Amar'e Stoudemire applies for Israeli citizenship

While the New York Knicks had their own mass exodus from the NBA playoffs last season, Amar’e Stoudemire is now taking his own small steps closer to the Promised Land.

The Knicks power forward — with reported Hebrew roots but who wasn't raised Jewish — has applied for Israeli citizenship after becoming part owner of a Jerusalem basketball team earlier this year.

Stoudemire, who has been learning Hebrew and practicing Judaism, put in the paperwork while he was in the Jewish state for the annual Maccabiah Games, where he served as the assistant coach of the Canadian basketball squad.

“He applied, and he’s getting there now,” Stoudemire’s agent Happy Walters told New York Magazine.

Those ended earlier this week, but Stoudemire has more than religious reasons for forging closer ties with Israel.

In July, Stoudemire announced he had become a part owner in the Israeli basketball club Hapoel Jerusalem.

Stoudemire, who was signed by the Knicks in 2010 to a nearly $100 million five-year contract, has been considering joining the religion ever since he moved to New York and began telling people his wayward mother had Jewish ties. In interviews, Stoudemire has stated that he has "no formal religion," although he practices certain Jewish rituals because “we are all Jewish. It's the original culture.”

Also, Stoudemire donned a yarmulke and a prayer shawl when he and Alexis Welch tied the knot last year.

“I’m not a religious person, I’m more of a spiritual person,” he recently told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “So I follow the rules of the Bible that coordinate with and connect with the Hebrew culture.”

The gimpy, 30-year-old Stoudemire has virtually no chance of representing the USA at the 2016 Olympics but has already received an invitation from President Shimon Peres to play for the Israeli national team. 

Shalom!

J.R. Smith questions Knicks' hearts not their knees

The New York Knicks are dealing with knee problems to three of their key players, but J.R. Smith is more concerned about another part of the body as the team continues to stumble towards the back end of a five-game road-to-ruin swing.

"We got to checkout our heart right now," said the Knicks guard. "We either got to compete or pack up and go home. It's just that simple."

The Knicks have dropped the first three games of their west coast tour by an average of 22 points and the prognosis doesn't look any better without Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire in the mix together for at least a while.

Smith held up his end of the deal against the Trailblazers — pouring in 33 points.  But it wasn't enough.

"I don't mind losing," Smith said . "But if we just go out there and get demolished , that's a problem, especially when you're supposed to be considered one of the best teams in you division and your conference. It's just not a good look for us."

The Knicks' Atlantic division lead over the Nets is down to one game and dwindling. They close out the west coast tour with games against the Clippers and Jazz.

Amar'e Stoudemire to undergo knee surgery, will miss six weeks

Amar'e Stoudemire felt a little soreness in his knee and missed Saturday morning's shootaround to get an MRI which later revealed that he needs surgery on his right knee and will most likely miss the rest of the regular season and into part of the playoffs.

He has elected to have the knee debridement surgery sometime this week.

The injury comes just when the New York Knicks forward had made great strides this season after missing the first 30 games for the same surgery and adjusting to coming off the bench this year.

The loss of Stoudemire's 14.2 points a game will put a big hole in the offense and, the six week recovery timetable tweeted by the Knicks office, will make holding on to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference — with the Nets and Bulls breathing down their necks — an uphill battle.

Forward Amar'e Stoudemire is scheduled to have a right knee debridement this coming week. He is expected to miss approximately six weeks.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 9, 2013

"I feel for Amar'e, because again he's put a lot of work in this summer, to get back out on the court, with what he went through at the beginning of camp," head coach Mike Woodson said. "And now he's got to go back in again. I feel for the young man because he puts so much time and hard work in. But you know we got to go on."

Stoudemire has been shooting 57.7% from the field this season and had come to grips with being a bench player after Woodson limited his game time to 30 minutes.

