2014-2015 Season Preview: New York Knicks Q&A
To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA sites. Today we are joined by T.J. Jann, the editor of Buckets Over Broadway, the Fansided Network’s New York Knicks blog to talk about the Knicks young players, Carmelo Anthony and more.
1. The Knicks have been lacking young talent in recent years but they finally seem to have a bit of a youth infusion with Iman Shumpert, Time Hardaway Jr. and Cleantony Early seemingly set for rotation spots. Which young guy are you most excited about?
More from Pelicans News
- How will the Pelicans round out rotation without Trey Murphy III
- Why you can’t blame Brandon Ingram for all Team USA’s failures
- New Orleans Pelicans avoid potential disaster with latest injury reports
- 3 New Orleans Pelicans whose role will increase next season
- Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival
TJ: It has definitely been a while since the Knicks have had this much young talent. I’m looking forward to watching Tim Hardaway Jr. the most out of the young group. He had an excellent rookie season and should thrive in the new triangle offense. With increased ball movement this year, Hardaway Jr. should find even more open jump shots than last year. A guy that no one is talking about is Shane Larkin. I think he has a chance to be a special player for this team, especially since his style of play is so different from the other two point guards on roster.
2. Speaking of Early, he was a guy many Pelicans fans wanted to see in New Orleans this year if they could acquire a pick. Instead the Knicks landed him so what do you expect from him this year and going forward?
TJ: Cleanthony Early was a great second round pick up for the Knicks. He can virtually score from anywhere on the court and will be a great young piece to come off the bench this year. With Carmelo Anthony moving to small forward, Early may find minutes difficult to come by in the beginning of the season. When he gets his chance, I’m sure he will make the most of it and earn himself some more minutes. Like Hardaway Jr. did last year, I expect Early to have a bigger impact than anticipated.
3. There are lots of opinions out there on Carmelo Anthony. What is yours? How good is he and how far can he lead a team?
TJ: Carmelo Anthony is a superstar. I don’t care what others say; the guy can flat-out dominate a game. Does he have his flaws? Absolutely, but so does everyone else. Bill Simmons wrote a phenomenal piece on Melo this spring about whether or not he could win. I’m in complete agreement with Bill on this one; he can do it in the right system. I think the triangle offense will help Melo get away from his iso tendencies and free up different ways for him to score this season. Guys like Melo don’t grow on trees. He had an unbelievable year last year, playing efficiently in all aspects of the game. Now it is time for someone to step up alongside him, and if they don’t, Phil Jackson has the ability to grab him a sidekick next year.
4. With Phil Jackson hiring Derek Fisher to be a first time head coach just a year after he finished playing what can we expect from Fisher? Is the triangle going to be part of the Knicks offense?
TJ: I wrote a couple of pieces on this exact question over the course of the summer. Derek Fisher has the backing from Phil Jackson, so expect him to have a very long leash. Jason Kidd went straight from the court to the bench last year and ended up doing well in Brooklyn. I think Fisher will have a similar season with many ups and downs in the beginning as they iron out the rotation, but he will ultimately succeed in his first year as a head coach. The triangle offense will definitely be the main system run by the Knicks this season. Their current roster fits much better in this system than most people are anticipating. Guys like Melo, Amar’e Stoudemire, and J.R. Smith will see big seasons as this offense plays to more of their strengths than weaknesses. I think Jose Calderon will also help smooth over the transition into the triangle offense since he is a perfect fit.
5. What is the best case scenario for the Knicks? The worst case? What do you expect to happen?
TJ: This is probably the toughest question you can ask a Knick fan right now. After looking like a top five team in the NBA in 2012-13, the Knicks took a gigantic step back to an abysmal mess last year. I think they’re best scenario is to reclaim the Atlantic Division and get back to one of the top teams in the East. Can they make a push in the playoffs? It’s too hard to tell right now. Best case probably lands the Knicks at a 48-34 record. The worst case scenario is playing for the lottery. I know this may sound bad to Knicks fans, but they actually have their 2015 first round pick. This softens the blow a little bit seeing that they can completely re-tool over the summer. My expectation is that they win the Atlantic Division. It all depends on how quickly the Knicks grasp the triangle offense and its intricacies. Then again, I scoffed at the idea that the Knicks wouldn’t make the playoffs last year and boy was I wrong.This season can’t be worse than last year’s.