New York Knicks’ Win Total Down to 26.5 From 27.5
- The New York Knicks opened with an average win total of 27.5 on July 15
- That total has dropped to 26.5
- The Knicks won an NBA-low 17 games last season
The summer of settling tour continues for the New York Knicks.
Grandiose plans were drawn up by the braintrust of the team that posted an NBA-worst 17-65 record last season. They would sign free agents like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant and instantly turn a moribund squad back into the once-proud franchise that ruled Madison Square Garden.
It didn’t happen. And to make matters worse, both Durant and Irving signed with the crosstown Brooklyn Nets.
The betting markets took notice. Across the leading sportsbooks, the average NBA win total for the Knicks dropped from. 27.5 games to 26.5.
2019-20 New York Knicks NBA Win Total Odds
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 26.5 | -110 |
| Under 26.5 | -110 |
*Odds taken 07/26/19
The Knicks have averaged 25.2 wins over the past five seasons.
The Off-Broadway Knicks
Imagine Glenn Close or Nathan Lane turning down the chance to star in a hit show to play a role in some off-Broadway play. Well, that’s what happened to the Knicks this summer.
One by one, the A-listers on the NBA free agent list took a look at what the Knicks had to offer and said thanks but no thanks.
"I think the New York Knicks need to fall back, on so many levels"
Presidential candidate Andrew Yang ripped into the Knicks' team of "overpaid role players" https://t.co/RXA4HQH0PK pic.twitter.com/OzGtB3XEtq
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 23, 2019
Instead, New York filled out its roster with secondary players. Veteran forward Marcus Morris, 29, signed a one-year, $15-million deal.
Guard/foward Reggie Bullock was also signed. Then the day after the signing, in typical Knicks fashion, it was revealed that Bullock would require cervical disk herniation surgery. He’s likely to miss six months.
His original deal was to pay Bullock $21 million over two years. It was reworked to a one-year deal for $4 million, with a team option for a second season.
.@J30_RANDLE 👀 official in that orange and blue 🗽 #WallpaperWednesday pic.twitter.com/5K5drRGeUb
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) July 25, 2019
Forwards Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson and Julius Randle, and guards Elfrid Payton and Wayne Ellington were other offseason acquisitions.
Those moves don’t exactly carry the same impact as what the Nets were able to do.
From Taj Gibson’s Instagram: some of the new Knicks appear to be working out with Gibson in Los Angeles. Knicks director of performance Mubarak Malik is there: pic.twitter.com/81TuIqn18g
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 25, 2019
This team is living out the slogan of the Statue of Liberty, the towering, iconic structure that welcomes visitors to New York with the following refrain: “Give me your tired, your poor . . . The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The East Got Much Better
Almost everywhere you looked, the teams ahead of the Knicks in the standings made improvements. We’ve discussed the changes in Brooklyn. The Boston Celtics signed Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter
The Miami Heat picked up Jimmy Butler. The Philadelphia 76ers got Al Horford. Derrick Rose joined the Detroit Pistons. The Indiana Pacers acquired Malcolm Brogdon.
At best, if everything falls into place the moves the Knicks made will make them a high-20s to low 30s win team in 2019-20.
Veteran Knicks watchers know that generally, things are more likely to fall apart for this team.
If you hadn’t already bet the under on New York’s 2019-20 win total, we’ve got just one question for you:
What are you waiting for?
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
