New York Knicks Season Preview – NBA Predictions
The New York Knicks took a major step forward last season, and after running into a buzzsaw in the postseason last year, the team reloaded in the offseason and looks to make another run toward the NBA Finals this year.
New York Knicks
Eastern Conference
2012-13 Record: 54-28
Odds to win title: 22 to 1
Odds to win conference: 9 to 1 from [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
NY Knicks
Key Losses
Steve Novak – Few players can hit the three like Novak, but he contributed little else to the Knicks.
Chris Copeland – Copeland posted some tremendous stat lines when given minutes in place of injured players, but he was never called upon to contribute in any meaningful way when the team’s roster was fully intact.
Top Newcomers
Andrea Bargnani – The Knicks must see something that the Raptors didn’t, as the Toronto franchise was more than willing to give the former No. 1 overall pick away for scraps. New York believes that Bargnani can be the secondary scoring threat playing alongside Carmelo Anthony that the team has desperately needed for year.
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Bargnani is an athletic big who can stretch the floor, but lacks effort on defense and under the boards.
Metta World Peace – The former Ron Artest doesn’t bring to the court what he once did, but he still plays with an edge, and can provide the team a big boost at the defensive end, while stretching the floor with an improved game from long distance.
Top Players
It’s still the ‘Melo show in New York. Andrea Bargnani comes in to play what the Knicks hope will be a major role, while a healthy Amar’e Stoudemire will certainly help, at least at the offensive end. Tyson Chandler covers up a lot of the defensive deficiencies that those three bring to the table. [ad-6571516]
J.R. Smith was a monster off the bench for the Knicks last year. Bringing him back was the right move.
Strengths
The team is loaded with scoring options from Anthony to Bargnani to Stoudemire to Smith. Scoring won’t be a problem despite a lack of playmakers in the backcourt. Expect the Knicks to be able to fill the bucket with ease this season. Steve Novak is gone, but the Knicks will again be a team that relies heavily on their success from beyond the three-point line, an area they can be expected to perform admirably in once again this season.
Weaknesses
To call it a weakness is unfair, but the Knicks won’t be able to rely as heavily on their three-point shooting as they did last season. Defense could also be a problem, particularly when the trio of Anthony-Stoudemire-Bargnani end up on the court at the same time.
2013-14 Prediction: 47-35
Reports of a complete collapse in New York are greatly overstated. The team may be forced to step away from their reliance on the three-pointer, but they are still above average in that category. The Knicks came out like gangbusters last season, so let’s not read too much into their inflated win total.
With that being said, the landscape in the East, particularly the Atlantic, looks favorable. The Brooklyn Nets will give the Knicks a run for the Atlantic title, but games against Philadelphia and pre-Rondo Boston should be a cakewalk, helping the Knicks to build up their win total.
