http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/sports/knicks-juggle-starting-lineup-then-drop-opener.html 2014-10-30 05:05:09 Knicks Juggle Starting Lineup, Then Drop Opener The Bulls stormed past the Knicks, 104-80, to spoil Derek Fisher’s coaching debut and snuff some of his team’s early optimism. === Before Amar’e Stoudemire grabbed a microphone to greet the crowd and before Joan Jett sang the national anthem and before Blue Man Group performed during pregame introductions, Coach Derek Fisher revealed his starting lineup for the Or at least he thought it was his starting lineup. About an hour and a half before the opening tip Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, Fisher announced that Jose Calderon was “good to go” after missing the team’s final two preseason games with a calf strain. Calderon’s return figured to be a boost against the But nothing is guaranteed in the N.B.A., and the Knicks were dealt a blow shortly afterward when Calderon was ruled out. Fisher said Calderon felt some discomfort in his calf during his pregame workout. The Knicks are not expected to have a large margin of error when Calderon does play. Without him, they looked as leaky as a coffee filter. The Bulls stormed past the Knicks, 104-80, to spoil Fisher’s debut and snuff some of his team’s early optimism. The road does not figure to get any easier, not with a game against the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers (and LeBron James) on Thursday night. “We’re going somewhere,” Fisher said, “but at the beginning of where we’re going, it’s going to be difficult to get wins.” The Knicks had spent the frenzied weeks of training camp learning the triangle offense and working to coalesce as a team while playing down expectations, not that anyone expects this team to vie for a championship. Building toward respectability will be a process, and not a short one. “We still got a lot of work to do,” Stoudemire said, and that was before the game even started. Carmelo Anthony The Bulls broke it open in the third. Taj Gibson (22 points) got inside for a dunk. Pau Gasol (21 points, 11 rebounds) spun past Samuel Dalembert for a layup. And Derrick Rose, after missing all but 10 games last season with a knee injury, connected on a pull-up jumper. He finished with 13 points. Fisher emptied his bench at the start of the fourth, calling on a lineup that included Cole Aldrich, Quincy Acy and Cleanthony Early. The Bulls built a lead of as many as 35 points in the period.  “Our guys are trying to do the right things,” Fisher said. Even as the Knicks undergo their overhaul, some of their issues feel vaguely familiar. They have the same bloated payroll ($90 million) but little depth. And Fisher, much like Mike Woodson before him, has discovered that assembling functional lineups is a puzzle, especially as the Knicks cope with injuries. Still, the game was a fresh start for almost everyone involved. The Knicks unveiled their triangle offense with their new coach patrolling the sideline. The Bulls, meanwhile, were glad to have Rose, who had not appeared in a regular-season game since last November. Rose, who was defended by Iman Shumpert, missed his first shot, a 3-pointer, and had trouble finding his rhythm. Stoudemire, whose inclusion in the starting lineup came as a mild surprise, had no such issues, draining his first four field-goal attempts. He dunked. He gestured to the crowd. It felt like 2006 all over again. The Knicks built a modest lead before issues emerged. Shumpert picked up his second foul less than five minutes into the game and was replaced by Pablo Prigioni. It was the start of a slow drip on defense, but Rose was not the point guard who gave the Knicks the most problems. That honor belonged to his backup, Aaron Brooks, who provided the Bulls with their first lead, 21-20, by sinking a 3-pointer. Early in the second quarter, Brooks blew past Prigioni for a layup and an 8-point lead. Rose was only 1 of 5 from the field in the first half, but Brooks and Gibson helped the Bulls build a 53-43 advantage. By then, Anthony had tried only seven shots. There were possessions when the triangle looked more like an iceberg. When Fisher was asked before the game if he had solidified some of his rotations, his answer was a flat no. He put his best spin on it. “We’ve talked about this as a team,” Fisher said. “It’s required that we feel comfortable being uncomfortable. That’s what being in this league is about. If you’re comfortable or complacent, somebody’s passing you by. So, early this season, it’s all hands on deck.” The Knicks are not unique. It is a physical league, and injuries are inevitable. The Knicks used 21 starting lineups last season en route to a 37-45 record and ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Woodson did a lot of shuffling, sometimes to match up with opponents. Fisher has said that he would prefer to have a consistent set of starters. Two games in two nights is never ideal, Fisher said. But at least the Knicks would get an early opportunity to see how they stack up against two of the league’s better teams, he said. If Wednesday’s game revealed anything, the answer was clear: a lot.