Knicks need a win tonight
Just 10 games into the season the Knicks are already desperate for a win tonight against the Mavs at the Garden. Through nine games they're 3-6 after losing two in a row in a back to back at Boston and Toronto. It's still very early in the season, but this team is failing to live up to expectations following a busy offseason.
Right now they're 12th in the Eastern conference as the defense continues to be the team's number one issue. Last week the team already made a move to put their former interim coach Kurt Rambis in charge of the defense. They had a solid defensive showing in their win over the Nets on Wednesday, but the turnaround was short lived as they gave up over 115 points in each of their last two losses. The season is still very young and we knew this team would take some time to figure things out, but we're getting to the point where things should be figured out by now. In an 82 game season you should get a good idea of what kind of team you are through the first 10 games. Unfortunately for the Knicks this might be who they are. A terrible defensive team who can score the basketball, but not enough to overcome their poor defense and lack of bench production.
When a New York team struggles early in the season fingers are always going to be pointed at the head coach. It's still very early in Coach Hornacek's Knick tenure, but the early returns haven't really provided much optimism. He has yet to make his stamp on his new team and change the culture. Right now the Knicks are a worse defensive team then they were last year when they finished 32-50. Last season they were top 10 in the league in points allowed per game and this season they're third worst. They're in the top four in the league in fouls per game as they have been putting the opposition on the free throw line far too many times. The offense has been better due to an increase in talent on the roster, but the late game execution hasn't been good in the fourth quarter. Too many bad turnovers and poor possessions with limited ball movement has lead to them losing some close games.
Things don't look good right now, but I still think this team should make the playoffs. They still have Melo and an emerging star in Kristaps Porzingis along with a very solid point guard in Derrick Rose. Joakim Noah has been a disappointment so far, but I think he'll get better as the season progresses following an injury plagued training camp. His 18 rebounds Saturday night were a good sign that he might be rounding into form.
The bench will remain a concern, but they have players who have shown flashes of production in limited action. Inconsistency has been an issue with the second unit and I think thats what they'll be throughout the season. If this team wants to move up in the standings and make the playoffs the starting five is going to have to carry them each night.
Through 10 games I wouldn't blame Knick fans for panicking at the team's early season performance, but I wouldn't give up hope just yet. When a team undergoes as much change as this Knick's team did in one offseason it's going to take some time to reach their full potential. They may not be a four or five seed like I had hoped, but they have the talent to be one of the top eight teams in the East. First they need a win tonight against a 2-6 Mavs team that will be without Dirk Nowitzki.
