The worst place a team can find itself is mired in mediocrity -- not good enough to entertain postseason hopes, not bad enough to dream of the No. 1 draft pick -- and that's where the Knicks find themselves. Nothing illustrates that better than the almost complete indifference from the rest of the league to two of their best (at least statistically) players, David Lee and Nate Robinson, both restricted free agents. GM Donnie Walsh failed to add anything of significance this offseason to preserve cap space, thereby keeping alive the chance that Gotham's allure and Coach Mike D'Antoni's Team USA ties will land one of the squad's free agents next summer.
Trending up: Wilson Chandler
Last season: 12.93 PER
2009-10 projection: 13.81 PER
Chandler will start at small forward again and has a good chance to build on last season's numbers since he's only 22. It's unlikely his playing time will increase much this season, especially if Danilo Gallinari is healthy, so any uptick in Chandler's numbers will have to come from either finding more shots or converting more of the ones he takes. Either is possible, but we're talking about incremental shifts here with a gradual build. He'll probably lift his percentages a bit and average around 15 points per game, which is solid. Just don't expect the moon based on a superficial reading of last season's numbers. -- Hollinger
Trending down: Darko Milicic
Last season: 13.65 PER
2009-10 projection: 13.14 PER
What? You thought Darko would be reborn in Gotham? Let's curb the enthusiasm. The Grizzlies traded Milicic to New York for Quentin Richardson, and Milicic will serve as the backup center and provide one of the few sources of defense in the basket area for New York. He's a good option to bring off the bench for 20 minutes a night for that reason, but he may get lost in the Knicks' run-and-gun approach. Additionally, he doesn't have the skill level to finish pick-and-roll plays, the bread-and-butter of New York's half-court game.
Because of his expiring contract, there's a good chance the Knicks route Milicic to a contender in need of size at the trade deadline, but only if he can convince potential suitors that he's ready to play hard every night. Big men who can defend the post will be hot commodities given all the behemoth post players on the main contenders, and that skill alone will probably keep him in the league for several more years. -- Hollinger
Bucher's name to know: Jordan Hill
Nowhere is patience a rarer commodity than in New York, and while Walsh's clean-up duties are considerable after the Isiah Thomas era, he needs to show that he can amass talent as well as financial flexibility to keep the Big Apple hounds at bay. Hill is part of that rebuild, but he's in a tough spot for several reasons.
Fair or not, he has a little more pressure to make an impact right away because last year's top pick, Gallinari, did not, thanks to his bad back.
Most rookies have an easier time if they can play a role alongside an established star. The Knicks don't have any bona-fide stars, but their post players, Lee and Al Harrington, have strengths, meaning they won't yield easily to the rookie. Hill is not going to outrebound Lee, and Hill showed no signs in the summer league of having a superior inside-outside game to Harrington's. So what does he do to make his mark?
Chances are, he won't. He'll be just another guy in the rotation, much like Gallinari. And that won't help Walsh that much.
It doesn't matter that in the past two drafts, rotation players were the most any team could expect to land without the No. 1 overall pick. Or that, with the seventh pick, Hill made the most sense in helping the Knicks' horrific rebounding. "Sensible" is a midwestern notion. Knicks fans are looking for "sensational." -- Bucher
