Knickerbockers a New Team of Confusion

Mike D'Antoni's in charge and Donnie Walsh is running the show. And that's about it.

The New York Knickerbockers are really going to be a hodge-podge of talent, but with aren't looking too great in terms of chemistry. Where could you start? Where do you begin looking at the collection of players?

One place to start is at point guard, where a catastrophe is already in place. Stephon Marbury has devolved into a player of near-insanity personally and publicly and his game has drastically suffered, despite his career averages of near 20 points and 8 assists per game, which place him solely in the company of Oscar Robertson. Then there is Mardy Collins, a big point guard from Temple University, who hasn't established himself as a real guard of the future, despite his first-round selection in 2006. Nate Robinson, a former NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, while talented, has not shown the discipline to play as a lead guard, showing more excitement from his own shooting sprees than anything else (though he'd be a natural fallback otherwise). Chris Duhon signed over from the Chicago Bulls into the glut of NY guards and he's a steady presence, but he'll also have to earn time with all of the calamity, and the same goes for Anthony Roberson, who unexpectedly was signed to the Knicks from Europe, having once fell away from the league. While many of the aforementioned can also play at off-guard, it doesn't really make the situation any better, which starting two-guard Jamal Crawford firmly entrenched at the position, and with Quentin Richardson and Allan Houston (again) already making noise for minutes there.

Small forward is the next position up for debate, with a truer, purer selection of talent to compete for minutes. David Lee will look for time there, as he can play all three frontcourt spots, but he may be better suited to start at power forward. The young Wilson Chandler has been simmering for quite a while and like Lee, is also a great asset for his versatility as a combo forward; he may be the dark horse in the minutes race at the "3". The Italian top-ten pick in the 2008 Draft, Danilo Gallinari, will look to make a splash and could contribute with his rookie teammate, Patrick Ewing, who unlike his Hall of Fame father, is a fleet-footed 6'8" body of pure enthusiasm, speed and defense. This alone could spell trouble for Jared Jeffries, basically a seven-foot version of Ewing, but with more experience.

In the low post, Coach D'Antoni will have to motivate the two most talented and troubling souls on the entire squad, in Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph. Curry has shown true flashes, but his dedication to being in great shape has been his Achilles' heel, and he might not ever show himself to be the "Baby Shaq" that he could be until he commits himself to excellence. In Randolph's case, his boasting of averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds has made him a joy and curse to have, because of his own noncommitment to playing a team-oriented game.

The trick of the Knicks will be to shed weight off of the roster and to mold a team of potential into a team of the here-and-now of winning.