New York Knicks: 5 Reasons Fans Should Not Be Worried About Slow Start to Season

The New York Knicks are 6-7, a game below .500. Though most fans were not expecting a championship this year, winning basketball seemed like a given.

But injuries and adjustments to new personnel have plagued the Knicks, leaving many ready to hit the panic button. It may be difficult, but patience is key, as it is highly likely the Knicks turn things around as the season progresses.

1. Baron Davis Has Yet to Suit Up

This is, of course, the biggest question surrounding the Knicks and No. 1 reason their fans should not lose hope. What will Baron Davis give them once he returns from his back injury? Optimists believe he could be the spark that makes New York one of the most dangerous teams in the East.

It may seem like a stretch to say one player could make such a difference, but this is a unique situation with Baron and the Knicks. The Knicks do not have a legitimate starting point guard right now, and in the NBA, it is harder to win without a point guard than any other position, especially on a team coached by Mike D'Antoni.

Baron's return should make all of New York's other pieces fall into place. Shumpert can be a dynamic starting two guard. Toney Douglas can fill the role best suited to him, which is scorer off the bench. Landry Fields will hopefully return to playing like he did at the beginning of last season, with the Knicks presumably running a lot more with Baron at the helm.

Melo can focus solely on getting 30 points and 10 rebounds a night, as opposed to having to score and get others involved as well. And of course Amar'e will have someone to feed him, which he so desperately needs.

Some are worried that Baron will be out of shape and not focused, which he has been at times throughout his career. This should not be a concern. Baron would not sign with the Knicks and then slack off. He knows the fans and media would kill him.

Expect Davis to be very motivated once he gets on the court. And when Baron is firing on all cylinders, he can still be one of the better point guards and playmakers in the NBA.

2. Amar'e Will Play Better

Quite simply, Amar'e Stoudemire has not been good to start the season. He has looked lost, turning the ball over, missing open shots and not getting to the basket. This can be attributed to a couple of things.

Stoudemire added a lot of upper body strength this offseason, and it clearly has had an effect on his shot. He spent most of the summer and lockout rehabbing his back, as opposed to working on basketball skills.

Last season, Amar'e set up his whole game by nailing the elbow jumper. So far, he has been bricking it. It is hard to imagine that will last all season. He is also adjusting to playing next to a presence in the middle with the arrival of Tyson Chandler.

Stoudemire has never played next to a true center in his career. And of course, there is no one on the team right now to consistently run pick-and-roll with him and hit him on cuts to the basket. The arrival of Baron Davis, along with good old-fashioned time, should get Stoudemire back to his all-star form.

3. The Defense Is Improved

No one would consider the Knicks a defensive juggernaut, but they are certainly better than last season. Tyson Chandler is doing his part, grabbing rebounds and altering shots.

Most recently, though the Knicks lost, he held Dwight Howard to a mere eight points. Rookie Iman Shumpert has shown a lot of promise as a perimeter defender. Maybe most encouraging is that their best player Carmelo Anthony has shown desire and effort to end the Knicks' reputation as a porous defensive team.

Though Melo will never be great on that end of the floor, he has stepped it up when it matters. That the Knicks problems are mainly on offense instead of defense is a relief, since they have the players and coaching staff to eventually become a scoring machine.

4. The Knicks Still Match Up Well with the Miami Heat

Though Amar'e has not been doing a good job of backing up his talk lately, his proclamation that the Heat are the Knicks' favorite team to play has some grounding behind it. New York is struggling now, but it will give Miami trouble in the playoffs if they meet and potentially beat them.

The Heat still have issues in crunch time. Dwyane Wade is hobbled. Historically, Melo has fared well against LeBron. Tyson Chandler will slow down Wade and LeBron's drives into the paint just like he did in the NBA Finals last year.

If the Knicks figure out a way to keep Miami out of transition and turn it into a half-court game, watch out.

5. It's Still Early

The lack of a true training camp and condensed season was bound to cause the Knicks to have a slow start. This is still a team that has had very little consistency with its roster. Meshing Amar’e and Carmelo's skills is possible but difficult and will take time.

Same goes for integrating new parts such as Chandler and Shumpert. Little practice makes it even harder. And to top it all off, the team doesn't have a point guard?

Knicks fans should have been prepared for this kind of play early in the season. They still have potential to be an Eastern Conference contender; it just may not look that way until March.