Regular season record 57-25

 

Knicks had a great season, their best in NLL. They finished third in the east (and the league), beat Nets in round 1 (after Wade went down) and lost in round two in game seven versus the eventual champions from Cleveland. Tim has some big decisions to make in the offseason, but the path for future glory looks clear. Development of Irving and Harden and health will decide how high this team can go.

 

Season Highlight

 

Knicks had an outstanding season, their best ever, winning 57 games. They finally, after years of being a treadmill team, broke out to the top echelon. They looked even better at the beginning of the season when they started 22-3 and looked the top team in the league, head to head with Miami. Knicks stayed strong throughout the season but had a lapse from February 24th to March 10th when they looked very beatable for a 3-7 score. There were three teams that could be called their kryptonite (Raptors 0-4, Bucks 0-3, Hornets 0-2)

 

Season Lowlight

 

Eastern conference semi finals, game 7 versus Cleveland.

 

There really won’t any lowlight of the season. They matched up against the future and defending champions in 2nd round of the playoffs, fought hard but finished short. They tried Harden at SF, matched with the King. It kind of worked in previous games, Knicks were up 3-2, and had two match balls in their hands. But King James exploded in game 7 for 49 points and the game was over before the last quarter even started.

 

Best Trade

 

The Golden State Warriors send Al Jefferson to the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks send Luol Deng to the Golden State Warriors.

The New York Knicks send DeAndre Jordan to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send Shawn Marion to the New York Knicks.

 

A three way in which Knicks changed their frontcourt from Jordan, Millsap, Deng to Jefferson, Millsap, Marion worked great. They added 15 points, 2 rebounds and assist and a lot of efficiency in that trade. Team record speaks about success, 18-6 after the trade, with Marion missing two weeks. The future is more questionable. Big Al is a free agent, wants to leave, but might be convinced if Tim decides to throw 80+ gm points his way.

 

Worst Trade

 

None of the trades was really bad for the Knicks. Giving a first rounder for Brandan Wright sounds like a steep price, but it was a late pick (Crabbe), Wright was an important piece of the rotation and wants to stay with the Knicks for another year.

 

Sending De Colo to Jazz for GM points was chosen as the worst trade, but it was an insignificant move for the powerhouse like Knicks.

 

Other Notable Trades

 

Hedo Turkoglu, second rounder and lots of cash for DeAndre Jordan. Jordan was later included in a trade that reconstructed the Knicks’s frontcourt. Hedo was later traded to Miami and then Utah. He didn't score for the heat in 8 minutes, but played well for the Jazz. Problem was he only suited for 8 games for that team.

 

Koufos for Chalmers looked ok at the time, but super Mario never found a role on the Knicks.

 

FA Signings

 

Knicks signed Nando De Colo, Kosta Koufos, Tornike Shengelia, Pablo Prigioni, Jamal Tinsley and Brandon Roy. A big group of insignificant players.

 

Pablo Prigioni was probably the worst of them as he actually got minutes but played bad. Roy was always injured and was later released. Koufos was probably the best of the bunch, played well in a backup center role, arguably better then the starter Jordan, but got traded for Copeland midseason.

 

 

Star

 

James Harden is the heart and soul of this Knicks team. Al Jefferson had better stats but was only there for a third of the season. High scoring guards are in hot demand in NLL, just like they're in NBA. A dying breed. Harden might be the best of them. On offense. Who cares about defense here. Harden had his ups and downs through his career, but Tim stand by his man in early struggling years and got rewarded in last two seasons as James turned into a superstar. He got a fresh max contract to show for that effort and might be the reason Knicks will have to let Millsap or Jefferson walk. But it's James Harden - efficient 20 ppg scorer that does a little bit of everything else. Can he improve his game to be in MVP conversation?

 

Surprise

 

I really can't single out a player as they all performed according to the expectations. John Henson looks way better then where he was drafted and might play as a starter next season. There's that.

 

Goat

 

Everyone actually played well. Irving was a bit worse than his NBA counterpart, specially from deep, but he had to share the wealth with the Beard. He also missed a lot of games. And played worse in the playoffs.

 

Turkoglu for the HGH and laziness. Roy for disability. Millsap for not being prepared to stay with the team.

 

Draft Report Card

 

Knicks traded their first round pick in Brandon Wright deal and their second rounder in Turkoglu for Jordan swap.

 

Looking to the Future

 

Knicks have a big decision to make. Both star frontcourt players want to go somewhere else. Millsap is almost a lock to go, while Big Al might be persuaded by big money offer from the Knicks. Then there's James Harden, who got his big contract signed. There’s the tiniest of possibilities for a sign and trade as they might be too similar with Kyrie Irving - can two no defense guards that really need ball in the hands co exist? They might in NLL. Whatever happens, the foundation is strong enough that the Knicks will stay strong next year, barring injuries. They'll trade for a front court player or just play Marion at 4 and Turner at 3. They'll probably just have a little bit of cap space and MLE to fill the roster once Jefferson and Harden are signed.

 

Upcoming Free Agents

 

James Harden - already agreed to a max contract extension.

Al Jefferson - most likely resigned under the "give me a lot of gm points and I might stay" rule

Paul Millsap - unlikely to stay, can only spend points on one player.

Omri Casspi - he's still in NBA? Who cares whether he stays or goes.

Ronnie Brewer - goner

Chris Copeland - goner

Keyon Dooling - retiree?

 

Tim is just not a friend of Darko's "never sign a player with less than three years remaining on contract" principle