The New York Knicks look eerily like another team that head coach Mike D’Antoni has coached. One thing that coach D can do is put a team on the floor that produces points. That being said, for all of the offensive production he gets out of his teams, neither the Knicks nor his former team, the Phoenix Suns, plays or played any defense.

Amar’e Stoudamire was a much needed super star and an important piece to revive the Knickerbockers legacy. Carmelo Anthony was a great addition given the path that NBA free agency is headed. But neither of these players are defensive juggernauts. For all that the Knicks gave up to get Melo, the trade has set the team back in regards to depth and overall talent.

Chauncy Billups is a formidable point guard and floor general, but beyond these three, the Knicks have little else and Billups is certainly on the down side of a great career.

Like the D’Antoni coached Suns, when I look at the athleticism of the Knicks, I have to wonder why it is such a monumental undertaking for either of these teams to play or have played defense. Like the Suns of old, the Knicks rank among the league worst in defense, ranking 28th out of 30 teams.

Defense is “attitude and want to” more than anything else, without it teams have no chance at securing a place among the league’s elite in wins and losses. The Knicks rank among the league leaders in scoring (3rd) at 105.9 per game, but can’t stop opponents from averaging 105.7 per game. They don’t have a defensive presence like a Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, or as a team for that matter.

Their games turn into offensive shot outs and if they happen to have an off offensive night or are out of sync offensively, the percentages of winning go way down. Right now they are completely out of sync, given the fact that they’ve only been playing together for the last 19 games, of which they are 7-12, and 1-9 over the last 10 games, losers of the last 6 in a row.

This team may need another off-season to put together and replace the players they traded away in the Melo deal. But even if they can upgrade their team for next year, defense will remain a focal point, because if you can’t get your superstars to buy into defending, how will D’Antoni get the role players to buy in?

It’s a prevalent problem that has plagued a great offensive minded coach, and conventional wisdom says, if the Knicks don’t come to the understanding that they need to put as much effort in on the defensive end as they do on the offensive end, next season will look much like this one.

Melo is talking must win with 10 games remaining, D’Antoni has said,” They need to play harder.”  The reality is, until they embrace a defense first mentality, knowing that they can put point up on the other end, they simply won’t get out of the funk they’re in right now. Next year will be a replay of this season, and D’Antoni will continue to be known as a offensive guru with no clue or concern about defensive basketball.

Within two years, the Knicks will be the same old Knicks, fans will be calling for a new head coach, and the Knicks organization will be left to ponder what to do next, with big salaries locked up in Melo and Amar’e and nothing to show for it.

-Seth Joyner

When you think about Kentucky basketball and the mass exodus of players to the NBA each year what this year’s team is doing is nothing short of miraculous.

Granted, VCU and head coach Shaka Smart and Butler’s return to the Final four are Cinderella stories worthy of all the attention that they are getting. But with the way the season began for the Wildcats and the youth on this team, what they have accomplished is amazing.

Coach Cal is an anomaly in regards to his approach, and this approach will continue to net him the best talent that the country has to offer. The ultimate goal of most young college basketball players is to play at the elite level, the NBA.

Coach Cal’s approach is to prepare his players for the NBA and the fact that he embraces the one and done thought of the top level players has allowed him to garner some of the nation’s top talent. Although his commitment to the University of Kentucky is to win and chase National Championships, he realizes that if he can ensure the development and preparation of his players for the NBA he will continuously retool year after year.

Last year’s departure of freshmen and first round picks, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins is proof of his success. Most coaches don’t relish the one and done rule, it can be detrimental to most programs success and future, but being what it is, all coaches must deal with it.

Coach Cal isn’t just a master recruiter, but his ability to get his young players to develop individually and to play as a team from the beginning of the year to tournament time is remarkable.

With 2 freshman starters in Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones, 2 junior starters in DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller and senior Josh Harrellson and 6th man frosh Doron Lamb it is worth contemplating how this team came together like they have.

