New York Knicks Fantasy Preview


By Boaz “Bo” Levy, www.talentedmrroto.com

2004 OVERVIEW
After a very difficult time the past few seasons, the New York Knicks finally accepted their middle of the pack status last year. With an enormous payroll and a roster filled with aging veterans, they finished in a tie for last place in the Atlantic Division at 33-49.

GM Isaiah Thomas did the unthinkable at the trading deadline in February, dealing Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer to San Antonio for conditional first round picks in 2005 and 2006, marking the first time in recent memory that a transaction was made with the future in mind as opposed to the present.

ADDITIONS: LOSSES: PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP:
Quentin Richardson
Jerome James
Channing Frye
Nate Robinson
David Lee Kurt Thomas
Dijon Thompson
Jerome Williams
PG – Stephon Marbury
SG – Jamal Crawford
SF – Quentin Richardson
PF – Michael Sweetney
C – Jerome James

* Still Pending: Allan Houston– Considering retirement as of this writing due to wrist and knee issues.

KEY BENCH GUYS and POSITION BATTLES:

Channing Frye has looked great this summer and there’s a chance that he will be able snatch the starting center gig from James but since he’s young and not a true NBA center, we suspect that he won’t be able to do that until after the start of the regular season - if at all.

Assuming he decides to come back for another year, Allan Houston might also play a major role on this team, taking minutes away from bothJamal Crawford and Quentin Richardson. This is a situation that should be tracked throughout preseason.

THE GUY ON THIS TEAM THAT WE LOVE:

Michael Sweetney’s inside game and bulldog mentality are exactly what this team needs. The trade of Kurt Thomas should clear the way for Sweetney to see significant minutes this year and assuming he can stay out of foul trouble on defense, should be good for 12 points and 8 rebounds per game, while easily shooting better than 50% from the field.

THE GUY ON THIS TEAM WE SUGGEST YOU AVOID:

Jerome James - He’s now moved to a weaker division in a weaker league and he was clearly brought in to start. He’s also a very athletic big man with nice shot-blocking ability that looked great during the first round of the playoffs against the Kings last year. All that and new head coach Larry Brown make James an intriguing fantasy option this year.

Our prediction: one series does not a fantasy star make. He’s a 29-year-old who has never even averaged 17 minutes a game. He’ll most likely be in foul trouble all year long and lose more and more minutes to Frye as the season progresses.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2005:

A definite improvement due more to the hiring of Brown than anything else, but it will only be ever so slight. Brown will likely have the impact that of Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, which is to say that his team can be counted on to finish above .500, but not really make any serious noise come playoff time. The simple fact is that this team has some nice fantasy options in their starting lineup but just don’t have the personnel to win in real life.

A definite improvement due more to the hiring of Brown than anything else, but it will only be ever so slight. Brown will likely have the impact that of Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, which is to say that his team can be counted on to finish above .500,

Posted by martin:

Posted by Marv:

50 wins.

i'm applying the *dido effect of course.


*dido effect = +/- 30

LOL

LOL!