The New York Knicks have gone through a big transformation of their roster once again. To say that they are a formidable team in terms of being a high seed in the eastern conference and competing with the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers would be a stretch. But it’s not like they’ll be a bottom seed in the east, they look like they can be in the middle of the playoff seeding based on improvements from last season.
Last season’s starting five for the Knicks was Jose Calderon, Arron Afflalo, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robin Lopez with Derek Fisher being the coach, who would be replaced with Kurt Rambis. That team just didn’t have enough talent to support Carmelo Anthony, especially when he was coming off of knee surgery.
Most of the players on that Knicks team were players that were NBA caliber, but they were just looking for a roster to play on and the players on Knicks team didn’t fit together. This upcoming season, the Knicks have Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah. Five years ago, this would have been super team, but one common factor that has affected Rose, Anthony and Noah - injury. Rose hasn’t played much since his MVP year in the 2010-2011 season because of three knee surgeries he has had. Anthony missed the second half of the 2014-2015 season due to knee surgery and Noah missed most of last season due shoulder surgery. But again, it’s not like they’ll be a bottom seed that just squeezes into the playoffs. This team can still produce and win games, it may not be against teams like the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs but they can still win over 40 games.
Derrick Rose stats did improve after the all star break, and he is getting more used to his body. Joakim Noah isn’t a scorer, he’s the guy to fire up the team, play defense and get rebounds, Anthony is going to do what he does best and that’s be the dominant scorer on team. As for Lee, he gives you three point shooting and defense, and Kristaps Porzingis, possibly the most important player on the team can further develop his skills. A guy that got on everybody's radar in his rookie year as a 7 footer who can shoot from mid range, shoot from three, can block shots, and has shown nice athleticism as well.
One more thing is their coach Jeff Hornacek. He did coach the Phoenix Suns a couple years ago but his career coaching record of 101-112 isn’t enough to tell if he can coach. He did over achieve for two seasons with the Suns who narrowly missed the playoffs twice in a loaded western conference, but in the third season he made it through the season even though they really struggled.
One thing to worry about for the Knicks roster is the bench. It is mostly filled with inexperienced players who haven’t proved if they can play in the NBA. The Knicks won’t be a top two or top three team in the east, it’s a new team so it’s a lot to ask for a team that missed playoffs last year to change the roster, change the coach and be one the top teams in the eastern conference. They could be a fourth, or fifth seeded team with around 45 wins if they stay healthy, and adjust to the coaching system well.
How far could they make it in the playoffs? They could definitely get past the the quarter finals, in semi finals it depends who they play. It will be tough to beat the Raptors, and Celtics, who are established rosters that have gotten better over the past two season.The chances of beating the Cavaliers are extremely low, so a semifinals appearance seems like the ceiling for this Knicks team. If you're a Knicks fan, you can’t complain because the last three seasons for the Knicks have been awful, this team should be back in the playoffs, Porzingis could develop his skills more especially in the playoffs, and it could make the Knicks a more attractive team to play for.