"You don't expect a key guy like that to continue to go down, because he's a big piece to the puzzle," said Woodson. Stoudemire had a debridement on his left knee in training camp. When Stoudemire missed the morning shootaround before playing the Utah Jazz, Woodson had an uneasy feeling.  He explained this was one reason he had put such a limit on his playing minutes. At the time, Woodson didn't know how serious it was.

"He's been very sufficient in terms of how he's been playing especially in the offensive end, and he's gotten better defensively," said Woodson.

"It's a loss, a major loss to what we're trying to do," said Woodson. "We're going to have to wait on him."

Amar'e Stoudemire calls killer's manifesto a 'must read' via Twitter

Amar'e Stoudemire's literary recommendations may not have the reach of Oprah's Book Club but the New York Knicks forward stuck out his neck by hyping the crazed manifesto of ex-cop turned murderer Christopher Dorner as a "must read."

The Knicks star posted a link to the ex-LAPD cop's manifesto on his Twitter page Sunday with the words: "Interesting. This is a must read."

Dorner addressed his declaration of war on the LAPD "to America."

Interesting. This is a must read !!abclocal.go.com/kabc/feature?s…
— Amar'e Stoudemire (@Amareisreal) February 17, 2013

In his disturbing 20-page rant Dorner left on his Facebook page, the fired cop rails against police corruption in the LAPD, and paints himself as victim of racism for reporting a sergeant for brutality and crossing the thin blue line.

The disgraced cop killed himself inside a burning cabin on a California mountain after killing four people as revenge and becoming a fugitive for 10 days.

Stoudemire wasn't specific on his tweet but some of the player's 806,000 Twitter followers were a little  peeved by his nightstand recommendation.

"Really?! A murderer's hateful manifesto is worth reading?" one follower tweeted back.

Stoudemire is entitled to his own reading choices but he might want to leave this social media tome on the shelf.

Amar'e Stoudemire goes trick or treating in December

It's Halloween in December after Heidi Klum's annual costume bash was cancelled by Hurricane Sandy and rescheduled for Saturday night.

The supermodel's glitzy makeup party was held at Finale nightclub on the lower East Side of Manhattan and drew some of New York's top celebrities including New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire and his fiancee Alexis Welch.

Stoudemire — who hasn't been seen much since injuring his knee — wore a tuxedo and covered his face with a gold mask with horns and fangs.  The gorgeous Welch looked like a feathered Geisha.

Klum, who seems to thrive on this yearly event, came as Cleopatra.  She made the sensible decision to postpone this year's party after the storm shut down New York City.

Proceeds from the belated party will benefit the Red Cross' Hurricane Sandy relief effort.

As for Stoudemire, he is planning on returning to the Knicks by Christmas Day after coming back from knee debridement.

He might need the mask to sneak in some playing time.  The team is 12-4 without Stoudemire and there are concerns that his arrival could complicate the team's winning chemistry.

JR Smith guarantees NBA championship for Knicks

JR Smith sounds like he thinks the only thing that will make New York Knicks fans forget about  Linsanity is a ring and "nothing less."

The trash-talking shooting guard was at a Manhattan fashion event this weekend and — when asked by a reporter from NYPost.com what fans could expect from the Knicks this season — gave a simple answer, "a championship."

Nothing less," he added.  "If we settle for anything less, we already start off losing."

Asked if it was a guarantee, the former New Jersey high school star drafted straight into the NBA replied, "In my eyes, yeah.  Whoever ... Lakers, Heat ... whoever."

Such a positive attitude and confidence from the sometimes trouble-plagued Smith is a good sign for the Knicks who look to build on last year's first trip to the playoffs in over a decade by adding Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and Raymond Felton to the super duo of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. Newly signed free-agent Ronnie Brewer will be sidelined with a knee injury for up to six weeks, so Smith might become even more important.   Smith agreed to a two-year contract with the Knicks in July.

Smith sounded confident that the Knicks can compete with any of the NBA's elite teams — including the champion Heat, who signed Ray Allen, and the Lakers who added Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to an already strong lineup.

