The New York Knicks will open training camp next week with mostly the same roster that was an embarrassment on and off the court while going 23-59 last season. President Donnie Walsh has made only one notable move since replacing Isiah Thomas in April, and it's the reason he thinks next season could be better even if the personnel suggests otherwise.

"Mike D'Antoni. I think he's a great coach. I hope people give him a chance," Walsh said Friday. "He'll make them better I think than anybody else would."

D'Antoni was a big winner in Phoenix, but it won't be easy in New York. The Knicks' roster doesn't seem suitable to the uptempo style he plays, but D'Antoni remains confident he will make it work, even though he believed there would be changes.

"Sometimes the best trades you make are the ones you didn't make, so I'm going with that one," D'Antoni said. "This is who we have. I'm not worried about what if. And again, I would not be excited if I thought there's no way we can do this. I really think that the talent surprised me, there's a lot of young guys that are very good and we can do well with what we have."

That includes Marbury and Randolph, two players who many around New York thought would be gone by the time camp opened next Tuesday in Saratoga Springs.

Marbury angered the organization and his teammates with his behavior last season, and speculation was the Knicks would prefer to get rid of him rather than bring him back for the final year of his contract. But both Walsh and D'Antoni said the point guard is in great shape after having season-ending ankle surgery last January, and neither ruled out him making the team.

Marbury clashed with both Larry Brown and Thomas, and his walkout after a feud with the latter sent the season spiraling downward last November. But he's still the most talented point guard the Knicks have, so D'Antoni, who briefly coached him with the Suns, plans to give him a shot.

"I had Steph, I like Steph. We got along well in Phoenix," D'Antoni said. "I've got no problems with him and he's coming in shape, he wants to play. Why shouldn't I like him? In 30 days if he's in that group and he's rolling, we roll."