Better that way.

The league is gaining more parity thru the CBA and at some point it gains traction. Miami really has not improved much off season because of its salary structure. For them, I can seem them "saving" wade and perhaps even falling in the standings.

Indy seems to gain favor as they now have Cope. Just kidding. The Assumption is Granger comes back healthy, stays healthy and the chemistry is there. Have to say the same thing about every team.

WHich leads us to Chicago and naturally former MVP Rose gets over the ACL "yips" while Reinsdoff counts his insurance check. IM sure he'll thank Rose with a nice extension one day in return. Deng, Noah, Rose, Booze and Dunlevy is pretty good.

Got the consensus top three and then we got the Knicks and Nets. My feeling is one of these two will better than the 4-5 spot as one of the top 3 will not fulfil its preseaon hype. We got months to figure these two out. Nets core was pretty good and its support just got really good. Knicks core I thought played up last year and Woodson was awesome. Jeeze, this should be a new thread all together but if he can do for Bargs what he did for JR and Melo with Stat returning to some form of consistancy they too might suprise.

Naturally for all the above lots of things have to come together.

I think its high time the Wiz actually make some noise and return to the playoffs. If not look for George Karl to take the reigns. Im making this crap as I go along.

Boston and Philly could be wastelands to help east teams booster win totals. Toronto might not be a door mat but the Atlantic is a two team race between Knisk/Nets. This will help boost seeding.

I would not get too comfortable if Miami takes on Losses to be better rested for playoffs. We have read Knicks might take a similar stance. Nets depth should allow them to do the same taking a page out of the Yankees playbook in years past. Pay up for proven talent and keep them healthy for year end run. Nets are an interesting group.

On the more homer front I'll be rooting big time for our Gallo by Proxy substitute Bargs to fulfil his destiny. Interesting that Toronto trades one Raptor underachiever for another. Camby was former no. 1 pick who did not fulfil his status. with the weight off his shoulders and lowered expectations Knicks have found a new Kiki V, Camby, Spree, LJ, Dice, and Marbury type ubercontract underachiever type player defected by either injury or mental softness. Its a familiar chapter we have all come to understand. Odds do dictate sometimes they work out wonderful as a players body matures and gets used to the professional demands that come with the game.

As Briggs said a few weeks back, it is possible for the knicks to be better this year. As Nalod interjected, it might not equate to more wins as we have to see how the rest of the league matches up and how fresh we want to be come playoff time. Same can be said for every team in the league.

Early take. Interest is high.

Go Pelicans!!!

wow- Ian Thomsen from SI was the only writer to predict we'd finish 1st in the Atlantic!:

After being in transition for years, New York entered a full training camp with coach Mike Woodson emphasizing defense around a front line of leaders who are capable of protecting the paint. Health permitting, the Knicks will build their defense around Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler, former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, who will prove valuable when the playoffs come. Carmelo Anthony is in terrific shape after the Olympics and promised to share the ball with Amar'e Stoudemire, who spent the summer developing his low-post game. Most important is the acquisition of Jason Kidd, who will help fellow point guard Raymond Felton establish a flow to enable Anthony and Stoudemire to work in tandem. They'll be seeking to reincarnate the gritty climate of the old Jeff Van Gundy Knicks, and it's an achievable goal.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/ian_thomsen/10/15/nba-preview-atlantic-division/index.html

My favourite:

The New York Knicks ended the 2012 campaign on a very sour note, but heading into training camp for the 2013 season everyone on the team is saying all of the right things. Amar’e Stoudemire says he’s healthy again and in great shape, Raymond Felton told HOOPSWORLD in Las Vegas he was as hungry as ever to get back on the court, Carmelo Anthony is saying he sees titles in the team’s immediate future and Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby are both saying they’re willing to sacrifice their numbers in order to push the team over the hump. The Knicks look really good on paper, but the game isn’t played on a stack of loose-leaf paper. I’m not personally sold on the Knicks putting it all together this season. If they do, they can definitely make some noise but I’m not ready to co-sign this as a formality just yet.

5th Place – Atlantic Division

– Lang Greene

http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-2013-new-york-knicks-season-preview

EnySpree wrote:Miami:
Haslem, Lebron, Bosh, Chalmers, Wade
Key reserves: Ray Allen, Battier, Cole, Birdman

Bulls:
Boozer, Deng, Noah, Rose, Butler
Key reserves: Taj Gibson, Dunlevy, Hinrich

Indiana:
West, Granger, Hibbert, Hill, George
Key reserves: Stevenson, Copeland, Watson

Brooklyn:
Kg, PP, Lopez, Deron, Joe
Key reserves: ak-47, Jason terry, Evans, Blatche

Knicks:
Melo, Nani, Tyson, Felton, Shump
Key reserves: amare, MWP, jr smith, priggy

Health will play a big part in all this....
The knicks if healthy and clicking coming out of training camp we should be damn good. Same ifs on every other team.

Biggest headaches will come from teams like these, any of these teams could surprise all of us....Wizards:
Nene, Webster, ok4, Wall, Bradley beal
Key reserves: seraphin, ariza, maynor, and their youth

Cleveland:
Earl Clark, Gee, Bynum, Irving, waiters
Key reserves: zeller, Tristan, jarred jack, varejao, cj miles

Detroit:
Josh smith, singler, Monroe, knight, chancey
Key reserves: Drummond, will Bynum, stuckey, jerebko (plus all the pieces to make a rondo deal happen)

Charlotte:
Mc Roberts, MKG, al Jefferson, kemba, (resigned Gerald Henderson?)
Key reserves: sessions, Gordon, Cody zeller

Gonna be fun games this year

I'd replace Charlotte w/ Toronto

Lowry, DeRozan, Gay, Hansbrough/Amir Johnson, Valanciunus - (who could be major reason)
Key reserves: Ross, Fields, Augustin, Acy, Aaron Gray

EnySpree wrote:The nets just signed Alan Henderson from Toronto. That's a nice signing. They are looking stacked and ready for the injury big if it should hit. One of the deepest team in the nba.

The pacers are rumored to get Scola.

Do the knicks need another vet? Right now we have 3 slots open...we already have two rookies I'm Tim Hardaway and Leslie....Jeremy Tyler us a given...so with two shots left what do we do?

So much talent out there. Mo Williams jumps out. So does Delante West. Tyrus Thomas is out there still too....Gustavo, Drew gooden....

I've never liked Tyrus Thomas but he would be my pick. He's a decent backup big man who's been put in bad situation after bad situationso there's a chance he can improve. I also don't trust Kenyon Martin to stay healthy over the course of a full season.

Nalod wrote:I have seen Ty Thomas play for the bobcats and am astonished at just how bad he is. He has many tools but just never put it together.

What is it that he does that is so bad? (I can't remember ever noticing him play!)- I remember he had a great NCAA playoffs but seems to be out of the league now. Can't believe the Bulls traded LaMarcus Aldridge for him on draft night (They even needed offense!)- made even more annoying by the fact it was our pick! They took our pick and wasted it!

EnySpree wrote:Tyrus is an undersized Tyson. Super athlete but not the best basketball player. Thing is Tyson is 7'1" so he would be better at the things they both do. But at 6'9" tyrus is a way better **** blocker. Tyrus us Kmart without the basketball IQ....

I do wonder if Tyrus could be tutored by K-Mart, but he may have passed the point of no return.