career. One type of adjusted +/-, on the other hand, placed Chris Andersen, Anderson Varejao, Dorell Wright, and Ben Wallace as top twenty players last season.

The reason for this is fairly clear. Read more…

Is Carmelo going or is he staying? The Nuggets’ new general manager, Masai Ujiri, hopes it’s the latter.

“Of course, that’s going to be the priority,” Ujiri said. “Melo is a great player, I think arguably a top-5 player in the NBA. … It’s a challenge, but I’ll meet with Melo at some point. He’s in China and he’ll come back in the next couple of days. So, we’ll set something up.”

It is important to remember that Ujiri is coming from Toronto, a team which lost their star for next to nothing, having remained stubborn throughout the season. Ujiri has to strike a balance between putting himself on the fanbase’s bad side and not repeating the same mistake.

I take exception at the insinuations that the Knicks’ offer lags far behind the others. While Denver will pull the trigger on the best offer, regardless of Melo’s preferences, teams will simply not give up a boatload of assets unless it is guaranteed that Carmelo will resign. Would he resign with the Clippers, who would have to give up Chris Kaman? Would he resign with the Nets, who would lose the budding star in Brook Lopez and/or Devin Harris? Would he resign with Houston, with the precarious health of Yao and his expiring deal? The players the Knicks would give up – namely Gallinari and Chandler – would become superfluous with Carmelo, and the team would be able to keep its best player around.

The fact is New York remains one of Carmelo’s preferred destinations, and in the last year of his deal, there’s still a fine chance he will maneuver his way into Madison Square Garden.

Quick Links Ewing the Younger hath returned | Azubuike’s knee may hold him out of training camp | Allan Houston says the Knicks will make the playoffs | There are high hopes for Gallinari | A look at the Atlantic Division | Our long national nightmare concerning the whereabouts of Eddy Curry may be over

The man himself has tweeted such, an all but inevitable signing after fellow draftee Andy Rautins inked a deal earlier this month. With Jerome Jordan off to Serbia, the Knicks have dealt with all their draft picks, and per a team source, Donnie Walsh may be done.