The Knicks’ season begins in thirteen days. (!!!) We couldn’t possibly be more excited — finally, a Knicks team with barely an Isiah Thomas fingerprint on it! — so we’ll be counting down the eleven most important Knicks twice a week until opening night on October 27. The best sign we can give you: Eddy Curry isn’t among the eleven. Today: forward/center Anthony Randolph.
Anthony Randolph is going to drive you crazy this year. It’s sort of what he does. He is athletically gifted to a degree that seems unfair to normal humans. He’s fast, he’s tall — he’s thought to have grown another inch or two since entering the NBA, making him seven feet now — and at some point he’s going to jump so high that he’ll dent the scoreboard with his knee. He’s an excellent passer, draws fouls, hits free throws, and, thanks to his height and length, can guard just about every position. He is the platonic ideal of a Mike D’Antoni player; the Knicks wanted him in the 2008 draft, taking Danilo Gallinari instead, and now they have him after all. He’s only 21 years old. He’s a potential centerpiece, Lamar Odom but better. Check out this highlight package from a couple of years ago, in a Golden State game against Utah:
Better Know a Knick: No. 4 Anthony Randolph