The 27-year old Smith's bold prediction is not so far-fetched.  Anthony just led the U.S. Olympic squad to gold at the 2012 London Games and Stoudemire has been working out with former Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon. So the Knicks are loaded themselves.

A good omen for the Knicks is that a happy JR Smith in the mix can only bode well for the team.

Knicks fans' poll: We like Amar'e Stoudemire's fire extinguisher

The New York Daily News is conducting a "Knicks' Keep 'Em/Dump 'Em" web poll and after the first day of returns, it is clear who the fan favorites are— and aren't.   In a tight race, the fire extinguisher that Amar'e Stoudemire tried to take out in Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena got 51% on the "keep" side.

That's funny because only 56% of the responses want Stoudemire (the actual player)— who missed a playoff game because of the boneheaded injury— back next year.

The newspaper is giving fans a chance to act as general manager for the New York Knicks after the team's first-round fizzle against the Miami Heat.

More than 75,000 votes were received during the opening day of voting. Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert were the most popular players with a 95% approval rating each.  Other players the fans have been overwhelmingly voting to stay in Madison Square Garden are Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak (both with an 85% approval rating) along with head coach Mike Woodson (74%).

It was no surprise that owner Jim Dolan (79% said take a hike) would be shipped off faster than Spike Lee at a Brooklyn Nets game if the fans had the power.

Other players the fans would like to see extinguished are J.R. Smith (53% dump), Baron Davis (83% said bye-bye) and Mike Bibby (76% had no use for him).

Surprisingly, only 69% of the respondents want to keep Carmelo Anthony; which makes him as popular as that other offensive powerhouse Josh (who?) Harrellson.

Linsanity looks like it has passed Landry Fields by.  Lin's best bud is barely hanging on with a 51% approval rating— a number that would probably be bumped up a few points if Lin was still crashing on his living room couch.

The bad news for Knicks fans is that there is no way the team will ever unload Stoudemire— their $100 million forward— and, even worse news, the fire extinguisher has been re-signed in Miami.

Bosh doubtful for Game 3 after rushing home to pregnant wife

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh will probably miss tonight's Game 3 against the New York Knicks after rushing back home to Miami to attend the birth of his first son.

Bosh had been carrying a beeper throughout the NBA first-round series in preparation for the birth of his second child.  The original due date was around the third week of May but a message posted online by his heavily-pregnant wife,  Adrienne Bosh, suggested that the baby boy— the couple's first together— was coming ahead of time, reports The New York Post.

"Thank God for private flights... Hurry home Baby :)" she wrote on instant messaging picture site Instagram, next to a photo of Bosh on a runway walking close to a small plane."

Last week, Bosh had made it clear he would be drop everything to be at his wife's side when the beeper buzzed.

"When it goes off, I'll be ready," he said.  "We'll see what happens, man, just waiting."

The Heat are in New York for Thursday night's Game 3 at Madison Square Garden after back-to-back wins in Miami.  The Heat have a comfortable 2-0 lead over the battered Knicks in the series.

Knicks fans might be breathing a sigh of relief because of the Heat's probable lineup vacancy.  New York is already missing Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert to legitimate injuries while Amar'e Stoudemire— who cut his hand by punching a glass-enclosed fire extinguisher after Monday's loss— will be joining them on the bench.

Let's hope Bosh's plane ride home is faster than the stork's.

Stoudemire eyes Game 4 return and says it's not his fault

Amar'e Stoudemire held a press conference today and— despite his doubtful status— told reporters he still wants to see if he can play Sunday in game 4 of the Knicks-Heat NBA Playoffs series.

 The Knicks forward thinks he can play only five days after surgery on his badly gashed left hand— which is in a cast.

