2009-10 New York Knicks Predictions
Written October 21, 2009 by Jack Jones
The Mike D’Antoni era in New York did not start out as smoothly as some had hoped, but to me there was plenty to be happy about. This team won 32 games compared to 23 the year before, all while dealing with Stephon Marbury sitting out and Eddy Curry playing just three games. The team set a record with 23 players seeing floor time, so the transition year wasn’t easy to D’Antoni’s up-tempo style. This team still doesn’t have a load of talent, but I love D’Antoni as a coach so if the players fit into his style and keep working hard, this is a team that could potentially find itself in the playoff race. I don’t think they quite make that jump, and the NBA odds makers don’t seem to believe so either as the Knicks are 60-to-1 favorites to win the Eastern Conference and 80-to-1 to win the NBA Finals. If you are going to bet the NBA this year, then take a look at the $500 signup bonus being offered to our readers by BetUS Sportsbook.
Backcourt
Chris Duhon is the starting point guard and is coming off a solid season in which he put up 11.1 points and 7.2 assists per game, but Nate Robinson was D’Antoni’s best player last season with 17.2 points, 4.1 assists, and a surprising 3.9 rebounds per game and he’ll see plenty of minutes. Wilson Chandler will be the team’s top shooting guard and his growth and development is key for the Knicks success. Last year he scored 14.4 ppg and his length and versatility make him a real threat. Larry Hughes is getting older, but is a capable backup to Wilson, plus the team has rookie Toney Douglas out of Florida State.
Frontcourt
Al Harrington was the team’s leading scorer a year ago with 20.1 points per game and will be the starting power forward, but will also see time at the three. Jared Jeffries is the front-runner at small forward, yet he’s versatile enough to play anywhere in the frontcourt and is capable of guarding anyone on the opposing team. David Lee starts at center and is coming off a 16 points, 11.7 rebounds per game season. He also shot 55% from the floor and added 2.1 assists per game. For depth, the team aquired Darko Milicic to back up Lee and he’s a low-risk, high-reward signee. He is a seven-footer who can shoot and pass so there is some excitement about what he can do in D’Antoni’s system. Danilo Gallinari though is the future. He was limited to just 28 games in his first season, but he has all of the offensive skills and a lot of potential. Last year New York was 14-14 when Gallinari played and 18-36 when he was off the floor.
Summary
This team should be fun to watch and if players like Gallinari and Chandler develop quickly, and if Darko and Curry can live up to their potential, this team could be in the mix for a playoff spot at the end of the year. Most likely though you’ll see them rebuilding and looking to win down the road. With our NBA predictions we see them just behind Philadelphia but a better team than New Jersey, so a 4th place finish in the Atlantic seems likely.
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