The New York Knicks aren't the same, hopeless franchise they were years ago.
Thanks to a new regime (led by Leon Rose and head coach Tom Thibodeau), the Knickerbockers are on the rise in the Eastern Conference. Loaded with optimism, talent, and positive vibes, the franchise should be headed for another strong season.
But, according to ESPN's Max Kellerman, their ceiling doesn't go any higher than the first round.
"They ain't getting outta no first round. They're not getting out of the first round.
If by 'first round' you mean they can win a play-in game, I'd say maybe. Maybe they'll win a play-in game if they're there, maybe they lose the play-in tournament and they don't make the playoffs.
Let's say they are in the playoffs. They're gonna win a first-round series? Because they're gonna be a lower fourth-seeded team, not an upper fourth-seeded team which means they're gonna have to play one of the following teams: the Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks, are they gonna beat the 76ers, are they gonna beat Pat Riley and Erick Sspoelstra's Miami Heat?
Say what you want about Max, but his analysis isn't ridiculous.
As great as it is to see the Knicks be decent again, their current roster is not better than most playoff teams in the East, including the Bucks, Nets, Sixers, Heat, Celtics, and Hawks.
To expect them to advance far into the bracket might be overestimating their ceiling.
Funnily enough, Kellerman's stance on New York has already been shared previously. Here's what he said on the team at the beginning of the month:
"[The Knicks] are a team whose ceiling is the second round. We know they're not getting to a conference finals with this team."
So, Max has been pretty consistent about the status of this New York squad, and it's easy to see why. A team without a true superstar can only get so far, especially in this modern era of superteams.
Still, the signing of Kemba Walker should help make things more interesting. And, at the very least, they can take some pride in the fact that their reputation is finally starting to turn around.
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