By Jamal Murphy

The much-improved New York Knicks come into tonight’s game versus the Detroit Pistons with an uninspiring 14-18 record, good for twelfth in the Eastern Conference. Of course, the “much-improved” part speaks to how horrible last year’s version of the Knicks was — 17 wins horrible.

General Manager, Phil Jackson, seemingly hit the proverbial jackpot when he drafted Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick last summer. KP, as the kids call him, has quickly become a fan favorite and for good reason. At 7’3″, Porzingis has guard skills, toughness and a high basketball IQ, which have created hope and excitement among the Knicks’ fanbase.

However, with excitement and interest comes more scrutiny. Now that the Knicks are again watchable, the holes in the team are easily visible; and the streets are talking and asking questions. Is Carmelo on the downside of his career? Can Derek Fisher coach? Is the triangle still a viable offense in today’s NBA? How did the Knicks’ brass think they could compete with their current backcourt?

Check out other episodes of Bill Rhoden On Sports.

On the latest episode of Bill Rhoden On Sports, we are joined by Chris Herring, NBA and Knicks writer for the Wall Street Journal, to help answer some of these questions.

“In a league where you’ve got so many athletic players and so much athletic talent, [the Knicks] just don’t have guys that can make those sorts of plays,” Herring explained. “Particularly in the backcourt, they don’t have enough playmakers.”

The one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that Porzingis is a star in the making. Herring makes the argument that unlike years past, the Knicks are in good position to hold on to their young talent this time around.

“They have contractual control over [Porzingis] for what should be the next seven years, as long as they don’t somehow mess this up.”

Whether the Knicks “mess this up” is of course what Knicks fans are afraid of.

Also in this episode, Bill and I discuss the New York Jets’ big win over the New England Patriots over the weekend and look ahead to Gang Green’s even bigger game this Sunday, versus their former coach Rex Ryan in Buffalo.

Finally, we discuss the recent HGH allegations levied against Peyton Manning and debate whether there is merit to the story.

Listen to all of this and more on the latest edition of Bill Rhoden On Sports.

Follow the Bill Rhoden On Sports podcast on Twitter @BROSpod.