The New York Knicks will be front and center in the basketball world next week, when the NBA open’s up its 69th regular season.
In its first two games, New York will host the Chicago Bulls and then travel to Cleveland the next night to face the new look Cavaliers. These are challenges for the Knicks, no question. However, what makes these match ups especially intriguing is that both Chicago and Cleveland are regaining their star player for the first time in a while.
Chicago is anticipating the return of former MVP Derrick Rose, who missed the majority of last season after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee. This was Rose’s second severe knee injury in as many years (in the 2012 playoffs, he tore the ACL in his left knee, keeping him out for the duration of the following season), so expectations for the 2008 number one overall pick should be significantly lowered. Before these devastating injuries, Rose was one of the premiere point guards in the entire league, and his remarkable athleticism wowed crowds on a nightly basis. However, keep in mind that Rose is STILL only a young 26 years of age, so he still has ample time to reach a new level of stardom. Playing with Joakim Noah and newcomer Pau Gasol will certainly boost his stat line and performance. On the defensive end, Rose will have the task of guarding Jose Calderon on Wednesday night. Calderon has been praised this month for having a great understanding of the triangle offense, so there is a good chance Rose will be slow to keep up with the former Maverick. This will most likely be a common theme for the beginning of Rose’s season, as he does not want to do anything too drastic that will put him in danger of further knee damage.
In Cleveland, the King is back. After an infamous decision, four years in South Beach, and two championship rings, LeBron James is back in the city he has always called home. In that time span, he went from the most beloved, to the most hated, to the most beloved again in a city that has been without a major professional sports championship for over fifty years. Now, LeBron is wearing the Cavalier wine and gold once again, but unlike his last stint in Cleveland, he is not the team’s only star player. Following the signing of James, who is under contract for 2 years, Cleveland traded number one overall picks Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota to acquire one of the best double-double machines in the association, Kevin Love. These two will join a team that already included Kyrie Irving, who won Rookie of the Year honors in 2012. When the Cavaliers take the court on Thursday night in their home opener, it will be one of the most raucous crowds “The Q” has seen in quite some time. It will be an emotional night for LeBron and Cavalier fans alike, but how sweet it would be if the Knicks could spoil his homecoming. One thing to watch for will be how the Knicks guard LeBron. Will they opt to double-team him, thus leaving sharp-shooters like Love or Dion Waiters wide open? Or will they have Carmelo Anthony play aggressively on LeBron, which could put Melo in early foul trouble. On paper, this a defensive nightmare for the Knicks, but on the flip side, the Cavaliers will also have their own issues playing in their first game for a new coach under a completely new system.
The results of two games out of an eighty-two game schedule is normally nothing to over-react about. However, the Knicks season may be foreshadowed by how they play against Chicago and Cleveland. Win both games? The Knicks might be viewed as the real deal. A pair of losses, though? Just another reason for “experts” to prove that New York’s rank at the bottom of the playoff picture is justified.