2009-10 New York Knicks preview
2008-09 Record: 32-50, fifth place in Atlantic Division
Key Additions: Darko Milicic, Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas
Key Losses: Chris Wilcox, Quentin Richardson
WagerWeb.com odds to win East: +4300
For the New York Knicks, success this season will be defined by a near .500 record and maybe one of the final playoff spots in the East. The reality is, however, that this team is totally geared to the summer of 2010 when it will offer two maximum-level contracts to some of the game’s biggest stars, with the top target of course being LeBron James. A fourth-place finish in the Atlantic looks like a dead-lock cinch this season because this team simply doesn’t have a big-name, go-to guy that commands double teams and can win games by himself.
It is possible for this team to overachieve simply because so many guys are in contract years, including Al Harrington, David Lee and Nate Robinson. Plus New York is expecting much more out of second-year player Danilo Gallinari.
“He has added about seven to 10 pounds of muscle, and in the 28 games last year that he played, we were 14-for-14,” coach Mike D’Antoni says. “We hope that translates into 82 games.”
A surprise last year for New York was forward Wilson Chandler, now entering his third year. A virtual nonfactor as a rookie, Chandler averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds last year.
At least the Knicks will be fun to watch and probably hit a lot of over totals on WagerWeb.com. Under D’Antoni, the Knicks push the tempo — only Golden State played at a faster pace than their 98.9 possessions per 48 minutes. The Knicks attempted .322 3-point attempts per field goal attempt, the second highest rate in the league and nearly one-and-a-half times the league average. Unfortunately, they landed only 21st in accuracy at 36 percent.
The only Knicks signed beyond next summer are Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries, Gallinari, Chandler and this year’s draft picks, Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas. The Knicks are hoping Gallinari, Chandler, Hill, a re-signed Lee and two stud free agents turn them into a contender next season.
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