Carmelo Anthony did the whole recruiting tour this off-season. He visited Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles (among others) and each team pulled out the red carpet. It was a long shot he would sign anywhere other than back in New York, but I’m sure he got some free meals out of it.

The Knicks had a disappointing season last year. They had hoped to build on the previous season’s success, but were derailed by injuries and underwhelming free agent signings.

Can the Knicks bounce back and once again be a playoff team?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the New York Knicks.

2013-14 Win/Loss Record: 37-45

Key Additions: PG Jose Calderon, C Samuel Dalembert, SF Cleanthony Early, C Jason Smith, PG Shane Larkin, SF Quincy Acy, PF Arnett Moultrie & SF Travis Wear

Key Losses: C Tyson Chandler, PG Raymond Felton, PF Kenyon Martin, PF Jeremy Tyler, SF Touré Murry, PG Shannon Brown,SF Metta World Peace & SF Earl Clark

Projected Starters: Samuel Dalembert, Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert & Jose Calderon

Fantasy Sleeper: SG Tim Hardaway Jr. – Hardaway Jr. was one of the few bright spots on the Knicks last season. He played in nearly every game and often dominated the other team’s bench players. He won’t contribute much in any other category, but he’s good for double-digit points every game. If Carmelo gets injured, he could really do some damage.

Team Analysis: I’ll wait while you check out the New York Knicks roster.

Ugly, huh?

You have a starting front-court of a 31-year old with 90-year old knees (yes, Amar’e Stoudemire is only 31) and Sam Dalembert who is also entering his 13th NBA season. They won’t be able to hang with younger big men, even though I think Dalembert is still an excellent shot blocker. Also, if Stoudemire’s knees finally turn to dust, his backup is Andrea Bargnani. The guy who did THIS last season.

I know the East is bad, but youth is on the side of the rest of the conference. The Knicks are expected to be a .500 team and sneak into the playoffs, but I don’t agree with those people. The Knicks could very well get the 8th seed in the playoffs, but a few key injuries would need to plague a few legit contenders.

The Knicks need to blow up the team. Signing Carmelo to a crazy contract is such a ‘Knick move’ and will cause them to languish in mediocrity for the next half decade.

2014-15 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 41.5 (Prediction: UNDER)

2014-15 Projected Win/Loss Record: 35-47 (10th in Eastern Conference)

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.