Mike Woodson can talk all he wants about having as good a chance as any club to win the title, but he first has to win the Atlantic Division title to secure home-court advantage.
One of the obstacles will be Rod Thorn’s revamped 76ers, who now have Andrew Bynum at center. Thorn, the ex-Nets president, said he believes the Atlantic will be a beast, and the best.
“Oh my goodness, I think the Atlantic Division is the best division in basketball right now,’’ Thorn, the Sixers president, told The Post. “Every team is better. Jersey (Brooklyn) got way better. Even Toronto will be better. I think Boston also got better. Every team in the Atlantic got better, and until someone beats Boston, they should be favored.’’
Thorn isn’t buying the Knicks are too old. With Rasheed Wallace’s signing, the Knicks’ average age, counting their top 13 players, is 32.8 — which could set an NBA record.
“The guys who are older aren’t going to be playing 35 minutes a game,’’ Thorn said. “They’re playing lesser minutes. I think all those guys still have something left in the tank, particularly to close games and win on the road. They’ll be instrumental that way.’’
The Sixers face the Knicks in the preseason, Oct. 22, in the team’s original home, Syracuse, and it could be Bynum’s debut as he’s resting three weeks after his knee procedure in Germany.
“We haven’t had a center here like this since Moses Malone,’’ Thorn said.
And the Knicks? “I think they’re going to be good,’’ Thorn said. “With the summer Carmelo had, it can only add to his confidence. [Amar’e] Stoudemire looks like he’s healthy. They’ve added veteran guys who know how to play in big games, [Jason] Kidd and [Raymond] Felton.”
➤ The NBA announced a series of new fines for flopping this season and the union abruptly appealed. But Rasheed Wallace is all for it.
“Hey you all thought I was crazy, saying it over the last so and so years,’’ Wallace said. Asked if some players will be affected, Wallace said, “Oh yeah. You already know it.’’
Stoudemire added, “It takes out some of the acting on the basketball court. I do like it.’’