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2008 New York Knicks Predictions & Preview

Written by Luke Knight on October 28, 2008

The New York Knicks have been a disappointing mess of an organization and the laughingstock of the league for far too long now. The organization hired a new president of basketball operations, Donnie Walsh to turn things around. Walsh then immediately hired Mike D’Antoni, who is best known for his success in Phoenix where the Suns averaged better than 50 wins a year over 5 seasons. D’Antoni brings a fast-paced style which should be more exciting to watch. Continue reading to find out if we think the Knicks will finally get it together and return to the once proud organization it used to be. Check out BetUS where the New York Knicks are at +4500 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

Despite what Stephon Marbury says, Chris Duhon will be the starting point guard for the Knicks this season. Duhon averaged 5.8 points and 4.0 assists in 22.6 minutes last season for Chicago. Duhon is a pass-first point guard and a decent defender. He has only shot .387 in his career, but he should get better with more minutes. Marbury will likely backup Duhon. It will be interesting to say the least to see him adapt to his role as backup, and it is very possible that the Knicks will never be as good at point guard as they can be until Marbury is gone.

Jamal Crawford has been in the NBA for 8 years now and has yet to play a playoff game. Crawford is a streak shooter who can get off-the-charts hot or arctic cold. He shot .410 last season, the second best mark in five years, and had a career high 20.6 points per game average. Crawford takes some ill-advised shots at times, but should be a good fit in D’Antoni’s system. Mardy Collins is the slated backup to Crawford. Collins is a bit slow and lacking in athleticism for this system it seems, but he brings good size and is a smart player.

Quentin Richardson enjoyed his best overall season playing for D’Antoni in Phoenix in 2004-2005 when he averaged 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. He will look to replicate the success he had back then, because last season he shot a horrendous .359 and had offseason back surgery. Wilson Chandler should come off the bench. He can shoot, get to the rim, and will defend. He is inexperienced but has a great upside.

David Lee hustles, grinds, rebounds, and is improving offensively. He is a fan favorite and energizes the crowd. Some think he is better in short minutes, but the fans want this guy for the major minutes. Jared Jeffries will play behind Lee. Jeffries is like glue on defense and can defend all positions. He should be more of a cut and slash to the rim type guy, but isn’t and struggles offensively. Jeffries with the ball means someone is getting double-teamed elsewhere, that is how bad his offense is.

Zach Randolph averaged a double-double, but he is lacking on defense and passing. And as good as Randolph is at scoring, he is as bad at passing. Randolph also needs to improve his on-court chemistry, because even averaging a double-double last season the Knicks only won 23 wins. He will get the nod in the middle though he is more of a natural power forward. Eddy Curry will back him up. Curry is a low post scorer for sure, but his minutes were erratic, he is a below average rebounder for his size, and isn’t a great shot-blocker. Curry also needs to improve on defense and passing.

Final Analysis

Our NBA predictions show that the Knicks have things moving in the right direction with Mike D’Antoni running the show, but that is about all this team has going for it. The Knicks have terrible chemistry on the court and they lack the talent that other teams in their division have. The new system should be more entertaining than what Knicks’ fans have had in quite some time, and this season should be an improvement on last season, but the division and conference have gotten stronger. We have the Knicks finishing 5th in the Atlantic Division behind the Nets, Celtics, Raptors, and Sixers. The Knicks are at +10000 odds to win the NBA Championship at BetUS. With such low expectations, this team will be one to watch on a nightly basis, because they should get some pretty favorable NBA lines most nights.

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