With that being said, are the Knicks in a good enough spot with a 23-10 mark to feel good enough about their chances to win the Atlantic Division?

Oct 13, 2012; Hartford, CT, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) dribbles the ball against New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Judging by the early results, you have to say yes.

We will find out more Monday night when the Knicks host the Boston Celtics for the first time, but they already lead Brooklyn by 4.5 games and hold a 7.0 game lead over the Celtics.

The Knicks have played only five games so far against Atlantic Division foes, but are 4-1 in those games, losing only to the Nets in overtime. They haven’t yet played the Celtics or Toronto Raptors, but have gone 2-0 against the Philadelphia 76ers and 2-1 against the Nets.

Then there is the fact that coming into the season the Atlantic was thought to be the toughest division in basketball, but it hasn’t exactly played out that way.

The Nets have already fired their coach and sit only four games over .500 with franchise point guard Deron Williams playing perhaps his worst basketball of his career.

Other than the Knicks and Nets, the rest of the division currently sits under the .500 mark.

I have been waiting for the Celtics to put together some consistent efforts, but it just hasn’t happened and you have to wonder if it ever will?

It is a little early to crown the Knicks division champs just yet as there is a lot of basketball still left to be played. But the ball is in their court.

We are a little short of the halfway mark of the 2012-13 season and the Atlantic Division is clearly the Knicks division to lose.

If they just take care of business when they are supposed to, they will be the clear kings of the Atlantic when things are all said and done.

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Apr. 17, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley (0) fouls New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The Celtics have ruled the division since they brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to team up with Paul Pierce in 2007. This much comes as no surprise to Knicks fans. Over the last two seasons, as the Knicks have become an actually competitive team, they have still dropped ten of their last twelve games against the Celtics. However, coming into this season, both teams are boasting different looks from last year. The Celtics have broken up their Big Three, aimed to get younger and deeper upfront and on the wings. The Knicks, meanwhile, have gotten deeper all around and older in hopes to make the leap into becoming an elite team in the East. Here’s a look at how they stack up:

BACK-COURT

Both teams will return this season with almost entirely different back-courts than they started the 2010-11 season with. For the Celtics, Rajon Rondo is still around (as is Avery Bradley, but he will miss the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery), but they have two new key additions: Jason Terry, replacing Ray Allen, and Courtney Lee. Though losing Allen to the Miami Heat was like a punch in the gut for the Celtics, they may have gotten better. Jason Terry gives the Celtics another ball-handler and a similar threat from deep; Lee can also spread the floor and gives the Celtics more youth and athleticism. Rondo, of course, is one of the best point guards in the league and will be given an even larger role, which is good news for Boston.

For the Knicks, their entire point guard rotation from last season – Jeremy Lin, Baron Davis, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas – are all gone. In their places are Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni. Felton at his best can be quite good, but last year was a tumultuous season for him, and Mike Woodson’s half-court offense may be a bad fit. Only time will prove if Felton was a good pick-up for the Knicks. Kidd, at 39, is in serious decline, posting career lows in points, assists, and rebounds last season. Prigioni is a 35-year old rookie playing in the NBA for the first time. At two-guard, the Knicks will eventually have Iman Shumpert, Ronnie Brewer, and J.R. Smith, but Shumpert is out recovering from a torn ACL, and Brewer just announced he has a six-week recovery from meniscus surgery. In the meantime, the Knicks will rely a whole lot on Smith, which is not a great position to be in, as evidenced in the playoffs last year.

Advantage: Celtics

FRONT-COURT

As opposed to both teams’ respective new-look back-courts, they mostly retained their front-court players. The Celtics re-signed Kevin Garnett, who just won’t slow down, and Brandon Bass. This year, they’ve also brought back Jeff Green (to a whopping four-years/$36-million), who could be a productive player off the bench with his scoring ability and athleticism. Likewise, upfront they drafted Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, and brought in Jason Collins. While they’re still shallow and lacking productivity from any of their true big men, they are bigger and deeper than last year.

The Knicks’ two biggest front-court additions come in the form of Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, the starting front-court the last time the Knicks made the Finals in the ’98-99 season. Otherwise, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler will all return upfront, as will Steve Novak who re-signed during the summer. Novak will play a huge role as one of the only three-point threats on the team, but he success of the Knicks will ultimately depend on how well their Big Three can mesh. If they can find any degree of cohesiveness, the Knicks’ ceiling is a lot higher than most other teams in the East.

Advantage: Knicks

COACHING

The Celtics will stick with Doc Rivers, and why not? Rivers has proven himself to be one of the best in the NBA, consistently bringing the Celtics, no matter how old, battered and bruised, to contending level. This year, Rivers has more depth to rest his older stars and younger players to mentor.

The Knicks have received a fair amount of flack for how they handled their coaching search this offseason, because… they didn’t. With a few great, notable names on the market – Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Nate McMillan, Stan Van Gundy – the Knicks took the easy route and extended Mike Woodson without testing the water whatsoever. Though Woodson is a questionable fit for this team, his results last year were impressive: an 18-6 finish to the season, missing key players, and never losing games back to back. However, his regular season history of coaching doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence to push the Knicks to the next level, nor does last year’s playoffs.

