The New York Knicks will be starting their season on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks with a bit of uncertainty surrounding them heading into the season.
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New York is coming off the worst season in the history of the franchise, but despite an awful season there seems to be hope for the upcoming season. One of the main reasons why the Knicks struggled last season was the injury to Carmelo Anthony’s knee, which certainly affected his play on the court, and eventually led to his season ending early.
Anthony is back and healthy to start the 2015-16 season, and the supporting cast around him looks a lot better than it did last season. Phil Jackson may not have been able to land an All-Star in free agency, but he did do a very good job of acquiring NBA talent to have in the starting rotation and on the bench.
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Offseason signings of Derrick Williams, Kyle O’Quinn, Arron Afflalo, and Robin Lopez has given the Knicks a much deeper team with a few good players already in place.
“We have a deeper roster now,” Anthony said to the Daily News. “Whereas before, I think that was kind of my problem in the past, that I was afraid to take a game here or take a game there, thinking I had to do it all myself and we’re not in that position anymore.”
One of the biggest pieces the Knicks added was seven-footer Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft. Porzingis is a raw talent, but he has the potential to be a unique talent in the NBA, and could be a great piece to the puzzle alongside Anthony.
The moves made by Jackson have been analyzed a lot in the media capital of the world, but he has recently received praise from one of the most popular announcers in the NBA.
“The Knicks are one of my sleeper teams,” Barkley, a TNT analyst, said during a conference call Monday to preview the season to the New York Daily News. “I think Phil Jackson’s done a good job getting quality NBA players. …. I’m picking the Knicks to make the playoffs. I’m guaranteeing it!”
Barkley is not shy about voicing his opinion on NBA teams, and the fact that he was rather passionate about the Knicks making the playoffs in the upcoming season has to be encouraging for Knicks fans.
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There are still 82 games to play this season, but the Knicks should be a much better team this season than in the 2014-15 season. The biggest thing the Knicks have in their favor is the fact that they are in the Eastern Conference, which could have at least one team make the playoffs with a record below .500.