Metta World Peace Wants to Win With New York Knicks; But Can They Compete in the East?


A season ago, the New York Knicks went above their preseason expectations, earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to a terrific season from star forward, Carmelo Anthony.

This off-season has been highlighted by the additions of both Andrea Bargnani and Metta World Peace, as well as the re-signing of J.R. Smith. News emerged on Monday evening however, that Smith is expected to miss the next 3-4 months following knee surgery, a major red flag that was virtually swept under the rug despite the Knicks’ signing Smith and knowing about his injury woes.

As for Bargnani, well, he will ease the pressure inside on Tyson Chandler, but as most NBA fans are aware of, this team is going to go as Anthony goes. The NBA’s defending scoring champ will need to produce and head coach Mike Woodson will be facing a monumental task in controlling some unique personalities and keep the ship straight as the 82-game regular season rages on.

After signing with the Knicks on Monday afternoon, World Peace made it clear that he simply wants to win in New York, stating, “I don’t care if I’m starting, or sweeping the floors. You hear me? I want to win,” in a report with ESPN. World Peace is not a selfish player on the court, so he’s trustworthy in relation to New York’s decision to sign him — he’s just a character to say the least.

In all however, Anthony’s free agent status will be coming to the forefront as the season continues on and if New York doesn’t live up to expectations next season, things will be heading south quickly. That’s if Anthony ever opted to play elsewhere.

In terms of looking ahead to the 2013-14 NBA season however, the competition in the East is top heavy, so where do the Knicks even stand? From the Miami Heat to the Brooklyn Nets, to the Indiana Pacers to the Chicago Bulls, the conference is improving and becoming top heavy. Even though New York earned the No. 2 seed a season ago, expectations might not get any higher than No. 5 next winter.

 

Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS

 


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