Knicks Kick Off Quest to Return to Playoffs
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“We need to get to the playoffs just to see what it feels like,” said guard Nate Robinson in the MSG Knicks season preview show. “To bring that back to New York I think that would be a beautiful thing.”
The Knicks are coming off an up-and-down season that saw head coach Mike D’Antoni introduce his exciting up-tempo system to the Big Apple, the management make some major player personnel moves and the team make a playoff push that lasted until the end of May. The Knicks finished fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 32-50 record.
In June, the Knicks used their lottery pick to select forward Jordan Hill at No. 8 and bought the 29th pick from the Lakers to select guard Toney Douglas. They also dealt guard Quentin Richardson to Memphis in exchange for 7-foot center Darko Milicic. New York ended its offseason by re-signing restricted free agents David Lee and Robinson days before training camp opened in Saratoga Springs earlier this month.
The main core of players from last season remained intact as Knicks president Donnie Walsh stuck to his original plan of getting under the salary cap for next summer.
“I think we did the best we could do in trying to be competitive for this year and yet retain the salary-cap flexibility that we want next year and the year after,” Walsh said. “That was the goal when I got here and that remains the goal.”
Danilo Gallinari, last year’s first-round pick, might be entering his second season, but the Knicks view him as a key addition to the team. Gallinari played only 28 games (the Knicks went 14-14 with him in the lineup) during his rookie campaign as he battled a nagging back injury. He underwent surgery at the end of the season and is now pain-free entering Wednesday’s regular-season opener in Miami.
The only setback Gallinari faced during training camp was getting his legs back underneath him, which has clearly affected his jump shot. After head coach Mike D’Antoni stated that Gallinari was the best shooter he’s ever seen, Gallinari struggled from the field in seven exhibition games, shooting just 31 percent.
But the Knicks aren’t the least bit concerned of Gallinari’s shooting woes. Gallinari brings a lot more to the table than just knocking down 3-pointers. The team has been very impressed with his defense and ability to find his open teammates when his shot isn’t there.
“He’s 21 years old and he’s still by far the youngest guy on the team,” Walsh said. “He is going to have to get stronger and all that, but the one thing I’m not going to worry about is if he’s not hitting shots because I know he can shoot the ball. The reason I like Danilo is that he can bring a team together. He’s got enough game a feel for the game that he can bring a team together and bring the best out of the other players.”
Wilson Chandler, who has been the starting shooting guard throughout most of camp, is also 100 percent healthy after surgery. Chandler had a procedure done to remove bone spurs in his left ankle in early June. It took him a little while to get his wind back, but he’s ready to begin the 82-game season.
“I just have to play hard to make up for the time I missed,” Chandler said.
The only player to sustain an injury during the preseason was center Eddy Curry, who tore his right calf muscle in the second practice of camp. Curry is currently working on getting back in shape to be able to make an impact this season.
The Knicks finished the preseason with an impressive 5-2 record that included a 108-103 victory over the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden last Tuesday. While their offense only produced 97.6 points per game –below last seasons average of 105.2 – the Knicks looked solid on the defense, an area that they knew they had to work on in order to be successful this season.
The Knicks held opponents under 100 points in five of their seven games exhibition games.
“We have to get our energy level up the whole season and that alone can get you another 10 wins,” D’Antoni said. “We lost a lot of games by five points or less - about 18 - and a lot of that is defense. We have to come up with big stops.”
What to look out for:
The Starters – In the Knicks’ two final dress rehearsals, D’Antoni started Chris Duhon and Chandler in the backcourt with Al Harrington, Lee and Jared Jeffries up front.
The Rotation – D’Antoni typically likes to play just eight or nine players each game. The first players to come off the bench in the last two games were Robinson, Douglas, Milicic and Gallinari.
Jeffries From Long Range – The Knicks big man, who worked on his jumper during the offseason, knocked down at least one 3-pointer in each of the seven preseason games. He made only one last season and four the year before.
Milicic’s D – The Knicks, who ranked last in rejections the last two seasons, now have a legit shot blocker in Milicic. The 7-footer is averaging 1.45 blocks in 211 games over the last three seasons, which is 16th in the NBA among players who have played at least 200 games.
Limited tickets for the Knicks home opener this Saturday night vs. the Philadelphia 76ers are now available. Click here to purchase.
