The Knicks’ early season woes are behind them and they are climbing the ladder in the Eastern Conference hoping to be one of the top eight teams in the conference by season’s end. If they keep playing like they have of late, they’ll at least get in the playoffs as the 8th seed. 

It’s too early to tell where teams will be when the season ends, but after the Celtics, Cavs and Magic, the East takes a bit of a dip. The Knicks will have the opportunity to be in the mix for the 6th, 7th or 8th seed as long as they keep inching toward breaking the .500 mark.

The Knicks’ started the season 1-9, a franchise worst. They were 3-14 heading into December. That’s when things started to turn around. They went 9-6 in the month of December and have won their first three games here in January, including Thursday night’s 97-93 win over the Bobcats. 

The Knicks are currently 15-20 and their two young studs, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, are putting together excellent seasons. These are the two guys the Knicks will build around in the future. If Gallo and Chandlers continue to develop and the Knicks make the playoffs or better yet, make a little noise in the playoffs, potential free agents will take note and may choose to play in New York. 

Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni know that it’s critical the team has a good season this year not only because they don’t own a first round draft pick, but also because potential free agents are looking for teams that will pay them top dollar and also give them the opportunity to contend for a title. The Knicks will have the cap room. The question is whether they’ll have a good enough season and a strong enough nucleus to persuade free agents that the Knicks will be a contender with the free agent’s addition. It’s looking like the Knicks are heading in the right direction. 

The Knicks are getting contributions in big spots from different players every night. They are playing better defense and are hitting the open shot. They weren’t doing those things in the beginning of the season. They are also playing better together as a unit. As much as I’d like to see the Knicks shed some more unwanted contracts, I think the team is playing too well right now to add or subtract any players and mess with chemistry. 

The schedule ahead gets tougher, but the Knicks should be able to stay afloat in the East. They have upcoming games against Houston, Oklahoma City, Toronto, the Lakers, and Dallas. Scattered in between those games are a game against the 76ers and two games against the Pistons.

Look for the Knicks to creep up near the .500 mark and hover around it. 40 wins is the magic mark may be enough for the 8th seed. The Knicks will need to go 25-22 the rest of the way to get to 40 wins. They went 9-6 in December which is a 60% winning percentage. A record of 25-22 is a 53% winning percentage. A few more months similar to December and the Knicks will reach the playoffs.