Hope springs eternal! For the Knicks this statement could indeed be one of their mantras as they commenced training camp Tuesday at the team’s training center in Greenburgh, N.Y., before continuing their preparation Tuesday at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., where they will remain until Saturday.
Why shouldn’t they be optimistic about the upcoming 2016-17? On paper, team president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills have assembled arguably the franchise’s most talented roster since the 2007-08 season, which featured Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph, David Lee, Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford.
Yet that contingent finished what eventually would become a debacle of a season, in fact the worst in Knicks history as they ended with a 23-59 record and last in the Atlantic Division under then head coach Isaiah Thomas. It was the final nail in Thomas’ proverbial coaching coffin, and he was fired by owner James Dolan shortly thereafter, couched under the official designation of “reassigned” to carry out other duties for the franchise.
The current Knicks, with the additions of guards Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings, and New York native, forward Joakim Noah, and new head coach Jeff Hornacek, should ostensibly be substantially better than the aforementioned team of nearly a decade ago. The quartet of players provides them with experienced, relatively young veterans who have proven resumes of high production over the course of their careers.
But the past is not always prologue, and the Knicks are wishing on a star that the Rose, Jennings and Noah of today do not persistently battle the prohibitive injuries that have plagued them in recent years. That’s why the roster, although in black and white can be formidable enough to possibly grab a sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with good fortune, must have a caveat attached to any predictions of where the Knicks will ultimately land in the final standings.
Nevertheless, for the moment in West Point, they move toward the start of the regular season against the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on the road Oct. 25 with high aspirations and expectations.