After making some drastic deals the past year, New York has one of the NBA's most fascinating teams. New York added All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire last year and dealt for Carmelo Anthony at the trade cut off point last season to form a solid one-two punch. New York had their first winning year since 2000-2001 and made the postseason for the 1st time since 2003-04 season. They were subsequently swept in the 1st round by Boston though, as key injuries burned out an otherwise talented squad in the postseason.
The Knicks traded away almost all of its youth in Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov to bring in Billups and Anthony to New York. This offseason, they made more of a splash to attempt to compete in the suddenly improving Eastern Conference as soon as this season. They amnestied Billups in the offseason, let go of a flurry of role players in Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Carter, Shawne Williams, Shelden Williams and a couple of others while getting Tyson Chandler thru trade, Mike Bibby thru free agency and Iman Shumpert in the draft. They also got Baron Davis from amnesty waivers for the vet minimum.
This squad is obviously centered around Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Anthony is one of the NBA's best offensive players in the game. He put up 26.3 points and 6.7 boards in 27 contests with New York, but truly showed his worth in the postseason. Stoudemire added 25 points and 8.2 boards a game in his first year with New York. These two guys can be one of the finest pairs in the NBA on offense, but the question is whether they can contribute on the defensive side of the floor.
One player that will make a serious difference for the Knicks defensively is defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler. Chandler was an important element in the Mavericks championship win last year and he will try to instill the same sort of defense and discipline in this essentially offensive-minded team. The Knicks most important concern this year is their lack of depth down low. Jared Jeffries and Josh Harellson aren't exactly solid rotation players.
For the Knicks to be a unparalleled force in the Eastern Conference, third year point guard Toney Douglas and second year shooting guard Landry Fields need to step up big time. While Bibby might be given the starting job, almost all of the time should be given to Douglas till Davis returns from injury later in the year. Douglas put up 10.6 points, 3 boards and 3 assists off the bench last season, and should Douglas get better, he would give a big boost for a Knick team desperate for good point guard play. Fields started 81 times last season and he contributed 9.7 points and 6.4 boards as a rookie. He was one of the best rebounding guards in the game but struggled late in the year after the arriving of Anthony. They anticipate Fields to play better this season but he is not going to get a ton of shots with Anthony and Stoudemire on the squad.
Shumpert's main role on the team will be for his play on the defensive end. Shumpert is an impressive perimeter defender who could see a lot of minutes if the Knicks select a more defensive-oriented lineup.
Prediction: 2nd Eastern Conference Atlantic Division - With my NBA predictions I think the Knicks are definitely a team to watch out for this season. One of their largest failings however is their lack of depth all over the floor. Their defense is also a big question mark and whether or not Mike d'Antoni can play a rather more defensive minded philosophy. Offensively, this team will score a lot but unless they improve defensively, they'll have a tough time winning playoff games come April and May. If they add more pieces off the bench, they could say for the division title and a deeper run in the playoffs, but as it stands they are likely headed straight for the 4th or 5th seed in the East.
The Knicks traded away almost all of its youth in Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov to bring in Billups and Anthony to New York. This offseason, they made more of a splash to attempt to compete in the suddenly improving Eastern Conference as soon as this season. They amnestied Billups in the offseason, let go of a flurry of role players in Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Carter, Shawne Williams, Shelden Williams and a couple of others while getting Tyson Chandler thru trade, Mike Bibby thru free agency and Iman Shumpert in the draft. They also got Baron Davis from amnesty waivers for the vet minimum.
This squad is obviously centered around Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Anthony is one of the NBA's best offensive players in the game. He put up 26.3 points and 6.7 boards in 27 contests with New York, but truly showed his worth in the postseason. Stoudemire added 25 points and 8.2 boards a game in his first year with New York. These two guys can be one of the finest pairs in the NBA on offense, but the question is whether they can contribute on the defensive side of the floor.
One player that will make a serious difference for the Knicks defensively is defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler. Chandler was an important element in the Mavericks championship win last year and he will try to instill the same sort of defense and discipline in this essentially offensive-minded team. The Knicks most important concern this year is their lack of depth down low. Jared Jeffries and Josh Harellson aren't exactly solid rotation players.
For the Knicks to be a unparalleled force in the Eastern Conference, third year point guard Toney Douglas and second year shooting guard Landry Fields need to step up big time. While Bibby might be given the starting job, almost all of the time should be given to Douglas till Davis returns from injury later in the year. Douglas put up 10.6 points, 3 boards and 3 assists off the bench last season, and should Douglas get better, he would give a big boost for a Knick team desperate for good point guard play. Fields started 81 times last season and he contributed 9.7 points and 6.4 boards as a rookie. He was one of the best rebounding guards in the game but struggled late in the year after the arriving of Anthony. They anticipate Fields to play better this season but he is not going to get a ton of shots with Anthony and Stoudemire on the squad.
Shumpert's main role on the team will be for his play on the defensive end. Shumpert is an impressive perimeter defender who could see a lot of minutes if the Knicks select a more defensive-oriented lineup.
Prediction: 2nd Eastern Conference Atlantic Division - With my NBA predictions I think the Knicks are definitely a team to watch out for this season. One of their largest failings however is their lack of depth all over the floor. Their defense is also a big question mark and whether or not Mike d'Antoni can play a rather more defensive minded philosophy. Offensively, this team will score a lot but unless they improve defensively, they'll have a tough time winning playoff games come April and May. If they add more pieces off the bench, they could say for the division title and a deeper run in the playoffs, but as it stands they are likely headed straight for the 4th or 5th seed in the East.
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