Stoudemire tried to minimize the stupidity of punching the cabinet— which housed a fire extinguisher in the hallway of AmericanAirlines Arena— on Monday night after the Knicks 104-94 loss.  He said fans had "the wrong perception" and had more excuses than remorse for the episode.

He said the whole episode has been blown out of control and said it was all a big accident.

"We're down 0-2 and I knew how important it was to get a win in Miami," said Stoudemire.  "We played somewhat well enough to win game 2. I was more frustrated we were down 0-2.  It wasn't like I was trying to take out the fire extinguisher door.  I wanted to make noise and let out frustration."

"Fans actually think I had a closed fist and punched through that glass door," he continued.  "They have the wrong perception of what happened. I walked by and swung my arm backwards it hit [the] fire extinguisher door and I slashed my hand by accident."

Stoudemire— wearing a T-shirt with the words "Marked Man" on it— went on to blame the gruesome cut on percentages.  Something along the lines of only getting about 33-percent of the shots teammate Carmelo Anthony was getting in the game.

"I just walked by the door and it's made of 85-percent metal and 2-percent strip of glass.  I didn't try to hit the glass.  I walked by and hit my hand on the wall.  I didn't see the glass."

It's a moot point now and the final decision for him to play will up to the doctors and coaches.  Even if he does play, he will be in a severely limited capacity.

"There's a great chance [but] I'm not totally sure yet.  I'll be back soon," said the feisty Stoudemire.

Even if he can play with his injured non-shooting hand, chances are he will be ineffective but that didn't stop Stoudemire from  being pessimistic.

"I've persevered through a lot of injuries and worked hard to recover from injuries," he reasoned.

"It's up to the doctors," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said when he heard about Stoudemire's aspirations.  "[He] used bad judgement" after Monday's game.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

Amar'e Stoudemire's punchout inspires T-shirt

Has there ever been a fire extinguisher with as much notoriety as the one Amar'e Stoudemire tried to get at the other night?

First, the extinguisher— inside the box the New York Knicks forward punched after Monday night's loss to the Miami Heat— got its own Twitter account with the handle "AAAExtinguisher." Now the red fire tool is emblazoned across T-shirts in New York.

The T-shirt— in Knicks blue and orange— features Amare's name across the chest but replaces the "r" with a silhouette of the now infamous extinguisher.

After the Knicks 104-94 loss to the Heat, Stoudemire punched the the glass pane of a cabinet containing the extinguisher on his way back to the locker room in AmericanAirlines Arena, and cut his non-shooting hand pretty bad.

Poking fun at Stoudemire— who is being soaked by criticism for his stupid outburst— a T-shirt designed by Crosstown New York was available for sale within hours of the bloody injury.

The Knicks forward had surgery on his left hand on Tuesday and will likely miss the rest of the playoffs.

Now the foam-filled fire fighter is a celebrity.

The first smart-aleck tweets from AAAExtinguisher— which bills itself as having "more playoff wins in 2012 than the New York Knicks"— came Monday night.  One tweet said, "Come at me bro @amareisreal" referring to Amar'e's Twitter handle.  It even asked for an apology from the much larger Knicks player.

Go ahead little extinguisher, enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.  One small trash-can fire and you're history.

Amar'e Stoudemire out for Knicks-Heat series and possibly longer

Amar'e Stoudemire did not suffer ligament or tendon damage when he cut his hand punching a pane of glass Monday night but will not be able to play another game in the New York Knicks opening round playoffs against the Miami Heat reported The New York Post.

Sources said that, because the size of the gash and the amount of stitches in Stoudemire's non-shooting hand, the Knicks don't expect the power forward to return for the Heat series or for the playoffs for that matter.

The Knicks are expected to give a medical update later Tuesday on Stoudemire's injury timetable but are preparing to finish the series in which they trail 2-0 without him.  Game 3 is Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

If the Knicks miraculously advance to the second round, they still have doubts about Stoudemire's return even then.

