On the eve of Christmas - or as some now call it, Tim Tebow's birthday - the shortened NBA season is set to kick off tomorrow afternoon with the revamped New York Knicks hosting the Boston Celtics.  The Knicks made plenty of moves during the abbreviated offseason; some surprising and some expected.  Let's take a closer look at the team and see where they're at and where they need to go in order to compete for that elusive third championship this year.

*Note:  All statistics listed are complete 2010-11 regular season averages regardless of team.

Carmelo Anthony probably has more to prove than anyone this year.  Ever since his name first got mentioned in trade rumors before the start of last year's season, his game has fallen victim to an endless barrage of scrutiny: he doesn't try on defense, he's a ball-stopper, he's doesn't make his teammates better, he can't win a championship, he can't play with another star; groany, groan, groan (as the late Greg Giraldo would say).  The heat only intensified when Melo forced his way via trade to the NBA's biggest market and epicenter of criticism: New York City.

Make no mistake about it, Melo is out to prove all of his critics wrong this year.  The success of the New York Knicks undeniably rests heavily on the small forward's shoulders, and for the Knicks to be a success they need to get better defensively.  They also need to improve their rebounding (particularly on the defensive side).  With no conventional point guard to start the season, they need a distributor and a conduit for the offense to flow through.  Melo has the ability to address all of these needs:  

Rebounding
We already know Melo is one of the best rebounders at his position.  He's a quick leaper, has great hands, and possesses good instincts around the ball.  More of the same would be a great addition to a front court that gave up a ton of offensive rebounds last year. 

Defense
This is obviously the biggest knock on Melo's game.  We've seen flashes, like the game-winning block on Danny Granger from last season, but not the consistent, smothering effort Knicks fans grew accustomed too during the 90s.  The good thing is Melo is fully aware of this stigma and he it seems he is making a conscious effort to rectify it.  Individual defense is more about athleticism, timing, and desire than talent or skill.  He already has the foot speed and strength to contain the Lebrons (at least in the half court), Pierces, and, um, Dengs (?) of the Eastern Conference.  With Tyson Chandler guarding the paint, it would be interesting to see if Melo takes a few low risk gambles defensively, boosting his steal and block averages a bit, and allowing the Knicks to attack in transition.  As mentioned above, the desire should absolutely be there this year if not for the sole reason of hushing the haters.  Developing timing should be a byproduct of showing that defensive effort each night.

Playmaking
We've heard many stories suggesting that Melo will assume the role of point forward in Mike D'Antoni's offense throughout the year.  While Melo is an underrated passer, this could lead to a jump in his turnovers as there will ultimately be growing pains with this new role.  Melo's handle has looked more crisp this preseason so you'd like to see some pick and roll chemistry develop between him and the rest of his front court mates.  We know Melo is a great isolation scorer (even the groaniest of Melo critics will admit he is the the best or second best pure scorer in the game), but getting teammates involved is going to be a big part of his responsibility this year.  I'd like to see him echo Kobe circa 2007-2010, who would concentrate on distributing in the early part of the game to make sure the team had confidence going down the stretch.  You don't want Anthony to stray away from his strengths but you would like to see him force less shots, and look to pass after he has committed to an offensive move and the defense collapses on him.  People always say the other players "stand around" when Anthony is going to work in the high post, but this is also true of the defense, a fact that may present some easy passing opportunities.  If Anthony can get his assists up around 4 or 5 per game I think he will be poised to have an MVP-caliber season.

