New York Knicks: Best & Worst Case Scenarios for the Season's Second Half

Heading into the All-Star break, spring is not yet in the air, but Linsanity is.

The New York Knicks look like a completely different team as of late, winners of eight out of their last 10, a run that has yielded multiple opportunities for them to breach .500.

Jeremy Lin has been an inspiration and with the roster slowly but steadily returning to full strength, expectations for the second half of the year have soared.

While the Knicks are rolling right now, they are not out of the hot seat yet, and cautious optimism must continue to be preached moving forward.

New York clearly has the talent to make numerous best-case scenarios a reality, but the truncated schedule, combined with the perpetual rotation changes, also implies that it's still early for the Knicks to take a victory lap.

Best-Case Scenario: Amar'e Stoudemire Gets His Legs Back

Since returning to the lineup and being introduced into the madness that is Linsanity, Amar'e Stoudemire has absolutely thrived off the pick-and-roll.

Jeremy Lin and Stoudemire run the pick-and-roll often and to perfection, as the power forward can be found knocking down wide-open mid-range jump shots as a result.

Stoudemire has also been the beneficiary of defenses swarming Lin in the paint, and been able to score easy points from right under the basket.

The Knicks can only hope Lin and Stoudemire's ESP continues to develop, as with each dunk, the $100 million man seems to regain a bit of his explosive swagger. Early on, he wasn't playing or finishing above the rim nearly as often as New York would have liked, which negatively impacted the team's dynamic down low.

Although Stoudemire is still not finishing with flair as often as last year, Lin's presence has proven to be a step in the right direction, and the Knicks can only hope he continues to make progress. 

Worst-Case Scenario: Amar'e Stoudemire Begins to Fade

All season long, Amar'e Stoudemire's troubles have been attributed to the lack of a true point guard. With the emergence of Lin, legitimate excuses officially begin to wear thin.

The season-long question will continue to be whether or not Stoudemire's tendency to disappear down the stretch is due to his regression as an athlete or a result of the Knicks' increased depth.

New York would prefer the latter, but with a history of eye, knee and back problems, it wouldn't come as a shock if he has begun a steady decline.

Stoudemire, like Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler, is the epitome of fitness, so if anyone can power their way through an extensive list of injuries, it's him.

That being said, the second half of the season will bring with it the indisputable answer all of New York has been searching for. Until then, the worst cannot be ruled out.

Best-Case Scenario: Baron Davis Gives Knicks Two Legit Point Guards

The Knicks waited with bated breath for the return of Baron Davis. While Jeremy Lin's emergence has steadied their breathing, it hasn't rendered the veteran point guard unnecessary.

Unless Lin suffers a monstrous collapse, Davis will be his backup, and New York hopes he is able to provide quality minutes not only for the sake of wins, but for the sake of Lin.

Lin is averaging 35.7 minutes per game over the last 10 and has played 39 or more six times. While he is still young, few players can keep up that pace for an entire season, especially ones that aren't used to playing at all.

Davis' job requirement is no longer that of a savior, but that as a stopgap. If he can run the offense efficiently while Lin is on the bench, the Knicks have what they have lacked for a better part of a decade: depth at point guard.

Worst-Case Scenario: Baron Davis Follows in Footsteps of Bibby and Douglas

The Knicks have already called upon Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby to help resolve their point guard issues, and both have failed. New York must hope Baron Davis doesn't do the same.

Davis' health is a concern moving forward, but so is his motivation. He has been chastised for being lazy in the past, and while he could be found working hard on the court prior to tipoff this season, Jeremy Lin's emergence could deter his efforts.

Less than three weeks ago, the Knicks were looking to Davis as their starting point guard upon his return. Now, however, he is a backup, which is not how he envisioned himself when he signed on.

Mike D'Antoni preaches teamwork, a quality the entire team, including Carmelo Anthony, is exuding. The Knicks must hope Davis is prepared to do the same.

Best-Case Scenario: Carmelo Anthony Embraces Linsanity

Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin have spent some time together on the basketball court, but not enough for New York to develop a sense of certainty regarding their chemistry.

