As the Knicks get set to resume their season on Thursday night, Keith McPherson doesn’t believe that this team is ready to take the next step, even as they seem to finally approach full health with Mitchell Robinson cleared for 5-on-5 contact.
“I don’t think the Knicks are winning,” Keith said. “I don’t think they’re going to the Eastern Conference Final. I just look at the teams they’ve played this year. They haven’t been good against elite competition.
“This is still very much a new team…you’re about to face teams that are already cohesive units and have already gotten past the second round. It’s too soon for this group…it’s too soon for them to make a run.”
The Knicks boast one of the best offenses in the sport, but they have struggled against teams like the Celtics and Thunder, considered to be the top two contenders to win it all this year. Keith doesn’t see that changing, as he says the Knicks are missing a crucial component that those teams have.
“I don’t see them winning with a team that they did not draft,” Keith said. “Who do they have that is a drafted, developed, homegrown star?
“When you run into these teams that have a couple homegrown stars and can add a couple role players…that’s the formula.”