New York Knicks Season 4 Preview

[New York]

Coming off of a forgettable 31-51 which saw the team trade former cornerstones Mel Daniels and Marques Haynes at the beginning of the season, the Knicks head into pre-season after a pretty busy off-season. From the end of last season until now we have seen: 

2 Starters Traded (Rory Sparrow & Jeff Ruland)
10 Players Traded/Not Re-Signing

There are only three players that remain from last season's roster and joining them are three new starters (with one of last year's starters moving to the bench) and five brand new rotation players shoring up the team's depth. With nearly a completely new team, this team hopes to have a completely different season as they eye not only the playoffs but after their most recent trade they also hope to improve on their most successful season which saw them make it to the conference finals two years ago. 

But first lets look at what exactly this team did in the off-season and where things stand for them now. 

The Starters 

Greg Oden (22) - The star of the show on broadway is coming off of a busy off-season himself as he was wined and dined by numerous GMs who were interested in him bringing his talents to their team. However he decided to re-sign with the New York Knicks for a maximum five-year deal and continue his run as their longest-tenured starter. With Oden you know what you are going to get, a player that can give you 25+ Point Per Game while also contributing somewhere from 9 to 10 Rebounds Per Game and 1.5 to 2.0 Block Per Game. There has been a lot of talk of Oden clones filling the league but Oden will look to once again prove he's one of a kind and lead his Knicks back to the post-season. 

Wilson Chandler (24) -Wilson Chandler (24) - The only other Knick besides Oden that has been with the team since the creation draft, Wilson Chandler is coming off of a breakout season. Averaging 18.6 PPG | 6.1 RPG | 3.8 APG | 1.3 SPG, Chandler filled up the stat sheet despite the Knicks as a whole having a down year. However this season he may be asked to take a bit of a backseat on the offense with all of the new options coming into the lineup. Even with a slightly decreased role, Chandler is guaranteed to be a valuable piece to the Knicks starting lineup with his versatility and ability to give them a little of everything. 

Terry Porter (29) - The elder statesman of the starting lineup, Porter is the second oldest player on the roster currently and one of two players over 27 years old on the team. Acquired in the off-season for Kelly Tripucka and a future pick. Despite being a veteran, Porter should definitely be able to keep up with the young guys if he continues his strong play from the past three seasons. Capable of filling it up on both ends of the floor, he put up about 18 PTS | 5 REB | 7 AST | 1.6 SPG with the Titans last season and the Knicks expect similar production from him this year from the point guard spot. 

Potential Starters

Eddie Jones (27) -EJ's Ultimate ABCA career got off to a rocky start but his last season in Barcelona finally saw him put together a respectable season with 14.5 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 4.4 APG | 1.6 SPG w/ a .536 TS% which is much improved from where he had been prior to that. Now with the Knicks it is unclear whether he will become a super sub or slot in as the starting shooting guard for them but he is expected to provide another versatile piece that can do a little of everything. Whether he comes off the bench or start, he is expected to play a big part in the team's defense and if he can continue his offensive production that will be a big plus for New York especially since it only cost two 2nd round picks to bring him in. 

Larry Nance (22) - Coming out of training camp, the #9 pick in the draft has been surrounded by a lot of hype around the league. With a unique combination of post skill, perimeter skill and athleticism there are have been many GMs that have mentioned that they expect impressive play from him right out of the gate. The Knicks General Manager & Coach is one of them who expects Nance to put up numbers similar to former Knicks rookie Jeff Ruland with stronger defense and on a hopefully much more competitive team. It is still undecided where he will see most of his time and whether he starts but the team is confident in his ability to play both forward spots, a little center if necessary, as well as mesh with either the starters or the bench. 

The Rotation Players


David Lee (24) - The starter at small forward last season for the Knicks, David Lee surprised many by giving the Knicks nearly 15 PPG | 8 RPG | 2 APG | 1 SPG on good shooting. This year he will be featured off of the bench where he will be expected to add some very important scoring and rebounding to the team off of the pine from the big man spots. 

Dick McGuire (33) - The only player on the roster over 30 years old, McGuire will be the backup PG for the team this season after the trade of Archie Clark. He has been a starter for most of his career before finishing last season as a key reserve for the Portland Trail Blazers in their post season run. Still capable of playing very high-quality perimeter defense and providing about 7 PPG | 4 APG in less than 20 minutes. Will be counted on to provide veteran leadership for this team. 

Voshon Lenard (27) - Coming off a season where he was the second best shooter in the league, the starter on a 50 win team, and a key player on GM's first playoff appearance in a long time, Voshon Lenard will help shore up the Knicks bench this season with his offensive ability. Will have to compete with Eddie Jones for playing time but the fact that a shooter of Lenard's caliber might not get time can only be seen as a positive for the Knicks. 

Dick Snyder (22) - The Knicks other fist round rookie along with Larry Nance, Snyder isn't currently slated for a big role in his first season but if his number is called Snyder seems to have improved enough in Training Camp that he could provide some solid offense and defense. 

Mike McGee (21) - The sole survivor of the Knicks five second round selections, Mike McGee looks to be a solid third string player that could provide spot minutes in case of injury. Much like Snyder, he isn't expected to contribute much of anything but if called on the Knicks feel comfortable with him taking a few minutes off the bench. 


The Newest Addition



Pau Gasol (25) - After trade talks that date back to some point last year, Pau Gasol is finally a New York Knick. The Knicks GM has been after Gasol since the creation draft and although the price was high to finally bring him in, the Knicks believe it'll be worth it. Coming off of a season where he averaged around 21 PTS | 9 REB | 4 AST | 1.4 BPG the big man will step into the void left by Mel Daniels for the next few seasons at least with the Knicks.There are reports that he will be doing some last minute training with KK Partizan Power Forward Hakeem Olajuwon so it'll be interesting to see how that effects his game moving forward. 


Players Out Since Last Season


Players In Since Last Season

[Tel Aviv]

Good job as usual NY, like the jerseys. Team is looking good this year.

[New York]

Feb 22, 2016 13:49:28 GMT Tel Aviv said:

Good job as usual NY, like the jerseys. Team is looking good this year.

Thanks man, I wanted to try something different from my normal writeups. Pretty excited about my current lineup, I think this could be my best one since ultimate started. 

[Sarawak]

This is really good stuff

150 +50 Bonus PP = 200

PP credited