Comparing Knicks Roster at the Start of This Season vs. the Start of Last Year
At this time last season, the New York Knicks were seen by most mainstream NBA observers as a fringe top-four Eastern Conference contender who failed to match the off-season roster impact of their neighbors in Brooklyn. This season? Ah, the more things change...
You would think that an Atlantic Division title and first playoff series win in a decade might buy Mike Woodson, Carmelo Anthony and the gang a brief respite, but that's not really the way things work in Knick-land, is it?
Once again, the Knicks will be under the microscope, with increased expectations and a host of improved conference foes standing in their way.
So how does this year's roster stack up against the opening-day lineup that stormed out of the gates with an NBA-high six-game winning streak to start 2012-13?
Let's break the rosters down, position by position.
Point Guard: 2012-13 Ray Felton vs. 2013-14 Ray Felton
1 of 10
Last season
The voluptuous veteran point guard returned to the Knicks following a disastrous 2011-12 season in Portland.
Just how disastrous?
Well, Felton might just be the most hated ex-Blazer in franchise history ... and we're talking about a franchise that used to employ Ruben Patterson!
However, Felton bounced back last year in his second stint at MSG.
Offensively, he might have been the most underrated point guard in the NBA last season—scoring the third-most total points on the team and shooting a respectable 36 percent from beyond the arc. He didn't put up gaudy assist numbers, but he was the driving force behind the Knicks' third-ranked offense. New York's offense scored 6.6 more points per 100 possessions with Felton on the floor, the best offensive plus-minus rating on the team.
Defensively, Felton gave away nearly as much as he added on the other end—Knicks opponents scored 4.5 more points per 100 possessions with him on floor. When Ray's in the game, somebody is scoring.
This season
Oddly enough, Felton might be the most consistent presence in the Knicks starting lineup.
He's not coming off a late-season injury, he's not changing his position or role and he doesn't have to answer questions about a sub-par postseason. The Knicks will once again try to utilize him on offense while hiding him on defense.
Edge: Push. Ray is gonna be Ray. He's going to do Ray Felton things and eat Ray Felton snacks.
Shooting Guard: Jason Kidd vs. Iman Shumpert
2 of 10
Last season
Jason Kidd was arguably the Knicks second-most valuable player through the first two months of the season.
Though he rarely ventured inside the paint, Kidd bolstered the offense with his insane 44.3-percent shooting from beyond the arc in November and December. Unfortunately, once the New Year's ball dropped in Times Square, Kidd's shooting percentages dropped with it.
After the New Year, he shot just 28.9 percent from downtown.
While he still accomplished remarkable feats of defense and rebounding for a 40-year-old guard—he finished the season eighth among all NBA guards in total rebounding percentage and fourth in steal percentage—it was clear by his performance in the playoffs that it was time for Kidd to move on.
This season
While Mike Woodson has paid lip service to a competition between Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith for the starting 2-guard spot, there's little doubt that Shumpert is going to win the job.
How an injured, suspended player can win a job from a non-injured, non-suspended player is beyond me, but Shumpert should get the nod even over a healthy Smith. Unlike Kidd, Shumpert saved his best basketball for last -- he excelled against the Pacers' No. 1 overall defense in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The hope here is that he can maintain his outside shooting from last season (40.2 percent from on threes), while improving his finishing around the rim.
He still has the tools to be an elite one-on-one defender, but has to improve his help defense and guard against over-pursuing. These things will come with time and experience.
Edge
Shumpert. He won't get off to the blazing hot start that Kidd showed us in 2012, but Shump is in it for the long haul.
If the Knicks want to improve on last year's squad, Shumpert is the key. No other Knick has nearly as much untapped potential.
Forward (Melo Division): Small Forward Melo vs. Power Forward Melo
3 of 10
Last season
Carmelo Anthony shocked the basketball world by snatching the scoring title away from defending champion Kevin Durant. This was no mere case of a volume shooter chucking shots until he got his numbers; Melo won the title with the most efficient scoring performance of his career.
Along the way, he became a willing convert to the Knicks' three-heavy offense, shooting a career-high 6.6 three-point attempts per game at a career-high 37.9 three-point shooting percentage.
This season
It appears that Woodson is dead-set on moving Melo back to small forward.
Is this the best thing for the team?
In the short run, probably not. Melo had a career year at the 4, and the Knicks won the Atlantic for the first time since 1994.
The switch might have made more sense if they had acquired a top-notch power forward, but Andrea Bargnani hasn't approached that level in at least four years, if ever.
In the long run, however, there may be a method to Woodson's madness.
Melo tore the labrum in his left shoulder at the end of last season, which hampered his effectiveness throughout the playoffs, and Woodson might want to preserve him this season by moving him away from the brawlers down low.