Freshman point guard Brandon Knight clearly is the facilitator of the team, but the development of Josh Harrellson is the wild-card. At 6′ 11″ 275 lbs his physical presence and gritty play allows for an inside out game that opens the floor up for the play making skills of knight, Liggins and Lamb.

All of these players possess the ability to create and penetrate, but their willingness to play unselfishly is the thing to be noted. They are tough to guard because they can go to the rack and get their own shot, while seeing the floor well enough to see help coming and find the open man to knock down the 3 ball.

If they can keep hitting the 3 ball they will be hard to beat, and with help side defense necessary to defend, Harrellson is the recipient of a lot of offensive rebounds. The other thing that makes Harrellson tough is he runs the floor well for a player his size and he can hit the mid range jump shot requiring his man to play him close, further opening the lane for the penetrators.

They are long and defend extremely well, and they rebound well as a team from the back court to the front court. This team is peaking at the right time, and with tournament wins versus Princeton, West Virginia, Ohio State and North Carolina this team is battle tested and seems poised to claim the National title.

- Seth Joyner

I literally got chills down my spine as I watched Anthony Robles, an ASU Wrestler claim the 125 lb NCAA title today. Oh yea, did I failed to mention that Robles was born without his right leg?

He is a great example of the power of the human spirit, and its ability to succeed against all odds and overcome the seemingly impossible. Never complaining or making excuses, just digging deep, and using the talents and abilities he has been blessed with.

What an inspiration he is not only to young people, but all people. I hope he receives mass attention and press coverage, he is one of the few feel good stories in the world of sports or on a global level for that matter, that we can look at and all feel a sense of pride about.

Today was the first I’ve heard of Mr. Robles, and the first time I’ve had the opportunity to see him perform. He was impressive, dominating Matt McDonough the #2 wrestler in the country from Iowa University and claiming a National Championship by the score of 7-1. It was a dominant as the score indicated.

His desire is to go into public speaking after graduating from ASU, sharing his life’s experience, with the intention of motivating others to reach for their dreams regardless of the obstacles that may be before them.

It was an emotional moment for sure, I even fought back a tear. It is inspirational to see someone say yes, in spite of everyone, everything and every situation saying no, and overcoming the hurdles to go on to great success and acheivement.

- Seth Joyner

Adrian Peterson had to know his comment about NFL players being treated like modern day slaves would draw the ire of many, particularly the media, the general public and his peers. Many found his comment appalling and downright absurd.

How could a professional athlete view the entity which pays him handsomely; $10 million in the coming season, as an establishment that treats him like a slave? The average 9-5 American citizen would love to be in his shoes. Perhaps his choice of words was ill advised, but let’s not look at the obvious, but the much deeper meaning of his comment.

To understand what he really meant we need to understand the establishment of the NFL and how it works. The NFL was the last major sporting industry to embrace free agency or a player’s right to fair and equitable value and compensation.

If someone works for McDonald’s and Burger King offers them $10 more per hour, that person has the right to elevate himself monetarily. No one makes a big deal when a Hollywood actor or actress hauls in a lucrative $25 million salary for a single movie, the truth of the matter is that the actors and actresses like athletes lives in the world of entertainment, but are viewed quite differently.

NFL owners own the entity, but the players make the game what it is. Although the players make tremendous amounts of money, it is their fair share for what they create for the owners and fans. Is it right and fair that the owners can demand that the players give back billions without a reasonable explanation or a financial audit to justify their requests?

Has anyone asked why the owners refuse to make those financials available to the players or public knowledge? Player salaries are public knowledge, because the NFL wants the public to know what they players earn, yet they want no one to know their annual revenues. This is how they justify ticket price increases and make it look as though the players operate from a position of greed, and the public buys it.

The NFL is an organization that understands the importance of control and power, most large corporations operate from this position. At no other point in the world of sports have athletes possessed or exercised so much control over their careers within the business of sports, and do not get it twisted, sports is big business.