Stoudemire delivered a punch of frustration at the glass panel of the fire extinguisher box in the hallway  leading back to the locker room right after after the Knicks 104-94 loss in Game 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena.  It left a trail of blood.

One of the reasons the cut was so large and gruesome is because he hit the glass while walking briskly past it and did not stop.  That caused the deeper cuts into the side of his left hand.

Stoudemire visited a hand specialist in New York on Tuesday for a reevaluation.  He reportedly lost a lot of blood as paramedics, the Heat doctors and Knicks medical staff attended to him in the crowded trainer's room inside the arena.

When the Knicks team plane touched down Tuesday morning, Stoudemire tweeted:

"We have all done thing out of anger that we regret.  That makes us human.  Bad timing on my part.  Sorry guys.  This to shall pass."

Trayvon Martin's mother, brother visited Knicks locker room before game

Carmelo Anthony said he was honored to have Trayvon Martin's mother and brother visit the New York Knicks locker room before Friday night's game against the Washington Wizards.

The Knicks forward invited Sybrina Fulton and Trayvon's older brother, Jahvaris Fulton, 21, to the team's locker room in Madison Square Garden before the Knicks victory, according to the New York Post.  Martin's family was in New York to do an interview with Anderson Cooper.

The unpublicized meeting was set up by Anthony.

"It was a blessing and an honor," said Anthony.  "We all know the tragedy that happened.  Bringing them to the locker room in the back, meeting all the players, meeting the coaches.  We had no media there.  It was something I wanted to do.  I lost my sister last year so I know how it feels."

The low key affair didn't last long but meant a lot to the players.

"He didn't even want to stay for the game," said Anthony.  "He wanted to see 'The Lion King.'  But for them to be there, it meant a lot."

Amar'e Stoudemire— who grew up in Sanford, Fla., has honored Trayvon by wearing a hooded sweatshirt  with the hood up during all of his rehab workouts.

Carmelo Anthony to make guest appearance on 'Nurse Jackie' Sunday night

This Sunday looks like it will end up being a television marathon for Carmelo Anthony fans.  The New York Knicks forward will star in an afternoon game against the Miami Heat and then guest star in an episode of Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" later that night.

Anthony will make a guest appearance on the dark-comedy hit "Nurse Jackie" playing a fallen pro basketball player.  In the episode— scheduled to air Sunday at 9 p.m. ET— Anthony plays one of an eclectic group of patients who participate in a group therapy session with the show's title character (played by Edie Falco) at a Manhattan rehab center.

No word on if Jeremy Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire will be typecast and used as extras at the rehab facility.

Falco plays ER nurse Jackie Peyton at fictional New York hospital All Saints who copes with the pressures  of love and life with an addiction to prescription drugs and bed-hopping with doctors.  The show is currently in its fourth season.

Melo is no stranger to portraying basketball players on the small screen.  He appeared in an episode of "Law & Order: SVU" playing himself.

While acting might be a nice sideline for the Knicks' leading scorer, Anthony knows his main occupation is not hitting his marks as much as hitting his shots.  The team has a slim two-game lead over the Bucks for the final playoff spot going down the stretch.  He filmed both segments during the NBA lockout.

"It's things that people like myself and athletes wouldn't normally do, especially Nurse Jackie," Anthony told HuffPost Sports at the time of his SVU appearance.  "So, I definitely wanted to do just that, just do something different."

Jeremy Lin doubtful of a Round 1 return

Jeremy Lin said he is "cautiously optimistic" that he will play again for the New York Knicks this year, but doesn't think it will be until the second round of the playoffs.

The Knicks point guard speaking before yesterday's 100-99 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls— and six days after surgery for a torn left meniscus— said he does not want to rush back.

"I think unless something goes really well I wouldn't get there," said Lin about returning for the first round.

"It depends on how far and how long it goes," he continued.  "But obviously I want to be 100‰ and then come back, hopefully see what I can do.  By then it'll be a different team identity ... chemistry.  So it gets tricky, too.  Yeah I'm doing everything and we're doing everything we can to get back as soon as possible."

