Patrick Ewing -- and some faces he probably found familiar -- got his much-deserved Hall of Fame induction Friday night in Springfield, Mass. Among those also being enshrined were Pat Riley, who coached Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, who won one of his two NBA titles at Ewing's expense. Ewing will partly be remembered for not winning a championship, but any Knicks fan who holds that -- a result that is much to blame on John......

Renaldo Balkman, a much-ridiculed Isiah Thomas 2006 draft pick who turned into something of a fan favorite, won't be wearing the blue and orange of the Knicks next season. He got sent to Denver for Taurean Green, Bobby Jones (who?) and a 2010 second-round draft pick. This move is purely a salary dump for the Knicks, who stand to gain $2 million if the luxury tax is included. The team may not even include Green......

With the $500 million renovation of Madison Square Garden scheduled to be complete by the 2011-2012 season, the Knicks are hoping to finally participate in All-Star Game festivities. Not necessarily with a player, which they haven't had since Allan Houston in 2001, but by hosting the actual NBA All-Star Game in 2012. While Garden officials haven't made an official proposal yet, NBA Commish David Stern told The Times that hosting, "is a very live possibility."......

After just making the All-Star roster last week, David Wright stopped by vitaminwater's Homers on the Hudson event. The contest gave people the chance to hit a ball off a tee 150 feet into an inflatable glove (on top of an inflatable vitaminwater bottle, of course) on a barge in the Hudson--if successful, they win $1 million. It wasn't very easy, for Wright or Jets safety Kerry Rhodes or any of the non-professional athletes, but......

A reader pointed out that though the Post and NY Times mentioned that Knicks captain Stephon Marbury had a new tattoo on the left side of his head, neither publication bothered to bless the public with an image of this new addition. The NY Times described it as "a replica of his Starbury shoe logo" while the Post said it was the "'3' logo found on his Starbury sneaker and apparel line." Deadspin and SPORTSbyBROOKS......

If the first free agent move the Knicks made this off season is any indication, Stephon Marbury is on the way out of his hometown. The Knicks verbally agreed to a two-year deal with the former Chicago Bulls point guard Chris Duhon. While the deal cannot officially be announced until Wednesday when free agent contracts can first be signed, it's expected that Duhon will get the full mid-level exception of an estimated $5.8 million/year. If......

Boy were we wrong about fan reaction at the NBA Draft. Not only did the fans boo the Knicks selection of Danilo Gallinari, but they even started a “Fire Donnie” chant. Why the hate for Gallinari? Well, the fans wanted OJ Mayo and drafting a European player probably brings back memories of Frederic Weis. Perhaps the booing was just Knicks fans getting out their leftover animosity from this past season. Gallinari isn’t a bad pick......

Tonight will be different at Madison Square Garden because for the first time in years, the Knicks will do something and not be booed. While all signs point to the Knicks sticking with the #6 pick, you can be sure that could change because the top of the draft is very fluid. For weeks it has all been about Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley going 1-2, but with Chicago reportedly picking Rose, the Heat are......

Photo of (left to right) Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, Bulls executive VP of business operations Steve Schanwald and Nets co-owner Jay-Z by AP/Bill Kostroun The best chance for the Knicks to make a quick return to respectability bounced away with the drop of a ping pong ball in the NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night. In reality, they fared exactly as they should have, but for fans desperately hoping to see Derrick Rose or Michael......

Photograph of the brawl that erupted when LaTroy Hawkins (center) that almost hit Oriole Luke Scott by Kathy Willens/AP Orioles 12, Yankees 2: On a cold, wet night at Yankee Stadium, fans could not be blamed if they left after the first half-inning of this one. Baltimore got seven runs in its first at-bat -- six of them came after a Derek Jeter throwing error -- and never looked back. Mike Mussina got two......

Tonight, the NBA holds its annual draft lottery in Secaucus, NJ to determine the order of the first 14 team picks for the draft on June 26. The lottery, broadcast on ESPN at 8 p.m., utilizes a somewhat complicated formula of team records, probability, and ping-pong balls. How complicated? Check out this explanation (the Wikipedia entry can be helpful). The Miami Heat have a 25% chance of nabbing the first pick. Going into tonight's draft,......

Mike D’Antoni was introduced as the new Knicks coach at MSG today, simply stating he was excited to be here before answering questions from the press. D’Antoni defended his reputation as a coach who didn’t emphasize defense saying that his teams averaged 58 wins over the past four years which means “our team was the best defensive club on the floor 58 nights a year”. He went out of his way to praise Donnie Walsh......

According to reports, Mike D’Antoni has agreed to become the next coach of the Knicks. D’Antoni will receive a four-year/$24-million deal to move from Phoenix where he led the Suns to 50+ wins in every full season he coached. The Knicks, who haven’t had a winning season since 2000-01, will presumably install D’Antoni’s high-octane offense and attempt to run like Phoenix has the past few years. The problem is, the Knicks don’t have the players......

Isiah Thomas may still be a part of the Knicks organization, but he's been barred from contacting any of the players. The Daily News says the no-contact policy was "part of his reassignment agreement with Knicks president Donnie Walsh." Why the fuss? A Knicks sources says "the fear is that if he were allowed to have any contact, including telephone calls, he could either willingly or unwillingly undermine the incoming coach." Question: How could Isiah......

It may have come a year too late, but Isiah Thomas is no longer President or coach of the New York Knicks. Donnie Walsh announced Friday afternoon that he had relieved Thomas of his coaching duties saying, "The bottom line is we haven't won and the team didn't look like it was motivated to try to win and compete. Those were the reasons. A new coach is necessary to change direction of the team." Clearly,......

