Why Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks Are Dangerous

The New York Knicks are now the most dangerous floater team in the NBA.  Their mix of Jeremy Lin, big-time star power, and new-found depth will make the Knicks a contender if they can put it all together.

Basketball's main contenders are clear: The Chicago Bulls are the steady workhorse, the Miami Heat are the starry favorites, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the young pretenders, and the San Antonio Spurs are the old guys still getting it done.  

However, don't count out New York.  The Knicks may have a better mix of talent, depth and potential than any other team by the time the NBA playoffs roll around.

Before the season, the Knicks looked like late-seed playoff pretenders.  They had star power in Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and ace defensive center Tyson Chandler, but there were huge holes.  They didn't have a point guard capable of running Mike D'Antoni's offense, a guard capable of consistently knocking down three-pointers and had little rotation depth beyond the top seven players.

Now? The Knicks have found their point guard of the future: Jeremy Lin.  Lin is no Steve Nash and his statistics will go down, but he is a leader and a player capable of taking over a game late.  He can score or distribute and could be New York's new Mark Jackson.

Lin will co-star with Baron Davis, the long-time Golden State Warrior who is now healthy and has a burning desire to win in Madison Square Garden.  Davis is one of the NBA's best guards when motivated. Between him and Lin, the Knicks can either put two elite distributors on the floor together (both are big enough to temporarily guard twos) and rotate them to keep an elite guard on the floor for all 48 minutes.

They also added the long-range gunner they needed (J.R. Smith) and have quality rotation depth with Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Mike Bibby, Jared Jeffries and Josh Harrellson.  If they add a quality veteran or two after the deadline, the Knicks will have one of the best mixes of young scrappy role players and veterans in the league.

Mix that with the star power of Lin, Anthony and Stoudemire, and the Knicks could go far in the playoffs. Really, when you think about it, what can't they do?