NBA Knicks' Summer Report Card

With training camp right around the corner, the time has finally come to make final decisions on off season grades. Which teams are big winners, who are the big losers? Some teams came out of the fray "shutout" while others hit the jackpot with max cats or valuable pieces capable of putting a team in title contention. NBA.com released summer report cards for each team grading different categories of improvement. John Schuhmann was left with the task to grade our ultra cool Knicks and this is what he had to say. Afterward is a chart where I give grades and opinions of my own. I'll try not to be overly optimistic this time around.

John Schuhmann

CATEGORY			GRADE
The Knicks overpaid to get him, but Amar'e Stoudemire is the best player they've had in a long time. Anthony Randolph gets a second chance to make a first impression.			A
Raymond Felton isn't the ideal point guard  for    Mike D'Antoni's system, but talent-wise,  he's a big upgrade over what the Knicks  have had the last two years.			B
Does this team even care about defense? If so, Ronny Turiaf and Kelenna Azubuike should help, but they're still lacking on that end.			D
The Knicks won't have the most talented  bench, but they will have more players that  D'Antoni can trust than they've had in the  past.			C
The Knicks didn't get their top free agent target, but the grace period for D'Antoni is officially over. It's on him to make this team a winner.			B

                                                                                                                                          OVERALL GRADE B

Summary

The Knicks shot for the moon in free agency. They missed, but they did nab a star. The process of turning this perennial loser into an Eastern Conference contender is far from over, but in addition to finding a centerpiece in Stoudemire, the Knicks retained the flexibility (something they haven't had in ages) to add more pieces down the road.

With almost an entirely new roster and with only a couple of players who have won anything in the NBA, it will still be a challenge to develop a winning atmosphere in the locker room. Talent alone does not get you anything in this league. And it will be up to D'Antoni to get the Knicks to play hard, play together, and maybe play a little defense.

While they wait on another star, the Knicks must start building a foundation. The two-year waiting game is over and it's time to finally start moving forward.

-- John Schuhmann

MikeTheIntern

CATEGORY			GRADE
Mix and match with Amar'e Stoudmire, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov  to make a huge dominating presence. We are very big.			A
Raymond Felton is the ideal point guard for D'Antoni's system and he will blossom. Add in a healthy Kelenna Azubuike or Wilson Chandler and we have something nice.			B
We have players that have defense in their DNA. Whether D'Antoni puts emphasis on defense or not, we have players who are accustomed to it naturally. They just aren't amazing at it.			C+
With a vast amount of talented players coming in as a second unit, we should have no problem giving our starters a breather. Lets hope they can live up to the hype and prove our depth.			B
After two years of garbage, D'Antoni finally has a quality team to work with. After bringing the best out of trash like Jared Jeffries and Chris Duhon, talented players should grow even more.			B+

                                                                                                                                          OVERALL GRADE B+

Summary

Before LeBron James and Chris Bosh flew south, Amare Stoudemire inked a deal with the New York Knicks immediately reviving our battered franchise. The Knicks automatically got a confidence boost, a leader and an all around beast to put on the court.

Soon after Amare's signing, the Knicks sign and trade David Lee to Golden State for Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Kelenna Azubuike. Rather than losing Lee for nothing at all, the Knicks flip the all-star for 3 quality players all who filled an important role within our roster, one of which has super saiyan potential waiting to be unlocked.

New faces cause problems to arise; the main question that consistently surfaces is our ability to establish continuity. If this team can not gel we will go nowhere. Players seem to have been bonding with one another going to certain events and making friendships. That's all nice and dandy but the on court relationship matters most. Only time will tell whether the Knicks are contenders in the Eastern Conference or not but one thing is certain, with training camp only a few weeks away we'll definitely have something to be excited for. Stay frosty my friends.

- MikeTheIntern

Here are the grades given to each NBA franchise. Each team is highlighted with the provided link to their "Report Card" for a more in depth analysis with categorical grading as shown in the charts above.