One thing that is going well is the Knicks— even without Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire.  The team beat the first place Bulls to keep pace with the Philadelphia 76ers and a slim one game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for the final playoff spot.

Bird to Amar'e: Watch your back

Larry Bird knows the devastating effect a nagging back injury can have on an NBA player's career and gave New York Knicks big man Amar'e Stoudemire some perspective on how to handle his own pain.

"My back problems cost me at least three or four years," the Boston Celtics great told the New York Daily News.  "After I hurt it, I always played with spasms.  To fix the instability and get the disc out of there, they had to fuse my back.  But I kept playing because I wanted to get that last championship, or play for one more championship.  That was just me."

It's been 20 years since the Hall of Fame player suited up for an NBA game— which was cut short by the back problems— and he sees the same woes with Stoudemire.

This is the second serious back injury in the last 11 months for the 30-year-old Stoudemire  and he still has three guaranteed years on a five-year, $100 million contract.

The Knicks forward missed another game last night after the Indiana Pacers came back to score 40 points in the fourth quarter to give the Knicks a 112-104 loss— and a precarious 1 1/2 game lead for the final playoff spot.  All Stoudemire could do was watch.

The Knicks haven't given any indication on if Stoudemire will return at all before the final 12 games of the regular season or the playoffs.

For now, he'll be spending more time in the training room than hitting the court— something Bird knows a lot about.

Bird— who hurt his back laying asphalt in his mother's driveway one offseason— did everything he could to keep playing.

The lasting image of his final NBA playing days was of the hulking Bird, lying on his stomach in front of the Celtics bench, trying to keep his back stretched out

"I'm sure he'll come back and be fine for a while," said Bird. "But how long will it last?  You don't know.

"When you have instability in the back because of bulging discs or nerve problems, it's hard to feel your feet and run," Bird claimed.  "I don't know what he's got.  I ain't talking about his injuries.  But backs are tricky.  It still bothers me, but nothing like it did."

Stoudemire's decision is similar to what was Bird's— suffer and win now or play it safe for the future.

"Every back injury is different," Bird said.  "I knew guys who had bulging discs, but they didn't hit the nerve.  So they had stiffness, but it didn't hurt.  There's things you can do for it.  The technology has changed since I got hurt, and the doctors are different.  You just hope you can deal with it."

Dealing with a losing season might be what seems important to Stoudemire right now.

Chris Paul Appears on "Family Feud" and Gets Buzzed

New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul—and four members of his family— appeared on the game show "Family Feud" Tuesday and the audience found out the four-time All-Star doesn't like smelling bad.

One of the survey's questions asked by host Steve Harvey was, "What is it a man might not want a woman he's hitting on to know he's wearing?" The NBA star's answer, "Musk...you stink."  Sound the X buzzer.

Bad answer.  Bad answer.

Paul and family members C.J., Robin, Charles and Rhonda—who were playing for charity— lost to the O'Hara family—a group of women which included a pro-football player and a cop.

Harvey called Paul the "nicest point guard playing ball today" and was glad to have him on the show, "in the flesh."

While Paul's team didn't get many right answers, the survey says New York Knick fans are hoping his next family includes Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

Amar'e Stoudemire To Produce Hollywood Fright Flick

Amar'e Stoudemire must be counting on an NBA lockout next season.  It's not like the New York Knicks forward doesn't already have enough projects on his plate, but now you can add the title of film producer to his resume.  The Knicks star will be going Hollywood and producing "The Strangers 2," a sequel to the scary 2008 original "The Strangers."

No, the followup isn't about Isiah Thomas returning to the front office or the playoff sweep by the Boston Celtics--even thought both of those story-lines are pretty spooky to Knicks fans.

Stoudemire is in talks with Relativity Media honcho Ryan Kavanuagh to executive produce "The Strangers 2."  In other words, Stoudemire is putting money into the production and will get a director's chair with his name on it.