You could easily say that Amar'e is one of the biggest question marks coming into this season.  He has bulked up quite a bit (gaining apparently 20 pounds of muscle),  yet his offensive style displayed in the preseason and during training camp has been focused on the perimeter.  Will the presence of Tyson Chandler motivate him to be a better rebounder and defender, or will it give him an excuse to relax and let the big man clean up his mess (undoubtedly leading to said big man's foul trouble and contempt)?  Like Melo, we have witnessed some great defensive moments for Amar'e.  He has developed a knack for getting huge weak-side blocks, but too many times we have seen him morph into a lesser mortal on the defensive end, keeping all living organisms at arm's length a la Wilt Chamberlain after getting tagged with that fourth foul.  It's downright befuddling.  Is he afraid of getting injured?  Is he trying to conserve energy?  Do other bigmen really smell that bad?  The reasons are unclear, but what is clear are the consequences:  Kevin Love, J.J. Hickson, Tyler fucking Hansbrough, and others having career outings against the Knicks leading to despicable losses.  It needs to stop.  The Knicks need Amar'e to own every power forward matchup.  He needs to be aggressive and handle his business like he did against KG in Game 1 of the playoffs last year.  I understand he is playing on two surgically-repaired and uninsured knees, but those types of adjustments should be made on the offensive end instead.

Speaking of offense, Amar'e will probably get less shots and his FG% might take a dip given that no one is really creating easy shots for him.  Having said that, his jump shot is becoming ridiculously smooth.  Like we alluded to above, Amar'e can make some adjustments to avoid rumbling into the lane (risking injury and offensive fouls).  Instead of diving towards the basket on pick and rolls, he can start popping out and knocking down that 15-18 footer, which he's become so adept at over the years.  He's been working on his three ball too, so you can also see him developing into a stretch four, which would make him even harder to guard.  Remember, he's going to be going up against more agile power forwards this year (as opposed to last year when it was primarily centers), so he won't be able to drive to the basket as easily anyway; his game will need to adjust.  This may end up being a good thing as it will help him stay fresh for the fourth quarter, and more importantly, for the playoffs.

On the glass, Amar'e is a good offensive rebounder (although these numbers may decline this season due to his increasing propensity to hang on the perimeter), but he averaged less defensive rebounds than Melo did last year.  He can improve this with one simple tactic: boxing out.  Too many times he completely loses his man when it's time to grab a rebound.  He needs to make sure he puts a body on the closest opponent in the paint when the shots go up.  With Melo and Tyson flanking him on the front lines, chances are a Knick will corral the ball.  Add Landry Fields to the mix and there is no reason why the Knicks should not be an improved rebounding team this year.

All in all, we don't quite know what to expect from Amar'e this year, but we do know he his a winner.  He's never played for a losing team in the NBA and has developed into a mature leader and hard worker in practice.  He is the player who's success will be most tied to how soon (and how effectively) Baron Davis can join the lineup, but come playoff time, I think we will see some vintage Amar'e domination.

The Knicks big free agency signing shocked a lot of people.  It was a known fact that while the Knicks desperately needed a defensive center of Tyson's caliber, they did not possess the required cap space to afford it.  And then the new CBA got ratified and it included an interesting little clause that let you amnesty players out of heinous contracts from the former CBA.  Chauncey Billups was the first casualty of this clause and it allowed the Knicks to use the regained cap space to swipe Tyson away from his would-be suitors.  Some fans were worried about using the amnesty clause so quickly as it would've provided some insurance for Amar'e; however, I really liked the message this sent to the fans and the rest of the league.  The time for waiting on big free agents was over in New York.  This team wants to win now, and they want to win big.  They addressed their biggest hole (albeit, creating a new one at the point), and indirectly made a commitment to the key components of the roster (who no longer needed to be worried about being traded).  It's now time to build chemistry and make a run.  If the Knicks can manage to win a championship in the next 3 years, Amar'e's knees can fall off and roll down 7th Avenue afterwards; I doubt anyone would care.

Getting back to Tyson, the big question is if he can stay out of foul trouble.  A lot of that depends on the defensive output of his teammates.  One of Tyson's strengths is his ability to communicate on defense and direct players around as needed.  I expect his blocks to go up this year as he will definitely get more opportunities to swat shots in the lane.  Tyson may have trouble scoring as much as he did in Dallas without Jason Kidd feeding him, but that's not what he was brought in for.  Although it should be noted that Knicks assistant coach, Phil Webber, has a great track record for developing the shooting of bigmen (David Lee and Amar'e Stoudemire were both poor shooters before falling under his tutelage), so perhaps we can see Chandler improve in that area and get some opportunities for short baseline jumpers off of Melo and Amar'e drives.  He has already become a respectable free throw shooter recently, so I expect his percentage to climb even higher (a really invaluable trait for big men who freqently get fouled in the paint).  In the long run, if Tyson can enhance the team defense so that it is a bit better than league average, without negatively affecting their already potent offensive production, then I think the Knicks have a shot at topping the Bulls, Heat, or Celtics (listed in order of decreasing likeliness) in a playoff series .

