New York Knicks

Mejia's Offseason Grade For all that's said about Isiah Thomas, the man goes about his business and usually gets it done. Consider the mess he inherited from Scott Layden, and understand that despite all the struggles, he has upgraded the Knicks, if only to make them justify the cost of a courtside seat. He landed Larry Brown, promising to share creative control in return for the services of a true coaching genius. Grade: B.   Key Players Stephon Marbury: Marbury is a scoring point guard who continues to serves as the team's primary option on offense. Eddy Curry: The health of his heart remains a question the Knicks are willing to cope with in exchange for his offensive skills in the post.   Role Playing Nate Robinson, Guard Mr. Excitement: Larry Brown loves the potential of the 5-9 dynamo, which is part of the reason he has been riding him so hard in training camp trying to get him ready. It would be considered an upset if he doesn't find his way into the backcourt rotation, but he needs to improve his shot selection, decision-making and ball-handling or find himself sitting right next to Brown. The Knicks faithful will no doubt love his acrobatics and tenacity. Jerome James, Center The X-factor: The significance of this acquisition was diminished when Eddy Curry came on board, but rest assured, James will still have a huge role. It's expected that the Knicks won't overwork Curry, which means James will get significant minutes as the team's primary post threat. The fact he's not the only big man on board also works in his favor; he'll have to worry less about staying out of foul trouble, allowing him to stay aggressive. Malik Rose, Guard - The janitor: The undersized power forward has made a living out of doing the dirty work, and considering the team's big men have a reputation for being lazy and not being very strong rebounders, it figures Rose will quickly become a Brown favorite.   Burning Question Will Knicks players take Larry Brown's constant griping constructively? Brown has already begun the process of breaking his new team into playing "the right way," which often includes belittling them verbally. While the Knicks certainly need discipline, it remains to be seen how some of the team's veterans handle the legendary coach's constructive abuse. On the flip side, it remains to be seen how Brown maintains his sanity if he can't break the Knicks out of their bad habits -- lacking fundamental defensive concepts and playing selfishly.

Eddy Curry gives the Knicks a viable option in the post. (Getty Images)     Team Projections Projected finish: 3rd, Atlantic division Projected win total: 37-43 Team MVP: Stephon Marbury Leading scorer: Marbury Leading rebounder: Eddy Curry Leading assists: Marbury Top defender: Trevor Ariza   Stat Rankings Stat Rank Total Pts Scored 14 97.3 Pts Against 18 99.7 Rebounds 22 41.0 FG% 11 36.3   PROJECTED STARTERS PG Stephon Marbury Whether at the point or the two, he'll still be the focal point of the offense. SG Jamal Crawford Can he tone down his game and finally come into his own? SF Quentin Richardson Now that he's out of Phoenix, he'll be able to get back to the post-up, physical game that was originally his staple PF Malik Rose He'll have to serve as the glue and should hold off Maurice Taylor and rookies Channing Frye and David Lee for the nod here. C Eddy Curry All eyes will be on him. Team Depth Chart   Player Movement Movement Player Pos. Key loss Michael Sweetney C Key gain Eddy Curry PF/C Player Movement Chart