Edge
Last year's Melo. It'll be hard to top what he accomplished last season, but I'm sure the Knicks would gladly trade a drop in regular season performance for a clean bill of health come playoff time.
Forward (Non-Melo Division): Ronnie Brewer vs. Andrea Bargnani
4 of 10
Last season
Remember Ronnie Brewer, Knicks fans? I didn't think so.
Outside of the first week or two, Brewer didn't provide much value for New York, eventually losing his starting job to—I kid you not—James White.
The Knicks didn't have much stability at the small forward position until Iman Shumpert took over the spot in January.
This season
Here's the scary part: as bad as Brewer was last season, Andrea Bargnani was worse.
Brewer's aesthetically-revolting jumper netted him a 31.0 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc, while Bargnani, the reputed dead-eye shooter, hit just 30.9 percent. In fact, Bargnani hasn't had a better three-point shooting percentage than Brewer since 2010-11.
Not only was Bargnani's 7.6 total rebounding percentage worse than Brewer's, it was also worse than that of Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Jason Kidd.
The Knicks can only hope injuries and a hostile Toronto crowd were to blame.
The Knicks need to cure Bargnani of some bad habits if he is to succeed this year—namely his habit of camping out just inside the three-point arc and pump-faking out of open threes only to take contested 18-footers.
Edge
Bargnani. Even if he fails to capture his shooting form of four years ago, Bargnani gets the edge because of his ability to draw fouls.
The Knicks finished 20th in the NBA in free throw attempts last season, at a shade over 21 per game. Bargnani already has two games with six free throw attempts in the preseason.
If he can keep on getting to the free throw line, he'll shore up one of the team's biggest offensive weakness from last year.
Center: 2012-13 Tyson Chandler vs. 2013-14 Tyson Chandler
5 of 10
Last season
Entering the season as an Olympic gold medalist and reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Chandler was lauded as the best Knicks center since Patrick Ewing.
It became clear right away, however, that something was a bit off.
Chandler looked a touch slow on defense from the start of the season, and a neck injury (diagnosed as a bulging disc in his cervical spine...ouch!) kept him out for nearly all of April. He came back just in time for the playoffs, but was a shell of his former self, particularly against Roy Hibbert and the Pacers.
This season
Chandler did the best thing he could possibly do in the off-season: he rested.
There's been some talk of him developing a mid-range jumper, but the simple fact of the matter is the Knicks' defense will not improve much without the energetic, menacing presence of a replenished Chandler in the paint.
Edge
2013-14 Chandler. Chandler didn't deserve 100% of the blame for the Knicks' defensive collapse last season—the perimeter defense was absolutely horrid—but he needs to pick up his game after two sub-par postseasons.
The addition of Metta World Peace—not to mention a full season from Iman Shumpert—should help ease Chandler's defensive burden.
Sixth Man: 2012-13 J.R. Smith vs. 2013-14 J.R. Smith
6 of 10
Last season
Well, if they're gonna make you a sixth man, you might as well win Sixth Man of the Year, right?
Though he never started a single game, Smith ended up playing the most overall minutes of any Knick, while trailing only Carmelo Anthony in minutes per game, points per game, field goal attempts per game ... pretty much every relevant shooting and scoring stat.
And lest you think shooting the ball was his lone contribution, J.R. also finished in the top-ten among NBA guards in total rebounding percentage and lowest turnover percentage.
This season
I'm sure J.R. is a little miffed right now—he undergoes knee surgery, tries a little "self-medication" (totally legal in Colorado and Washington, BTW) and J. Edgar Stern suddenly decides to come around with one of those "random" drug screenings! Oppression!
Between the surgery and the drug suspension, J.R. won't see the court for at least the first five games of the regular season.
He better hurry back, because the Knicks are loaded on the wings, and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. has impressed this preseason.
Edge
2012-13 J.R. Like Melo, it'll be difficult for J.R. to improve on last season. Still, if he can come back quickly from the knee surgery, we'll likely see him closing out games in the fourth quarter once again.
El Argentino: 2012-13 Pablo Prigioni vs. 2013-14 Pablo Prigioni
7 of 10
Last season
If PIXAR ever wants to make a charming, kid-friendly NBA film, they might as well just digitize Pablo and make him the hero.
Prigioni had the Garden eating out of his hand last spring—they chanted his name in Game 2 of the Pacers series. The Knicks went 16-2 to end the regular season once they put him into the starting lineup.
Knick opponents scored 4.6 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, the best mark on the team. He defends the entire length of the court—and I do mean the entire length, baseline to baseline.
