Tonight we bring you a New York Knicks season preview/interview with plenty of Blazers mixed in, courtesy SJ and the Knicks blog Posting and Toasting. Thanks to Seth Rosenthal for taking the time and make sure you visit his site for your Knicks needs.
And now, the answers:
1. From an outsider’s perspective, what are your thoughts on the Blazers this year?
My thoughts on this year’s Blazers are laced with envy. I’m just green with jealous rage. The surplus of youth. The potent backcourt. The powerful frontcourt. The variety of otherworldly athletes and compelling characters. The Blazers may go 82-0 this year. We just got some league pass here, and you can be damn sure I’ll be following the Blazers closely.
2. How do you see your matchup with them playing out? What part interests you the most? Any worries?
Oh yeah, I got some worries. Nobody on the Knicks’ frontline can so much as deter LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Oden. The Knicks will get their points, sure, but Lee, Randolph, and Curry will be hard-pressed to slow down the Blazer bigs. Maybe the most interesting matchup would be between Jamal Crawford and Brandon Roy: two Seattle combo-guards whose games always bring out the best in each other.
3. With all the hype surround this team do you consider the Blazers as “better” than the Knicks?
Uh…yeah.
4. If you could grade the Knicks’ off-season, what would you give it?
A month ago, I might’ve given it a C. I’ve never been a big Duhon fan, and losing Renaldo Balkman still stings me deeply. I’m willing to step it up to a B now that I’ve seen Duhon ably run D’Antoni’s offense in training camp and preseason. I’m still bitter about giving away my boy Humpty, though.
5. What excites you most about the Knicks in this upcoming season?
D’Antoniball in New York would be the obvious answer here, but I’ll go with something else. I’m really excited for Danilo Gallinari’s future. If he does crack the rotation this season, it’s totally up in the air whether he’s a rookie of the year candidate or another name on the list of meaningless foreign Knicks. I made a preemptive purchase of a number 8 t-shirt jersey, so I’m antsy as hell.
6. Realistically, where would you put the Knicks’ ceiling, high and low?
The absolute highest ceiling would be a complete turnaround the puts the Knicks above 41 wins and into the playoffs, culminating in a surprise first-round upset. Compare it to Don Nelson joining the Warriors and churning out a Cinderella playoff run. The floor? Probably another 23 wins. They can’t possibly lose MORE than they did last year.
7. Looking at the team from all angles, what is the one thing that worries you about the Knicks?
Post defense. We’ve got relatively competent backcourt defenders in Duhon, Marbury, Robinson, etc. The big men, though, might as well take defensive possessions off. We’ve already been carved up by Bosh, Brand and…Brook Lopez in the preseason, and it’s clear that we’ve got nothing to stop a determined big man or slashing guard around the basket.
8. If you were able to be GM but could only make one move, what would it be?
Well…let’s just say it involves a shovel.
9. What is the key to the Knicks success this year?
The key is probably buying into D’Antoni’s sytem. It’s a proven path to winning, so in this case it’s just a matter of the Knicks’ stars suppressing their egos and their curious whims to play team ball.
10. Any sleepers we should be aware of?
I don’t know if he’s a sleeper anymore, but Wilson Chandler may very well start, and could be a MIP candidate. He’s got a developing offensive game and a real knack for snagging loose balls and hitting the glass.
11. How do you feel about Mike D’Antoni as head coach?
It’s so, so, so, refreshing to have D’Antoni as head coach. He’s got a sense of humor about the whole situation and understands his role and the surly disposition of New York fans and media. I can also relate that he’s an incredibly personable fellow, which counts for something.
12. As a Blazer fan we watched Zach Randolph blossom as a hard worker under Rasheed Wallace, get paid and then stop doing the things that once made him a quasi All-Star. The NYC Z-Bo Era is in his second year…and what thoughts could you give us on him? What’s it like to watch him on the court?? He will fill the stat sheet but do you ever believe he will win? (Note from Coup: Nice rant/question SJ)
Zach is alternately invigorating and irritating. He’ll hold the ball too long now and then, but I’m ready to give Z-Bo a shot to contribute his rebounding skills, deadly shot, and underrated passing ability to D’Antoni’s offense.
13. What’s more frustrating: the insanity of Stephon Marbury or Eddy Curry refusing to change?
Stephon Marbury has single-handedly given me about a third of all my blogging material, so I can’t help but love him. Eddy Curry’s steady decline into oblivion is maybe the most frustrating thing Knick fans have to face.
14. How do you feel about the (public) under appreciation of David Lee? I’m sure Knick fans love him times ten, but he was involved in all sorts of trade rumors (including one to the Blazers which nearly made our hearts stop).
David Lee is a demi-god. Until the general public acknowledges his divine nature, I will be forced to campaign for him. Some of the trades offered this summer probably made sense from a fiscal and practical standpoint, but I’m too infatuated with Lee to let him go. I think it’s clear now that Lee and D’Antoni are a fantastic match, and that D-Lee will probably average a quintuple-double this season (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and ladies wooed).
15. With Isiah gone, is it a feeling of liberation or cautious optimism?
Liberation, baby. Throw caution to the wind and let’s rain some ill-advised three-pointers!