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This might be one of the first times in a long time that as a New York Knicks fan, I can truly say that I am hopeful of our NBA future going forward.
Let’s start with the new head coach, Jeff Hornacek.
Previously the coach of the Phoenix Suns, and former player across 14 seasons, he put together a 101-112 record over a two and a half year span in the desert. Despite finishing with a 48-34 record in 2013-14, the Suns missed out on the playoffs due to the strength of the Western Conference.
If Hornacek can put together a similar mark in the East, however, the Knicks might make the playoffs for the first time since they fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals in 2013.
From here, we move onto the most notable off-season acquisition, Derrick Rose. Former MVP Rose comes to New York in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.
Rose has suffered through debilitating injuries the past few years, but when he’s healthy, he’s the All-Star, All NBA First-Team point guard who can put up 25 points a night. Last season, he started all 66 games he played in, the most appearances he’s made since his 2010-11 campaign that saw him win the MVP award. If he can work himself back up to over 20 points a night, the Knicks will be a surefire threat in the offensive game with Rose and Carmelo Anthony dropping buckets at will.
Speaking of Carmelo, he’s coming off his ninth All-Star selection, but his numbers dropped last season. His 21.8 points per game were his lowest since his first two seasons in Denver, but he did set a career high for assists, averaging over four a game.
The Knicks added some key pieces in signing Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings.
They improve the offence, but they can also give you a little defence too. Lee has shown he can be a double-digit scorer with good shooting, while Jennings is looking to revitalise his career on his fourth team in as many years.
One of the fastest players in the league, he’s been battling injuries, but if he recaptures the form he displayed in Milwaukee, he could very well win Sixth Man of the Year, as Phil Jackson has predicted.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas is a decorated player in his native Lithuania, picking up numerous accolades in his career. A four-time LKL All-Star, he was the MVP of that game in 2010, while also leading his team to victory in the LKL Finals in 2012 and 2013, winning Finals MVP in 2013. He’d be a good backup to come off the bench behind Carmelo, averaging 12 points a game in the last two years.
The Knicks also brought in two big men to help support Kristaps Porziņģis. The Latvian – affectionately known as Porzingod by the fans – had himself a breakout rookie year in the NBA, averaging over 14 points, seven rebounds and close to two blocks a game as he earned himself a spot on the All-Rookie First Team.
He will most likely stay at the power forward position, as Joakim Noah – also from the Bulls – will lock down the center position. Noah only played in 29 games last season, starting in two of them, but when healthy, he’s a double-double threat who is a great defender. There’s a reason he’s a former Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA First Team, two-time All Star and two time NBA All-Defensive First Team.
This season, on paper, features one of the best squads fielded in a long time. The team have a new coach at the reigns – that’s nothing new – but the talent on the roster is finally just that. Talented.
The Knicks have proven All Stars; players that don’t just have one good season under their belt, but a vast resume to point to that says ‘I’m more than a fluke’.
I never thought a Martin Luther King quote could be used to sum up the state of Knicks basketball, but this one sentence epitomises everything it is to be a fan:
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”.
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