In a word, no.
But the shades of gray in that statement are far darker than in 2008-09, when one of the most storied franchises in the NBA went 32-50, the league’s eighth-worst record, and finished the season dead last in the Atlantic Division.
At first glance, not much has changed: The core remains Chris Duhon and Al Harrington, with David Lee and Nate Robinson still negotiating new contracts or exits. Mike D’Antoni remains at the reins, meaning the club will continue to shoot first, ask questions (or play defense) later.
And the culture, by all signs (i.e., Robinson being arrested for driving with a suspended license, then tweeting about it as the arrest was ongoing), hasn’t changed much, either.
But there are pros to the cons — pros, perhaps, that suggest only the Knickerboxers will win more than 32 games, but pros nonetheless.
1. Darko Milicic
I know, I know. “How can Darko possibly be an upgrade?” you’re asking yourself.
Here’s the catch: New York’s biggest deficiency in ’08-’09 was frontcourt size and depth. Eddy Curry was sidelined by injury, and Lee is only 6-foot-9. Milicic is a full 7-feet, 250 pounds and — call him a bust — the guy’s averaging 2.6 blocks and nine rebounds per 36 minutes of play on his career.
That’s precisely what the rebounding-deficient Knicks need.
2. Eddy Curry
Same deal here.
Yes, Curry’s a bit of an oaf and no doubt has a spotty past, but he’s 6-foot-11 and has reportedly taken 50 pounds off his rather large frame. Place him alongside Milicic, and New York has a serious upgrade in the frontcourt.
3. Experience
This team was insanely young last season, with the starters averaging about 25 years old. Sure, the core’s just year older, but here’s the key: The returners have played a year in D’Antoni’s high-powered offensive system. And they already put up impressive numbers within it in ’08-’09, ranking fourth in the league in scoring at 105.2 points a game, and first in treys per outing at 10.
Add first-round pick Jordan Hill to the mix, get Danilo Gallinari healthy, and the Knicks’ offense could become that much more threatening.
All that said, much about the system remains broken.
New York, for one, is in danger of losing Lee, its leading rebounder, and Robinson, who punched in 17.2 points per game in 2008-09. Foregoing Lee would leave the Knicks without a leader; foregoing Robinson would leave them thin at the point.
More worrisome is New York’s defense, or lack thereof. The club ranked 28th in the league last season on defense, ceding 107.8 points a game, and were out-rebounded by four boards per contest, the NBA’s fourth-worst differential.
And the offense, for all its standout numbers, was incredibly inefficient. The Knicks ranked 28th in field-goal rate at 44.5 percent — a function of a fast-paced approach that had New York attempting 86.5 shots per game, the most in the league.
Even scarier? Twenty-eight of them were 3-pointers, also the NBA’s highest mark.
Adding Milicic, Curry — even Lee and Robinson — to that mix certainly won’t completely fill those holes. But better than 32 wins? Even Nate Robinson can’t screw that up.
