Knicks Preview.

So I'm new at this sports blog thing but I figure I'll give it a shot.
2008/2009 Knicks Preview.
Depth Chart:
PG- Stephon Marbury ,Chris Duhon , Nate Robinson
SG- Jamal Crawford -Mardy Collins, Anthony Roberson
SF- Quentin Richardson, Wilson Chandler Danilo Gallinari
PF- Zach Randolph, David Lee, Jared Jefferies
C - Eddy Curry , Jerome James

In a perfect world we would get rid of some these players , maybe acquire a legit shot blocker while making room for David Lee to get on the floor more.In the meantime lets work with what we have.



Point guard Stephon Marbury has a lot of haters right now but I for one believe he still has some good basketball left in him , especially playing at a more uptempo pace.This is a guy who was railroaded by his last two coaches which is especially shocking since Isaiah Thomas was a scoring point guard himself.Nevertheless , his 13.9 ppg and 4.7 apg were by far a career low signaling to some this may be the end. Lets get this straight he is only 31 years old. He can still bounce back near his career averages of 19.7 and 7.8 .He still possesses top notch quickness, power, speed and ball handling ability. The problem with Marbury has always been the Iverson complex: great player +shitty teamates= Malcontent. I look for Marbury to realize the writing is on the wall and to work hard to buy into this system , a system in which I believe a player of his talents can flourish. Backing him up are Duhon and Lil' Nate. I look for Lil Nate to overtake Duhon as the primary backup in the Barbosa mold that D'antoni is used to.The little guy can score in bunches and plays the game with great passion if not always great maturity.He is a year older and its time for him to start showing his potential more often.Duhon has good leadership and won't really piss anybody off which if all my hopes for Marbury fall through is a HUGE upgrade. I think if Steph falters Duhon gets the nod because Nate is so dangerous against a second unit.Joining them in the backcourt is Jamal Crawford , who is basically John Starks with less conscience and less heart.When he is on he's a truly gifted scorer who can be absolutely deadly in this offense.To get him more minutes I see Nate getting some time here as well his speed is going to be a real asset to this team.Quentin Richardson is hoping to reach the level he was at in Phoenix which is a good bet since he has a good season every other year.Following that Schedule look for him to put up about 15 points and 6 rebounds while nailing three pointers on the break.If he falters look for Wilson Chandler to step in and fill the spot nicely. An improving shooter and hustling defender he's gonna end up stealing minutes from the onset and if Richardson can't take the heat I look for him to steal the spot entirely.Not much to expect from Rookie Gallinari , he has a good feel for the game whatever that means , but at this point he's got to get stronger, quicker and smarter which will only come from experience. I like the talent but not this year.In the post you have Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph both of whom we would be better off without , Marbury is poison enough we don't need a crybaby and a black hole to make matters worse.Unfortunately they're on the roster so we move forward. Eddy Curry is a dead mans Shaq. Watching Shaq labor up the court in the Sun's offense last year will look like a Usain Bolt race with this guy. First of all to start a break you have to rebound which he doesn't do, then if you want to get a shot up in seven seconds or less you better have him posting up while the rest of the team is on defense.He really can score with his back to the basket when given the touches but his touches are sure to dwindle with the guards trying to push the ball up the floor. For the sake of this preview I would call Eddy and Zach interchangeable. Neither one of them can block a shot or defend the post.(can't is strong I guess won't works), both can score the ball , Zach has more range, Curry has more size.Either way I look for David Lee to take the lions share of the minutes at forward and Curry and Zach splitting minutes as the token post scorer in case the transition game comes apart. He rebounds , he hustles and he is athletic enough to run in this offense and finish the break as a trailer.Jared Jefferies will contribute the occasional good defensive spurt while Jerome James will contribute to the heartache of Knicks fans every where and serve as a reminder of the Isiah Era.

Expect an improved team over last year, but not enough to make the playoffs. D'Antoni knows how to play an uptempo game and I think he has the bodies to pull it off. For the time being look for 28-32 wins and signs of life as a step up and hold your breath for the future. If we can unload one of the Post Twins for an athletic shotblocker and get these guys on the same page I predict even bigger improvements. Making Stephon Marbury go with the program is gonna be the toughest test and if D'Antoni can pull that off , this might be his best coaching job to date.