By Tom Terzulli

The New York Knicks fired a Hall of Famer and traded a future Hall-bound player during the offseason, and I couldn’t be happier ahead of their opener against the Thunder on Thursday.

Embattled team president Phil Jackson is gone, and Carmelo Anthony, coincidentally, will play alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George in OKC.

What remains is a roster full of 20-somethings and a veteran head coach, Jeff Hornacek, now free to run his team without the horrors of the triangle offense.

That surely won’t translate to immediate success. Playoffs, even in a weak Eastern Conference, look to be a pipe dream. Yet, there is still a lot to be excited about at Madison Square Garden, particularly in regards to the men in the middle.

At just 22 years old, Kristaps Porzingis is now the face of one of the league’s flagship franchises, and if his first two seasons were any indication, he should be up for the task. He raised his scoring average four points to 18.1 last season and scored at a higher per-minute rate as well. He accomplished while sharing time with offensive black hole in Anthony.

Now the 7’3” Latvian is out of the shadow of his older mentor and free to make plays not many players in the world can do at his size. In Hornacek’s up-tempo offense, Porzingis handles the ball, creates his own shot and fires from three. Most importantly, whenever he’s on the floor, he’ll unquestionably be the team’s top scoring option.

However, the key phrase may be “whenever he is on the floor.” The former first round pick played in just 66 of the 82 games last season, after appearing in 72 his rookie year. A good chunk of this preseason was also lost to a hip injury. Hornacek will have to be mindful of how far he pushes his young star. Porzingis has to be the number one option this season, but it’s a season where there is really nothing on the line. If the Knicks’ record is middle-of-the-road like excepted, there is no reason for Porznigis not to get some extra rest when possible. A tall, lanky body like his is especially susceptible to breaking down. So, even if he does make major strides this season, he’ll have to do it without being pushed too far.

Porzingis isn’t the only former All-Rookie first team selection on the Knicks’ 2017-2018 roster. Willy Hernangomez was a revelation in an ugly 31-51 Knicks campaign last season. The 6-11 center, a 2015 second round pick from Spain, earned the distinction after averaging 8.2 points and seven rebounds over 18.4 minutes.
With a likely uptick in minutes, the 23-year old should be a double-double threat each and every night. However, there is a 6’11” Turkish scorer standing in his way: Enes Kanter.

Kanter, the best player acquired from the Thunder in the Melo trade, averaged 14.2 ppg over four seasons in Oklahoma City. At 25 years old, he was 16th in the league in scoring rate while averaging 21.3 minutes per game. His post moves are solid and he’s a throwback center, preferring to score inside rather than stretching the floor.
Where Hernangomez can separate himself in the battle for minutes is with his defense. Kanter has been in the negatives for defensive plus/minus in each of his seven seasons, posting a -1.9 this past year. Hernangomez registered a 0.6 in his rookie campaign and his defense is sure to improve. An offensive jolt from the Spaniard wouldn’t hurt, but if his scoring averages stay around the same and his defense improves, it’s hard to see Kanter getting many more minutes.

For the 2017-2018 season there is still the normal Knicks turmoil. I, for one, am still reeling from Tim Hardaway Jr.’s gigantic contract, and my head is spinning from Michael Beasly’s proclamation that he’ll be one of the best players in the league. Even so, I’m as excited as ever for my favorite sport to return to the world’s most famous arena. Heck, I probably would be even if the Knicks had the worst roster in the NBA. But, if you’re not as crazy as me, the center position should be one of a few reasons to give these Knicks a look.