New York Knicks:A New Season Brings New Hope

The start of a new NBA season has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The league always has a lot of movement in the offseason, so its fun to speculate about how teams will fair with the changes they made. You can always count on the New York media to intensify this speculation when it comes to the New York Knicks. For me, no matter how negative the press is or how bad the outlook is, I always have the highest optimism for the Knicks on opening night. As I wait for their first game to tip off against Memphis this season, I really believe they will be much improved and will contend for a playoff position. I will get back with you in February, as thats usually when its clear that the Knicks will disappoint once again.

I really miss the good times of the 90's, when the Knicks were title contenders for many years. Even with all the optimism, I know this team is no where near that status, but it would be nice to get back into the playoffs this year. While many want Isiah to fail dramatically and get kicked out of New York, I really think he can do a much better job with this team then Larry Brown. His positive reinforcement will make a big difference with several of the players on this team. I could go over the pros and cons of this team but in the end, I think their success will ultimately be tied to 3 things.

1.Eddy Curry - I really think that this team can only improve if Curry improves this season. If he is the same old center that doesn't rebound and stays in foul trouble, the Knicks are not going to have any scoring in the post. Channing Frye will be able to provide some, but it will not be enough. If the Knicks are not able to score in the post, then they will become a team reliant on the outside shot and one on one moves. That concept usually does not work out well in the NBA.

2.Defense - We know Isiah intends to play an uptempo game and with the players on this team, they should be able to put alot of points on the board. But as we have already seen in the preseason, they could end up giving up alot of points as well. In the long run, better teams like Phoenix can get away with this and still be fairly successful. However, the Knicks will have a much smaller margin of error and will need to play better defense or they may not see any improvement in the win column.

3.Turnovers - This really ties into the defense as well. Even if they are able to become a good defensive team, if they are turning the ball over too much, it won't matter. They led the league in turnovers last year and didn't look any different in preseason. They will be playing a more uptempo offense which will increase the chance of turnovers.

If Curry can become the player everyone has been waiting for, the Knicks can buckle down and play better defense, and reduce turnovers, I think you will see them contend for a 7 or 8 seed in the East. If not, well lets just say that alot of New York fans and media will have their wish. Isiah won't be able to get out of town fast enough.

Bullish Start to NBA Season.

While the Miami Heat players were still posing with their new mammoth size championship rings, the Chicago Bulls were looking like the team of 15 strong last night. This game was over before it started as the Heat never got it going and looked nothing like the team that surged to the title last season. It's only one game and the NBA season is long and winding, but the Bulls were intent on sending an early message to the Heat and the rest of the NBA. They are a legitimate force to be reckoned with this season. Even the 12th man off the bench, Thabo Sefolosha, looked ready to contribute on this very deep Bulls team.

In all reality though, the real truth lies somewhere in the middle. The Heat obviously are better then what they showed and the Bulls may not be clicking on all cylinders for all 82 games. There are a few new players on the team, so there likely will be some growing pains along the way. I expect the Heat to still be in the top 4 in the East this season. I look for them to start rounding into shape toward the end of the season like they did last year. The Bulls, who gave Miami all they wanted in last year's playoffs, are much deeper and more versatile now. They could be poised to make the next step toward being a title contender this season.