Knicks Preseason: The First Step
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As we all know, it's just the preseason. We hear it every year and of course, you shouldn't put too much emphasis in results and the things you see on the court. Yet these are the New York Knicks 2007/2008 and the first real look we had at them was as positive as it could be.
Just forget all the crap with Isiah Thomas' trial, forget about last season and what ESPN or anybody else had to say. It's a new season and as a fan, I can't help but get excited about seeing basketball again. Does anybody remember the name of that former MSG employee, the one who went to court against MSG?!? No!??! Good, because I don't want to hear it ever again, it's basketball season and what matters happens on the court... not in court... bad game of words, I know.
The Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday 101-92 in their preseason opener and Knicks fans got a first glance at what newly aquired power forward Zach Randolph can bring to the team that missed it's starting center Eddy Curry because of a shoulder injury. Shaky defense here, rumored bad attitude there... talk about his "Hoop Family" or whatever... all of that aside, people have to realize what an incredible talent Zach Randolph is at the young age of 26. He is easily one of the best power forwards in the East and will give the Knicks two, yes, two All star caliber players down low. Randolph finished with 17 points (7-10 shooting) and 5 rebounds in only 25 minutes and displayed a legit touch from 15 feet out. That will be critical once Curry comes back as Curry will demand a lot of double teams and needs someone who can spread the floor for him. Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks agrees: "He is a very good player. Putting Eddy on one block, Zach on the other, it's going to be tough coverage. We'll have our work cut out."
Yesterday Randolph also played center with David Lee (18 points) next to him. With Curry being out it gives the Knicks a chance to see how they can run the smaller lineup that might cause matchups problems for some opponents during the season. It never is a bad idea to try some new things now. I don't want to get into stats too much or who played well and who didn't, as I said, it's preseason. Yet you already see what kind of talent Randolph is and that the East will have their hands full with a forward like him. I have to admit, I wasn't 100% behind the Randolph deal as I was caught up in a lot of talk about his negatives yet I start to believe in this "power team" idea of Isiah Thomas. Didn't take long for sneaky Isiah to get me back on the boat, I know... but hey, it's a new season and the worst thing the Knicks and their fans could do is start with negativity and second guessing.
What's really characteristic about our Knicks these days is how athletic they are. I mean we can really get up and down the court with guys like Fred Jones, Renaldo Balkman (who is injured right now), David Lee and Wilson Chandler. Just imagine these guys all together on the floor, running the break, creating havoc on the glass and in transition. The Knicks have the opportunity with such players to completely change the dynamic of a game and shift into a different gear. Chandler as I expected made a great impression yesterday already. He is a much better talent than people especially outside of New York give him credit for - very fluid, amazing athlete, his jumper has a great form and he looks confident with it. He finished with 9 points (made a three pointer in the process), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks in 19 minutes and overall had a really nice outing. For him these games are really important as he has to show what he can do for the Knicks and so far, yesterday and in the summer league, it looks that you can't deny him minutes. Unlike his small forward sidekick Jared Jeffries he has a jumper to complement Curry, Lee and Randolph inside which should score him tons of points with the coaching staff.
Oh yeah, Curry! After an MRI on Monday his injury now was rumored to be not as bad as advertised. A torn labrum in his shoulder will cause him to miss atleast 5 of the 7 preseason games and the last thing the Knicks want to do is rush him back. "He has got to get right", said his new frontcourt partner Randolph. "That's the most important thing. He's not going to be out for no month. We definitely want to get chemistry ... but it's preseason." So true and his coach agrees: "We don't want him to rush anything. We need him back for the season and can't afford to lose him a couple of weeks later for a longer period of time." I have a buddy who almost had to end his career because of an injury like that. If you don't be careful with it, it can get chronic real fast and torture you for years. Hopefully the Knicks doctors will have a close eye on that and hopefully the reports we get from Curry, Isiah and company are adequate. You'll never know about such things...
Yet, as we see and hear, everything seems to be ok and going well in Knicksland. The team has good chemistry (just like last year) and Isiah Thomas will put a lot of emphasis on that during the season, too. The Knicks have to work on a lot of stuff and we still need to see a lot of things from them in order to get an idea if this team has really taken a step forward from last year.
Yesterday, though, was the first little step of a long season and I can't say that I don't like what the Knicks showed us... more of that, guys, more of that!
