Why the Bench Should be Priority #1 for the Knicks

The Knicks bench, currently devoid of quality players, sits ready and waiting for new talent
to join the team before Christmas Day.  It's up to the front office to fill it.

Presently, the Knicks' bench is paper thin.  In fact, the starting 5 has glaring question marks at both guard positions.  But, as for the bench, I can't imagine the front office will allow the current iteration of the Knick roster to be the one we see taking the floor (or rather the sideline) Christmas Day.  The need for quality play coming off the bench is now priority number 1 for the Knicks.  Yes, the team is desperately in need of quality guards both on and off the ball, and yes, the point guard position is a top priority.  However, the Knicks are capable of surviving, if not thriving, with mediocre to decent play at the point if Carmelo Anthony embraces his new roll as a facilitator (a roll that head coach Mike D'antoni indicated would be asked of Melo this season).

Read on to see why the bench may be more important than the starting PG position this season.

The Knicks' search for a point guard is likely to continue beyond the 2011-2012 season.  The projected starting point guard for the Knicks this season is last year's reserve "combo guard" Toney Douglas, who's not a natural point guard.  The 6'2 Douglas is undersized at the 2, but proved to be a key contributor off the bench at both guard positions, averaging 10.2 points per game.  His assists, at 2.7 translate to about 1 every  9 minutes played, an underwhelming statistic.  Mike Bibby, the newly signed backup to Douglas, is 33 years old and, his great play in the early 2000's with the the Sacramento Kings is a distant memory.  Even at his peak, Bibby was more of a scoring threat at the point than an assist machine.  All of this points to a well documented deficiency at point guard for the Knicks.

If unable to secure a point guard, the Knicks will run the offense through Carmelo Anthony.  Anthony has more ability as a passer than he is given credit for.  With the trio playing together, it's certainly possible (and I stress possible, not necessarily likely nor probable) for Melo to succeed as a facilitator in the half court offense.  If Melo chooses to become a dynamic passing threat instead of being solely a pure scorer, the Knicks can overcome, perhaps, their weakness at the point until they are able to add a skilled on the ball playmaker to the roster.  As soon as one of the three studs is taken out, however, that task becomes more difficult, specifically with the lack of outside shooters on the Knick roster to spread the defense.

In the compressed season the Knicks cannot rely on their stars to play the nearly 37 minutes per game that Anthony and Stoudemire each averaged last season.  The two shouldn't play as much as they did last year in any given season, especially in the unforgiving Mike D'antoni system.  But, for D'antoni and the team, there was nowhere else to turn for offense.  This is why the immediate concern for the Knicks should be the ability of the team to score when either Anthony or Stoudemire (or both) are taken out.

With Anthony out, the team's deficiencies at the point and on the bench become even more staggeringly apparent.  Not only will the team rely on Toney Douglas or Mike Bibby to fuel the offense in the pick and roll etc., (a tenuous proposition at best) but, outside of Stoudemire, there is no real offensive threat on the floor.  When the two are out together, the situation becomes even more ominous.

A capable scorer at the 2 or the 3 is a necessary addition to the Knicks' bench.

This new player could then work in concert with Douglas or Bibby, as well as Chandler or one of the other big men, to create a lineup capable of scoring in the absence of Carmelo and Amar'e.  That is what the Knicks were looking for in Jamal Crawford.  The outside shooting of Shawne Williams would have helped the team spread the floor as well.  The team was unable to sign either player.  What the Knicks need to do now is find that other scorer.  There are some free agent possibilities still out there, but there is no sure bet for the Knicks.  There are, after all, reasons that these players have yet to be signed.

One possibility is Michael Redd, the 32 year old former Bucks star.  Redd is a health risk though who has unfortunately torn the ACL and MCL in his left knee two years in a row.  Another possibility is Travis Outlaw, the recently amnestied small forward formerly of the New Jersey Nets.  Outlaw, though just 27 and having shown ability to shoot the ball out to the three point line, has proven to be an inconsistent offensive player at best.  Whether it's via Redd, Outlaw or some other source, the Knicks need to find some scoring coming off of their bench.

The only trade possibilities (albiet extremely unlikely possibilities) that exist for the Knicks lie in one of their reserve big-men.  With the signing of 7'0 tall Jerome Jordan, the Knicks suddenly have adequate reserves for Tyson Chandler including Jordan, fellow rookie Josh Harrellson (6'11 out of Kentucky who has reportedly played well in camp) and the 6'11 defensive minded veteren, Jared Jeffries.  The Clippers happen to have a bevy of point guards and a dearth of big-men, making them a possible trade partner.  However, this is highly unlikely given the Knicks' lack of quality pieces and any cap space (a fan can hope though, right?).

The team needs a scoring threat off the bench.  Period.

The bottom line is the Knicks need to fill out their roster and one of the new names needs to be able to put the ball in the basket.  Hopefully the Knicks can find lightning in a bottle with the signing of a player like Redd or some other.  If not, the dependence on Anthony and Stoudemire will wear the two down, or, if the two superstars are properly rested, the thin bench and the hole at the point will prove to be potentially fatal flaws of the otherwise young and talented Knicks.