The Pride of New York?

The Knicks have taken their fair share of criticism and licks over the past decade. Their last playoff appearance was during the 2003/04 season with a record of 39-43 (7th seed) and they lost in the first round at the hands of the New Jersey Nets. Enter the Mike D'Antoni era. D'Antoni, known for his fast-paced offensive attacks, smaller lineups and lack-luster defense, has been at the helm for a couple of seasons, cleaned a little house and worked well with Donnie Walsh to bring in some talent. The biggest move was bringing in Amar'e Stoudemire, who had formerly played in the D'Antoni system in Phoenix, to serve as their go-to-guy, a move that has transitioned nicely, Amar'e is putting up 26.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2 blocks per contest. The Knicks are 16-10 on the season, including a heart-breaker against the Celtics on Wednesday night. Amar'e Stoudemire has scored at least 30 points in his last nine games and has been an absolutely dominating force in the east. I'll be the first to admit that i was a critic of the Amar'e move, i thought that perhaps Amar'e was made to look like a better player than he actually is because of Steve Nash, and most people probably understand my assumption, Steve Nash could probably make any player look better, right? Well, i still believe that Nash is the standard as far as point guards of the last decade go, but, i must admit my poor evaluation and reconsider my take on Stoudemire. This guy is the real deal, with or without Steve Nash, he demands a double team, can out-leap just about any player at the four or five position and can just, flat out, play the game.

Another key reason for Knick success has been a 6'1 point guard from the University of North Carolina, Raymond Felton, the former Tar Heel is on pace for major statistical jumps in points per game (18.7), assists (8.9), steals (2.0) and field goal percentage (.464). He was always a very good on-the-ball defender in Charlotte and showed flashes of offensive greatness, but, always seemed to lack the leeway from Larry Brown to really unleash and run the offense the way he wanted to. I always got the impression that Felton was kind of like coach Brown's puppet in Charlotte and really wasn't allowed to break it open. Well folks, Raymond Felton has broken it open in the Mike D'Antoni system and has became one of the leagues better point guards this season. Felton has posted double-digit scoring in every game except one, this season, and has netted double-digit assists in thirteen games. Felton's play has impressed me thus far and he should really be thrown into the discussion when talking about the leagues top point guards. He and Stoudemire really seem to compliment each other nicely and this should be the start to something very special for Knicks fans.

Now that I've won most of you New Yorkers over, I'm going to give you some tough love. I believe the Knicks have started great and have put some pieces into play, but, these Knicks are not going to win a championship, not without help. They need to land Carmelo Anthony, or another big-time scorer. Right now you're probably thinking, what the heck, this guy just praised Amar'e and Felton for two full paragraphs, and now he's telling me that the Knicks can't win? And, i am. The Knicks can NOT and will not win, or even compete with the top teams in the Eastern conference with their current team. Can they land the 5th or 6th seed in the East? Probably, and they'd likely win a couple of games against a top team, but, there is no way they can hold up for seven game with the likes of Boston, Orlando, Miami or Atlanta. These teams have been there before, they're too deep and they have more weapons. Raymond Felton got worked by Jameer Nelson in the first round last season and the rest of the Knicks players, with exception to Stoudemire, have never even sniffed a playoff game, let alone battled a dominate team for seven games. A couple of harsh facts that stand out to me are, they played at the absolute highest level they can possibly play against the Celtics on Wednesday night, and they still lost, it was a good, close game, but, they played out of their minds and they still couldn't win, at home. Imagine if that game was in Boston? They might have lost by ten. Another harsh fact is that Amar'e Stoudemire is averaging close to 38 minutes per game, which has to concern you if you're a Knicks fan. He's had injury issues in the past and playing that many minutes, while being the focal point of an offense can really put the miles on a guy who plays with his level of intensity. You have got to wonder whether or not he'll break down.

As a New Yorker, I'm glad to see the strides the Knicks have made and hopefully they keep grinding and make some noise later on this season. I just believe they need that extra piece to become a legit contender, maybe they'll get it this season, maybe it will take the off-season. Either way, it's exciting to see this franchise breath some life again.