Knicks Improve Athleticism by Leaps and Bounds
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Wilson Chandler will face some stiff competition for the title of "Most Athletic Knick" for the 2010-11 season.
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Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh has been running basketball teams for over two decades, and each season he looks to put together a roster that can feature both big and small lineups. Mike D’Antoni, a veteran head coach, enters every season wanting athletic players who can run in his up-tempo system.
It’s safe to say the two men in charge of the Knicks are pleased with the roster they have going into training camp after adding 10 athletes who can, for the most part, each play multiple positions.
“It’s the first time that we’ve been able to put a team together and cover all the positions with some interesting players,” said Walsh, who was named the team’s president two years ago and hired D’Antoni shortly after. “Speaking for myself, I’m excited about it and I think Mike is excited about it. We’ve upgraded different positions on the floor.
“I think the players are players who can fit into Mike’s system. Our point guards push the ball and create a fast tempo, and they do it throughout. They don’t stop doing it and that could be a very affective way to play. At the same time we have a lot of big men who are athletic and can get down the floor. And when they get the ball, they can do something with it.”
Among the players acquired during the summer are speedy point guard Raymond Felton and perennial All-Star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire, who are expected to be key pieces in a system that relies heavily on the pick-and-roll. The other eight new players can also get up and down the floor, including 7-foot-1, 270-pound center Timofey Mozgov, who showed good mobility in the World Championships.
“The biggest thing that stands out for me is we’ve upped our athleticism tenfold, not just a little bit,” D’Antoni said. “Almost in every position athletically we’re a lot better. We just thought last year a lot of times we couldn’t compete athletically and that shouldn’t be the case this year. I think Wilson (Chandler) went from probably our best athlete to one of our top five.”
D’Antoni didn’t specify who makes the Knicks’ Top 5 list, but you could probably assume Anthony Randolph, a third-year veteran acquired from Golden State, is on it.
When speaking to a group of reporters twp days before training camp opens at the team’s training center, Walsh pointed out Randolph, calling him a “major athlete” who will “create some highlight reels at Madison Square Garden.” Randolph, like Danilo Gallinari, has the skill set to play two or three positions, which will help whether the Knicks go big or small.
“We have a lot of interchangeable parts,” Walsh said.
With all the new players and the amount of lineup and rotation possibilities going into training camp, the team chemistry will be questioned early on. But D’Antoni doesn’t think the Knicks are entering the year any different than other team. He’s confident his team will gel on the court sooner rather than later.
“Just like every team in every training camp you try to get (the players) in shape, you try to get that chemistry started with them, you try to get them into the system,” D’Antoni said. “And then for coaches to find out what we got and how to play them and what combinations might work and what might not. You might have one question going in and another question coming out.”
What the Knicks can’t question is the athleticism of their players entering the season. There’s also no question that the Knicks believe they have the right pieces to reach the next level.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” Walsh said.
It’s safe to say the two men in charge of the Knicks are pleased with the roster they have going into training camp after adding 10 athletes who can, for the most part, each play multiple positions.
“It’s the first time that we’ve been able to put a team together and cover all the positions with some interesting players,” said Walsh, who was named the team’s president two years ago and hired D’Antoni shortly after. “Speaking for myself, I’m excited about it and I think Mike is excited about it. We’ve upgraded different positions on the floor.
“I think the players are players who can fit into Mike’s system. Our point guards push the ball and create a fast tempo, and they do it throughout. They don’t stop doing it and that could be a very affective way to play. At the same time we have a lot of big men who are athletic and can get down the floor. And when they get the ball, they can do something with it.”
Among the players acquired during the summer are speedy point guard Raymond Felton and perennial All-Star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire, who are expected to be key pieces in a system that relies heavily on the pick-and-roll. The other eight new players can also get up and down the floor, including 7-foot-1, 270-pound center Timofey Mozgov, who showed good mobility in the World Championships.
“The biggest thing that stands out for me is we’ve upped our athleticism tenfold, not just a little bit,” D’Antoni said. “Almost in every position athletically we’re a lot better. We just thought last year a lot of times we couldn’t compete athletically and that shouldn’t be the case this year. I think Wilson (Chandler) went from probably our best athlete to one of our top five.”
D’Antoni didn’t specify who makes the Knicks’ Top 5 list, but you could probably assume Anthony Randolph, a third-year veteran acquired from Golden State, is on it.
When speaking to a group of reporters twp days before training camp opens at the team’s training center, Walsh pointed out Randolph, calling him a “major athlete” who will “create some highlight reels at Madison Square Garden.” Randolph, like Danilo Gallinari, has the skill set to play two or three positions, which will help whether the Knicks go big or small.
“We have a lot of interchangeable parts,” Walsh said.
With all the new players and the amount of lineup and rotation possibilities going into training camp, the team chemistry will be questioned early on. But D’Antoni doesn’t think the Knicks are entering the year any different than other team. He’s confident his team will gel on the court sooner rather than later.
“Just like every team in every training camp you try to get (the players) in shape, you try to get that chemistry started with them, you try to get them into the system,” D’Antoni said. “And then for coaches to find out what we got and how to play them and what combinations might work and what might not. You might have one question going in and another question coming out.”
What the Knicks can’t question is the athleticism of their players entering the season. There’s also no question that the Knicks believe they have the right pieces to reach the next level.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” Walsh said.
