New York Knicks
Last season: 50-32, lost to Indiana in Eastern Conference semifinals.
COACH: Tom Thibodeau (5th season with Knicks, 13th season overall, 527-389).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 22 at Boston.
DEPARTURES: F Julius Randle, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, F Bojan Bogdanovic, G Alec Burks.
ADDITIONS: C Karl-Anthony Towns, G Mikal Bridges, G Cam Payne, G Landry Shamet, G Tyler Kolek.
BetMGM championship odds: +650.
What to expect
The Knicks look like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference as they try to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000. Aggressive trades to land them Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota and Mikal Bridges and put them in the starting lineup with All-Star Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart give them one of the strongest starting fives in the league. They will play hard and defend the way Tom Thibodeau's teams always do, and this one appears to have the firepower to go with it.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: Brunson gets better every year and comes off a season where he averaged 28.7 points and finished fifth in the voting for the MVP award. He should have additional space to operate in the paint with Towns' ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting. With Bridges, a former runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, and Anunoby on the wings, the Knicks have as good a defensive pair on the perimeter as a team could want.
The not-so-good: Mitchell Robinson, who was the starting center last season before foot and ankle injuries, isn't ready to start the season following surgery and may not be back until at least December. Hartenstein replaced him and had a solid season on both ends, but Oklahoma City offered more money and signed him away. That could combine to leave them short on big-man depth, and the Knicks know all too well the importance of having enough healthy bodies after losing their entire starting frontcourt at one point last season.
Players to watch
To get Towns, the Knicks had to send Minnesota Julius Randle, a three-time All-Star who averaged better than 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Donte DiVincenzo, who set the single-season franchise record for 3-pointers last season. New York sent four first-round picks to Brooklyn to pry away Bridges. So the pressure will be on the two newcomers to prove they were worth it and make sure the gambles pay off.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The Associated Press