Anthony watched from the sidelines for seven games as Linsanity ran rampant, and his reaction to what transpired was supportive, to say the least. While this seems trivial, any demonstration of support for teamwork on Anthony's part is significant.

The prolific small forward has made a name for himself as an iso-oriented player, but has, at times, taken great strides to pass the ball more. And his reaction to Lin's offensive prowess suggests that the chances of him fully embracing the team concept have never been better.

Should Anthony make quicker decisions and shed the movement-killing label on offense, opposing defenses will find themselves in disarray on a nightly basis and the Knicks will begin to rattle off wins in bunches. 

Worst-Case Scenario: Carmelo Anthony Cannot Change His Ways

As much as Carmelo Anthony may attempt to change his ways, and as much as he may want to succeed by playing off the ball more, there is always a chance that he won't.

Anthony has thrived off isolation his entire career, and was even encouraged to do so with the Denver Nuggets. As talented a player as he is, stepping out of his comfort zone isn't guaranteed to pay big dividends.

If Anthony proves unable to play off Lin, then the Knicks will be left with a decision as to how they must move forward. Is Lin a more integral part of their future, or is Anthony?

It's a premature question, but one that runs the risk of having to be posed nonetheless.

Best-Case Scenario: Knicks Bench Continues to Thrive

With both Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire out, the Knicks turned to unlikely faces to help lead their cause. 

Jared Jeffries, Steve Novak, Iman Shumpert and even Bill Walker assumed more prominent roles and provided both scoring and defense to keep New York rolling. And the addition of J.R. Smith only furthers the bench's depth.

While there will be less minutes available with both of the Knicks superstars back in the lineup, the aforementioned players have earned their keep in the rotation. 

New York went from being one of the most shallow teams in the league to one of the deepest—almost overnight—and if the bench continues to provide relief, the sky is the limit in terms of the entire team's potential.

Worst-Case Scenario: New York's Bench Caves Under Lofty Expectations

Steve Novak and Jared Jeffries are no longer two of the NBA's best kept secrets, and Iman Shumpert's explosiveness coupled with J.R. Smith's addition has raised the bar even more for the Knicks' role players.

While New York expects their bench to continue its strong play, there is always the chance that they struggle to get into a rhythm with less playing time.

Novak is a streaky shooter, but may find it difficult to score with less touches. Jeffries is a defensive savant, but if he spends more time on the bench, it may take him longer to regain his legs when he checks in. New York also has to worry about Shumpert hitting a rookie wall.

There is also the concern that Smith won't fit in as seamlessly as originally predicted.

The Knicks' second unit has proven that it can hold its own, yet under the circumstances, their success is far from written in stone.

Best-Case Scenario: Linsanity Carries into the Postseason

Jeremy Lin is for real—that much we know. What we don't know is how long the national phenomenon will remain a phenomenon.

The longer Linsanity lasts, the better it will be for New York. Lin has shown no signs of slowing his roll, and now, with even more options to kick out to, there isn't too many obstacle preventing him from continuing this improbable run.

Lin has thrived in the spotlight thus far and has not only rejuvenated the Knicks as a whole, but has alleviated much of the burden off of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire's shoulders. And that's huge.

Linsanity is welcome distraction for New York. It gives the city and its fans something to hope for—a luxury they haven't had in years.

And if the Knicks can continue to ride Lin until the end of the season, they will be poised for their first deep playoff push in over a decade. 

Worst-Case Scenario: Linsanity Loses Steam

If Linsanity loses steam, it won't be a result of Jeremy Lin's inability as an athlete, but an inability to resist to deferring to the superstars.

The Knicks have been at their best when Lin is unquestionably calling the shots, but he may be tempted to put the ball in the hands of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire more than he should, simply because of their names.

While Anthony facilitated the ball movement in Monday night's loss to the New Jersey Nets, Lin already showed signs of just handing the rock off to him instead of creating plays. New York's newest savior still had a solid game, but the team fell to a lowly Nets team without him attacking the basket as much as usual.

If Lin cannot find it in himself to keep the ball out of the hands of the Knicks superstars, specifically Anthony, when needed, then things could go south for New York very quickly.

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