Landry's struggles after the trade were well-documented at the end of last season.  In the first half, Landry surprised everyone with his high basketball IQ, often making well-timed cuts to the basket helping to pad his guard leading FG%.  He also had a great nose for the ball and deceptive athleticism leading to many offensive put-backs and solid rebounding all around.  In addition, became a serviceable spot-up shooter from 3.  I think the main reason that his numbers fell off after the trade deadline was because the jury was out on him.  Team's were getting their second, third, and fourth looks at Landry and knew how to defend him.  Don't let him roam around undeterred on the offensive end and make sure you are within closeout distance when doubling off of him.  Once his strengths were neutralized, Landry's great weakness became abundantly clear: he really can't create his own shot.  When teams closeout hard on him his drive to the lane his typically ineffective, often resorting to a slow spin move and floater that defenses can easily react to.  Landry is a decent defender, but he really got exposed against the Celtics in the playoffs when Ray Allen continuously found space as Landry often took poor angles chasing him around screens. 

I wanted to see Landry's handle improve this season as well as his decision making when driving to the hoop, but based on training camp and preseason games it doesn't look like he is quite there yet.  It does appear that his release is a bit quicker and more fluid, which is going to be important this year as he will be getting plenty of long distance looks with Amar'e and Melo grabbing most of the attention.  Sadly, I think we see Landry's numbers take a dip this season and he may give up his starting spot to rookie, Iman Shumpert, who has more natural shooting guard skills.  This can actually be a better fit for Landry as he can move more to his more natural small forward position and not be mired on the perimeter all the time.  This will also help transition defense since Landry's propensity to crash the offensive glass can lead to his man leaking out for quick buckets.  For that reason, you would rather have him be guarded by forwards as opposed to guards.

You have to feel for Toney; he worked hard in the offseason healing his shoulder and getting in better shape.  He figured his role was to be the sixth man and provide a scoring spark off the bench.  Then the Knicks amnestied Chauncey, and all of a sudden he was the starting point guard of a top heavy squad with a shit load of expectations.  It's hard to ask a player to develop court vision and playmaking ability,especially when he spent so much time away from his teammates during the lockout.  With a lot of critics focusing on these shortcomings, it's easy to lose sight of the things Toney brings to the table: a streaky scorer who is not at all afraid of the big moment, a great on the ball defender (when he is not gambling too much), and just a solid, coachable, pro and teammate.  I'm glad the Knicks picked up Baron Davis, because it sends a message to Toney that while they are confident the team will not implode with him running the point, they also don't expect him to drastically change his game.   Everyone knows that if and when Baron returns, Toney will return to his more comfortable backup role devoid of facilitating responsibilities.  

Health will be the biggest factor in evaluating Baron's impact on this team.  But it is pretty cool that most pundits agree that if Baron can return healthy, he will be a huge difference maker for this team.  Even in an off year, his numbers last year were Feltonesque and we saw the boost Raymond's numbers received after playing for D'Antoni.  I'm trying to contain my excitement, but I am friggin ecstatic about this pickup (my alarm was set to go off when he officially cleared waivers).  Even better is the fact that he seems more excited than me (just check his Twitter page - you'd think Spike Lee hacked into his account).  This guy has been a big time baller for most of his career, he is still pretty young (32), has always thrived in the limelight, has already shined in a fast offense (Nellie's Warriors), and has never played with this level of talent before.  That last point should somewhat counterbalance a frequent criticism of Baron's game: his poor shot selection and low FG%.  But again, all of this excitement doesn't really mean anything if the only burn the point guard gets is from the heating pad resting on his ailing back.