The actions of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade pissed people off because they were in total control of their choices and actions. Normally the owners and GM’s call the shots, not so in this case and everyone from media to fans found it appalling that they made the choice they made.

Adrian Peterson’s referral to slavery has more to do with control and power, players versus owners, than it does his or anyone else’s belief that the players are really working in an environment of slavery. Salaries are becoming exorbitant, but they are relevant to the revenues that the owners earn, if the owners couldn’t afford to pay the players what they do, trust me they wouldn’t.

Through this process of collective bargaining, the owners are trying to gain some semblance of control back over their entity; with a rookie wage scale, which I agree with, pulling $750 million per year off the table from the players and implementing an 18 game regular season.

Whenever power and a valuable asset clash in our society, there conflict will reside also. The struggle for what’s right and fair never rests and many will voice their opinions as to what’s right or wrong. It is easy to observe from the outside looking in and voice an opinion, which is everyone’s personal right, but until you know how things operate from the inside out, you’re only voicing an opinion, uneducated as it may be.

Yes Adrian chose the wrong word to express what he really meant to say, but from an inside perspective there exist some validity to his comment. I’m not one to agree with someone because I may be able to sympathize with their position, I write from a position of knowledge, and more importantly, that of my own personal opinion. Let’s look at this from the point of view of  which it was meant, rather from the standpoint of perception. No one making $10 million a year really believes they are being treated like a slave, but there may be some elements behind the scenes that express this kind of treatment that the general public may not be pr.

- Seth Joyner

While the reeling Miami Heat blew another lead against the Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs caught a beat-down by the defending Champs.

The Miami Heat continue to find ways to lose games that they seem to have in hand, the bigger question is, have the Lakers finally developed a game plan for beating the league leading Spurs. The Spurs had no answer today, while the Lakers shot a high percentage from the field, the Spurs shot at the lower end of the percentage scale.

San Antonio’s big 3 of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili accounted for only 22 of the Spurs 83 points. While the Spurs are a more rounded team this year with the emergence of George Hill, Matt Bonner, Gary Neal and Dejuan Blair, but as the big 3 go, so goes the Spurs.

The penetrate and kick has been the Spurs bread and butter, but when the role players aren’t knocking down shots this team is beatable. Their offense still runs through Parker and Ginobili, and when they drove today the Lakers big men made them give it up, playing solid defense and putting pressure on the long ball shooters as well.

Bonner who single handily killed the Heat was a non factor, the Lakers took him completely out of the game by not allowing him any free looks. With Bynum and Gasol clogging the middle, the Lakers are one of the few teams with the personnel to play the Spurs like they did.

Most teams don’t have the size and length to intimidate the penetrators, and when Parker and Ginobili can get to the basket, it sets up the 3 ball shooters to get uncontested looks. No doubt this is the blueprint, but I can count on one hand the teams that can play the Spurs this way. The deep ball shooters for the Spurs cannot create for themselves and a team who can guard the 1 and 2 spots of the Spurs will have a chance to beat them by contesting the 3 ball.

Give the Lakers credit though, they shot the ball well also and were well balanced. Bryant, Gasol and Odom scored 26, 21 and 15 respectively and although Bynum wasn’t a factor scoring he was a beast on the boards with 17 rebounds and intimidating with 3 blocks.

Their defense is what won them the game, the Spurs average 103.7 pts per game and shoot 47% from the field, yet the Lakers held them to 83 pts and 36% shooting. Whatever Phil Jackson implemented needs to be reinforced, because if the Lakers can play defense like that and shoot 46% from the field, they will 3-peat.

The Miami Heat look like a team that’s just snake-bitten right about now. I’m still not panicked, because the only reason the regular season matters is for seeding in the playoffs. There are too many great players on this team for them not to figure it out at some point.

That being said, let’s look at what’s their problem.

