2011-12 NY Knicks Overview
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 dealt away most of its young talent in Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov to get Billups and Anthony to New York. This offseason, the Knicks made far more of a splash to try and compete in the all of a sudden improving Eastern Conference as fast as this year. They amnestied Billups during the offseason, let go of a burst of role players in Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Carter, Shawne Williams, Shelden Williams and a few others while getting Tyson Chandler through trade, Mike Bibby through free agency and Iman Shumpert in the draft. They also signed Baron Davis from amnesty waivers for the vet minimum.
This squad is centered around Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Anthony is one of the NBA’s best offensive players in the game. He contributed 26.3 points and 6.7 boards in 27 contests with New York, but really showed his worth in the postseason. Stoudemire contributed 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 make a contribution on the defensive side of the floor.
One guy that can make a huge difference for New York defensively is defensive stud Tyson Chandler. Chandler was a key part in the Mavs title win last season and he’s going to try to implant the same kind of defense and discipline in this basically offensive-minded team. The Knicks main concern this season is their shortage of depth on the inside. Jared Jeffries and Josh Harellson are not precisely solid rotation guys.
For the Knicks to be an elite force in the Eastern Conference, third year point guard Toney Douglas and second year shooting guard Landry Fields need to step up massively. While Bibby may be given the starting job, most of the time should be given to Douglas till Davis returns from injury later in the year. Douglas contributed 10.6 points, 3 boards and 3 assists off the bench last season, and should Douglas get better, he would give a massive 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 appearance of Anthony. They anticipate Fields to play better this season but he’s not going to get plenty of shots with Anthony and Stoudemire on the squad.
Shumpert’s main job on the squad will be for his play on the defensive end. Shumpert is an outstanding outside defender who could see lots of time should the Knicks opt for a rather more defensive-oriented lineup.
Pick: 2nd Eastern Conference Atlantic Division – With my NBA predictions I think the Knicks are surely a team to look out for this year. One of their biggest issues however is their shortage of depth all over the court. Their defense is also a massive question mark and whether Mike d’Antoni can play a more defensive minded philosophy. Offensively, this team will score a lot but unless they improve defensively, they’re going to have a hard time winning playoff games come April and May. If they add more pieces off the bench, they could contend for the division title and a deeper run in the playoffs, but as it stands they’re likely headed for the 4th or 5th seed in the East.
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