Carmelo Anthony Set To Appear On "Saturday Night Live"

Carmelo Anthony will hone his comedic chops on "Saturday Night Live" tomorrow.  According to the New York Post,  'Melo will make a guest appearance on the live show to be hosted by Elton John. 

"SNL" executive-producer Lorne Michaels was spotted courtside at Monday night's Knick game against the Orlando Magic, but according to reports, the two didn't mention 'Melo's upcoming appearance.

A spokesperson for "SNL" said, " We never confirm guest stars."

Elton John will be the host and musical guest for this Saturday's show, but it's any body's guess if 'Melo will show up with his own supporting cast for the segment.

Melo's teammate Amar'e Stoudemire could make an appearance at the studio.  It seems like he hasn't really been seen at Madison Square Garden in a while.

LaLa Vasquez, 'Melo's wife and reality show fixture, is a pretty good bet to be there.  The "entertainer" is always looking for the spotlight.

Anthony is no stranger to the camera.  He was in Common's video "Be" and shot the movie "Amazing" this past year with Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard.

"Amazing" was shot in Bejing, Shanghai and New York and is directed by an award-winning Chinese director.  The NBA players star alongside many of China's leading actors in a basketball-themed film about young people  achieving their dreams through hard work.

NBA players who tread from the court to the stage are a rare breed.  Some score--Ray Allen in "He Got Game"-- while others foul out--Shaquille O'Neal in "Kazaam."  Rick Fox is unforgettable in anything.

Melo's star power at the Garden had dimmed in recent weeks during the Knicks losing streak.  Maybe a Derek Jeter style appearance in drag is just the wake-up call he needs.  Although Jeter did have a championship ring to accessorize his skirt and high heels.

Here's hoping 'Melo finds his inner funny-bone and skips the all-night wrap-party.  He's got  a game against the Cavs on Sunday.  Now they're funny.

New Jersey Nets: Kiss Those Forty-Three Cent Seats Goodbye

By Tony Mangia

New Jersey Nets tickets went on sale yesterday for their future home in Brooklyn.  The long delayed Barclays Center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2012 and start hosting the Nets that season.  The team is offering  a variety of "All-Access" seating packages which run from $99 (in the lower deck) to $1500 (courtside) per game.  The team's new slogan should be "Come For Vujacic; Stay For A Kardashian."

The Nets are offering the few die-hard season-ticket holders first crack at the 4,000 All-Access premium seats which offer perks like unlimited food and soft drinks, private entrances, concierge service and early access to the arena.

If you are one of those embarrassed Nets fans — you know, the desperate ones hiding their faces in what is basically the NBA witness protection program at Newark's Prudential Center, and are used to snagging a 43-cent ticket on StubHub, fugeddaboudit.  There will be 2,000 tickets priced about $15 at the team's new location, but the chances of snagging a bargain-basement Nets ticket for the newer and trendier Brooklyn locale will be out of the question— no matter how bad the team is.

The flash factor alone will go through the fast-rising roof top.  The Knicks may boast their Big-Three, but the Nets have Jay-Z.  The rap star mogul and a state-of-the-art arena.  That means Beyonce and a slew of shiny new celebrities not named Woody, Dustin or Spike.  The curiosity factor will draw new Nets fans in droves, even if the 43-cent tickets will have as much of a chance as a Net victory.

Years of legal haggling and zoning red-tape had turned the 18,000-seat Barclays Center project into a construction quagmire even the woeful Nets front office couldn't get into.  But it was the Nets image which has really gotten stuck in the mud.

New majority owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, and his partner, Jay-Z, took over a team that hadn't contended since 2006-07 season and failed to land a big-name player last year.  Deron Williams is a start.