They seem to start off the game running their offense to perfection, sharing the ball and running when the opportunity presents itself. After halftime with a lead under their belts they seem to wilt under pressure. There’s no flow to their offense and everyone seems to revert back to when they were on their old teams, and the playground, one on one game begins.

Rarely do they take the ball to the rim, settling for jump shots and with no real center or rebounding presence, they get very few offensive rebounds for second chance opportunities. Third quarter scoring seems to be their Achilles heel, they are 1-5 over the last 6 games and have averaged 18 points in the 3rd quarter in those games.

Maybe they just need to stay out on the court and keep shooting at half time. A defensive lapse to start the second half may be part of what’s plaguing them also, while scoring only an average 18 pts, they’re giving up an average of 24 pts in the 3rd period over the last 6 games.

No doubt they can be a great defensive team when they want to be, but their offensive woes are compounded in the second half by their inability to defend and rebound.

Boozer and Noah combined for 18 rebounds (7 offensive), compared to the power forward and center tandem of Dampier and Bosh’s 8 rebounds (2 offensive).

Although the tears are flowing and heads are hung, they will find a way to right the ship. The Heat are sitting right where everyone wants to see them, struggling and second guessing themselves. But LeBron and D-Wade have too much pride and talent to allow the season to fall apart. They really don’t have much support in the way of players beyond their big 3, then again the thought was 3 was all they needed.

Another year may be necessary for them to get some role players they can count on to step up to complete and compliment what they have, after all it is apparent that 3 may not be enough to claim an NBA title.

- Seth Joyner

The NFL combine just wrapped up, a showcase of the top 300 plus NFL prospects going into the 2011 NFL Draft. The question still remains what did we learn about these young men? We know that most of them have spent the last 4 weeks or so working with combine specialists to perform their best over the last 5 days or so.

I’m often opinionated with regards to the combine because while you can measure a 40 time, a vertical leap, bench press, question players and subject them to the wonderlic test, how much can you really gauge, how good of a NFL player will they be?

For the guys that performed well, they have no doubt improved their draft status, while those who had less than stellar workouts have hurt their draft position.

I am constantly amazed and often irritated with the prognosticators who claim that they know where a guy is slotted and how good a player or particular players will be at the next level, and they guesstimate with such conviction.

Many players will fool various organizations by putting up great numbers, and wind up being a bust, while yet others will put up disappointing numbers and yet overachieve.

For all of the things they measure and evaluate, the one thing they can’t determine is what’s in these young men’s chest, heart and desire. I have witnessed many surefire draft picks become busts, and some whom not much is really expected become a diamond in the rough.

When I look at a Tim Tebow and Cam Newton, both are great athletes, but do not fit the mold of a prototypical NFL QB, the one criteria they both fit is that of bonafide winners and young men who have a burning desire to get better, that is a necessary element to all picks. Yet that’s something you cannot measure or teach, they either have it or they don’t.

I wished someone would run the percentages of anointed, surefire first rounders versus the players who flat out overachieve. Most of the players who overachieve are guys who are overlooked, 3rd-7th rounders with a chip on their shoulders because some guru told them that they wouldn’t succeed, not that someone out of the 2011 draft class with wind up in Canton.

At the end of the day, the NFL combine is a joke from the standpoint of all the gurus and experts who claim they know whose real and who’s not. I get it, the evaluation process must to be done, but in the end the only way a team will know for sure whether they hit the jackpot or not will be to put the player on the field and see how he develops.

I’m more concerned with what motivates these young guys, what their career goals are and whether they have leadership qualities about them than the numbers. Some players play faster than their 40 times reflect, some are more aggressive and fiery on the field than anything you can decipher from questions and performance metrics.

It’s always fun to watch and see where everyone winds up, but the real, test and evaluation comes once they suit up and compete against the best in training camp and during games. No one knows for sure what they’ll have for another 2-3 years no matter what the experts have to say or believe.

- Seth Joyner