New York Knicks Rumors: New-Look Team Guaranteed To Make NBA Playoffs?


New York Knicks rumors have the team primed to reach the NBA Playoffs again. The Knicks have struggled in recent years, so making it to the NBA postseason would certainly get the fans excited at Madison Square Garden. A fresh report from the New York Daily News calls the Knicks a playoff team if the roster can stay healthy. That’s a direct statement about how new players Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah had failed to stay uninjured for the Chicago Bulls.

Rose, who was acquired by the Knicks in a trade with the Bulls, has already called this a “super team” as the NBA season approaches. This isn’t a sentiment that any general manager outside of New York agrees with and certainly something that the NBA analysts enjoyed debating about. The New York Daily News also states that this isn’t really a “super team” either, but that they could easily make the postseason.

TNT analyst Reggie Miller has weighed in on the New York Knicks rumors, giving the familiar opinion of how health will be key for this team.

“The question is going to be health. You are wondering if Noah and Rose can get to the finish line because of the health problems over the last few seasons. Are they better on paper? Absolutely. I just hope they can get to the finish line. If they can stay healthy for 82 games, they have a real shot of making the playoffs in the East.”

[Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

A report from NBA.com breaks down all the NBA predictions for the 2016-17 season. Included are the projections from analysts and experts on which teams will win their respective divisions and which teams are most likely to meet up in the 2017 NBA Finals. The experts aren’t kind to the Knicks, as none of the 15 analysts who submitted predictions picked New York to win the Atlantic division.

Going just by the predictions at NBA.com, the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are projected to finish with much better records than the New York Knicks. The analysts also like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference. That puts six teams ahead of the Knicks already, which isn’t a good projection when only eight can make the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

There is also a report from CBS Sports that gives the odds on how many wins every team in the NBA will have during the 2016-17 season. The over/under for the New York Knicks is just 38.5, meaning the Vegas oddsmakers don’t even feel that the Knicks will finish with a record above.500 this season. 38.5 wins would equate to 43.5 losses, likely causing the Knicks to miss the NBA Playoffs again.

Some of the other interesting over/under numbers from the Eastern Conference are the Milwaukee Bucks (39.5), Miami Heat (36.5), Orlando Magic (36.5), Detroit Pistons (45.5), Charlotte Hornets (39.5), and Chicago Bulls (38.5). Those are the teams projected to finish near the New York Knicks in the final standings, showing that there could be a huge battle for the No. 7 and No. 8 playoff spots in the East.

[Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

Knicks’ All-Star Carmelo Anthony also made some comments on how he feels the team looks.

“Everything looks good now on paper. But it’s not until we get on the court and start putting things together and seeing who fits with who and how it fits in. What are we going to do? What’s our identity going to be as a team? How we want to play on both sides of the court. So that won’t be answered until we get going. The first month of the season we kinda knock some kinks out. But I believe once we get it rolling it’s going to be a good thing to watch.”

The first game of the season comes at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 25. The New York Knicks will play the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game that will definitely show whether or not the Knicks are ready to contend for a spot in the NBA Playoffs again.

[Featured Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

Share this article: New York Knicks Rumors: New-Look Team Guaranteed To Make NBA Playoffs?
More from Inquisitr