With 15 points, eight assists and two steals three quarters into his first start as a Knick, Jeremy Lin is making a strong case to cool some of the point guard trade rumors surrounding Madison Square Garden. Beyond Lin, the uncertain state of the Knicks roster has occupied NBA conversation in the wake of new and old health concerns as well as personal tragedy.
Here are a few evening items on the Knicks as they lead the Utah Jazz 75-73 through three quarters of play:
- Already limited by Amare Stoudemire's untimely departure from the team, the Knicks lost All-Star starter Carmelo Anthony early in the first quarter to a strained groin, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley. Anthony will not return to the game and may require the Knicks to scour the D-League for frontcourt help.
- Baron Davis is not expected to join the Knicks until after the All-Star break (Feb. 24-27) thanks to an elbow infection, writes Matt Buser of Yahoo! Sports. If newly-minted starter Lin cannot build on his breakout performance of Saturday night, the Knicks could look to sign a point guard to a 10-day contract, which teams can now offer free agents as of today.
- Reeling from the loss of his brother in a traffic accident earlier this morning, Stoudemire's status with the team remains unknown as he flew to Florida to be with his family, says Newsday's Al Iannazzone. With three more games this week, the Knicks will start Jared Jeffries at power forward, who may be able to boost his trade value as he currently has 13 points and seven rebounds through three quarters this evening.
i dont think the knicks will be needing any PGs the way Lin has been playing