The past few seasons haven’t exactly been picture perfect for the New York Knicks. With one of the league’s most passionate fan bases, it’s probably no picnic for the ‘Bockers trying to live up to their high expectations. After losing several players (like Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith going to the Cavs), running through three different head coaches in the last few years (Mike D’Antoni, Mike Woodson and now, Derek Fisher), and missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, it’s been nothing short of nightmare for the Knicks and their loyal Stans but with a season on the come up, it can only go up from here, right?
Here’s five reasons Knicks fans should be optimistic and hold on to their o ye of little faith this time around as they prepare for all that is in store this 2015-16 season.
Carmelo Anthony is Healthy
Melo underwent a much needed surgery last season to mend those nagging left knee issues that kept the small forward from lighting up the Garden. Now that it’s finally out of the way for Anthony, the NBA vet is looking to put the team on his back yet again to lead them to the postseason and beyond. For those who think the Knicks will only win around 20-something games, Anthony finds a good laugh out of it and guarantees that this season will be a big one.
New Faces, Same Mission
This year’s Knickerbockers will look a bit different. A pack of new faces have joined the roster like veterans Robin Lopez, Sasha Vujacic, and Jose Calderon as well as promising talents, like Cleanthony Early and Kristaps Porzingis. It’ll be interesting to see the line-up switch up play out come game time.
Yes I have some cool teammates @kporzee @thanasis_ante43 #kslife #knicks
A photo posted by KEVIN SERAPHIN (@kslife7) on
Derek Fisher
As Fisher enters his sophomore season as head coach, he’s already in beast mode. He’s already announced his plans for the Knicks’ opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 28: he intends to start Kristaps Porzingis at power forward, as well as Jose Calderon, Carmelo Anthony, Robin Lopez and Aaron Afflalo, who sadly suffered a hamstring injury during Wednesday’s 99-85 loss to the Celtics.
Solid Preseason
While most fans shrug off preseason, the Knicks have been doing better than probably expected. After wrapping up their six-game preseason on Thursday night (Oct. 22), the team landed a solid 4-2 start. While some might not think much of it, it’s a positive sign to see this version of the Knicks gel together early.