For some reason this summer, I’ve been focusing a lot on the New York Knicks.
For some reason, I am thinking this could be a pretty good year for them.
For some reason, and don’t ask me why, I am starting to look at the Knicks and think … well, this team could be a sleeper in the Eastern Conference.
OK, I admit that maybe I just feel sorry for them.
After all, the Knicks haven’t been to the playoffs in SIX YEARS, which ties the Minnesota Timberwolves for the league’s longest streak.
Or how about this: Only one Knick has made the All-Star team since the 2001-02 season. And David Lee qualified last year as a fill-in. And he has since moved on to Golden State.
In his spot is Amare Stoudemire, whom many consider an improvement over Lee. Stoudemire is more forceful underneath the basket, and one of the game’s great finishers.
The bad news is he supposedly has scrambled eggs for knees and an allergy to defense.
But I am here to focus on the good stuff. Like how Stoudemire has flourished in coach Mike D’Antoni’s system while the two of them were in Phoenix.
And how the Knicks finally have a starting point guard in Raymond Felton, who came over from Charlotte. Whether you're impressed with Felton or not, at least he was a starter before he came to the Knicks. That's a lot more than you can say for any other point guard in the D’Antoni era.
There are a few other reasons I like the Knicks, and a lot of it has to do with potential (as opposed to what’s actually taken place on the court).
For instance, second-year guard Toney Douglas showed some promise last season, playing in 56 games and averaging 8.6 points.
You also have to like the additions of Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike, Both came from the Warriors in the Lee trade, and both are likely to fit D’Antoni’s system very well. The same is true of underrated energy man Ronny Turiaf.
Then there are holdovers such as Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, whose 186 three-pointers made last season were second most in Knicks history.
And who knows what may finally become of young swingman Bill Walker, who will get a full training camp with the team after arriving late last season from Boston (in the deal involving Nate Robinson)?
Now, don’t misunderstand. I’m not here to tell you the Knicks are championship-bound. Not with Miami, Orlando and Boston obstructing the rest of the Eastern Conference’s path.
I won’t even guarantee the Knicks will make the playoffs.
But I will tell you that I like D’Antoni’s system, especially if he has some real talent and depth. I do believe Stoudemire and Gallinari are good places to start. And I do think something big could happen if some of the other guys come around.
If all that happens -- and no one will believe this today -
- a No. 4 playoff seed is not out of the question for the Knicks.
Go ahead, laugh. You won’t be the first.
But the bottom line is the Knicks have some promise and are entering the season as an unknown. That’s a heck of a lot better than the past several years, and Knicks fans should be thankful for it.
Source: http://www.thehoopsnews.com/amico_090710.html
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