2017/18 Knicks Roster Power Rankings – Week 1

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The first player rankings for the season. There are a lot of new faces. Again. Let’s see if we can sort this out.
Rank Player Comments Last weeks Rank
1 Porzingis, Kristaps The best player on the team by a mile. I’m not worried about his talent level, but health is definitely a concern. –
2 Hardaway Jr., Tim A guy the Knicks fanbase practically chased out with pitchforks is one of the best players on the team 2 short seasons later. Will he be grossly overpaid or just slightly overpaid? –
3 Kanter, Enes This list is already difficult to put together. Could #3 on this list really be someone who is an absolute liability on defense? At least he has elite level offense. The Knicks will definitely be looking to outscore teams this season. –
4 Lee, Courtney One of the few guys who can play defense on this team. Which means he’ll probably be traded by all star break. –
5 Hernangomez, Willy Hoping (B)Willing can make a mini-leap this season. The better he is the less we have to watch Noah drag his corpse up and down the court. – Continue reading →
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Episode 397: Fantasy Draft

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Marc and Jay talk all things Knicks as well as around the NBA while Jay tries to simultaneously draft his fantasy team

2017-18 Predictions

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In Episode 395 we made some predictions. I’m posting them here so you can laugh at us later.

Jay’s Picks

Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavs
3. Washington Wizards
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Miami Heat
7. Charlotte Hornets
8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. New York Knicks
10. Detroit Pistons
11. Orlando Magic
12. Indiana Pacers
13. Brooklyn Nets
14. Atlanta Hawks
15. Chicago Bulls

 Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Houston Rockets
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Utah Jazz
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Portland Trailblazers
11. Sacramento Kings
12. Phoenix Suns
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. New Orleans Pelicans
15. Los Angeles Lakers

Marc’s Picks

Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavs
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Washington Wizards
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Miami Heat
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Charlotte Hornets
9. Detroit Pistons
10. New York Knicks
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Chicago Bulls
13. Orlando Magic
14. Atlanta Hawks
15. Brooklyn Nets

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Houston Rockets
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Minnesota Timberwolves
9. Utah Jazz
10. Memphis Grizzlies
11. Sacramento Kings
12. New Orleans Pelicans
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Los Angeles Lakers
15. Dallas Mavericks

Episode 396: Preseason

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Marc and Jay talk about the 3 preseason games, rotations, odd man out, injury concerns, and much more

Episode 395: Making Predictions

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Marc and Jay make their predictions for regular season standings, players the Knicks will cut, lineups, and more

2017-18 Knicks Talking Points, a Brief Look Ahead

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2017-18 Knicks Talking Points, a Brief Look Ahead

Written by Declan Ryan – Follow Declan on Twitter and on Instagram

Far removed from the malcontent of last season, the Knicks finally seem to be settled with a core group of players that should both intrigue and excite fans and coaches alike. Carmelo Anthony has said goodbye to New York and hello to Oklahoma, and whilst the destination for Melo caught most off guard, the move itself was undoubtedly a long time coming, and sees the Knicks removed from the largely unproductive vision of recently let go team president Phil Jackson.

The exit of Melo has a brought a fresh and excitable atmosphere to the team, with the focus seemingly solely on the youthful core that fans have been wishing for since the team’s 54 win season and subsequent Eastern Conference Semifinals exit in 2012-13. Yet, despite the newfound optimism, coach Jeff Hornacek will find his hands full this season with the infamous New York media looking for a new scapegoat post-Melo.

Confirmation that Kurt Rambis will no longer run the Knicks defense will surely create
mounting pressure on the ex-Phoenix coach to prove to fans that the terrible effort on the defensive end of the court last season was far more to do with Rambis, and to a lesser extent Melo, than it was with his own ability to coach and motivate the team. Three major points of criticism from the media last year are now gone: Melo’s place in a rebuilding squad, Phil Jackson and the the triangle offense, and Kurt Rambis and the team’s tepid defense – the focus now switches to the team’s overall cohesion and the ability of Hornacek to produce a product on the court that is visibly improving despite the star power and perceived talent that the team has.

Day one of training camp has passed, and all reports so far are positive towards the
relatively unknown quantity that is rookie guard Frank Ntilikina. Veteran Point guard Ramon Sessions didn’t hold back when he described the 19 year old Frenchman as looking like a ‘young Kyrie Irving’, a seemingly odd comparison at first given Frank’s apparent weaknesses at both ball handling and finishing at the rim – but it’s hard to disregard completely the words of a vet such as Sessions who has bounced around the league and seen countless high level NBA talents.

