These Are Certainly Not Last Years Knicks

The Knicks have surprised many with their improved play
Photo Credit: Adam Hunger USA Today Sports

The Knicks are five games over their win total from last season and look to be on their way to a major turnaround. The sudden surge of good basketball is the sum of a carefully planned retooling implemented by Phil Jackson, who has preached patience from the moment he arrived in the Big Apple. Here are some of the factors that have lead to the Knicks:

The Rise of Kristaps Porzingis

It wasn't long ago that the New York faithful booed vociferously at the drafting of Kristaps Porzingis as if he were the second coming of Chris Dudley. 44 games in those books have turned to resounding cheers as Knick fans anxiously anticipate every move he makes. Porzingis may only be a rookie, but he has suddenly captivated one of the toughest fan bases in the nation in seemingly one fell swoop. Hopefully he will only get better from here.

Melo sharing the wealth

The days of the Carmelo Anthony total isolation have not quite gone away, but there is much more to it than what many have been accustomed to. at 3.9 assists per game, it may not look like he is accomplishing anything special, however if you've watched the games, Anthony has begun to trust his teammates more and more with each pass. This has lead him to become more of an on court leader, willing the Knicks to greater heights.

New Additions

Arron Afflalo (14.2 pts 3.7 reb 1.8 asts), Derrick Williams (9.0 pts 3.2 reb), Robin Lopez (8.9 pts 6.0 reb), and Kyle O'Quinn (4.7 pts 3.9 reb) have contributed nicely to the new dynamic of the Knicks. Although it did take a few games for them to get comfortable, each have shown the ability to confidently handle themselves on the court in a variety of situations. This has made things much easier for Anthony, who has had to shoulder the scoring load for much of his tenure with the Knickerbockers.

Bench Contributions

Much can be said about the contributions of players such as Lance Thomas, Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant. Their hard work and perseverance hasn't gone unnoticed by Derek Fisher as he continually gives them regular minutes off the bench. They say great teams have great benches. If they keep this up, the Knicks will be well on their way to having one of the more superior ones in the NBA.

Improving Eastern Conference

The last decade has not been kind to the East as most of the league's worst clubs have come out of the conference. The Knicks have been no stranger to this as they have found themselves in the doldrums far too often during this span. That is not the case this season as the East has quite a few improved teams who could vie for playoff position with .500 of better records. The increased the level of competition has given the Knicks the a better chance to measure where they are in respect to their opponents.