B-diddy signs with the Knicks

$2.5 Million for one year seals the deal for Baron Davis to join the Knicks. He’s got a bulging disc back problem, so that makes two important Knicks with back problems (the other one being Amar’e who is telling people in new interviews he’s now an outside-shooting power forward) but I digress.

Amar’e's first preseason game was forgettable, but Iman Shumpert’s wasn’t. He cut to the basket, showed good shooting ability and displayed a sort of confidence Clyde Frazier described as “almost cocky.” It makes losing Billups easier to cope with. With Douglas and Fields question marks in terms of being able to step up and take their game to the next level, it is good to have Shumpert, Bibby and now Davis (assuming he can get healthy and keep the weight in control) in the back court to go with our “most over-rated front court in the NBA.”

I don’t read too much into Balkman’s 2nd first game with the Knicks, preseason doesn’t mean anything and Balkman still can’t shoot and plays out of control when on offense. The image of Balkman barrelling into the paint to end up on the floor is all-too familiar to me during his first stint in New York. But with us losing out on Shawne Williams (What a damn shame, Shawne was a good Knick and showed grit in the playoffs; I wonder if it was easier for him to say goodbye to New York knowing that they did Donnie dirty and he knew Donnie was the guy who re-kindled his career) Balkman is a last resort and will probably get his number called at some point during this season if not for Amar’e's back issues then for Isiah’s continued influence of Jim Dolan.

Yes the Mike Woodson hiring was an Isiah Thomas hiring.

I have not seen any explosion in Amar’e's step and I heard he gained 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason, that’s not going to be good for his hops, but with Melo here I doubt he needs to play like he did in Phoenix on a nightly anymore.

Just curious: Did Chandler look like a $60 million man to you?

The Knicks are looking like a second round team, if Baron Davis can get 100% healthy, maybe deeper than that, but right now, a second-round playoff team.