The Knicks have reclaimed the No. 1 spot.
According to an NBA source, the Knicks, with rosters finalized yesterday, have the league’s highest payroll, at $97.7 million. That figure is up from last season’s $95 million mark that had them ranked second behind the Mavericks.
Even after spending nearly $100 million, Knicks president Donnie Walsh doesn’t know what he has.
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Walsh made a telling remark on the last day of training camp in Saratoga Springs. It had been a week of bad news, with Eddy Curry spending time in the hospital, Jared Jeffries breaking his leg and rookie Danilo Gallinari pedaling a bicycle because of a bulging disc.
“We have a lot of other players who can get the job done,” Walsh said then. “Whether it’s good enough to beat other NBA teams, we’ll find out after November.”
If the Knicks find out it’s not good enough, the 2010 plan of getting under the salary cap for the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh free agent class will be in full swing next summer.
For now, a patient Walsh is attempting to reverse the embarrassment of last season’s 23-59 record with roughly the same cast embattled former president/coach Isiah Thomas recruited to New York that met only failure.
There’s enough skepticism from the fan base. According to the Knicks, roughly 15 percent of their 2007-2008 season-ticketholders did not renew – a figure the club feared would be worse because of the dreadful economy and dreadful records four years running.
Neither Curry, Jeffries, expected back Dec. 1, nor Gallinari, who didn’t play in the preseason, figure into coach Mike D’Antoni’s rotation for the season’s first month.
The Knicks showed flashes during a 3-4 preseason in embracing D’Antoni’s speedball offense, using an undersized front-court tandem of David Lee and Zach Randolph. However, there are signs the Knicks will lose a ton of 110-106 games.
After averaging 27 wins the past four seasons, a satisfactory 2008-2009 display would be between 36 and 39 victories, sniffing distance of the eighth seed by April 1. D’Antoni has given the Knicks an identity and system, but whether he has instilled a winning culture is to be determined.
“Styles in this game are overrated,” said former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. “(D’Antoni) played fast in Denver. His system got great when his players got great. You can maximum the players’ strengths, but no one wins at a high level without greatness from some of their players.”
There are no obvious All-Stars here, but Walsh’s confidants have said he is surprised by the level of talent Thomas accrued.
“I like the style Mike plays, he put it in really quickly,” Walsh said. “I’ve had experience with running teams and usually it takes more than a month to click in. I think that can translate into a more exciting team for us. If we continue the direction we’re going, I’m going to like going to the games.”
D’Antoni believes starting point guard Chris Duhon will instill a winning attitude as he did with Chicago and Duke. Plus, Duhon gets the ball moving and downcourt in a hurry.
If Jamal Crawford carries over his poor preseason, Stephon Marbury, the Knicks’ most skilled player, will inherit the starting shooting-guard chores and form a more sensible tandem with Duhon, who can’t create his own shot. Marbury got Duhon open shots all preseason by creating double-teams and kicking it out.
On nights Quentin Richardson has confidence in his 3-pointer, the Knicks’ offense will hum like that of the Suns. D’Antoni has gotten this club to move the ball and it resulted in lots of preseason open looks.
The red flag is defense. The Knicks allowed 106.2 points per game in preseason. Lee and a rejuvenated Randolph make for a versatile offensive paring but can be overmatched on the defensive end by bigger teams. Neither blocks shots. Jeffries will help defensively when he returns.
D’Antoni plays a nine-man rotation, the key bench guys being explosive Nate Robinson and active Wilson Chandler. There is no role for Curry, the biggest loser in a new regime that has at least put the Knicks on the road again.