New York Knicks 2013-14 season preview

Who’s In

Andrea Bargnani (Acquired in Trade with Toronto)
Metta World Peace (Signed as Free Agent)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Drafted 21st overall)
Beno Udrih (Signed as Free Agent)
Toure’ Murry (Signed as Free Agent)
Cole Aldrich (Signed as Free Agent)
Chris Smith (Signed as Free Agent)

Who’s Out

Steve Novak (Traded to Toronto)
Jason Kidd (Retired)
Chris Copeland (Free Agent)
Marcus Camby (Traded to Toronto)
Rasheed Wallace (Retired)
James White (Released)

Trading for Andrea Bargnani

Sure, Bargnani was a massive disappointment in Toronto, after failing to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a number one overall pick, but that does not mean for one second that the former Canadian whipping boy cannot succeed in New York.

So what should Knicks fans expect out of the Italian big man? Perhaps a lot more than you think.

Now before we even get into Andrea Bargnani’s game let me just say that he is FAR from a perfect player. Bargnani’s game has gaping holes that make the criticism he received in Toronto mostly justified. The problem with the evaluation of Bargnani’s game is that often we fall into the trap of thinking of him as a failed number overall pick, and nothing more. I’m sure if he was honest with you, even Andrea Bargnani would admit that the worst thing to ever happen to him was being selected first overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. Had he went just one spot lower the narrative surrounding Bargnani’s career would be much, much different.

Make no mistake about it, the Knicks are better with Andrea Bargnani than they were with Steve Novak and Marcus Camby. It’s actually not even that close.

Regardless of how valuable of a piece you think Bargnani is for the Knicks two facts are undeniable. First, Bargnani desperately needed a fresh start after failing to live up to his billing in Toronto, so coming to New York may just be the fresh start he needs to resurrect his once promising career. And second, Bargnani was actually a very good complimentary player when Chris Bosh was besides him in Toronto, it was only when Bosh left for South Beach that Bargnani’s shooting percentages took a hard nose dive to where they were last year, although most who have been critical of this move have either chosen to ignore this fact, or simply missed it, either way, I think the narrative on Bargnani has been way too negative this offseason.

How Bargnani ultimately fits into the Knicks rotation is really the question. Expect to see Bargnani get around 25 minutes a game for the Knicks, and have a nice turnaround season after leaving much of the baggage that has followed him throughout his career North of the border.

Signing Metta World Peace

If Metta World Peace can stay healthy this move is going to pay off big time for the New York Knicks. As of right now it looks like MWP will be the defensive anchor for the Knicks second unit, along with the pesky Pablo Prigioni. Although this group has been largely ignored up until this point it is hard for me to believe that a seoond unit consisting of Prigioni, Iman Shumpert/J.R.Smith, Metta World Peace, and Amare Stoudemire will not be one of the best second units in the league.

What also makes the signing of MWP so intriguing is the options he gives Mike Woodson. While we will likely see Metta coming off the bench most nights, Mike Woodson can easily slot him into the SF position with the starters, which would allow Carmelo to feast on the leagues PF, which helped carry him to his first career scoring title last season. Playing with the starters, Metta can guard the opposing teams best/most physical forward on defense, which will allow Carmelo to work a lot more comfortably than he did last season when matched up against the more physical forwards in the East (I’m looking at you David West)

Sure Metta World Peace is nearing the end of his career, but if healthy this signing can go a long way in helping the Knicks advance further in the postseason.

Resigning J.R. Smith

Had to be done. Period.

For all the jabs people like to throw at the Knicks front office 3 years, 18 million for the NBA’s sixth man of the year is a very fair contract for both sides.

Bringing Back Pablo Prigioni

Even at age 36, the steady Prigioni seemed to get more comfortable with every game last year, peaking in the playoffs where he not only ran the offense very well, but became a legitimate threat from beyond the arc. With the leadership of Jason Kidd across the river in Brooklyn, Prigioni will bring a calming, steady hand to the Knicks offense this season.

Signing Beno Udrih

The Knicks signing Beno Udrih is without a doubt one of the underrated signings of the summer by any team, and yes I’m serious.

The big question is how much playing time is Udrih going to get off the Knciks bench?

Early in the preseason it look like Knicks head coach Mike Woodson was leaning towards starting the two point guard lineup of Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni, making Udrih the first PG off the bench. But now it looks like that may have changed. Over the past 2 weeks the Knicks coaching staff has been playing much more traditional lineups with Iman Shumpert, and one would think eventually J.R. Smith starting at the shooting guard spot. If Mike Woodson decides that the traditional lineup is better suited for the Knicks there is most likely a lot more towel waving than playing time in Udrih’s future.

Drafting Tim Hardaway Jr.

Hardaway Jr. gives the Knicks a perimeter scorer off the bench to help fill the void left by J.R. Smith, who is rehabbing from offseason knee surgery and will serve a five-game suspension for a violation of the league’s anti-drug policy as soon as he’s able to return. Once J.R. returns, I don’t see Hardaway getting that much playing time, but he is still a nice young piece for Mike Woodson to have in his war chest in case Smith or Shumpert miss any time this year.