Having taken some time off from the blogging game, I've been able this season to watch these new-look Knicks with a new set of goggles, that's not faded from the lasting impressions of Isiah Thomas. No, this Knicks team is something we New Yorkers haven't seen for quite some time. Not since the days of Ewing and Oakley banging the boards down low have we seen such fire in a Knicks team.
Amar'e Stoudemire is the brand-new face that this team needed. He's like the repair man, if anything is going wrong, Amar'e is there to fix it. Need a big bucket? Amar'e will get it. Need a stop on D? Amar'e will get it (or at least has so far). But it's also the help he's gotten that has this team sitting at 9-9 with December right around the corner.
Raymond Felton has done what no Knick has been able to in the last 2 seasons: run Mike D'Antoni's offense effectively. After being in such a tight system such under Larry Brown in Charlotte, Felton has taken some time getting used to D'Antoni's free-flowing system. But it's one that is very similar to the one he played in at UNC under Roy Williams, and he is finally grasping the offense and how he can succeed within it. The man can shoot, penetrate, and dish, which is exactly the type of point guard this offense calls for (not to mention he's a very scrappy defender).
If Felton is Robin to Amar'e's Batman, that must make Danilo Gallinari Alfred the Butler. The third year Italian forward got off to a rough start this year, appearing stagnant on offense and sometimes out of place on defense. But over the last seven games, in which the Knicks are 6-1, Gallo has been not only an efficient player, but a clutch player making some huge shots down the stretch, such as the back-to-back threes he took to open the second overtime of Sunday's 125-116 win over the Pistons.
These Knicks are still a work in progress, but as long as the progress is noticeable, I can be happy with this team.