Further optimism should be on the cards for the Knicks, with the three Euros Hernangomez, Kuzminskas, and of course Porzingis putting in convincing performances at the most recent Eurobasket tournament. The team does have an overabundance of big men, and on the surface it seems unlikely that all of them will see regular minutes, but there are worse problems to have on an underpowered squad. If Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee were able to find good minutes during stretches of the 2016-17 season, then there’s no reason to think that Hornacek shouldn’t be able to get these guys on the court to get valuable game time.

That being said, with luck, the tank race for a top pick at the end of this season won’t be as stressful as the ‘useless’ wins we saw at the end of last season. Why? Because truth be told, I’m all in on Knicks’ games actually having some relevance come the final stretch this year, even if it means not getting a top 3 pick in the draft – after all, we all know how much the draft lottery hates New York.

Episode 394: Breaking Down the Melo Trade

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Marc and Jay break down the Melo trade from every angle possible.

Breaking Down The New York Knicks Schedule (Part 2)

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Breaking Down The New York Knicks Schedule (Part 2)

Written by Daniel Yurchenko – Follow Daniel on Instagram

Click here for part 1 of the Knicks Schedule

Game 22: Magic @ Knicks 102-107
The Knicks travel down to florida to take on the Magic in their first game of December. A type of game that’s a must win for the Knicks if they hope to have a chance at making the playoffs. I still expect the game to be a pretty close one.
Knicks 9-13

Game 23: Knicks @ Pacers 99-108
As i’ve said before the Pacers have a very interesting team lead by Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner. They are probably a better team than the Knicks which is why i tip them to win both of the first two games.
Knicks 9-14

Game 24: Grizzlies @ Knicks 97-86
The Grizzlies lost Carter and Randolph while acquiring some peripheral pieces with the likes of Ben Maclemore and Tyreke Evans. They remained close to the same amount of talent, which is still better than the Knicks.
Knicks 9-15

Game 25: Knicks @ Bulls 108-89
The Bulls will be absolutely horrible this season and the knicks just need to exploit that. With the Lavine injury the Bulls while continue struggle to put up points, and a horrible point guard rotation makes this team horrible. If I had to guess I would take the Bulls to be the worst team in the NBA.
Knicks 10-15

Game 26: Hawks @ Knicks 87-99
I was wondering which team would be the worst the Hawks or the Bulls. I picked the Bulls to be worse but the Hawks lost 2 starters while have no means of scoring or defending. The Hawks are betting on being bad this season.
Knicks 11-15

Game 27: Lakers @ Knicks 102-109
Ah, the Lonzo Ball hype train how many people have jumped on it? I’m sorry Lakers fans but i believe at this point in the season Lonzo will be figured out completely and Frank will shut him down.
Knicks 12-15

Game 28: Nets @ Knicks 111-117
I’m not sure how the nets health will be at this point. If everyone stays healthy the Nets are a comparable team to the Knicks in terms of roster talent. The Nets just have a health problem in probably their best player Jeremy Lin (No not D’angelo Russell).
Knicks 13-15 4 Straight Wins baby!

Game 29: Thunder @ Knicks 102-83
At this point the Thunder should have their chemistry set up and firing on all cylinders, especially defensively. This could be one of the games where the Thunder look a lot better than they are; maybe a game where Adams dominates Willy.
Knicks 13-16

Game 30: Knicks @ Hornets 100-117
This could be a random game in December that the Knicks surprise the Hornets and win but I wouldn’t bet on it. With Marvin being a decent defender it would be interesting to see how KP matches up against him on both ends of the floor.
Knicks 13-17

Game 31: Celtics @ Knicks 106-124
Kyrie vs Frank, could Frank hang with Kyrie? Probably not, will it be fun to see him try? Yes, should we expect the Knicks to give Boston a game away from home? Nope but it will be fun to see them go up against each other in a historic rivalry.
Knicks 13-18

Game 32: Knicks @ Pistons 104-110
The Knicks travel to the Great Lake State to take on the Pistons in the last game before Christmas. This game should be close and have a great festive feel. The Pistons have a lot of flaws but so do the Knicks.
Knicks 13-19

