Over the last few days I've been seeing something absolutely pleasing. Everyday when I come to read my fellow bloggers post here at P&T I've noticed that our fan confidence poll has been greatly rising. We were in a long, sad stretch apparently and our confidence was around 40 and it even dipped below that at one point. Now it seems Rejuuuuuvenated, its Moooovin and Groooovin, its Jumpin and Bumpin, its got some Hustle and Muscle in it and it has been revived. I wanted to get a feel for why our confidence has skyrocketed in the last few weeks and I will share the things that has me feeling all warm inside.

The Emergence Of The Rookies

Emergence: Becoming known or visibly apparent. Landry Fields, Andy Rautins, Jerome Jordan and Timofey Mozgov. These are our top prospects for the upcoming season. Watching Fields, Rautins and Jordan in the Summer League gives me insight on the skill and potential these players possess. Landry Fields has been the most impressive by far and I wouldn't expect anyone who have watched these games to think any differently. Rautins and Jordan have been on and off, more off unfortunately but hopefully they can find themselves more sooner then later. Timofey Mozgov has a chance to be an outright steal like we've been hoping. He wanted to be in New York and hopefully he plays like it. From what I've seen he has potential, he's a bit raw but his ferocity cant be taught and we need big intimidation and we get it with him. I cant wait to see how these players develop and see what they can do outside of the Summer League and outside of Russia. This to me is a slight confidence builder but my next point hits the nail on the head.

Knicks Flip Lee For Three

I know some of my fellow P&T posters have been campaigning for us to keep David Lee but if your gonna lose him, what more of a better way to lose him then this? Anthony Randolph - 24.6PPG, 13.8RPG and 3.3BPG in 48 minutes. Kelenna Azubuike - 13.9 PPG, 4.6RPG and 1.0BPG. Ronny Turiaf - 11.4PPG, 10.5RPG and 5.0APG in 48 minutes. This deal was an steal, plain and simple. We weren't gonna re-sign Lee, instead of letting him walk we flipped him for these three studs. One could only imagine that Mr. Walsh held a knife to Larry Riley's throat or shoved the barrel of a tommy gun down his mouth and threatened him into making this deal, nothing like a bit of force to get your point across. I am extremely anxious to see these guys on the court but one important note to remember, we might not see all three of these hombres in Knick jerseys for very long. There's been a lot of speculation as to what exactly we are going to do with these guys. Some think we may be using some of them as trading bait along with players like Eddy Curry and Wilson Chandler. We may be using these guys to land a big fish and put us in instant competition to rule the East. Either way, this makes me a hell of a lot more confident for the Knicks and I see good things in the future by keeping them all or trading away one or more for a big name player.

Coach D'antoni Is Happy With Our Roster And Has Plans To Add More Players 

Mike D'antoni recently had an interview with NYKnicks.com here's how it went.

NYKnicks.com: The roster has undergone a huge overhaul. How are you feeling right now?

Mike D’Antoni: I think we are young – real young – but we have a lot of good young players and good contracts and added Amar’e who is a legitimate top-10 player in the league, if not the best power forward in the league. We added a quality point guard who played in the playoffs last year, so it is really very exciting.

NYKnicks.com: What is it like for you reuniting with Amar’e?

D’Antoni: It’s good, just because he is so, so good. We have to keep adding talent to the roster, and like I said we will do that. But Amar’e is a big piece. I am looking forward to watching him play and putting up those highlight reel plays for us.

NYKnicks.com: I am going to say a few names if you can just give me the first word or two that comes to your mind. Anthony Randolph.

Mike D’Antoni: Talent.

NYKnicks.com: Raymond Felton

D’Antoni: Gritty.

NYKnicks.com: Kaleena Azubuike.

Mike D’Antoni: Toughness. A good shooter.

NYKnicks.com: Amar’e.

D’Antoni: Toughness. And he will and can perform on the big stage.

NYKnicks.com: Ronny Turiaf.

Mike D’Antoni: Energy.

NYKnicks.com: Timofey Mozgov.

D’Antoni: Athletic. Prospect.

NYKnicks.com: Mike D’Antoni

Mike D’Antoni: Quite a lot happier than yesterday. (laughs)

NYKnicks.com: What have you seen out of the rookies so far here at Summer League?

D’Antoni: I like them. I like them a lot actually. I think all three of them have a chance. Landry Fields is probably better than what we thought. The same for Andy Rautins - he’s good. And Jerome Jordan is a bit of a prospect, but they all have possibilities of sticking and contributing in the league.

NYKnicks.com: A lot has been said about Bill Walker…

Mike D’Antoni: He looks fantastic. He put in a lot of work to get himself fit and he is to be commended for that. He got his weight down a lot and still has a little bit more to go. But he’s good and we will see where he goes. But he has a lot of potential.

NYKnicks.com: And how about Toney Douglas?

D’Antoni: The same thing. He has put in a lot of work and he always come through with a lot of effort. He is learning how to play point guard and he will be good.

NYKnicks.com: Now you are only a couple months away from going back to Italy. What are your thoughts about taking the Knicks over there for the exhibition games?

Mike D’Antoni: It will be good. I am excited to start this year off. To be in Italy and do it there will be fun.

NYKnicks.com: Finally, Knicks fans have been waiting for this moment for a long time. What do you want to tell them?

D’Antoni: That they have been great. Hang in there with us and we are building this team to where it should be and are on the right track. We’ve got some real good pieces and we are going to get some more.

At the very end D'antoni points out that they are looking to add new pieces to the team. There is room for speculation and I always have the newest rumors. So news around the league is that Rudy Fernandez has a list of 4 teams that he wants to play for and the good ol' New York Knicks are number one on his list. I don't know how to feel about this but its good to see that someone actually wants to play here. I wouldn't be surprised if other players start jumping out of bushes wanting to play for us, its only a matter of time. We are keeping our window of opportunity and that has me excited.

The Miami Heat On The Road Against The Cleveland Cavaliers

Even though this has very little to do with the Knicks I am still dying to see Miami on the road against Cleveland. The reception the Heat will get would be epic. I'm hoping they have that game scheduled, it would be great television. Even better if the Cavaliers actually pull out with a win at home. I Tivo'd my daydream of what that game would be like and saved it for you guys so you can see my imagery. I have a wicked wicked mind.

Courtesy of DaddyDoyleStudios. Thanks a lot brother!