New Knicks' coach Mike D'Antoni said yesterday that he would be disappointed if his team doesn't make the playoffs in his first year. D' Antoni claimed that with a weak Eastern Conference, 39 wins may be all it takes to back into the post-season. "Hopefully the East stays that way and it doesn't go where teams are winning games all over the place. We need to try to get in. If it doesn't happen, I'd be disappointed. There's no guarantees, but me personally, I would be very upset. "
39 wins may not sound like a lot to D'Antoni, who averaged 58 wins-per-year over his last four seasons in Phoenix, and for most every team in the NBA, it's not, but it would be a great improvement for the Knicks over only a year. 39 wins is 16 more than they had this past year, when they tied their franchise record for most losses with a 23-59 record.
D'Antoni should prepare himself for disappointment if he thinks his Knicks can be playoff-bound next year. With essentially the same roster as last year, there will be no reason the Knicks can improve 16 games. A coach cannot better a team by 50%. D'Antoni's run-and-gun style can't work with the Knicks' current players. Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury are completely untradable. Their roster won't turn over until 2010, when Marbury's Zach Randolph's contracts are both up and LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all free agents.
- D. Spell
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