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FanHouse Preview: Knicks

Matt Watson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Knicks, NBA Preseason, NBA Previews

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The Knicks have slowly climbed their way out of salary cap hell -- but all that got them is a season in NBA purgatory.

Instead of making moves toward actual improvement, the Knicks are blatantly looking past this season to next summer when they hope to strike it rich with the famed free agent class of 2010. But while Donnie Walsh's long-term strategy may eventually pay dividends, it offers little hope in the interim that the Knicks might rise above last year's fifth-place finish in the Atlantic.

More NBA '09-'10 Previews
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Players to Watch: Spencer Hawes | Danilo Gallinari

Consider their competition: the Celtics are a virtual lock to repeat as division champs, and the 76ers could return to the playoffs if Elton Brand returns to form; the Raptors would like to join them after fortifying their roster with a handful of free agents; and even if the Nets spin their tires in the win-loss column this year, at least they're doing it with a clearly-established young nucleus.

The Knicks, on the other hand, consist of an odd collection of expiring contracts (including Larry Hughes, Al Harrington, Darko Milicic and Chris Duhon), previous mistakes (namely Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries) and promising but flawed youngsters.

Two guys you might think are building blocks, David Lee and Nate Robinson, spent all summer dangling in the wind before signing one-year deals shortly before training camp -- potentially paving the way to leave via unrestricted free agency next year.

New York's offense, while prolific, is hardly efficient: they ranked fourth in the league in scoring but 17th in offensive efficiency. You know what might have helped? A franchise point guard.

Unfortunately, after missing out on Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry in the draft, the Knicks passed on Brandon Jennings and, despite lengthy negotiations, they decided against signing the surprisingly affordable Ramon Sessions. Instead, Duhon will continue playing far more minutes than any sane basketball fan should ever choose to watch.

To be fair, while the Knicks aren't headed for marked improvement, at least they're not getting worse -- Milicic may be a punchline, but he's a stout interior defender on a team that desperately needs defense; Danilo Gallinari remains intriguing after a wasted rookie season; Jordan Hill, the ninth-overall pick in the 2009 draft, is certainly raw but has the physical tools to someday evolve into an Amar'e-type player in Mike D'Antoni's system.

But no matter how optimistic you may be, there's no denying that this roster is constructed to bide time, not contend. All that's left is figuring out which players will be around when Walsh attempts to sign the biggest pieces of the puzzle next summer.

Last Season By the Numbers

Record: 32-50 under Mike D'Antoni. Fifth in the Atlantic Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Offense: 108.1 points per 100 possesions, 17th in the NBA. 12th in shooting, 12th in turnover rate, 27th in offensive rebounding, 28th in free throw rate.

Defense: 110.8 points per 100 possessions, 23rd in the NBA. 28th in shooting defense, 17th in opponent turnover rate, 20th in defensive rebounding, 7th in opponent free throw rate.

Top Performers: Al Harrington led the team in scoring at 20.7 points per game. Fellow holdovers Nate Robinson and David Lee scored 17.2 points and 16 points per game, respectively. Lee averaged 11.7 rebounds per game. Chris Duhon averaged 7.2 assists per game. Lee (19.0), Robinson (18.9) and Harrington (16.4) were the only rotation players with above average PERs.

All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.

Player to Watch

FanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Ziller's post on Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari.

The Knicks' future basically boils down to two players: Danilo Gallinari and Major Free Agent Acquisition To-Be-Named-Later. Guys like Wilson Chandler and Jordan Hill -- and maybe even David Lee -- will have roles on the next good Knicks team. But the timeline for that team's arrival and the heights to which that Knicks team can go rests on Gallinari's development and the acquisition talents of the Donnie Walsh front office. The Knicks seem to be aware that Gallinari is the one player who needs to stay, and who needs to develop. He'll shoot as much as he wants in Mike D'Antoni's offense. Assuming he's healthy, he'll play huge minutes. He will own either the small forward or shooting guard position for this season and beyond.

Until next July 1, The Rooster is The Franchise. And that's a huge boon for him, given that he needs to prove himself and everyone else that last year was not a fluke.

See Ziller's full post on Gallinari.

Offseason Tracker

IN: Jordan Hill (draft), Toney Douglas (draft), Darko Milicic (trade).

OUT: Quentin Richardson (trade).

FanHouse Preview: Knicks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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