Swiss Cheese D

Tomorrow is the most wonderful day of the year. It is a day where you can watch over 12 straight hours of basketball, instead of paying attention to your loved ones. The NBA has a history of putting together some fun, competitive matchups that occasionally give a playoff-like atmosphere. Celtics @ Knicks at 12pm EST on ESPN Knicks and Celtics have a very long and ugly history. This is a refreshing season to see both teams being fairly competitive. The Celtics are an inch higher than the Knicks in the Atlantic division (Celtics: 17-13 // Knicks 16-13), so this should prove to be an exciting noon game. Isaiah Thomas is one of the best rim penetrators at his position at only 5'9". He can also finish with both hands around the rim with crazy pressure around him. Think of him like a mini-Kyrie Irving. Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings have had trouble all season containing guys like Thomas, so that's a matchup to look out for. The Knicks can win this game if they can limit turn

Swiss Cheese D would not have received as much exposure if not for twitter. Twitter enables me to connect with a tremendous amount of NBA fans. Although it is unfortunate that I only have 140 characters to respond to questions, I can get around that by using my website to answer all of your genius questions. Welcome to the first Swiss Cheese D Q&A. https://twitter.com/jaSILVERke/status/809855643486142465 I recently wrote a column on why Derrick Rose is so important to the Knicks.  A lot of the Knicks' success this season has been due to Rose's ability to penetrate and create for others. Although Rose is only 28 years old, there is no doubt that he is an injury prone player. Long-term I think it would be a good idea to either sign Rose to a short term deal (which is something his agent will oppose), or say goodbye. Players like Shaun Livingston, Vince Carter and Grant Hill were able to reinvent their game after career threatening injuries. This was due to their ability to re

https://twitter.com/NBASwissCheeseD/status/804795112391921664 After 19 games, there has been an internal debate amongst Knicks fans: who should be the first option for the New York Knicks? Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis. Kristaps Porzingis is averaging 21 points at 48% (16 shots per game) Carmelo Anthony is averaging 23 points at 43% (19 shots per game) It is clear that Porzingis is the winner if we're basing this question off numbers. However, is it the best idea for a 21 year old to inherit the majority of the workload? It is important to factor in that maybe the Knicks are better off with Porzingis as the second option... for now. Coach Jeff Hornacek wants to let the game come to Porzingis as the Knicks build towards the future. The Knicks will not beat the Warriors/Spurs/Clippers/Cavs in a 7 game series if all of a sudden Porzingis averages more shot attempts than Melo. Hornacek has bigger problems, like Joakim Noah. Porzingis’ higher efficiency is a result of Melo

Derrick Rose has shown flashes of his old MVP form through highlights, but after looking at his overall package, it's obvious that he's never going to be an MVP caliber player again. That does not mean the Knicks will not be successful. https://twitter.com/NBASwissCheeseD/status/801247630231740416 He is producing some of the worst numbers of his career, but it's important to factor in that he's not being utilized like he was in Chicago. Once again, that does not mean the Knicks will not be successful. Derrick Rose is sacrificing his numbers for his team. Right off the bat, Knicks fans love Rose’s ability to attack the rim. It's not just his quickness, but his strength. Rose gets to the rim by going into the chest of his defenders. Before Rose’s injuries, he was Westbrook, maybe even better. This is a very refreshing thing to see after dealing with Jose Calderon.   https://twitter.com/NBASwissCheeseD/status/793969771259854848 Rose is a constant threat when heading to

https://twitter.com/Swiss_Cheese_D/status/799015511078146048 The Knicks are at an interesting phase in their franchise. They're flirting with the desire for playoff contention, even though it's clear a championship is not within their stratosphere (apologies to everyone who bet on them to win it all this summer). It's difficult to find a balance behind building for a 32 year old superstar, and a 21 year old superstar. The Derrick Rose trade was a smart decision due to his expiring deal. Worst case scenario and Rose gets hurt, it's $21 million off the books. This makes the Rose acquisition beneficial if you want to win now, or if you're in rebuilding mode. After the Rose trade, the Knicks signed Hell’s Kitchen native Joakim Noah to a 4-year $72 million deal. Let's go over the pros and cons. Noah brings a culture to the locker room that is priceless. Well, we can't exactly say it's priceless, but this narrative rings true to many. Noah has been a homicidal

Check out my Eastern Conference Rankings here .   Young teams that might be good some day 15) Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers have the potential to be a good team a couple of years from now due to their solid young core: D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle. They also have cap space to spend next season. I'm not sure why they signed Timofey Mozgov to a 4-year $60 million deal, but hey, maybe his slow paced game will attract Russell Westbrook. https://twitter.com/Swiss_Cheese_D/status/749809513482584064   14) Phoenix Suns The duo of Bledsoe and Knight is a good thing for this team, they just simply can't stay healthy. Even if these guys play 82 games apiece, this team is too raw to sniff the playoffs. Tyson Chandler is coming back healthy, but he has no place on this team with all the developing pieces. Coach Earl Watson might roll with Alex Len over Chandler as the season progresses. The Suns should trade Bledsoe for multiple pieces and build for the future. I

D-League status 15) Brooklyn Nets What? Philly is better than Brooklyn? I don't see why not, let's have a look at their depth charts: [gallery ids="856,857" type="rectangular"] This isn't even worth an analysis. To make matters worse, the Celtics have the option to switch draft picks with the Nets, thanks to the blockbuster KG and Paul Pierce trade. This means that Brooklyn is inadvertently tanking for literally no reason. At least they have Jeremy Lin to sell tickets for a season. 14) Philadelphia 76ers Ben Simmons is going to be good. His distributing skills are already at an NBA level, and I don't think his poor shooting is as big of a deal as everyone is making it out to be. Simmons knows his limits and has smart shot selection; he's not Josh Smith on the Hawks. He's also 20 years old and can probably improve. Kawhi Leonard went from averaging 20% from three his freshman year of college, to 43% last season.  [youtube https://www.youtube.