nixluva, I admire your ardent enthusiasm, but you are way off on the Knicks relative talent level in the East.
This team UNDERACHIEVED last year.
Not by much. Do you really think we were better than 7-8 even if EVERYTHING went right?
Its not like we didn't have any talent. They shouldn't have ended up with only 33 wins. They went from being predicted to win the weak Atlantic and being in 1st place, to just falling apart.
Who cares where the Knicks were predicted to finish? All kinds of people have different predictions. Predictions mean nothing. Apparently, last year we were pretenders when we were atop the Atlantic division.
We do have talent, but we don't have enough star talent. We have one star, several unknown quantities, and a bunch of average to below average players, some with the potential to be very good because they are still young.
That happens sometimes. With the additions we've made and getting a REAL coach, its not hard to imagine this team making a huge improvement over last year. I think we have just as much talent as any team in the East.
Improving greatly might not be hard to imagine, but it will be hard for it to actually happen with this bunch. To improve this year, something has to happen with the front court. Either a star must emerge or we have to bring someone in. Else, we will get killed on the boards.
Just as much talent as any team in the East? As much as Miami? Detroit? Indiana? Come on.
NJ has the Big 3, but not much else.
The Nets have 3 stars plus up and coming Krstic(A center!), plus Jeff McGinnis, and a couple of other Knicks-level players. They are MUCH more talented than the Knicks.
Philly didn't do anything special to improve and who know how they'll react to Cheeks
I keep thinking(Hoping?) Philly will suck every year but they do it on Iverson's back again and again, plus they have Delambert, who looks like much more of a star prospect than Sweetney to me. Also, maybe Webber will look better this year. No, I think Philly has more star talent at the least.
Milwaukee has more questions than we do. Bogut? How do we know he can have an impact in his 1st year.
The Bucks have Redd plus the number one pick (And a real center to boot!) plus TJ Ford (If he ever plays again.), and a couple of other Knicks-level players. They may not be more talented, but their future looks brighter at the moment.
Wash. has made changes to the formula that they won with last year and to begin with it was a strange team. They didn't pass AT ALL and couldn't shoot, yet they found a way to win.
Washington has/had two scoring-stars (Jamison and Gilbert Arenas). They had a player having a career year(Hughes), and they are big, unlike the Knicks(Especially last year.). This year they replaced Hughes and Dixon with Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins, and Antonio Daniels. The Wizards are more talented than the Knicks.
How do we know that same formula will work for them again.
I though they were changing the formula?
Boston seems to be on an even bigger youth movement than us, so who knows what they'll do.
With Pierce, Al Jefferson and Gerald Greene. Boston is close to the Knicks in talent, but I have to give Boston the edge. I think the Knicks will be better than Boston because Boston's squad is in upheaval. But I thought that last year too and we all saw what happened.
oohah
