With opening day of the 2012-2013 NBA season lurking, I felt it would behoove me to broach a few queries…and at the same time attempt to provide an unbiased answer to said queries. What the New York Knicks decide to do with their 82-game regular season leaves much to ponder. This is The 2012-2013 New York Knicks Linquisition. Just kidding… inquisition. Which raises my first topic for discussion:
Q: Did the Linsanity end too soon?
A: Who’s to say? This is unfortunately a business and as we are all fully aware, the design of a business is to make lots and lots of money. I enjoyed the Jeremy Lin story up to a certain point. That point being the moment the NBA’s inner monologue started chanting “CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING!” A highly marketable player with New York, Lin was, and the NBA definitely got while the getting was good. Lin memorabilia that was once a hot commodity can now be found in your local neighborhood bargain bin. The Knicks organization showed little to no interest in matching what Carmelo Anthony dubbed “that ridiculous contract” and Lincorrigibly sent Jeremy back to Houston, Texas. The Jeremy Lin craze has now become nothing but a subtle whimper. In Houston, he’ll just be another Rocket.
Q: Is Pablo Prigioni really 35-years-old?
A: Absolutely! You can’t make that up. The 35-year old Argentine will be playing his first season in the NBA. This very mature rookie has the support of his much older (in NBA years) teammate, Jason Kidd. He puts the pressure on defensively and if Prigioni can do this consistently, pretty soon New York fans will be Gettin’ Priggy With It! (You saw it here first.) At first glance, his age annoyed me to no end. On the Knicks roster, there are now four veteran players (not including Prigioni) over the age of 35 that will potentially see a good amount of playing time: Kurt Thomas (40), Jason Kidd (39), Rasheed Wallace (38), Marcus Camby (38) and the rookie, Priggy (35).
Q: Will Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire make fans laugh, cry, cheer, or boo this season?
A: All of the above. I want to spend the least amount of time on this one. NBA minds have beaten the topic of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire’s “ineffectiveness” to a pulp. The upcoming campaign is what many consider a make or break season for the two stars. Results are all they have left to offer the Knickerbocker faithful. Nothing less than vast improvement will suffice and this notion has spawned an internalexternal battle for Melo and Amar’e, clearly setting the bar as high as it can possibly go with no more wiggle room. As the season progresses, I foresee laughs and boos for sure. New pieces have been introduced, and in some cases reintroduced to Madison Square Garden and the Knicks will once again have to deal with a period of getting to know one another on the court.
Q: WWRFD (What Will Raymond Felton Do)?
A: There’s only so much he can do. I know Felton will do his best to help lift some of the pressure off of Amar’e Stoudemire and company. Felton, who has lost some weight, is elated to be back in New York and wants nothing more than to prove his worth to the Knicks organization. He lost a huge chunk of his confidence after the dismissal which brought Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York. While with New York, Felton played a big role in Stoudemire’s success. Following the infamous trade, Stoudemire’s identity flew the coup and a run of unimpressive performances, not to mention a self-inflicted shattered fist, were all too obvious signs that Amar’e was no longer having a good time. It will be interesting to see what Felton can do at point for this New York squad. He’s inspired, in good form, and is willing to do whatever he can.
Q: What’s going to happen to Knicks coach Mike Woodson if the Knicks fail to get past the first round of the playoffs?
A: Playoffs? Playoffs? First and foremost, let’s just anticipate the Knicks will put together a respectable regular season. When that is done, then we can focus on the playoff scenario. The past few seasons, Knick fans have had to watch their team fight for a seventh or eighth seed in the NBA’s postseason only to be dominated each respective year. If they do make it to the postseason and advance past the first round, I feel that Woodson’s job should be safe. Don’t advance and it will surely be bon voyage for Coach Woodson. I don’t want to even imagine the Knicks not making the playoffs this season… that just seems almost unfathomable.
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