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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Tuesday / December 10.
  • An air of uncertainty hung over Knicks practice Monday afternoon, with head coach Mike D’Antoni and many of the players uncertain what would happen in the coming hours.

    “I think everybody’s waiting the next three days to see what happens, to see if it’s cosmetic, see if it’s big, see whatever,” said D’Antoni, whose team hosts the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday.

    What happened turned out to be big.

    Real Big.

    The Knicks reportedly acquired Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for four players and three draft picks.

    GREENBURGH, N.Y.Timofey Mozgov may be the most important player in the NBA right now.

    But you wouldn’t know it by his aw-shucks attitude Monday after Knicks practice.

    “How I feel it?,” Mozgov, an undrafted 7-foot-1 rookie from Russia, told a slew of about 20 reporters with a smile.

    “Thank you. You tell me this, I didn’t know. I don’t know. It’s great, but I don’t feel lucky.”

    The good news keeps on coming for St. John’s and senior guard Dwight Hardy.

    After edging No. 4 Pittsburgh, 60-59, Saturday at Madison Square Garden on Hardy’s last-second underhand lay-up, the Johnnies on Monday entered The AP Top 25 at No. 23 — their first national ranking since November 2000.

    “I think it’s a benchmark of achievement for the senior class and naturally it will be helpful in recruiting with the national exposure,” St. John’s coach Steve Lavin told the AP. “It is empirical evidence that their hard work is paying off.”

    Arizona-bound forward Sidiki Johnson and uncommitted senior guard Ben McLemore were dismissed from Oak Hill Academy for violating an undisclosed team rule, the Tucson Citzen reported.

    When reached by phone Monday, Oak Hill coach Steve Smith confirmed that two players were no longer on the team and are no longer students at Oak Hill.

    The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Johnson is a New York City native who had transferred to Oak Hill from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark.

    Apparently in response to Adrian Wojnarowski’s scathing column from Sunday indicating the Knicks are in disarray, the team issued the following joint statement from MSG Chairman Jim Dolan, Knicks president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D’Antoni.

    “We want to make it abundantly clear that we have been in constant communication throughout this process and the three of us are in complete agreement with everything that we are currently working on. Together, we will do what is best for the long-term success of the franchise. In addition, we want to make it clear that no one from outside our organization has been involved in this process in any way. We will have no further comment at this time.”

    Woj’s column indicates the Knicks are in disarray over how to handle the Carmelo Anthony trade, and that Isiah Thomas is really calling the shots behind the scenes from his post as head coach at Florida International.

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