2K Sports has released the player ratings for each team’s starting five for the game that will be released in early October. Not only did 2K getting the Knicks’ most likely starting unit wrong, it might have also slighted some Knicks fans with their ratings. 2K Sports counts Ray Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph, and Amar’e Stoudemire as the starting five, with Amar’e obviously leading the pack (86). The other four are profiled as fairly mediocre players: Felton (73), Chandler (74), Gallinari (72), and Randolph (70). Not sure whose idea it was to consider Chandler the second-best starter, but oh well.

For some comparison, Kobe, LeBron, and D-Wade share the honor of top dog with a 97 rating. Potential-but-probably-not Knicks Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony clock in at 95 and 93, respectively. Tony Parker, AKA point guard plan B, is a 78.

In the spirit of the Day of Atonement, let’s run down a lengthy list of draft transgressions. Read more…

Bandwagon Knick previews the upcoming season:

The strength of this year’s Knicks is its depth and the increased number of players who better fit D’Antoni’s system; in particular, a surplus of versatile wings and inside players who have experience playing the pick and roll on offense, who have played for running teams, and who can better protect the rim and guard more positions on defense. For the last two years, David Lee was the hub of the system, setting screens, diving to the basket, popping out for a jumper, or managing the offense from the top of the key and finding shooters. Lee had too many ball-dominant teammates, however, and those teammates were terrible defenders, with every defensive switch producing a freeway to the rim or a wide open jumper for the opposing team.

The Knicks’ depth at the swingman positions presents a good problem for the team. They can sustain injuries at those two positions, but the question is how to spread minutes around to several deserving players. Wilson Chandler seems set to play considerable time out of position at the two, while signee Roger Mason will slide in behind Chandler and Kelenna Azubuike. Landry Fields showed good stuff in Las Vegas, but there may be too many guards and small forwards to afford him decent minutes. What worries me is that while the Knicks have great depth at some spots, the front court is feeble. Amar’e Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and Eddy Curry have all had well publicized injuries, and if one of the first three goes down, the Knicks will have some trouble.

Tom Haberstroh has listed (Insider req’d) the five worst players of each NBA franchise by PER. For the Knicks Bob Thornton, Mardy Collins, Larry Demic, Mike Farmer, and Malik Rose fill out the list. A better exercise might be to relate production to salary. I’m thinking Malik’s spot would be pretty safe.

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Nate Robinson has other thoughts.

Timofey Mozgov’s pronounced rebounding struggles in the world championships were well-documented, but outside of that area the tournament was a plus, writes Chris Mannix.

The 24-year-old, 7-foot-1 center impressed USA and Lakers forward Lamar Odom when the two went head to head in the quarterfinals (Mozgov went 4-for-4 in the first quarter), but the Russian struggled with fouls late in the game. Mozgov, whom the Knicks signed to a three-year, $9.7 million contract in July, is loaded with potential. He’s an excellent pick-and-roll player with soft hands and a nice touch around the rim, and though he’s raw and needs to become a better rebounder, his 13-point average in the tournament suggests he could quickly develop into a steal for New York.

While scoring seems to be his strong suit, his big frame inherently has defensive value, particularly on a team lacking size upfront. While his rebounding troubles prevent him from becoming the prototypical big man the Knicks would like, he should see steady playing time off the bat, with Ronny Turiaf not attuned to starter minutes.

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Who won’t make it through the year? Will the rookies make an impact? How will minutes be allotted? What are the holes in the roster? Do the Knicks have a real core? And more…

The Knicks season starts in 47 days, and the preseason starts in about half that time. Since the rage of early July, we’ve made it through half the summer doldrums in August, where every word out of Carmelo Anthony’s mouth is analyzed down to the etymology.

Carmelo, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams have all been brought up in the trade rumor department in the past month, coupled with frantic analysis of deals that in all likelihood won’t come close to fruition. In each case, rumored offers centered around the same characters: Eddy Curry, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Anthony Randolph.

Despite many wishes to the contrary, chances are the deals fail to go down and the four players listed remain on the Knicks roster, unless Donnie Walsh orchestrates another trade. Of the group, I cannot think of another player on the block that would rationally warrant Gallo or Randolph. It’s tough to envision Curry offering much on the court, but he also offers value in simply keeping him on the roster until the offseason. Curry would be a prime candidate to trade to a cost-cutting team with a quality veteran, but Walsh won’t exchange $11MM in cap room for a mediocre player, who could very well be the only ones available.

Along with Gallinari, Chandler was often hailed as a key cog of the Knicks future, but after stagnating the past season and his contract expiring this season, how he fits in is in question. If the team decides that Chandler’s no longer part of the answer, there is little value in letting him complete the season, unlike Curry. Portland’s disinterest in a Chandler-for-Fernandez swap speaks to Chandler’s often overstated trade value, but he likely is able to net a good player in a broader package.

Despite their “advanced ages,” the Knicks’ rookies are not the established players that could be easily evaluated for a trade. Despite his impressive Vegas showing, Landry Fields was thought to go undrafted by many, Andy Rautins still needs to show his college three-point stroke translates into the NBA, and Timofey Mozgov is the biggest mystery of them all. The Knicks won’t trade any one of these players with their true potential still undetermined, lest they deal a future quality player. Similarly, Toney Douglas showed signs of being a late first-round steal last season.

That leaves Patrick Ewing Jr., Roger Mason Jr., and Bill Walker. The Ewing Junior signing brought the roster the maximum 15, but of all the players on the roster, his spot is in most jeopardy of being taken by a training camp star. Ewing impressed the Knicks a couple seasons ago, and his recent time in the D-League helped lessen some of the scoring-related concerns, but with an non-guaranteed contract, he could become expendable. If he’s not on the roster, it’ll be because of a cut.

Roger Mason will make $1.4 million this season whether he remains a Knick or not, and his future this season is directly related to whether he can return to his 2008-09 form (42.1 3P%), instead of continuing his struggles from last season (33.3 3P%). As a guard, Mason plays in the most crowded positions on the Knicks, and if his shots aren’t falling, the Knicks could cut him loose to spread time over to Rautins and Fields.

Like Mason, Bill Walker has to prove he still “has it.” He played sporadically for the Celtics in a season plus, and while he turned heads in 27 games for the Knicks, Walker struggled mightily in the Summer League. He’s making just $1.77 million over the next two seasons, and I’d expect the Knicks to shop him around before cutting ties.

The New York Times has a story on Timofey Mozgov today, in which the rookie center’s background is described as belying “that of a typical player in the Russian system.”

Having to fight to be noticed helped him forge his work ethic. Mozgov spent most of his childhood near Krasnodar, a small agricultural city about 100 miles from the Black Sea. His family moved there from St. Petersburg, he said, because his father had health problems. The youngest of four brothers, Mozgov grew up in a working-class family. He said his father worked as a driver for a private company and his mother stayed at home to raise the family.

If he can adapt to the NBA well, Mozgov would provide the Knicks with a unique player down low. Despite the addition of Amar’e, the team lacks size, with their center (Turiaf) being just 6’10″. He has impressed in Turkey during the past month, but defensive lapses and subpar rebounding numbers should temper some exuberant fans’ expectations of Mozgov stepping in immediately. Having taken up basketball late (age 15), Mozgov still has room to develop, and while he should be able to contribute something this season, he could turn into a valuable player in coming years.

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