The Knicks outrebounded the Blazers 51-41 last night but it didn’t matter on the scoreboard. Wilson Chandler led the way for the Knicks with an incredible game off the bench as he had 23 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots in 38 minutes on the floor. Amare Stoudemire (18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) and Raymond Felton (16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal) had so-so games for the Knicks last night. Landry Fields (11 points) and Toney Douglas (11 points) also pitched in offensively for the Knicks last night. The Knicks are now 1-2 on the year.

The Knicks were outrebounded 54-38 tonight and it killed them in the end. Amare Stoudemire led the way for the Knicks tonight with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Wilson Chandler had another monster line off the bench as he finished up with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 blocked shots in 33 minutes on the floor. Raymond Felton did a decent job of running the offense tonight as he finished up with 17 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists and 3 steals. Toney Douglas (12 points) and Landry Fields (11 points) also pitched in offensively for the Knicks tonight. The Knicks are now 1-1 on the year.

The Knicks shockingly won tonight with defense tonight in Toronto as they held the Raptors to 38.3% shooting from the floor. Wilson Chandler led the way for the Knicks with a monster game off the bench. He finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots in 29 minutes on the floor. Amare Stoudemire also had a solid game for the most part with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots but he also turned the ball over a stunning 9 times. Raymond Felton was solid running the point as he finished up with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists tonight. Danilo Gallinari (12 points), Landry Fields (11 points) and Toney Douglas (10 points) also pitched in offensively for the Knicks tonight. The Knicks are 1-0 on the year.

The Knicks were 29-53 last season as they had a rough go of things. The Knicks brought in Raymond Felton, Roger Mason, Amare Stoudemire, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Timofey Mozgov in for this year and that’s a nice infusion of talent. The Knicks might not be done yet either as whispers heard around the league say they might make a trade offer for Carmelo Anthony. I think the Knicks are a serious threat to both a .500 record and a low seed playoff spot. With that in mind I would take the over in wins for the Knicks this year but I would pass on making a bet on the Knicks to win it all as they are currently 60-1 to win the NBA Championship.

59-year old head coach Mike D’Antoni almost deserves a pass on his first two years with the Knicks because the front office continued to give him lousy players in an effort to clear up cap space to go after LeBron James last summer. That didn’t work out but the Knicks did bring in a lot of talent for D’Antoni to work with. The Knicks are 61-103 (37.2%) under D’Antoni in his first couple of years but he’s a much better coach than that and it will start to show this year. D’Antoni has a career record of 328-275 (54.4%) during the regular season and he is 26-25 (51%) as a head coach in the NBA.

27-year old Ronny Turiaf could well be the starting center for the Knicks this year. He played in 42 games (20 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 4.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Turiaf has now played in 294 games (69 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.9 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Turiaf is better used as an energy guy off the bench.

24-year old rookie Timofey Mozgov will also likely get a lot of P.T. for the Knicks at center in 2010-11. He played in 16 games (3 starts) in Russia last season and he averaged 13:37 minutes, 6.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Mozgov is a legit big man as he is 7’1″, 270 pounds. It will be interesting to see how he handles the speed of the NBA game.

27-year old Eddy Curry won’t get much P.T. for the Knicks this year, even if he’s healthy. Curry played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 8.9 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He has now played in 511 games (410 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 25.4 minutes, 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KNICKS CENTERS IN 2010-11: D

27-year old power forward Amare’ Stoudemire was the biggest addition for the Knicks over the summer. He played in 82 games (all starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 34.6 minutes, 23.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Stoudemire has now played in 516 games (499 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 34.3 minutes, 21.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. He might also play a little bit of center this season but that will depend on his back up, Anthony Randolph.

21-year old Anthony Randolph will back up Stoudemire when the year starts but he could push him to center at some point in the year. Randolph played in 33 games (8 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 22.7 minutes, 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 96 games (30 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he has averaged 19.6 minutes, 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Randolph was the key player the Knicks got back in the David Lee trade so big things will be expected out of him.

24-year old Shawne Williams has never been able to shake off the court issues. That hasn’t stopped the Knicks from giving him a shot to get his career back on track. Williams last played in the NBA in 2008-09 with the Mavericks. He has played in 126 games (6 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.4 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

Patrick Ewing Jr. is a legacy like they once said in Animal House. His daddy was one of the best players in Knicks’ history. That being said he is a long shot to make the team. Ewing played for the Reno Bighorns in 2008-09 in which he appeared in 30 games (9 starts) and averaged 35.2 minutes, 16.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KNICKS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A+

22-year old small forward Danilo Gallinari really improved in his second year in the NBA last season. He played in 81 games (74 starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 33.9 minutes, 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Gallinari has now played in 109 games (76 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he has averaged 29.0 minutes, 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Gallinari’s best asset is his long range shooting as he has nailed 38.9% of his three point shots to this point in his NBA career. The Knicks hope Gallinari takes another step forward in 2010-11.

22-year old rookie Landry Fields might be the top back up at small forward for a while. He played in 32 games at Stanford last season and he averaged 22.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Fields played in 129 games in his college career and he averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals per game. The Knicks have been very impressed with Fields during the pre-season.

26-year old Kelenna Azubuike will likely be out until January as he continues to rehab his knee. Azubuike played in 9 games (7 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 25.7 minutes, 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. He has now played in 205 games (84 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 24.4 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. His main asset is his outside shooting as he has nailed 40.9% of his shots from three point range in his NBA career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KNICKS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B-

The Knicks have a lot of choices at shooting guard for the 2010-11 season. 23-year old Wilson Chandler is the likely starter at shooting guard. He played in 65 games (64 starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 35.7 minutes, 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 182 games (150 starts) in his three years with the Knicks and he has averaged 31.5 minutes, 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. But, Chandler needs to improve his outside shooting if he wants to keep his starting job. He has only shot 30.8% from three point range in his career so far.

30-year old Roger Mason seems like a good fit in the Knicks’ running style on offense. Mason played in 79 games (5 starts) for the Spurs last season and he averaged 19.2 minutes, 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He has now played in 346 games (88 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 19.2 minutes, 7.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Mason has shot 38.1% in his career from 3-point range and that alone should get him his share of minutes for the Knicks this year.

23-year old Bill Walker was impressive last season with the Knicks & Celtics. He played in 35 games (13 starts) for the Knicks & Celtics and he averaged 21.9 minutes, 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Walker has now played in 64 games (13 starts) in his two years in the NBA and he has averaged 15.4 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Walker has shot an amazing 42.7% from three point range to this point in his career which is pretty amazing.

23-year old rookie 2nd round pick Andy Rautins is a shooter. He played in 35 games (all starts) for Syracuse last season and he averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Rautins played in 127 games (65 starts) in his four years for the Orange and he averaged 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Rautins will have a tough time making the team.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KNICKS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: C