Let's close out this preview by taking a closer look at the coaching staff.  Mike D'Antoni will be feeling the heat like never before this year.   With rumors of Phil Jackson inevitably swirling around all season and high expectations from a championship-starved fanbase, at the very least, Mike will need to lead the Knicks to a respectable second round playoff exit to avoid contributing to the country's unemployment rate.  We've already seen one major shakeup: years after reportedly scoffing at Steve Kerr's insistence to hire Tom Thibodeau as a defensive coordinator in Phoenix, D'Antoni welcomes Mike Woodson to the coaching staff to (seemingly) bolster the team's defense.  I had always thought Woodson didn't get a fair shake while coaching in Atlanta.   They improved every year despite a management team that did little to strengthen the roster (Marvin Williams, anyone?).  If Woodson is going to be responsible for improving the Knicks defense this year, there are a few things I'd love to see change.

1. Offensive/Defensive substitutions towards the end of games and halfs: I don't know why, but we did not see too much of this last year.  Pretty standard stuff for most coaches.

2. For the love of God, stop switching on EVERY pick and roll:  This almost always leads to mismatch problems, which leads to double teams, which leads to open shots and layups, which leads to me banging my head against the wall, which leads to headaches, which leads to me spending too much money on painkillers...

3. Full Court Pressure:  Not all the time, but for a team that loves to push the ball they should try to create more turnovers by pressing more.  This also puts less pressure on the half court defensive sets since the offensive team will typically have less time on the shot clock to work with.

4. Transition Defense:  I feel like I watched Rajon Rondo score 3,000 uncontested layups against the Knicks last year.  The guards need to be aware of players that like to leak out after contesting on defense and keep an eye on them even after the shot is released.

Aside from Woodson, all of the usual suspects from D'Anotoni's crew are back.  The big challenge this year will be managing minutes with the dense schedule.  I've heard some folks claim D'Anotni will squeeze every last sweat out of Amar'e and Melo this year because of the immense pressure, but I'm not so sure.  D'Antonit is no idiot.  He knows for the Knicks to be successful in the playoffs, his stars must be fresh.  It's true that prior to the Melo trade, Raymond Felton and Amar'e were ridden to the brink of death last year, but the situation was totally different.  Back then the goal was to make the playoffs and the Knicks were by no means a lock to do this for much of the season.  This year a playoff appearance is given, so expect a 10-11 man rotation unless the Knicks stumble in the early goings.

Speaking of rotation, how about that bench?  The Knicks are certainly a top heavy team, but I think their second unit has a lot of potential.  Iman Shumpert was a great draft pick and really fits a need defensively on this team with his  ability to get into passing lines and keep his man in front of him.  He also is a well rounded offensive player and the Knicks coaching staff will help him limit the number of bad shots he tends to take.  I didn't expect too much from Jorts, but he looked surprisingly confident in the preseason and that 3-ball will definitely land him favor with D'Antoni.  For better or for worse they know what they're getting in Jared Jeffries.  They have no idea what they're getting in Jerome Jordan.  It will likely be a while before we see the young Jamaican see any action.  Mike Bibby will be interesting to see; he can't guard anyone, but he's still a great shooter, has inside information on the Miami Heat, and can manage an offense without turning the ball over very much.  Best of all, he is a surly bastard, channeling his inner Patrick Ewing when dealing with the NY media.  Like many other fans, I was upset to see Shawne Williams jump the river, but hey, Steve Novak brings everything Williams did (except toughness, defense, rebounding...meh, never mind).   Add Bill Walker and Renaldo Balkman to the mix and you should have a pretty solid set of reserves defensively.  I expect D'Antoni's rotation to be be similar to what Erik Spoelstra did with the Heath last year.  Like Wade and James, I think we will see either Melo or Amar'e on the floor at all times, in an attempt to maintain offensive continuity.

Wow, that got out of hand real quick.  I'm going to stop now.  I don't really like making predictions, but I absolutely think the Knicks are better defensively this year.  I think we'll see Melo in the MVP discussion and I think the Knicks have a great shot at pulling off a dramatic upset of either the Bulls or the Heat in the second round of the playoffs this year.  But alas, time will tell.  Enjoy the season.