He is unselfish with the ball in his hands, almost to a fault. He gives the best interviews (check out 0:43 into this video for his Super Bowl pick).
What's not to like?
This season
I'm a big believer in the Felton/Prigioni backcourt.
Defensively, Prigioni plays the kind of spirited help defense that helps mask some of Felton's deficiencies. Offensively, the ball movement and three-point shooting are just exquisite. The numbers back this up:
| MP | Pts. per 100 possessions | Opp. pts. per 100 possessions | Net difference | |
Regular season | 298.2 | 123.1 | 105.2 | +17.9 |
| Playoffs | 151.8 | 108.6 | 96.3 | +12.3 |
| Total | 450.0 | 118.3 | 102.2 | +16.1 |
Even in the playoffs, against the big, bad Celtics and Pacers, the Felton/Prigioni duo still outscored opponents by a significant margin.
It seems like Woodson is dead-set on going with a bigger starting lineup, but I still hope the Felton/Prigioni backcourt will see big-time minutes.
Edge
2013-14 Pablo. If only because Mike Woodson didn't seem to trust Prigioni until late in the regular season.
Hopefully he won't make the same mistake twice.
Reserve Forward: Steve Novak vs. Metta World Peace
8 of 10
Last season
There is a tendency to undersell Steve Novak's impact on last year's team, but the simple fact is that he finished first on the team in games played, sixth in total minutes, fourth in total field goal attempts, and fifth in total points.
That seems like the work of a fairly significant part of the team, wouldn't you say?
Novak was the very definition of an NBA specialist. He only did one thing—shoot threes—but he did it well.
His minutes fell off dramatically in the playoffs, however, as Woodson didn't trust him to play against elite defenses.
This season
Believe it or not, Metta World Peace shot his fair share of threes last season in LA—5.5 per game, in fact.
Sure, he won't come close to matching Novak's 42.5% shooting mark from downtown, but the Knicks didn't pick him up for his shooting; they picked him up for his defense.
And while Metta is no longer a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, he can be a significant upgrade over the likes of Novak and Chris Copeland.
Edge
Metta World Peace. The Knicks need defense in the worst way. Also, this long-awaited match—Metta and the Knicks—just sort of feels right, doesn't it?
Injured Former Star: 2012-13 Amar'e Stoudemire vs. 2013-14 Amar'e Stoudemire
9 of 10
Last season
Poor Amar'e.
The former superstar big played but a few minutes in preseason before a burst cyst in one of his knees kept him out until January.
He played the good soldier upon his return, coming off the bench to average 14.2 points on a very efficient 57.7% shooting. Alas, those knees couldn't take the strain yet again, and he was back on the shelf by early March.
Lost in all of Stoudemire's knee troubles was the tragic irony that when he finally shared the court with Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, the trio found some of the success that had eluded them in 2011-12.
The Anthony/Stoudemire/Chandler frontcourt outscored their opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions last season in 223 minutes last season, up from the lowly -1.0 points per 100 possessions the group managed the year before.
This season
Poor Amar'e.
There is some talk that he might be ready by the season opener, but the team would do well to take things slowly.
Both Stoudemire and the coaching staff have spoken of limiting his minutes—a 20-minute cap, no back-to-backs—in the hope of keeping him healthy throughout the year.
The acquisition of Andrea Bargnani is, in some respects, an insurance policy, in case Stoudemire once again misses significant time.
Edge
2013-14 Amar'e. The Knicks are managing both Stoudemire's minutes and expectations, which is key. Stoudemire showed last season that he can still play at a high level, if he can just stay on the court.
Head Coach: 2012-13 Mike Woodson vs. 2013-14 Mike Woodson
10 of 10
Last season
If you inhaled deeply, you could still catch a whiff of New Coach Smell.
Woodson had helped turn the Knicks around after taking the reins late in the 2011-12 season. He pushed nearly all of the right buttons in the 2012-13 campaign: embracing the three-ball, sticking with Melo at the power forward spot and moving Pablo Prigioni into the starting lineup in March.
Woodson's postseason performance, however, left many fans scratching their heads.
He seemed nervous and over-matched: tinkering with untested starting lineups and steadfastly refusing to bench the under-performing J.R. Smith.
This season
Though the Knicks return most of last year's roster, Woodson seems determined to avoid many of the creative flourished that defined last year's team.
He has already moved Melo back to small forward and scrapped the two-point-guard backcourt.
It's a risky move: if the team struggles out of the gate, the fans might clamor for the lineup that proved so successful last year.
Edge
2012-13 Woodson. Dropping hints of an Shumpert/Smith starting lineup competition—with J.R. injured, suspended and coming off a dreadful postseason—just strikes me as weird.
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