Although Phil Jackson just inked Brandon Jennings to a two year deal, issues with health and depth with the New York Knicks are real.
It appears that New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson is satisfied with the current starting five he has assembled: Joakim Noah, Kristaps Porzinigis, Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, and Derrick Rose. Now, the attention is being focused on adding some more bench depth.With the majority of the big-name free agents signing with their new teams, the fun can begin for teams in a similar position as the Knicks. A backup point guard may be first on the list of needs for New York at the moment. They instantly fill that need with the addition of Brandon Jennings.
The Knicks are about to strike a deal with Brandon Jennings, according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 4, 2016
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is hoping for backups who are capable of starting in any case of emergency — injury, illness, etc. Without needing to mention specifically what he means, he has to be referring to Rose’s knees and/or Noah’s shoulder.
Expectations still remain high for the Knicks, even with the lack of bench depth. Reaching the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season is definitely a huge possibility. But, the concerns of durability with Noah and Rose still give some people an ambivalent feeling.
What can be said, is that this is the best team the Knicks have put together in a while. There is still some time to fill out the roster and it will be interesting to see how the roster looks come October when camp starts.
Hornacek obviously did a phenomenal job with the Phoenix Suns in the 2013-14 season. He won 48 games with a roster that seemingly had little depth. He seems to get the best out of his role players and that task will be at hand once again this upcoming season.
This is something Knicks fans should feel excited about in 2016-17 pertaining to their Knicks.
