Knicks Still Not Favorites in Eastern Conference

The New York Knicks are hoping to unseat the Indiana Pacers as champions of the Eastern Conference.

They have made changes to try and make that happen, which has included hiring Mike Brown to be the team's new coach.

Despite the change, the Knicks are still only considered to be a contender by The Athletic's Eric Koreen.

"After a calamitous coaching search, they have reportedly landed on Mike Brown as their new head coach," Koreen wrote.

"We will see if he is an upgrade on Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks have also battled some concerning chemistry dynamics. But they’ve had a sneaky good offseason, given their limited spending power. Adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele at the minimum and the tax-payer midlevel exception, respectively, is nice pruning around the edges. The Knicks might be the most likely team at the top of the East to still pull off a trade, but they are a threat as is."

The Knicks are behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were deemed as the favorite by Koreen.

The Cavs won 64 games last season and claimed the No. 1 seed in the East, only to lose to the Pacers in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Orlando Magic were also considered a contender by Koreen after trading for Desmond Bane and signing Tyus Jones to boost their backcourt this offseason.

The Knicks won't have as much pressure from the Pacers and Boston Celtics, both of whom lost their star player to a torn Achilles injury, but they shouldn't be ruled out as potential Eastern Conference threats.

Ultimately, the Knicks' path to a championship won't be easy, but if they play to the best of their abilities, they should be considered one of the teams likeliest to make it to the NBA Finals.