ORLANDO, Fla. — Knicks backup power forward Kyle O’Quinn knows the perception of the Knicks has changed drastically following Phil Jackson’s wave of splashy acquisitions across the last two weeks: Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings.Now the Knicks aren’t just hoping to make the playoffs. They are expected to. O’Quinn admitted the first thing that came to his mind on June 22 when he heard about the Rose blockbuster was: “Wow. Wow.’’
“I’m excited about every year, but this year it looks so clear,’’ O’Quinn told The Post on Tuesday at the Orlando Summer League. “A lot of people will put us in there. It’ll be a different element in training camp instead of being a startup trying to shock the world. We made a lot of changes and it looks like the playoffs, but you got to put the work in.”
Jackson has reinvigorated the fan base with the addition of three new starters who give the club as good a starting five on paper as anyone other than Cleveland and Toronto in the East.
“These guys have played in big-time games, big-time playoff series, you got the [2011] MVP on your team,’’ O’Quinn said. “Those things, you can’t take off someone’s resume. That will trickle from top to bottom and everyone’s ready to soak it in.’’
Though O’Quinn’s role was in flux last season, he was always the loudest voice in the locker room. Now he has help in the leadership department in the chatty Noah, whom O’Quinn always has admired for his roughhouse style. But Noah is coming off a 29-game campaign due to January shoulder surgery.
“That’s his game,’’ O’Quinn said. “That’s why he’s gotten injured, because he plays like a dog. He ain’t no wuss. I think if he stays healthy, his competitive grit and grime will help guys like myself who’ve looked up to him throughout my career.”
Despite rumors the Knicks might trade O’Quinn to open up $4 million more in cap space to sign a backup point guard, it never materialized. He sat between coach Jeff Hornacek and associate head coach Kurt Rambis during the Knicks’ summer-league game Tuesday.
“If you heard it, I heard it, but I don’t think anything’s happening,’’ O’Quinn said.
In fact, the Knicks need more of O’Quinn’s type — a physical backup banger on the front line. One league scout said of the Knicks’ current roster: “I’d like to see a big bulky center be a third guy in [after Noah and Kristaps Porzingis].’’
The Queens product intends to show more this season after an up-and-down first year of his four-year, $16 million pact. His minutes fluctuated because of his occasional lapses on defense.
“I want to embark in that role from the start, stick with it, right from training camp and roll it out for the rest of the year,” O’Quinn said.
The 26-year-old is noticeably lighter than he was last season. As Rambis walked past him before the game, the coach grabbed O’Quinn’s shrinking midsection and smiled approvingly. O’Quinn won’t reveal the exact weight loss, but said he has taken up “hot yoga.’’
“Trying to trim down a little bit,’’ said O’Quinn, who recently returned from a week-long stay in Latvia to visit Porzingis. “I’m trying to stay in the best Kyle form I can be. … It just came to me, the yoga idea. Switch it up a little bit in the offseason.’’
Right now, O’Quinn is their most established big off the bench. The Knicks have agreed to terms with their European stash pick, center Willy Hernangomez, but they will bring him along slowly. Out of cap space, the Knicks may be outbid for their free-agent center Kevin Seraphin. The Knicks bigs will benefit from Rose’s creativity at point guard.
“I know he’s ready to get out here and show the best form of Derrick Rose,’’ O’Quinn said. “If he stays healthy, I’m lucky to be in position to play with him.”
Many of us were excited with his acquisition last season. He seemed poised for big things in his time with Orlando. Phil Jackson has said he would look to get players hidden in other teams' benches and give them a chance. Kyle was one of them and he didn't deliver.
What can we expect of him? Could the coaching change and the acquisition of Noah help him be an important big man from the bench?
