The New York Knicks Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
New York Knicks to win the Atlantic Division: +3300
New York Knicks to win the Eastern Conference: +8000
New York Knicks to win the NBA Championship: +50000
New York Knicks Total Win Prediction: Total 30.5 (Over -115, Under -115)
The New York Knicks had a terrible 2016/17 season; finishing in the 12th place in the East and recording 31 wins, which wasn’t even close enough to make the playoffs. That was their fourth campaign in a row without the postseason basketball, and the upcoming one doesn’t look very promising as well. The Knicks managed to end third in the Atlantic Division, ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, but that is a small consolation for another underperforming year.
The situation is even worse currently as the point guard Derrick Rose quit the team and joined the title contenders the Cleveland Cavaliers. Carmelo Anthony stayed, though, but that is only for the moment with the big cloud of uncertainty is over his future with the Knicks. For now, Melo is still a Knickerbocker, but if he asks to leave, I don’t think the Knicks will have the right argument to keep him at MSG. New York could be forced into a trade, so anything could happen until the offseason ends.
Read on to find out more about the New York Knicks offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 New York Knicks Roster
Arrivals: Tim Hardaway Jr., Ramon Sessions, Michael Beasley, Frank Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson, Ognjen Jaramaz.
Departures: Justin Holiday, Maurice Ndour, Marshall Plumlee, Derrick Rose, Sasha Vujacic.
The New York Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina with the 8th pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and the point guards signed a contract with them this July. The Belgian-born Frenchman started his career in Strasbourg and played there in the last few years, earning the French League Best Young Player on two occasions (2016 and 2017), and also the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship MVP award in 2016. A highly talented guard, Ntilikina averaged 15.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.8 rpg, and 2.2 spg in the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, and the 19-year-old has a bright future ahead of him. What he doesn’t have ahead of him is fierce competition for the point guard spot, as Ron Baker is listed as the starter, while Ramon Sessions and Chasson Randle are behind Frank in the pecking order. The youngster will probably be slightly introduced to the first team and eventually will start matches, as I don’t believe Baker has the quality to keep the starting gig for the entire season.
New York also took Damyean Dotson with the 44th pick overall and the shooting guard will serve as a backup option to Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee. The 23-year-old played college basketball with the Oregon Ducks and Houston Cougars, while in 2016/17, he averaged 17.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg, earning the First-team All-AAC honor in the process. I am not sure how much playing time he will get, but I don’t think he will see the court often this year. Along with Ntilikina, the Knicks also selected another point guard, Ognjen Jaramaz, who was the 58th pick overall. The 22-year-old Serbian will remain with his current team Mega Basket at the time being, despite playing for New York in the 2017 NBA Summer League.
The journeyman Ramon Sessions joined New York after the previous season with the Charlotte Hornets, where he averaged 6.2 ppg and 2.6 apg in 16.2 mpg. The 31-year-old is entering his 11th season in the NBA, and the Knicks will be his eighth team. Ramon will add much-needed experience to the backfield and could exploit the fact that the rivals for the point guard position are much younger and inexperienced, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets around 20 minutes per contest in 2017/18. Michael Beasley came to NYC following his last year’s spell with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the 28-year-old is listed as Kristaps Porzingis’ backup at the PF position. The former Miami Heat forward averaged 9.4 ppg and 3.4 rpg in 16.7 mpg and could prove to be a solid reinforcement for the Knicks, as he can play both small forward and power forward positions. Likely the Knicks biggest addition of the summer is Tim Hardaway Jr., who returned to the Big Apple after two years with the Atlanta Hawks. The shooting guard averaged 14.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, and 2.3 apg in 27.3 mpg (all career highs), and the 25-year-old seems mature enough to make the step forward and become a key performer for the Knicks. Let’s remind, Hardaway began his pro career with the Knicks in 2013/14, and he was delighted to come back as an improved player.
|
PG |
SG | SF | PF |
C |
| Ron Baker | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Carmelo Anthony | Kristaps Porzingis | Willy Hernangomez |
| Frank Ntilikina | Courtney Lee | Lance Thomas | Michael Beasley | Joakim Noah |
| Ramon Sessions | Damyean Dotson | Mindaugas Kuzminskas | Kyle O’Quinn | |
| Chasson Randle |
Maurice Ndour was waived by the Knicks after he failed to impress in his rookie season, averaging just 3.1 ppg and 2.0 rpg in 10.3 mpg. With plenty of better options at the SF spot, New York decided that parting ways with the Senegalese international is the best move for the club. The youngest of the Plumlee brothers, Marshall, left the Knicks following a weak rookie campaign in 2016/17 when he averaged 1.9 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 8.1 mpg (21 appearances). The 25-year-old is apparently the least-talented of all three brothers, and finding a new team will be a struggle for him, so the potential move abroad is on the cards. Justin Holiday, who also has a sibling playing in the NBA (Jrue), returned to the Chicago Bulls after spending the previous year with the Knicks, averaging 7.7 ppg and 2.7 apg in 20.0 mpg. Justin appeared in all 82 matches, and although he was a useful rotational player, New York has fine options at the SG position and should do okay without him. Sasha Vujacic moved to Europe after his two-year stint with the Knicks and will represent the Italian team Auxilium Torino in 2017/18. The Slovenian shooting guard played in 103 games for New York during his stay but never was a significant part of the squad.
However, the player who had a big role but decided to leave is Derrick Rose, who wore the Knickerbockers’ jersey for only one campaign. D-Rose averaged 18.0 ppg, 4.4 apg, and 3.8 rpg in 32.5 mpg, which are a quite solid numbers for the injury-susceptible player. The former Chicago Bull and the NBA Most Valuable Player opted to test the free agency and then joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he can fulfill his dream and became an NBA champion. Rose’s departure left a void at the PG spot, and now the Knicks are the thinnest at that position, one of the biggest reasons why they aren’t considered as the candidates for the playoffs this year. New York needs better players than Ron Baker, rookie Ntilikina, Chasson Randle, and Ramon Sessions to create plays, but at the moment, they are stuck with them four, and I believe they will struggle until a high-profile point guard arrives. That is not impossible, but I am afraid that the Knicks would have to give up on Melo in order to receive a high-quality guard, and with the situation in New York, I am not sure who would like to join the underachieving team.
The Knicks’ starting lineup doesn’t look bad at all, except for the PG Baker. Hardaway at the shooting guard, Melo at his usual forward spot, while the Latvian sensation Kristaps Porzingis will continue to terrorize the opposing defenses from the power forward position. The young Spaniard center, Willy Hernangomez was given an advantage ahead of the veteran Joakim Noah on the depth chart, and after a decent 2016/17, the 23-year-old could have a big campaign this time around.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
I don’t believe the Knicks could move up from the 12th place in the East in 2017/18, even though they have a few talented players on the roster such as Melo, Porzingis, Hernangomez, and Hardaway. Still, I reckon that is not enough to battle for the No. 8 seed in the conference, so New York could end up fighting for the 4th position in the division with the city rivals Brooklyn Nets. The bookies are predicting the similar number of last year’s victories, and BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 30.5. It is a tough one to select, but I am going with under on this one as the Knicks are in obvious disarray.
Season total wins: 30.5 Under (-115)