The Nets watched as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony played footsie with the Nets big aspirations, only to be left at the PATH station.  The Knicks had the hubris to taunt their incoming rivals by placing a billboard of their prized player, Amar'e Stoudemire, staring down at the giant hole at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic--the site of the Nets new home.

The Nets are counting on luring fans, new and old,  by not charging personal-seating licenses. They said the All-Access deals are just as good and will allow purchasers first-shot at buying tickets for other non-Nets events like concerts and boxing matches.

"I think this is the best entertainment buy in all of New York," claims Brett Yormark Nets CEO, "Especially when factoring the ability to see top acts like Madonna before tickets hit the secondary market."

If you are a Nets fan, that is definitely a perk---maybe the highlight of the deal---especially when you have to commit to purchasing the locked-in priced seats for the first three years. 

The average price of a current Nets ticket is $60---one of the lowest in the league.  The new average price at the Barclays Center will be around $132--more than the Knicks current average ticket price of $88 and one of the highest in the league.

The Nets cross-borough rivals price will be rising next season after the Knicks announced a 49% increase to cover the on-going renovations at Madison Square Garden. 

The Los Angeles Lakers currently get an average price of $113 per seat--the costliest ticket in the league.

It's hard to believe the Nets, in their inaugural season will be getting more than Kobe and company, but if more money means more wins...Go Kris Humphries.

Patrick Ewing: If Only I Had a Carmelo...

Patrick Ewing claims current New York Knicks super-star Amar'e Stoudemire has an easier road to an NBA title than he did because none of his teammates were as good as Carmelo Anthony.

According to the New York Post, Ewing thinks he could have won a championship if former Knicks GM Ernie Grunfeld and Garden president Davis Checketts had brought in a better supporting cast.

The 11-time All-Star was asked who was the best player he ever played alongside with and Ewing replied," Second best teammate?  John Starks, Allan [Houston], Spree [Latrell Spreewell], Oak [Charles Oakley].  But they're not Carmelo"

While Ewing, an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic, may be endearing himself to the current Knicks team, it sounds like a jab at the former Knicks management for his brilliant, but NBA Championship-less career.  It sounds like he wrongly took the blame for the lack of an NBA title because he didn't have his own second fiddle.

Ewing is on the short list of Knicks head coaching prospects if current coach, Mike D'Antoni fails and believes the current Knicks brass is on the right track by bringing in an additional super-star like Anthony mid-way through the season to compliment Stoudemire--a perk he never had.

Yesterday, Ewing professed his admiration of Anthony before the Magic's 116-110 victory in Orlando.

"A great player. A great player," Ewing said.  "New York hasn't had two bona fide superstars since Willis [Reed] and Earl [Monroe] and Clyde [Frazier].  Those guys are two bona fide superstars."

The closest Ewing ever got to getting an NBA Championship ring was in 1994.  After battling center Hakeem Olajuwon and leading the Houston Rockets, 3-2, Ewing's second-banana, Starks, went ice-cold and shot 2-for-18 in game seven while the Knicks wilted away.  It still burns at Ewing.

"I can't worry about that now," said Ewing.  "I've been retired 100 years.  It feels like 100 years."

The Hall-of-Famer had a lot of good things to say about the third part of the Knicks Big-Three, Chauncey Billups.

"Everyone kept talking about him as a throw-in," Ewing said.  People overlooked him when he first started.  He's played great games. He's won championships."

While Ewing was surrounded by rugged lunch-buckets players like Starks and Oakley during his playing days, he now says he would have welcomed an offensive super-star player like Anthony and advises Stoudemire to count his blessings.

Ewing believes Stoudemire and 'Melo can co-exist in New York.  "They both have to share it, he stressed.  "You can't worry about it.  The city's big enough.  There's enough spotlight to go around."

That spotlight was always shining on Ewing during his 15 seasons at Madison Square Garden and it highlights his retired #33 jersey hanging from it's rafters.

Listening to him reminisce, it sounds like Ewing wishes he had someone to share the limelight with back then.