The New York Knicks are preparing for a showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James as they aim to try and find some momentum in the Eastern Conference. While the Knicks have shown they are certainly a better team than last year, they still have lingering issues that need to be addressed soon. However, until then they are relying Carmelo Anthony and company to get the job done against the conference's best team. Will that company be one player short on Wednesday night?
The one thing the Knicks cannot afford is an injury to Anthony. Last year the season was officially lost when the star went down for a knee injury. The Knicks do not want a repeat of last year which is why an ankle injury is major cause for concern. According to the New York Post, Anthony suffered an ankle sprain in the loss to the Orlando Magic. He played through the pain getting 23 points, but passed more in the final minutes. According to the Post, Anthony is hopeful to play against Orlando but there is no guarantee he can hit the court to showdown with James.
Losing Anthony for any period of time is not good for the Knicks. The starting rotation is just starting to gain a lot of chemistry and head coach Derek Fisher stresses he is trying to find the right mix of players to surround the star with. Kristaps Porzinigis is one of them and now Kyle O'Quinn appears to be another. The power forward has seen a lot of improvement in the past week after facing a number of trade rumors. If O'Quinn can stay a productive part of the reserves, he could remain in New York for the season.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post and Ian Begley of ESPN.com, the Knicks are looking to potentially make a trade in the next two months for backcourt help. Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway have not been as productive as Fisher was hoping they would be. According to Berman, the team could try and package a player like Calderon with someone for help. If O'Quinn is improving along with Lance Thomas, that second player could be someone like Derrick Williams who is struggling to make an impact.
Begley writes the Knicks could target Brandon Jennings with the Detroit Pistons or Jamal Crawford from the Los Angeles Clippers. Both players are expected to be available during the trade period. The Knicks could easily opt to stay put in trades. According to Begley, team president Phil Jackson does not want to make a move that would jeopardize the team's financial flexibility in the coming year. Jennings and Crawford are both on expiring contracts that make them ideal pickups.
