Knicks’ center David Lee knows that he’s got a gold pot of cash waiting for him at the end of this season and he’s showing teams what they will get for it if they sign him. Lee has played in 18 games (all starts) for the Knicks this season and he is averaging 33.2 minutes, 18.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Lee is also shooting 55.6% from the floor this season so far for the Knicks.

Danilo Gallinari has been promoted to the starting lineup for the Knicks due to his outstanding play so far this season. Gallinari has played in 4 games (2 starts) for the Knicks this season and he is averaging 32.3 minutes, 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Knicks really hope that Gallinari’s play is not a mirage as they need his help on offense.

With a lot of Knicks just going threw the motions they need to find ore playing time for forward David Lee. Lee has played in 5 games (1 start) in December and he has averaged 30.6 minutes, 11.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Lee has also been hot shooting the ball as he has hit 63.9% from the floor this month. The bottom line is that he needs to play more because he is a big part of the future for the Knicks.

Zach Randolph is definately the best player on the Knicks right now. In 10 games this season he has averaged 33.9 minutes, 18.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Knicks would be much better off if they just fed the ball to Randolph and let the offense run through him because they look lost right now.

Eddy Curry surprised everyone as he started to get tough around the basket and turned into a scorer for the Knicks.  In 81 games last season, Curry averaged 35.2 minutes, 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists.  Curry shot an amazing 57.6% from the floor but only 61.5% from the free throw line.  The Knicks hope Curry continues to improve as a basketball player because this season was only a glimpse of what he can be.

Curry’s career numbers all took a spike upwards for him as he played well last season.  In 442 games, Curry averaged 25.8 minutes, 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.8 blocks per game over his career.  Curry has shot 54.6% from the floor but he continues to have problems at the free throw line as he only has hit 64.6% from the line.  In will be interesting to see if Curry continues to improve his career numbers.

Even though the Knicks have been fading lately, you can’t blame that on Eddy Curry or Nate Robinson.  Curry has played in 7 games the last two weeks and he’s averaged 25.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  He also has shot an amazing 64.1% from the floor in that span.  Nate Robinson has been sitting on the bench most of the season, but the Knicks have been playing him because of all the injuries they’ve suffered and he’s playing well.  In his last 7 games, he’s averaging 18.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  He also has hit 21 of 52 (40.4%) of his three-point shots.

David Lee’s play this season has been a major reason for the improved play of the Knicks as a team.  Lee has been providing a lot of muscle off of the bench for the Knicks with his aggressive style of play.  Lee is averaging 11.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season.  The Knicks have resisted the temptation to start Lee because he brings energy to the whole team when he comes off of the bench….even the tired guys that started the game!  He’s hit an amazing 60.6% of his shots from the floor this season which is fantastic.  He also is very good at the free throw line as he makes 80.4% of his attempts.  Without Lee, the Knicks would be worse than they were last season.

Quentin Richardson has been fantastic lately for the Knicks.  In his last 7 games, Richardson is averaging 18.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  He also has been the best three-point shooter for the Knicks as he’s hit 25 of his last 55 (45.5%)!  The Knicks are a much better team when Richardson is on the court, so they should start winning more now.

With Stevie Francis possibly out for the season the Knicks needed someone to step up at shooting guard and Jamal Crawford has done just that.  Crawford has averaged 43.3 minutes per game over the last six and has averaged 21.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  If Crawford keeps his game at this level, Francis will be a back-up if/when he comes back.

Channing Frye hurt himself early in the season and missed some time.  He’s just now starting to get his shot down.  Frye is averaging 26.7 minutes, 10.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game so far this season.  If Frye can improve on his shooting and shot selection in general his shooting % should improve (41%) which will also spike his scoring average.