Must be $3.00 before the hype. $50 by beginning of next season (Lin rookie card)

Mike D'Antoni's resignation prior to Portland Trail Blazers game versus New York Knicks
As Carmelo Anthony nearly requested a trade from New York Knicks

Portland Trail Blazers
(20-22, 6-15 away)
New York Knicks
(18-24, 11-10 home)

TV Coverage: MSG
7:30 PM ET, March 14, 2012 (Wednesday night)

Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (19,763 attendance)
Points Rebounds Assists
POR Aldridge 21.7 Camby 9.0 Felton 6.1
NY Anthony 21.3 Chandler 9.8 Lin 6.4

Just last month, the New York Knicks were the NBA's feel-good story as Jeremy Lin burst onto the scene to reinvigorate a slumping team that had seemingly lost its way.

Now they look to be a far bigger mess than they were before.

Hours after coach Mike D'Antoni's stunning resignation, New York tries to avoid its first seven-game slide in more than two seasons Wednesday night when they host the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Knicks lost 11 of 13 from Jan. 12-Feb. 3 before Lin spearheaded a seven-game winning streak and 10 victories in 13 games, but the good feelings coming from Madison Square Garden have quickly dissipated.

New York (18-24) has dropped six straight after Monday's 104-99 loss in Chicago, after which reports surfaced that Carmelo Anthony was so disgruntled he preferred to be traded. Anthony denied those whispers after Wednesday morning's shootaround, also refuting talk he was upset with D'Antoni while stating he supports the coach "100 percent."

He no longer has to. D'Antoni resigned shortly after the shootaround, leaving assistant and former Atlanta head coach Mike Woodson to rescue the slumping Knicks.

They got close in the 1990's with Pat Riley & Patrick Ewing. They just had the misfortune of reaching those heights at the same time as Michael Jordan. Then they had Isiah Thomas to muck things up.

I still say Bernard King was the most explosive scorer I ever saw.

Same thing. You beat me by two minutes.

earl the pearl was the best! my favorite player ever.

and bernard king.

St. Bernard. he was unstoppable with the turn around on the baseline.

King could score off anyone. And he hit at a very high percentage too. Anyone who could score over 30 points a game with Hubie Brooks as their coach is a basketball god. Too bad injuries took away so much from Bernard's game. But he adjusted way better than most to not being a high flying act anymore.

He could get in the lane & elevate over defenders too. What was he? About 6'-7"?

Oh yeah, Jordan. Nobody was beating the Bulls in those days. I hear you about Isiah. He was a terrible GM and coach.

Never really saw King play in his prime but I heard about him. I saw him play a little in his final years with the Bullets. He wasn't the same player obviously.

King was a beast in his prime.

i remember when he went for 50 in back to back games in texas. and also the time he had 60 vs NJ. wow.

yeah 6'-7. the night he came back after the injury was some scene at MSG. never forget it. the captain.

I just looked him up. He was 6'-7". He finished his career with 19,655 points. A 22.5 point per game average. The year he averaged 32.9 points he hit at a .530% clip.

And his coach was Hubie Brown. I got him confused with the baseball player.

And he would shoot over seven foot centers. That guy was flat out amazing.

Earl the Pearl couldn't elevate like King. But he was a whirling dervish in the lane.

"And he would shoot over seven foot centers. That guy was flat out amazing."

yeah his hands were so high on his jumper

They couldn't block it because of his vertical leap or was it that he shot so quickly before they could react?

"They couldn't block it because of his vertical leap or was it that he shot so quickly before they could react?"

he had a tremendous vertical leap and also shot with his hands high above his head on baseline turn arounds. i'm sure he must have been blocked but it didn't happen often, that's for sure.