The Knicks opened their 2015-16 regular season last night (Wednesday) on the road versus the Milwaukee Bucks, and will have their home debut tonight versus the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden, with a roster many thought would be a lot more appealing than it is.
That was before the lottery ball gods continued to seemingly impose their wrath on a franchise that has not won an NBA title since 1973. With a record of 17-65 last season under rookie head coach Derek Fisher, the Knicks held the second highest probability behind the Minnesota Timberwolves to land the No. 1 overall pick.
Optimism rained in Knickland with the prospects of drafting either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Instead, the Knicks wound up picking fourth, with the two gifted big men going to the Timberwolves with the top pick and the Philadelphia 76ers at No.3, respectively. As a result, the Knicks’ consolation was the talented but relatively unknown 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis from Latvia.
Additionally, none of the big name free-agents, including LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe, found the Knicks to be an ideal home for their aspirations of playing for a contender. Aldridge, who signed with the Spurs, and Monroe, who inked a deal with the Bucks, symbolized the offseason frustration and disappointment harbored by a multitude of Knicks fans.
Although the team did sign solid veterans Robin Lopez, Arron Aflalo, Derrick Williams, Sasha Vujacic and Queens native Kyle O’ Quinn, making the roster much improved from a year ago, on paper it is still not enough for them to make a dramatic leap into the top eight of the Eastern Conference and at the very least return to the playoffs after a two-year postseason absence.
Carmelo Anthony still remains a legitimate star, even after knee surgery that shut him down right after last February’s All-Star Game, but he won’t be able to lift this team into the 38 to 40 win range, which is what it will take to secure a playoff spot.
A question that will surely become prominent as the season progresses is how long will the 31-year-old Anthony, beginning the second year of a five-year, $124 million contract, want to spend the remainder of his prime years laboring just to make the postseason while his best buddies LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) do their work for two of the best teams in the NBA?
A mutual parting of Anthony and the Knicks sooner rather than later may be imminent, but for now, both parties are hopeful the season’s outcome will be far better than last season’s debacle.
