1. Hunger For More
As previously established, the New York Knicks have something to prove. Every player on the roster is out to prove they belong in one way or another, but that only scratches the surface of the hunger this team is fighting to fill.
The true testament to the Knicks’ identity is that the core players have a hunger to finally achieve what they’ve come so close to achieving before.
Carmelo Anthony led the 2009 Denver Nuggets to the Conference Finals, but has never made it back. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah led the 2011 Chicago Bulls to the Conference Finals, but neither has made it back.
Courtney Lee helped the Orlando Magic reach the 2009 NBA Finals, but he shares that common trait of having never made it back.
In other words, four of the Knicks’ five starters have vast postseason experience and a hunger for more. Just as Kristaps Porzingis is trying to prove that he can be a franchise player, the other four starters are trying to ascend the mountain again.
Four of the Knicks’ five starters have been so close to championship glory that they could taste it.
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In 2016-17, those players, as well as their teammates and coaches with something to prove, will band together to make the Knicks a contender again.