Advantage: Celtics

OVERALL

Going through a team’s individual positions does not necessarily determine their outlook or how they stack up against an opponent. In this case, however, it does appear that the Celtics are poised to once again win the Atlantic Division. While arguments could be made about how their new parts will fit, the same arguments could be made for the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers, who all have plenty of new additions to their teams.

Head-to-head, though, the Knicks and the Celtics could be in for some good duels. The Knicks out-size the Celtics upfront and have more scoring threats, while the Celtics, excellently coached and always composed, will still boast an elite defense. If last year’s season split between the two teams was any indication, the 2012-13 season could promise us more exciting battles.

If the trade goes through (and it seems it will), it would complete a shake-up, rebuild, or strengthening of all five teams in the division. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and 76ers have all changed their rosters fairly drastically this offseason. Big moves or signings could still happen, of course, but if things stand as they are, here are my predictions for how the Atlantic Division will breakdown:

1.) Boston Celtics

Last Year: 39-27, first in division, fourth in conference

Key Additions/Retained Players: Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Fab Melo (R), Jared Sullinger (R), Courtney Lee, Jason Collins, Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox, Keyon Dooling

Lost: Ray Allen, Greg Stiemsma, Ryan Hollins

As tough as it is to say, the Boston Celtics have made themselves title contenders again. Not that they were far away. Last year, the Celtics were one win away from going to the NBA Finals instead of the Miami Heat. Now, with a productive offseason, they’ve retained depth upfront, bringing back Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass, while adding some in rookies Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, and signing Jason Collins. Their center rotation is still weak, but they have plenty of size.

Meanwhile on the wings and in the backcourt, they brought back Jeff Green (in a $36-million overpay), used a sign-and-trade to get Courtney Lee from the Rockets, and used their mid-level exception to snag Jason Terry. The Terry move could be a particularly critical move that gives the Celtics someone to space the floor and be a secondary playmaker next to Rajon Rondo, or to run the offense when Rondo is off the floor. Combined with the eventual return of Avery Bradley, the Celtics figure to have a productive, four-deep backcourt.

Simply said, the Celtics have bolstered their frontcourt and their backcourt, added both youth (Green, Sullinger, Lee) and veterans (Terry), and have become deeper and more athletic. Add their new toys to the always-steady, now-Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo, and the Celtics will likely remain the kings of the Atlantic Division unless the pieces somehow don’t all mesh.

2.) New York Knicks

Last Year: 36-30, second in division, seventh in conference

Key Additions/Retained Players: Raymond Felton, Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas, Jason Kidd, Ronnie Brewer, Pablo Prigioni, J.R Smith, Steve Novak

Lost: Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields, Jared Jeffries, Josh Harrellson, Toney Douglas, Jerome Jordan

The Knicks’ offseason exploits have been well-documented across all platforms of media this summer, and it seems the general consensus is this: they’ve gotten better, deeper, but is it enough? Minus the back-stories, drama, and tactical plots, the Knicks were essentially outbid for Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields, two of the only young, productive players on the team heading into the offseason. The Knicks have undeniable depth – they can go two-, or even three-deep at some positions with a fully healthy roster. But again, is it enough to vault them into the elite category in the Eastern Conference?

While the Knicks made the controversial decision of not matching Lin, they did acquire two steady hands (four hands, technically) at the point guard in Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd. They re-upped J.R Smith and Steve Novak, two bench scorers with a good chemistry, and really the only two outside threats on the team. Ronnie Brewer was a sneaky veteran’s-minimum signing who could play an important role as a wing-stopper for the Knicks. Upfront, the Knicks got older, but tougher with the acquisitions of Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas.

The Knicks figure to be a good defensive team, and a capable offensive team, but despite their multitude of weapons on their depth chart, their ultimate success depends on how well Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler can mesh, and that still remains to be seen.

3.) Brooklyn Nets

Last Year: 22-44, fifth in division, twelfth in conference

Key Additions/Retained Players: Joe Johnson, C.J Watson, Mirza Teletovic, Reggie Evans, Keith Bogans, Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Brook Lopex, Kris Humphries

Lost: Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson, Anthony Morrow, Gerald Green

The Brooklyn Nets have had one of the most interesting offseasons in the NBA. They managed to re-sign (albeit overpaying) Gerald Wallace, pulled off an unlikely trade for Atlanta’s All-Star guard Joe Johnson – which was enough to convince Deron Williams to re-sign -, and after months of flirting, came oh-so-close to trading for Dwight Howard. But alas, that trade fell through and the Nets re-upped their big men, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. The Nets also quietly put together a bench that figures to be productive with C.J Watson as the back-up point guard, MarShon Brooks entering his second season, the Bosnian scorer Teletovic, who figures to be a stretch-four type player, and Reggie Evans.

