NBA Season Preview: What to Watch for and Expect from the New York Knicks

After finishing with a 42-40 record in 2010-11, coach Mike D'Antoni the New York Knicks earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a hungry Boston Celtics team, with a lineup full of playoff-tested veterans.

The Knicks were swept in four disappointing games, and due to the arrival of all-stars Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony earlier that season, the whole basketball world expected much more of a fight out of New York in that series.

Altogether, though, the Knicks had a fine season. They had not seen playoff action since 2004, and hadn't had a winning record since 2000.

Now, after an unusually long offseason, New York is ready to improve on last season's success and make a run to their first NBA championship since the 1970s.

Then-president and general manager Donnie Walsh had done a nice job turning the franchise around, but in June stepped down after three years working in the Knicks' front office. Glen Grunwald was elected as the interim replacement.

Since the end of the lockout, New York has made a few moves to strengthen the team both offensively and defensively.

New York put together a sign-and-trade deal with both Washington and Dallas, that led to the departure of Andy Rautins and Ronny Turiaf, but brought veteran big man Tyson Chandler to the big apple.

With an NBA title now under his belt, Chandler brings an aggressive, defensive mentality to the Knicks, who struggled on defense lat year. His experience and leadership will also benefit New York tremendously, especially with the departure of Chauncey Billups.

Billups was waived by the Knicks under the amnesty clause of the new collective bargaining agreement, and has since found himself a new home alongside Chris Paul in the Los Angeles Clippers' backcourt.

With Billups out of the picture in New York, the Knicks had a decision to make at point guard. Toney Douglas has been an outstanding player coming off of the bench, averaging 10.6 points and 3.0 assists per-game for the team last season. Many believed he would be the starter once Billups was gone.

Iman Shumpert, whom the Knicks took with the 17th pick in the 2011 draft, was also a viable option at point guard. During his final season with Georgia Tech, Shumpert led his team in scoring with 17.3 ppg. He also led the ACC in steals. 

Standing tall at 6'5'', Shumpert really seems more like a combo guard than a true point, but either way Knicks followers can expect some good output from their first-rounder.

The Knicks front office chose to spend instead of save once Billups' contract freed up some cap space. They signed veteran point guards Mike Bibby and Baron Davis, each to one-year deals.

Fans can expect Bibby to be a three-point specialist coming off of the bench, but it seems as if Davis will be the starting floor general this season at Madison Square Garden.

Davis will miss the first few weeks of the regular season due to a herniated disk in his back. Douglas will most likely be the starter until "The Baron" is ready to return to action.

Baron Davis may not be the player that Chauncey Billups is, but with Douglas, Bibby, and Shumpert playing alongside him, New York has some serious depth in their backcourt, and should not be taken lightly.

A member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team, Landry Fields has tremendous potential.

After an outstanding four years at Stanford, Fields found himself as the starting shooting guard for the Knicks at the beginning of last season. He averaged around 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per-game last year, and New York expects even more from the young prospect this season.

Anthony and Stoudemire will put up terrific numbers this year, as always. Both will likely average at least 20 ppg, and both will play in the all-star game.

So will these Knicks fare better than last years squad?

With a half-season in New York now under his belt, expect Carmelo Anthony to have a much better feel for the offense this time around. It's not out of the question that he is capable of dethroning Kevin Durant as this season's scoring champion, as "Melo" is one of the most fluid scorers in the game today.

The frontcourt and backcourt are both now deeper than last season, and the roster is loaded with young talent. 

However Tyson Chandler may be the missing piece of the puzzle. Before his arrival in Dallas, the Mavericks had been maintaining the 'soft' label for a number of years. Once he was brought on, the entire team's defense improved, and suddenly their label disappeared.

Only time will tell if he will be able to have the same effect in New York as he did in Dallas, but he gives Knicks fans a reason to be excited for this season; as they should be.