Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason | Roster
Last year: 48-34, third in Atlantic, fourth in conference
Coach/GM: Jeff Van Gundy/Scott Layden
Arena, first game: Madison Square Garden (19,763); Feb. 14, 1968
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 2,204-2,057/2
Notable: Made playoffs for club record 14th straight year

THE ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Mark Jackson	8 apg	Slow, methodical, but gets ball there
SG	Allan Houston	18.7 ppg	Worth $100 mil? Well, he's a shooter
SF	Latrell Sprewell	17.7 ppg	Defensive stopper needs to shoot better
PF	Kurt Thomas	.511 FG	Lunchpail guy fouls way too often
C	Marcus Camby	11.5 rpg	If only his career-high 63 games was 82
6th	C. Weatherspoon	9.7 rpg	Play him 30 minutes, he gets 12 and 10
7th	Charlie Ward	7.1 ppg	Eisley might steal his time for good
8th	Shandon Anderson	8.7 ppg	Poor guy will see stats die in Knickland

		Marcus Camby must play most of the games. He is out with plantar fasciaitis (inflammation of the arch tendon). He has talked about being ready for the opener. But the Knicks need Camby. Felton Spencer could help in the middle; he can score in the basket area, rebound and defend other big players. Also, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston must continue to perform their magic, and Mark Jackson, who appears trimmer, must have a solid year. Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson were good picks, but the nuts and bolts of the team are Camby, Sprewell, Houston, Jackson and Kurt Thomas.

By Peter May
Special to ESPN.com

Last year, for the first time since 1991, the Knicks were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. That was duly noted as a sign of inevitable slippage and perhaps it was. Then again, it also could have been sheer bad luck, something the Knicks may start experiencing more than they'd like. And it also illustrates that, for nine straight years, the Knicks at least got to the second round. But one streak may have ended and another just begun.

We're starting to get a glimpse of what could be a very difficult season for Jeff Van Gundy and his boys. Already, Larry Johnson has retired. On the surface, that's no huge loss; Van Gundy was the only one who still thought Johnson had anything left, but that counts, because Van Gundy is the coach.

But LJ was, at best, an occasional contributor last year and simply was too slow and rickety to play in the post. Kurt Thomas and Clarence Weatherspoon represent an improvement there.

Then there's Marcus Camby. Why the Knicks have gone for the last two seasons (we're counting this upcoming one) without getting a decent big man is an ongoing mystery at Madison Square Garden. It can't be for lack of money. It can't be (hopefully) for lack of will. Camby missed a lot of the exhibition season with a delicate foot condition which can take a long time to heal. There is no one, unless you count Felton Spencer or Travis Knight (and we don't) to back him up.

So the Knicks again will foist a small, but determined lineup on their well-heeled patrons. Camby is tall enough to play center and that suffices in most Eastern Conference matchups. Othella Harrington will have to step in and help out in the middle, at least until Frederic Weis decides it's time to emigrate.

But enough of their woes. Let's look at the bright side.

Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston will again be the dominant offensive players. Both can score and, in Spree's case, defend. Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley came in the deal for Glen (good riddance) Rice. That's a 2-for-0. Weatherspoon came as a free agent. There's depth at point guard. And there should be the obligatory emphasis on defense.

So what's all the fuss about? You could honestly make the case that this team, on paper, is better than last year's. Honest.

Who's Who
You figured the Knicks would not stand pat and they didn't. (They actually couldn't stand Pat, but that's another story.) The acquisition of Weatherspoon was puzzling, but now makes more sense with LJ out of the picture. Trading Rice was a great move because he had a difficult contract to move, a contract, by the way, which the Knicks unnecessarily gave him. But Anderson and Eisley could fit right in with the Knicks' style. You know the rest of the cast by now. There's constant chatter about moving a point guard for a big man. But that's a tough sell unless the point guard is really, really good and the big man is really, really ordinary.

	FANTASY SLEEPER
	Clarence Weatherspoon, PF -- Marcus Camby has foot problems, Kurt Thomas has foul problems. Someone is going to have to man the glass. The ever-reliable Spoon is in line for 9-10 boards a night. Throw in his usual 50 percent from the field and a block per night, and you have fantasy viability. --Brandon Funston

The Big Question
When are the Knicks going to do something about their lack of size? Sprewell already has come out and appealed for help. So far, his plea has fallen on deaf ears. The names being tossed around (Greg Ostertag, Adonal Foyle) aren't all that appealing, either. Camby's status is uniformly tenuous; face it, his history says he's going to miss 15 to 20 games a year. It's not just that they don't have a big center. Thomas and Weatherspoon are both undersized power forwards as well. Somehow, the Knicks got through all this last season when they didn't have a big man either. (Luc Longley played 25 games.) But as long as they don't do anything, the size issue won't go away.

Best Case Scenario
You probably saw just that last season. The Knicks won 48 games with their undersized group and then lost to the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs (losing the last two games.) Camby needs to stay healthy -- at this point, you'd think the Knicks are hoping he only misses 15 to 20 games -- and the new guys need to blend right in. All of that could happen and you'd be looking at a 48-53 win season.

Worst Case Scenario
The Knicks have a 14-year playoff streak on the line. Could it be snapped? Under the most Draconian circumstances, yes. That would mean that Camby is out for a long time and that no help arrives to take his place. But that's reaching. The Knicks still have Sprewell, Houston and a mindset that tends to win close games. They look strong enough to make the playoffs regardless, but they'd be a low seed if Camby is out for an extended period of time.

OVERRATED	UNDERRATED	TEAM MVP
Charlie Ward. Sorry, Charlie, but it's not looking good for you.	Clarence Weatherspoon. Start him over Thomas and you get more production.	Latrell Sprewell. Best all-around Knick can score, defend, and even smile.