Whenever he returns to New York City, Jeff Van Gundy is stopped by fans who inquire about the Knicks. The last coach to lead the Knicks to the Finals often delivers an encouraging scouting report before breaking a bit of bad news: He still believes the Knicks are one elite player short if they want to contend for their first championship since 1973. "I do, I do," Van Gundy said Saturday by phone, "and only because of how good Miami is. Miami is so good that New York will have to add one more really good piece, and then keep building around those pieces with winning supplemental players, too." Speaking after the announcement that NBA owners and players had reached a tentative labor deal and planned to play a 66-game season starting Christmas Day, Van Gundy -- who weathered a turbulent 50-game season after the 1998-99 lockout to drive the eighth-seeded Knicks to a Finals matchup with San Antonio, which they lost in five games -- said Mike D'Antoni's Knicks are talented enough to make significant progress in the Eastern Conference. "I think they can move up into the top four or five in the East," Van Gundy, now an ESPN analyst, said, "and then become a championship-level team, depending on the moves they make going forward. [Then-team president] Donnie Walsh did an unbelievable job in his time of giving the Knicks an opportunity to get back in the championship mix. Read more: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/sto...nks-new-york-knicks-need-one-more-elite-piece
