I know we’re only 8 games into this young season, and they’re only 2 games above .500, but did anyone expect the Knicks to come out of the gates playing like this?

At the end of the 2007-08 season, the once-mighty Knicks were the laughingstock of the NBA (and, of course, New York) and in need of some attention. Jim Dolan, the hard-rockin’ wealthier-than-most owner of the club, (and the Garden, Cablevision, Fuse Network, the Rangers…) finally cut ties with Isiah Thomas, the man some fans hold responsible for the destruction of these perennial Eastern Conference heavyweights of days gone by.

The truth is, this had been a slow, steady decline since the mid-nineties. They did what they could to ride Patrick Ewing as long as possible, surrounding him with a very solid cast of personnel. But all seemingly good things come to an end, and after he led the team to the playoffs consistently, even once to the seventh game of the NBA Championships against the Rockets, it ended.

I personally remember the day that the future seemed set in stone. It was when the Knicks drafted a seven-foot Frenchman by the name of Frederic Weis in the 1999 NBA Draft. He was selected 15th, one spot ahead of New York native, and since-revealed freaky-deeky, Ron Artest. Artest is a versatile player with a hot head, and he’s enjoyed great success and earned the respect of coaches and players with his tenacious defense and team-first attitude. Weis, however, never played in the NBA and is more widely known for being the recipient of “The Dunk of Death” by a Vince Carter with hair (See below).

Poor bastard. He was drafted just a few short months before the Knicks officially closed the doors on the Ewing-era, trading him to the Sonics in a three-team deal, with the Knicks receiving Luc Longley, Travis Knight and Glenn Rice. The future was to be Fred Weis! What were they thinking!?

Fast-forward to the recent past, beyond Scott Layden’s GM blunders, the Dolan family’s hubris, Larry Brown’s debacle during just one season, to Isiah’s Knicks. He was the man responsible for drafting or acquiring most of the current roster. This includes “Nasty” Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler and David Lee on the plus side, as well as Stephon Marbury (who has a new head tattoo), the soft, puffy, no-desire-to-rebound-or-defend-anyone Eddy “McFlurry” Curry, and “me first” guys like Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford. They’re a motley crew, for sure. But Isiah seemed to make some smart decisions, they were just mostly concentrated to during draft nights only. This year, more so than ever, certain players look like bona fide NBA players. In particular, Wilson Chandler (selected 23rd in 2007) looks like Boris Diaw looked when the Suns acquired him from Atlanta – a long, athletic two guard that can guard 4’s if you ask him to. In other words, he looks like a special player.

On May 9th, new coach Mike D’Antoni took over coaching duties and the helm of captain, along with new GM Donnie Walsh, a smart basketball mind credited with building those great Pacers teams of days gone by. Both men made their presence felt immediately. Starbury isn’t even really on the team now. He doesn’t dress for games. Curry, with a documented history of heart ailments (not to mention the charges from fans that he lacks heart completely) isn’t in the lineups. Jerome James. I don’t even know what to say about him. This is a new regime, and this roster of holdovers (leftovers?) and rejects has responded in kind. They’re 5-3 as of November 13th, which I understand isn’t even “very good” let alone “amazing.” Put into perspective that last season, they earned their fifth victory on November 30th. They hung 132 points on the Grizzles of Memphis last night. I know, it’s the Grizzlies. But c’mon, one hundred thirty-two points?! In a regulation game?! In the NBA?! While holding the other team to a manageable 103?! That’s what I call progress!D'Antoni: Smiling because he's richer, not because he gets to coach the Knicks, at his May 9th Press Conference with Grandpa Munster.

D’Antoni has this team believing. He came from a winner in Phoenix and he’s brought that spirit to this team, a group of miscreants that are actually playing spirited basketball. And of course, this is without the help of his first-round selection, Danilo Gallinari, the hottest Italian item brought to New York since espresso. The Knicks, to me, are like a college friend or roommate that has been through a lot. Maybe they had an addiction to hard drugs or family issues that completely derailed their studies. You watched them drop out, fail time and again, and now they’re trying to get back and working hard to earn the degree to better themselves and open more doors. As with any things you have loved, you hope they can work through it, and you’re there to support them, even if at a distance. You want to help, but you can’t take the hurt.

I grew up loving this team. It’s a long road to the playoffs, but anyone can see they’re working hard. If not yet for the fans, who may still be worried for the inevitable collapse, they're working for the coach and GM – the two guys who have showed that they believe in this group and feel they can win with this team. Also, a small editors note: This past August, before the season began, the Knicks traded the draft rights to Frederic Weis to the Houston Rockets. Who’d they receive in return?

Patrick Ewing Jr.

How’s that for turning the page to the next chapter?