There's No Need For Knicks Fans To Fret Just Yet

**This editorial was written by Knicks Journal's newest contributor, Zach Horst. You can follow Zach on Twitter @zd183.**

The fans have been pouring on the boo's, calling for D'Antoni's head after the disappointing 102-93 loss to the Magic and the resulting 3-game skid. In fact, this had to be considered one of the team's "better losses."

New York, with their best player in Carmelo Anthony playing through the pain, outplayed the Magic for 3 quarters. Almost everyone is panicking, but the season is still young. The Knicks have been playing poorly of late, and yet they are only one win under .500.

For starters, their defense has been tough and unrelenting. The traps are often daunting, and unlike in the past, help defense is usually there. Just a few years removed from the laughingstock of the league with center David Lee anchoring the defense, Mike D'Antoni (and assistant coach Mike Woodson) currently has his team sitting at 11th in defensive efficiency. If the orange and blue ever get rolling on offense, the D is good enough to bring them deep into the playoffs.

The Mavericks, for example, were only rated 8th in defensive efficiency when they won the Championship last year. Tyson Chandler brings much-needed communication and poise to a usually-chaotic defensive squad. Melo has been putting in the effort as well, and hasn't really had a bad game defensively. The same cannot yet be said for Amar’e Stoudemire.

Anthony continues to be lethal on offense, scoring 26 points, grabbing 6.3 boards, and dishing out 4.3 assists per game. His shooting percentage is down from his career average, but he has been injured as of late. Knicks fans should fully expect it to rise back towards the 46% he is accustomed to.

Tyson Chandler (as I detailed in a previous article) is having a stellar year on the offensive end as well, shooting 70% from the field and 81% from the line - both career highs. Once Amar'e finds a groove (one would think he’s likely to do so), the Knicks’ offense will stop posting sub-100 scores.

Iman Shumpert has proven himself as a stopgap at PG for the time being. Perhaps he looks to shoot too often, but he is still a work in progress and has promising athleticism, heart, and defensive ability. Positive signs have also come in the form of both Mike Bibby and Josh Harrellson from behind the arc.

Every fan catches a glimmer of hope on the horizon when the camera pans to a suited Baron Davis on the sideline. His court vision will improve the team's ball movement and hopefully allow (or force) the Knicks’ stars to move without the rock. Imagine how good 'Melo can be when Davis is feeding him the ball in the open court, rather than the Knicks’ captain forcing up contested shots. In fact, I gather he has taken only a handful of uncontested shots this entire year.

The Miami Heat started 4-5 last year before they meshed and ultimately finished 2nd in the East, and the Knicks began 3-8 before finishing with the 6th seed. New York needs stability and time more than anything right now. Historically, the team has found itself in trouble through making knee-jerk decisions to hire or fire their way out of situations.

Fans and critics need to hold their judgment until at least halfway through the season, when everyone becomes healthy and the chemistry has had time to develop. No one knows just yet how powerful this team can become, and that's the beauty of it all.