Lockout Update: Chauncey Billups

Also rocked a red hoodie. Tyson Chandler and Carmelo decided to go with scarves.

Melo and Active Hands

Abides and I watched the Knick game last night and simply put, it was a wonky affair. Here are some talking points we found hilarious, mind-boggling, and entertaining.

*Throughout the entire broadcast Mike Breen consistently harped on how well Carmelo was playing on defense. Almost every time he noted this, Melo was reaching in and waving his arms furiously—flapping around like a child aggressively attempting to swim out of the deep end. That was pretty much it. No clear shift in strategy, no sign of better communication, no calculated positioning, and no formula—just active hands.

*It was great to watch the Knick cheerleaders present Walt Frazier with a massive goblet filled with Snickers to celebrate his birthday. That should happen at basketball games more often.

*Mr. Candace Parker deserves more playing time. He checked Dwight better than any other Knick big and had some clutch plays down the stretch. And: Why haven't we seen Candace in the Garden yet?

*Chauncey Billups is so far beyond a joke that it's hysterical. If that makes sense.

*Gil showed flashes of OG Gil with some high-pressure threes.

*I get that Dwight's 6th foul call was pathetic, but he needs to calm the fuck down. Go ahead and try not arguing every single time a call doesn't go your way. Grow-up, Peter Pan.

*Melo and Amar'e never really looked to get each other open looks. This might be an option to consider down the road.

*You can't blame Hedo for fouling out: Whatever it took to get out of that arena fast enough for him to stuff three slices of the best pizza in the world into his mouth and rip seven vodka shots as quickly as possible.

*At one point late in the game, J-Rich and Melo looked like 6th graders wrestling as they desperately tried to trip and prevent one another from getting up off the hardwood. Awesome.

*I know this is overstated, but Walt Frazier literally just states words. Nothing he says makes any sense. After listening to him for almost 20 years, it still continues to baffle me.

*Melo should have put back his own miss at the end of regulation.

*This Knick team is great for the league.

*I wonder how many different people in the Knick organization Ewing asked about D'Antoni's job security.

Text Messages and Google: Knicks and Nuggets React to Blockbuster Trade

(Staten Island native, Renaldo Balkman, is back home for a second stint with the Knicks. He's ready to contribute!)

With the Melodrama finally coming to a close late last evening, the reactions have been pouring in. Seems like just about everyone who's ever seen an NBA game has an opinion about this blockbuster trade.
So we figured we'd give you a break over here at No Regard and instead of waxing poetic about whose gonna take the last shot for the new-look Knicks (it will be Chauncey, FYI, not because that's how Mike will draw it up but because Billups thinks he's the man), we've decided to hypothesize the sorts of texts messages and Google searches the different individuals involved with the deal have been firing away in the last 12 hours.

No Regard Daily Previews: Tortoise and Hare

One Game We Are Definitely Going To Watch Tonight:
Boston Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets


Tonight's featured match up pits a classic run-and-gun high octane offense against a stone-cold, blue-collar defense. It should be great to watch and see if George Karl's hectic style can solve Boston's lockdown D. The key battle will be between Pierce and Anthony: can the Truth handle the jab-step and smile, or will Melo be able to handle the Truth?

Speaking of Melo (can you believe he's still on the Nuggets?), despite a drop in his scoring average, 22.8 down from last season's 28.2, he remains one of the best closers in the league and perhaps the purest scorer of his generation. (I'd love to hear some feedback in the comments section on that debate!) Off the bench, George Karl has found himself a sprightly backup for Billups in the form of former Tar Heel Ty Lawson, whose 8.8 points and four assists per contest have been pivotal in Denver's 13-7 start.

No Regard Daily Previews: 11-16-10

One Game We Will Definitely Watch Tonight:
Denver Nuggets Vs. New York Knicks

We all know that the Knicks are hoping to land a trade in the near future that would bring Melo to New York. With this in mind, our inside sources have leaked a letter sent directly from James Dolan's office with specific instructions on how the Knicks are supposed to treat the Brooklyn native in this evening's game in Denver. Here are the instructions, word for word:

Dear Knicks Coaching Staff and Players,

You all know that we are hoping to one day in the near future land a trade that would bring Melo to New York (hopefully for Fat Eddie and Gallo). As a result, it's extremely important that in tonight's game, we show Melo what this current Knicks team is all about. Therefore, we are requiring that the following rules be observed throughout the game this evening to ensure we leave Melo with a warm feeling about our team. They've been aptly named the "Melo Rules." I sure am a clever owner, eh?