Haven't gone through all of this yet, but they've got Knicks at 7th in East

Nets
Bucks
Heat
Hawks
76ers
Celtics
Knicks
Hornets

East will be tough this year. I expect to be better than the C's -still see them as a two-man team, not impressed with Schroeder - and I think losing Stevens on the bench will be a tougher blow than they're expecting. The other teams, I'm optimistic we'll be higher (I've had my Koolaid and slotted 3rd on the record predictor), but definitely a debate to be had on those in front of us.

Don't think Miami will be as good as people think either.

Ranking Randle #42 in the league is utter trash though. NBA All 2nd team sound familiar?

14. New York Knicks
When we last saw them ...
After a terrific regular season, the Knicks were humbled by Trae Young and the Hawks in the first round. They added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to rectify what cost them in that series: woeful offensive production.

Win-loss projections

ESPN Forecast: 44-38

FiveThirtyEight: 43-39

Caesars: 42.5 wins | Title odds: +8000

Knicks in NBArank

Julius Randle (42)

Kemba Walker (70)

Derrick Rose (91)

Mitchell Robinson (93)

Most impactful offseason move: Can Kemba Walker stay healthy?

If Walker's knee can hold up, his arrival could be a massive boost for the Knicks. Take a look at coach Tom Thibodeau's track record with small point guards. He has gotten tons of production out of guys such as Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin in the past; imagine what he could do with Walker if he's anywhere close to his All-Star form. Walker's knee has been a problem for two calendar years, at least in spurts, but he was excellent in the 2020 playoffs in the bubble.

Breakout candidate: Mitchell Robinson

It's a huge season for Robinson, who so far has not been signed to a contract extension, meaning he could be an unrestricted free agent in 2022. The 7-footer is an elite shot-blocker and dunker, but he's coming off an injury-shortened season and the Knicks gave Nerlens Noel a healthy contract in the offseason. Robinson is going to have to earn his time. If he does, the Knicks could have a weapon on their hands.

Pivot point for 2021-22: What's left for the encore?

Last season was a massive surprise in New York. While everyone expected the Knicks would play hard and play defense under Thibodeau, few people were anticipating them breaking through the way they did, finishing with the fourth seed in the East and getting home court in the first round of the playoffs.

Then again, the reason people didn't think that could happen came to the fore when New York went up against a young, but talented, Hawks team: New York just didn't have the talent to keep up.

Still, after maximizing every bit of what they had last year, it was impressive to see the Knicks go into the offseason and, once again, show restraint and smarts in building their roster. They gave out only two- and three-year guaranteed deals, including getting Walker after he was bought out by Oklahoma City, maintaining their flexibility going forward. And, unlike so many times in the past, New York didn't try to skip steps.

One game you can't miss: Christmas Day vs. Hawks (ESPN)

Young's return to Madison Square Garden will be electric. After he took on the mantle of Garden villain in a way no one has since Reggie Miller, fans will be ready to go at him on the sport's biggest regular-season stage.

-- Bontemps

foosballnick wrote:My take on the analysis is that it's almost as if RJ Barrett does not exist to certain media outlets.

Or Evan Fournier 🤣 He's on the same tier as THJ, but I've seen a number of these "ranking" have THJ significantly higher. Also, I think you'd have to give the Knicks an edge over the Celts, but whatever. Thanks for posting the text and saving me from clicking on the link.

I like the part of remaining smart and flexible. I see a team with a lot of players working hard to get to the next tier. Really only Kemba/Rose who are the old floor generals are just tying to stay healthy and play, but literally everyone else on the roster all have something to prove. Even Taj plays like he's got a point to prove... I think most of the optimism comes from the combo of players/coaches who are the hardest working most dedicated group I have seen since Riley's Knicks

fishmike wrote:

MaTT4281 wrote:
Ranking Randle #42 in the league is utter trash though. NBA All 2nd team sound familiar?

Bradley Beal was ranked 11. Its clearly based on sentiment and not last year. Randle's rank simply says they dont think he's the player he was last year. Pretty sure folks are in for a surprise

The media still thinks Randle is the 2nd option on a good team and the Knicks are still missing that number 1 option. They aren’t completely wrong. I like the part about how we are continuing to build and not skipping steps.

fishmike wrote:

MaTT4281 wrote:
Ranking Randle #42 in the league is utter trash though. NBA All 2nd team sound familiar?

Bradley Beal was ranked 11. Its clearly based on sentiment and not last year. Randle's rank simply says they dont think he's the player he was last year. Pretty sure folks are in for a surprise

wargames wrote:I think we compete for 1st seed in the East

This squad isn’t playing around and they all got a chip on their shoulder with something to prove. NY teams like that tend to be dangerous.

This is the best take in this thread. If we stay even relatively healthy we are going to the ECF.

foosballnick wrote:My take on the analysis is that it's almost as if RJ Barrett does not exist to certain media outlets.

Yeah this is right - Barrett's largely ignored, but his progression is the Knicks' wild card, as it was last year. Not sure how he doesn't crack the top 100, but no matter to us. We know what he brings to the table and what his upside is, so let's have fun watching.