His team tied the franchise record for most losses in a season. He assembled a mass of costly players that were long on extra pounds and short on ability to win games. He was found liable on six counts of sexual harassment. The day after Isiah Thomas' Knicks played the final game of the 2007-08 season -- a loss of course -- the coach and the rest of the world are still waiting to learn......

Rangers 5 Devils 3: There is justice in the hockey world. One game after inadvertently deflecting the winning goal for the Devils off of his skate, Marc Staal scored the winning goal for the Rangers. Staal’s slap shot beat Martin Brodeur through the five-hole with three minutes left in regulation of a 3-3 game and gave the MSG crowd another chance to serenade Brodeur. Staal’s goal was one of the many highlights for the Rangers,......

Photograph of Jamal Crawford, David Lee, and Stephon Marbury watch the 4th quarter of the Knicks-Celtics game by Ed Betz/AP Of all the local fan bases, the Knicks' -- and not the pessimistic Mets' -- supporters have earned a reward. They got just that with free concessions during Monday's loss to Boston (what else is new?) on fan appreciation appreciation night in the season's final home game. Knicks marketing SVP Howie Jacobs explained, "We......

Yankees 8, Rays 7: Three home runs helped give the Yankees a six-run cushion, but the fourth gave them the final margin of victory. Johnny Damon showed signs of life by starting the game with a homer, and Alex Rodriguez followed with a solo shot of his own in the first inning. Morgan Ensberg got into the act an inning later, and Ian Kennedy appeared to have clear sailing ahead of him. He left the......

Rangers 2 Devils 1: If you were under the impression that these teams like each other, this game should clear that misconception up. New York and New Jersey spent sixty minutes Friday hitting and scrapping and when it was all over the Rangers had a huge victory and a big advantage in the series. Jaromir Jagr got things started with an amazing shot that beat Martin Brodeur off the short-side. Sean Avery scored only 23......

Photograph of the Rangers' Ryan Callahan putting a puck pasting Devils goalie Martin Brodeur by Bill Kostroun/AP Rangers 4 Devils 1: Don’t let the score fool you, this was a close game for about 57 minutes. New York got on the board first thanks to Brendan Shanahan, but New Jersey answered with a power play goal from Paul Martin. The game remained tied until the 7:23 mark of the third period when the Devils......

Phillies 5, Mets 2: In a game that was a microcosm of last season, the Mets held a lead against the Phillies before surrendering it in inglorious fashion. Entrusted with a 2-0 advantage in the seventh inning, Scott Schoeneweis -- who was booed during introductions -- allowed three runs and only recorded one out. Of course, he didn't get help from Carlos Delgado, who hit Chase Utley in the back on what may have......

Photo Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry, and Stephon Marbury during a March game against the Miami Heat by AP/Frank Franklin II Are the Knicks under Isiah Thomas the worst team in the history of sports? According to New York Magazine, they just might be. Jeff Coplan’s piece offers the most complete and depressing summary of the Knicks during the Dolan era. From designating Knicks as “the Church of Lowered Expectations” under Dolan to describing the......

File photo of Knicks coach Pat Riley, left, and Patrick Ewing, during the media day on Oct. 10, 1991 by AP/Richard Harbus The little children out there may have trouble remembering it, but the Knicks were once good. In fact, they even played in the NBA Finals in 1994. Patrick Ewing did all he could, but when John Starks went 2-for-18 in Game 7, he helped keep Ewing on the Dan Marino list of......

Photograph of the Devils' Zach Parise putting the puck past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist by Bill Kostroun/AP Devils 3, Rangers 2 (SO): Needing a win in regulation to secure home ice in the playoffs, the Rangers pulled out all the stops. Not even adding an extra skater by pulling Henrik Lundqvist could do the trick, however, and the Devils finally beat the Rangers. New Jersey had lost the first seven games between the clubs......

A week after abandoning plans to build a new arena at the planned Moynihan Station, Madison Square Garden officials revealed $500 million plans to renovate the 40-year-old space. Cablevision--which owns MSG--vice chairman Hank Ratner told reporters that though the company supports Moynihan Station, "We are going to renovate the arena here, and we are not going to be moving...We can accomplish anything we want by renovating." Well, Cablevision probably does like those tax breaks. The......

After eight days of negotiations, the Knicks and former Pacers president Donnie Walsh agreed to a deal that will make Walsh the team's president of basketball operations. That means the much-loathed Isiah Thomas, currently the Knicks' president and coach, will have a smaller role -- if any role -- with the organization, but the exact details of his situation remain to be seen. Knicks fans who have had enough of Thomas -- all of......

Marlins 5 Mets 4 (10 innings): Forget the final score, the biggest news was Pedro Martinez grabbing his left leg after a pitch in the fourth. Pedro later told reporters he felt a “pop” and will head for a MRI shortly. Needless to say, “pop” is not a good thing for a pitcher to feel and it seems very likely that Martinez will be heading to the DL. For how long remains to be seen,......

Penguins 3, Rangers 1: As the playoffs draw nigh, people are beginning to wonder if the Rangers will be able to make a run when the second season starts. As almost everyone knows, the regular season in hockey doesn't prove anything. The Stanley Cup playoffs are where statements are made. If the Rangers were trying to tell the league something Sunday, it must have been, "We take a lot of penalties and can't score." Playing......

Toronto 103 Knicks 95: The march to the end continued with another loss and another lack of defense. Zach Randolph didn’t play again (wink wink) but surprisingly Randoph Morris spent the night sitting on the bench. It’s clear from things like the 18-minute shoot-around the other day that Isiah simply doesn’t care anymore. And while that isn’t necessarily a surprise and may not even cost him a job in the organization, it is disappointing to......