To preview the Mavericks game against the Knicks on Tuesday, we've brought in Seth Rosenthal from Poasting and Toasting, SB Nation's New York Knicks blog, for a Q&A.
1) Has the whole "Linsanity" craze started to calm down in NYC? It seems like Sportscenter burnt itself out talking about it over the last few weeks.
Yeah, it's definitely cooled off a bit. I think the combination of a couple poor performances and just time and people's short attention spans relieved some of the hype. That's a good thing, too, because the kid can finally get some rest when he's off the floor and concentrate on doing his job. He was giving nightly press conferences and stuff. It got ridiculous.
2) More broadly, how crazy have the last four months since the lockout ended been for Knicks fans?
Well, no more or less crazy than times usually are for Knicks fans. It's certainly been very up and down. There was elation and newfound confidence when the Knicks signed Tyson Chandler, then a mixture of melancholy and outrage when the team struggled, then another hyperbolic boom when Lin surfaced, and now we're somewhere in between. That's always how it's been for Knicks fans, though.
3) If you had to guess, what do you think the team's rotation will look like come playoff time?
Deep, and probably pretty similar to the way it looks now. Some things might change slightly, like Baron Davis could eat into Lin's minutes or Mike D'Antoni could shuffle Iman Shumpert or J.R. Smith into Landry Fields's starting two spot. I think the ten or eleven guys comprising New York's rotation are pretty much set, though.
4) How worried are you about Amare's slide statistically? The Suns are on the record saying they don't think his knees will hold up.
I won't say I'm not worried, but I'm also not convinced that it's an irretrievable problem or anything related to his knees. There are several factors -- an offseason of nursing a back injury and adding weight, the tragic death of his brother, new teammates -- that have contributed to his struggles this season. Even if he has lost some athleticism, I've seen enough to believe that Amar'e will get back to something resembling his normal self with some time. At least that's what I hope.
5) Do you think New York could beat either Chicago or Miami in a seven-game series this season?
I mean, it's so hard to say. Even with the same personnel, they'll be a very different team by the time the playoffs roll around. Right now, though -- Bulls: Maybe. Heat: No.