Where they’re heading


With limited options thanks to new financial restrictions that come along with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks did what they could to bolster a team built around Carmelo Anthony that reached the second round of the postseason last year, but was not built to be able to go much further. That meant the Knicks would have to take a risk, and they did so by bringing in former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani, whose indifference and lack of improvement had made him a little-liked player in Toronto. Bargnani played just 66 games the past two years, showing little interest in working on his post game or making simple effort plays (like rebounding, for example). Instead, Bargnani became a 3-point specialist who can’t make 3-pointers, hitting 29.6 percent two years ago and 30.9 percent last year. 

The Knicks are hoping to re-ignite Bargnani in New York, where the Knicks set a record for 3-pointers attempted last year. The early returns have not been positive, as Bargnani went 3-for-15 on 3s in the preseason and averaged but 3.3 rebounds in 24.3 minutes. There could be other sources of improvement—rookie guard Tim Hardaway, Jr., New York native Metta World Peace, backup point guard Beno Udrih—but Bargnani is the big gamble here.

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Where they’ve been


Success has been incremental for the Knicks. In 2011, they reached the playoffs for the first time since ’04, but were swept. In ’12, they won a playoff game for the first time in more than a decade. Last year, they actually won a playoff series for the first time since 2000. They did so by relying heavily on Anthony, who led the league in scoring, shooting 44.9 percent from the field and a career-high 37.9 percent from the 3-point line.

But, in a change, the Knicks had a pretty good supporting cast for Anthony, an array of shooters willing to hoist 3-pointers and make a good chunk of them—the Knicks made 37.6 percent from the arc, fifth in the league. That worked in the regular season but, predictably, New York fell apart in the playoffs when defenses focused on Anthony, who averaged 28.8 points but shot only 40.6 percent from the field. Unless Bargnani far exceeds expectations, the Knicks are probably in for a similar fate this year, though they might not even reach the second round.


Introducing … Knicks backcourt


Things are crowded in the Knicks backcourt, but Hardaway has shown himself worthy of a role. Coming out of Michigan, scouts liked Hardaway’s development as a perimeter shooter, and in seven preseason games, he made 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers, taking 44 of his 83 shots from beyond the arc.

The Knicks are likely to start the year with Raymond Felton at point guard and Iman Shumpert at shooting guard, and reigning Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith will take significant minutes on the wing when he returns from a knee injury and serves a five-game NBA suspension. Then there are point guards Pablo Prigioni and Beno Udrih—coach Mike Woodson likes to sometimes have two point guards on the floor, so one of those guys could play with Felton, or they could play together off the bench. Somewhere in there, Woodson will have to find time for Hardaway.


Numbers game


The Knicks played much of last season with Anthony at power forward, using small lineups to take advantage of their shooting prowess. But on the other end, the defense suffered, especially when it came to stopping pick-and-rolls. The Knicks do have Tyson Chandler, but his presence was not enough to mask just how much New York struggled to stop pick-and-roll plays.

Felton was not able to do much to slow ballhandlers in those situations, and Anthony did not help much defending power forwards. In all, according to Synergy Sports, the Knicks allowed 0.853 points per possession to pick-and-roll ballhandlers, which was third-worst in the league, behind Detroit and Sacramento.