At this point in the NBA season, the Miami Heat are the team to beat. They sit on top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 37-14 record. However, the New York Knicks are not too far behind them, only trailing five games from overtaking the No. 1 spot. But, can the Knicks make the late season jump without attempting any trades as the deadline approaches? Head coach Mike Woodson believes the Knicks' current lineup can beat the Miami Heat as long as they stay healthy.
"We had early success against Miami. That's all well and good. But when you get in a seven-game series, that's different. Anything can happen. Injuries can occur, guys can lose confidence. But if we're healthy, yes, we have an opportunity to beat Miami or anybody in the East," Woodson said.
The New York Knicks are looking more likely to not make any moves at the deadline. This is partially due to current contracts in place and also because the team truly believes they have a squad set up for success. They could be right. The Knicks have beaten the Heat twice this season, both times by at least 20 points.
The Knicks have only mildly been involved in trade talks. The team was rumored to be in the sweepstakes to get Josh Smith from Atlanta by trading Iman Shumpert and Amar'e Stoudemire. However, nothing has come to fruition with that. According to Woodson, Shumpert is not going anywhere.
"I spoke to Iman before the break. I tried to ease his mind about it. He's not going anywhere. He's going to be right here with us," Woodson said.
The Knicks have little flexibility when it comes to their cap space. They have too many players making too much money and signed to extensive contracts. Marcus Camby and Amar'e Stoudemire both have two years left on their contract. Even if the Knicks wanted to try and make a trade, they do not really have the space.
Despite what Woodson says, sources have Shumpert linked to trades with Phoenix that would send Jared Dudley to New York and Orlando that would have the Knicks getting J.J. Redick.
