Hamilton: Are Knicks Headed For Another First Round Exit?

Despite the recent struggles and injury woes, there is some good news for the Knicks.

Kenyon Martin has already shown himself to be a difference maker for this team, and what the Knicks lose on the offensive end by replacing Stoudemire with Martin they regain on the defensive end of the floor. More importantly, Martin has retained his athleticism and is still capable of finishing pick and rolls and rebounding the basketball.

For 15 solid minutes a night, Martin can be counted on to be the best midseason pickup the Knicks could have possibly hoped for.

Lately, Iman Shumpert has shown a bit of a pulse. Though his timing still seems a bit off, his range of motion and quickness seems to be returning and that was evident in quite a few plays against the Trailblazers on Thursday night and his 20 point-output in Denver Wednesday on 8-of-10 shooting.

J.R. Smith called out his teammates and then gave one of his best efforts in recent memory on Thursday night. He attacked the basket and took 21 shots that all seemed to come naturally; few were needlessly forced.

But the pros end there, and without Anthony becoming 100 percent healthy and the Knicks rededicating themselves to the defensive end of the floor, another disappointing season and another first round exit will result.

Coach Mike Woodson has fumbled the ball a few times over the past few weeks, and that is something that has been fairly noticeable.

In all fairness to him, the Knicks have been dealing with a revolving door of injuries all season long, but if Gregg Popovich has the San Antonio Spurs playing with identity and purpose without Tony Parker, at the very least, Woodson should be wisely managing rotations and calling plays.

When Anthony is playing, it is one thing to allow him fairly free reign over the offense. It’s another thing altogether to give that same freedom to Anthony’s supporting cast, particularly when they are playing without Anthony.

The Knicks will play 10 of their final 19 games on the road, and 11 of those final 19 games will come against playoff teams. In all likelihood, it will take 50-51 wins for the Knicks to win the division and secure the second or third seed in the conference.

And with all that has affected this team over the past few weeks, the prospect of finishing up 13-6 is looking bleak.

Unfortunately, that is what it may take for these Knicks to accomplish anything at all this season.

Back in December, Anthony himself said that anything less than 50 wins, a division title and a trip to the conference finals was “unacceptable.”

As the season winds down and the Knicks jostle for playoff positioning, everything may all hinge on their ability to avoid the Celtics and the Bulls in the first round. The Miami Heat—winners of 20 straight games entering play on Friday—are clearly the cream of the NBA. Whether or not the Knicks can push the Heat in a playoff series is a question yet to be answered.

And at this point, Anthony and Knicks fans alike can only hope to have the opportunity to find out.

Moke Hamilton is a Senior NBA Columnist for SheridanHoops. Follow him on Twitter: @MokeHamilton