Courtney Lee: Knicks can be 'very scary'
The hype train cannot, and will not stop for the new-look New York Knicks.
Courtney Lee became just the latest Knickerbocker to express his wild optimism for the season ahead in an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
"We’re contenders, man. They didn’t make the playoffs last year, but we’re looking to change that and win big," Lee said.
"The ring is the ultimate goal for everybody on the team; I know it is for me. When they talked to me and told me about the pieces they were adding alongside the players who were already there, I didn’t think anything less than a championship (was the goal)."
In a whirlwind summer for Phil Jackson and company, the addition of Lee on a four-year, $48-million contract was lost in the shuffle. The team recruited Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah from the Chicago Bulls, while also changing up the coaching ranks by installing Jeff Hornacek on the sidelines.
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Having missed the postseason in three straight seasons, Jackson's hope is that major offseason renovations will translate to a better product. The starpower is there in terms of name recognition, but concerns do linger about their ability to stay healthy, and whether they can gel as a group.
Lee says the Knicks are a motivated bunch, and given time to gel, the team could make good on its potential.
"Everybody is hungry and everybody has their own motivation or chip on their shoulder. We just need to come together, get that chemistry, and see it click. Once everybody is together and everybody is hungry, I think we can be very scary."
Projection systems, however, forecast a familiar outcome with the Knicks missing the playoffs again in 2016-17.