NY Knicks Insider: Bench Will Make or Break 2016-17 Team’s Chances

NEW YORK — The 2016-17 season will be Carmelo Anthony’s 15th in the NBA. He’s also 32-years-old and since joining the Knicks six years ago has had his left knee operated on twice.

Unfortunately, this is par for the Knicks’ core. 

If the Knicks remain healthy this season. they could rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. But what happens when the injuries start to mount? 

There’s Derrick Rose, whose medical history we’re all familiar with (162 games missed over the past four years) and who’s already missing multiple practices and preseason games due a civil rape suit in Los Angeles. If the civil suit ends in a mistrial, the case would be retried during the regular season. The ongoing Los Angeles Police Department Investigation into the rape charges could pull Rose away from the team as well.

Free agent acquisition Joakim Noah, another former All-Star on the back nine of his career, played just 29 games last year due to a bum left shoulder and has spent the past couple of weeks watching from the sidelines thanks to a hamstring injury.

Brandon Jennings, signed to a one-year deal in the offseason as an insurance policy to Rose, ruptured his left Achilles tendon less than two years ago. And Lance Thomas, who emerged last year as a valuable 3-and-D guy off the bench, is coming off a season in which a series of injuries to his left knee kept him off the floor for 23 games.

So what happens if Rose, Noah and Anthony all miss significant time and Jennings’ recovered Achilles leads to another issue? Or if Kristaps Porzingis’ (breathe, Knicks fans, breathe) knees don’t hold up in Year Two?

Knicks president Phil Jackson recently acknowledged he’s aware of the inherent risks in building a team out of a bunch of past-their-prime parts. What he’s yet to explain, though, is the more egregious decision to leave new head coach Jeff Hornacek with such a seemingly feeble group of reinforcements.

If Rose indeed misses a chunk of time due to his civil trial, the Knicks would then be turning over backup point guard duties to either Sasha Vujacic or Chasson Randle.

At 32, Vujacic is certainly well past his prime and easy to poke fun at too. He doesn’t have much burst left and rarely steps inside the 3-point line (though at least the floppy hair is gone). But he did shoot the ball well last year during his late-season stint with the Knicks (36 percent from deep) and has no qualms giving effort on defense. He also is familiar with the triangle offense from his time with the Lakers and is comfortable playing the point.

“I actually came into the NBA as a point guard,” he said Tuesday night following the Knicks’ preseason victory over the Wizards. “The position isn’t new to me.” 

It’s the 23-year-old Randle, though, who’s stood out most during the preseason and who presents the Knicks with their most intriguing option. 

His fluidity within the Knicks’ offensive scheme is a plus. He played four seasons at Stanford for then head coach Johnny Dawkins, who also ran the triangle, and averaged 16.5 points while shooting 38 percent from deep. He played just as well last year in the Czech Republic, where he averaged 14.5 points and connected on 38 percent of his 3s for champion ČEZ Nymburk.

“He has a good understanding how to play (our offense), …

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