Game 33: Sixers @ Knicks 104-107
Christmas a time for family and basketball, The Knicks continue to get Christmas games due to their location. This should be one of the most exciting games of the year as the Knicks take on the young and up and coming Sixers. Frank takes on first overall pick Markelle Fultz in a battle of two top ten picks.
Knicks 14-19

Game 34: Knicks @ Bulls 110-96
As i’ve mentioned before this bulls team is absolutely horrible the east being so bad is the only reason I could see the Knicks competing for a playoff. This game will be played December 27, I’m going to assume Zach Lavine is still out.
Knicks 15-19

Game 35: Knicks @ Spurs 109-82
The Spurs are one of if not the best run organizations out there. They’re continuously at the top of the league defensively. Kawhi Leanord is a top 5 player in the league and can carry an offense and a defense.
Knicks 15-20

Game 36: Knicks @ Pelicans 107-119
The Knicks travel down to New Orleans with the two superstar big man in Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins, The Pelicans simply have no wing depth the Knicks need Melo to take over. They also have an extremely undersized two guard in Rondo. However Willy can’t defend anyone and will most likely get dominated.
Knicks 15-21

Game 37: Spurs @ Knicks 89-111
The Spurs should have another easy win and dominate the Knicks again. The Knick kick off 2018 with a tough game again the San Antonio Spurs
Knicks 15-22

Game 38: Knicks @ Wizards 105-121
The Knicks start a 3 game road trip starting in America’s capital Washington D.C. The Wizards were one of the most unchanged teams this offseason after being linked to Paul George they resigned Otto Porter Jr, one of the least deserving players to get one this free agency. Granted he is only 24 but he only averaged 13.4 ppg and only 1.5 apg. This is a great example of the John Wall effect.
Knicks 15-23

Game 39: Knicks @ Miami 104-113
The Knicks travel down south to Miami to take on the Heat. As i’ve said before the Heat made win now moves this offseason to surround defensive anchor Hassan Whiteside including adding a backup Center in Kelly Ollynk.
Knicks 15-24

Game 40: Knicks @ Mavericks 105-104
The two teams that never tank the Mavericks and The Knicks take each other on in a battle of the 8th and 9th pick. Many Knicks fans watched Dennis Smith Jr’s phenomenal summer league in tears. Personally i believe the Knicks made the right choice, defense win’s championships.
Knicks 16-24

Episode 393: Getting Hyped

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Marc and Jay talk about the Beasley signing, the Kyrie Irving trade, Porzingis summer, ranking the Knicks roster, word on the street, and more

Download Episode 393

https://player.megaphone.fm/ADL9254247241?

Breaking Down The New York Knicks Schedule (Part 1)

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Breaking Down The New York Knicks Schedule (Part 1)

Written by Daniel Yurchenko – Follow Daniel on Instagram

As September 26th which is the start of training camp is less then a month away, it’s time to dive into the Knicks schedule. For all these games i will assume Melo will be a Knick. I’ll breakdown each game in 3 different articles.

Game 1: Knicks @ Thunder 88-105
The Thunder are clearly a superior team especially defensively however this will still be the first regular season game for the new look thunder, Im not convinced the thunder will blow the Knicks out but they should win.
Knicks 0-1

Game 2: Pistons @ Knicks 97-109
The Pistons are an intriguing team, they replaced KCP with
Avery Bradley, and also lost Markieff Morris. This is the Knicks Home Opener and I believe the Knicks stand a good chance of winning, there are just so many deficiencies in Stanley Johnson, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson.
Knicks 1-1

Game 3: Knicks @ Celtics 94-119
The Celtics with the new acquisitions of Kyrie and Hayward should be very fun to watch. I don’t think the Knicks have a chance away from home to give the Celtics a good game.
Knicks 1-2

Game 4: Nets @ Knicks 103-111
The Nets completely reshaped their team this offseason. I’m a huge fan of what Sean marks completed this offseason. That being said they basically have a brand new starting 5 ( Lin was injured last season for almost all of it). So I’m going to take the Knicks here.
Knicks 2-2

Game 5: Knicks @ Cavs 97- 111
The biggest question is which team Carmelo will be playing this game on, as there is a distinct possibility Melo ends up with the completely new Cavs team. Regardless the Cavs should have an easy win.
Knicks 2-3
Continue reading →