The Nets have a chance to be one of the most productive offensive teams in the NBA. Deron Williams is a top-five point guard on his worst days; perhaps the best point guard in the NBA on his best days. Johnson is a consistent scoring threat, who can also set other players up. Lopez is one of the best offensive centers in the league when he’s healthy. And the rest of the crew aren’t slouches at scoring the ball either. Defense and rebounding will be the Nets’ real struggles. Johnson is a competent defender and Wallace is excellent at times, and Humphries and Evans can both rebound the ball, but neither have ever carved out vital roles on successful teams. If Lopez can stay healthy, he has to improve on his abysmal rebounding numbers – 6 rebounds per game in 2010-11.

The Nets will outscore teams on a lot of nights, but close games often come down to stops, and on paper, the Nets don’t figure to be a team that’ll lock their opponents down very often. In the long run, that may end up hurting the Nets from becoming an elite team.

4.) Philadelphia 76ers

Last Year: 35-31, third in division, eighth in conference

Key Additions/Retained Players: Andrew Bynum, Dorrell Wright, Nick Young, Kwame Brown, Spencer Hawes, Lavoy Allen

Lost: Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Maurice Harkless (R), Nikola Vucevic

Up until the Dwight Howard trade broke through, the Sixers looked one of the losers of the offseason. They used the amnesty clause on Elton Brand and then proceeded to re-sign Spencer Hawes to huge money, acquire Dorrell Wright, Nick Young, and Kwame Brown. For a team with youth, potential, and money to spend, they hadn’t really taken the necessary next step to become the contenders many people contended they would be. But this Andrew Bynum deal shakes it up a bit. Bynum gives them the second best offensive force in the post in the league, with real size on rebounds and in the paint on defense. He also gives them (potentially) a go-to scorer, which they lacked most of the time.

However, they just lost Andre Iguodala, who is the almost the perfect complementary player on any roster. He’s one of the best wing defenders in the NBA, and plays like a LeBron James-lite: scoring, passing, running players, rebounding, just at a lower rate. Lou Williams was the team’s leading scorer last year, and while Nick Young isn’t the smartest player, or as good as Williams, he replaces Williams as a floor-spreader, and someone who can create their own shot.

Doug Collins has proven to be perfect for the Sixers, getting the most he can out of every player. They’ve got plenty of youth and potential on their team – Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday, Bynum, and Young – and if those guys grow into all that they could be, the Sixers will be in a good position. The problem is, we’re still waiting for Holiday, Bynum, and Young to actually turn into those players, and the time is winding down. Unless one of them takes a big leap into an elite positional player (and they all have the potential to do so), the Sixers still won’t be much more than a solid playoff team.

5.) Toronto Raptors

Last Year: 23-43, fourth in division, eleventh in conference

Key Additions/Retained Players: Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields, Jonas Valanciunas, John Lucas III, Terrence Ross (R), Aaron Gray

Lost: Gary Forbes, James Johnson

Predicting the Raptors to finish last in the division isn’t meant to be a slight to the team; I actually quite like what they’ve done this offseason. However, there’s a clear difference between them and the rest of the teams in the Atlantic Division. That said, the Raptors figure to at least make a playoff push this season. The point guard combination of Jose Calderon and Kyle Lowry is one of the best in the league, and gives them a nice mixture of scoring, passing, and defense. The Raptors highly overpaid for Landry Fields, in an attempt to lure Steve Nash back to Canada, and strip the Knicks of trade assets to Phoenix. But given the Raptors’ team, Fields may return to being the player we saw in the productive early months of his rookie season. The Raptors have spacing and good passers, which will open up the floor for Fields to cut, slash, and run backdoor for easy hoops. DeMar DeRozan has emerged as young, impactful scorer and slasher on the wings.

Upfront, the Raptors are OK, but nothing terribly impressive. Andrea Bargnani has still never reached the franchise-center level he was projected to be. At his best, he’s a high scoring center who doesn’t bring much more than average rebounding and below average defense. Ed Davis and Amir Johnson are both role players who can rebound, block shots, and scrap for points. Incoming rookie, 2011-12 lottery pick Jonas Valaciunas has had a disappointing Olympic tournament, and hasn’t inspired much confidence.

The Raptors will likely be good enough to make the playoffs, and they’ve certainly upgraded the talent on their team, but they’re currently outmatched in a soon-to-be competitive division.

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If you are interested, join us tomorrow at 7pm EST where i will be joined by fellow NBA Fansided Bloggers Sean O’Connor of Sixer Sense and Chase Ruttig of Raptors Rapture as we banter back and forth about the Atlantic Division and what you can expect to see in this lockout shortened season.

Included in this will be lots of Knicks talk, so if you are craving just that, follow this link. You can choose to observe from the outside, or click JOIN EVENT where you will be able to take part in the chatroom with other NBA fans and provide questions, either via video or text to either Sean, Chase, or myself.

If you can’t make it for 7 pm EST tomorrow, not to worry the podcast should be up on Buckers Over Broadway shortly after the conclusion of the event.