It’s easy to see that the New York Knicks look like a much improved roster from last year’s 32-50 team, but how much better? Could they finally contend for a playoff spot in the East, led by Carmelo Anthony and newly acquired point guard Derrick Rose? It’s hard to say, with just over a month left until we tip off with regular season action, Derrick Rose has been vocal about how good he believes the Knicks can be. Even going as far to say that they could win every game.
While there is a 50-50 chance of winning every game, Rose and the newly re-vamped Knicks will have a long way to go before winning 82 of them. But you can’t hate the confidence. Rose has been to the promise land of the Playoffs a few times in his career, even leading the Bulls to the East Finals, but that’s as far as it’s been for Rose. Although some aren’t even expecting the Knicks to make the playoffs, Rose’s confidence is unwavering, saying that he believes the Knicks are the most talented team he’s had the privilege of playing on. Per Jared Zwerling of the NBPA:
“I think it’s the most talented team I’ve played on, even though I haven’t played with them yet—just looking at the stat sheet, working out with them. So my job is to come in and get everybody going, then have my spot where I can try to dominate the game.”
When you look at the Knicks roster, they do look like the best team Rose has played with, but that is no shot to the other bulls rosters he’s been a part of. The 2011 Bulls roster that went to the East Finals is a close second, but this is definitely the most talented team for Rose. With Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Courtney Lee being able to stretch the floor, it will leave room for Rose and Noah to orchestrate things in the middle and create wide open shots on the perimeter. Despite this, we have seen teams far more talented then this fail, miserably. The Lakers who decided to add Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant together, didn’t live up to the championship hype and neither did the Nets when they gambled and traded everything they had for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Knicks have a long way to go before they can translate that talent, that Derrick Rose sees, into wins.
