---

Optimism fuels the first few weeks of any team's camp. Players predict championships or at least playoffs. Coaches talk about new attitudes, new schemes and new skills. Fans are assured that this year, this team will win and win often. For the New York Knicks, the start of the 2004-2005 season is as anticipated as any in recent memory. Not since the Riley/Ewing/Oakley/Starks days has a Knickerbocker squad been as ballyhooed.

Make no mistake, the New York media has always been eager to identify deficiencies if not outright mock the team's early assurances. So the absence of gloom is telling. This year, thanks to Isiah Thomas' magic wand and James Dolan's willingness to accumulate as many max contracts as possible, the Knicks actually have the talent to match that optimism.

If Thursday's preseason opener against the Nets is any indication, there is an electricity to this Knicks team. A year ago, the starting five was Charlie Ward, Allan Houston, Kurt Thomas, Keith Van Horn and Dikembe Mutombo. On the floor at Thursday's tip-off were Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Tim Thomas, Nazr Mohammed and Kurt Thomas and it's only a matter of time before the brutish, but bouncy Mike Sweetney replaces that remaining Knick starter. The Knicks will plod no more. The sheer athleticism of this team suddenly rivals any in the league.

One game does not make a durable impression, let alone a season. But it was hard to ignore Jamal Crawford's electric talent. He hit two three's to start the game and finished with 19 points. And though he threw up some shots that were better suited to a game of H-O-R-S-E, his teammates are already enamored and as eager to energize.

In fact, no image better embodies the Knicks' sea change than the 24-year old Crawford bounding across the court while the classy but creaky-knee'd Allan Houston sits in suit and tie at the end of the Knicks bench. Also stoking the Knick fires were Tim Thomas, Sweetney, second round steal Trevor Ariza and of course Marbury, who seems so natural a Knick it's easy to forget he's worn the blue and orange for hardly a year.

The remainder of the pre-season will provide more insight into these new high-flying New York Knicks. The frontcourt will be watched closely. Nazr Mohammed and Vin Baker will share the low post duties. They should be sufficient in the center starved East - at least until they share a floor with Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat. Kurt Thomas can provide depth at center, but it certainly looked like he was being showcased for opponent scouts on Thursday. He shot 7-7 and would provide a sturdy and straight shooting power forward for a contender looking for depth.

What Isiah Thomas wants for Kurt Thomas is unknown. What he doesn't need is another body who wants the ball. Lenny Wilken's biggest dilemma this year will be keeping the numerous Knick scorers relatively satisfied. He'll use the pre-season to work some of it out, but it's going to take longer than that to get this group functioning effectively and merrily. His best bet is to keep the team running. The more trips up and down the floor, the more touches for all that talent.

Isiah Thomas' obsession with athleticism has as much to do with restoring the Garden's electricity as it does with winning. Yes, it's early, but it seems likely that he will succeed in both respects. There are some holes no doubt, but for entertainment value, this Knicks team again deserves its fancy Manhattan address.