New York Knicks Rival No. 3: Chicago Bulls
This, to be honest, is more of a hypothetical rivalry. A rivalry for the future, if you will. The New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls were on pretty similar paths for a few years, until the Knicks took that extra leap last season, which the Bulls were unable to replicate.
However, they might be the team with the best free-agency acquisitions this year. After trading for Nikola Vucevic in March, they now added DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball to create a very promising starting lineup in the East.
To be fair, the Knicks are probably still one step ahead of these Chicago Bulls. For starters, they have already established the team’s chemistry and have proved that they can click together when needed.
Chicago’s defense is another potential area of concern for Billy Donovan. The lack of interior defense might prove problematic against some of the league’s best big men, a list that undoubtedly includes Julius Randle.
The two teams are set to face off three times until early December, so this potential rivalry might take off faster than we expected.