Knicks Rumors: Kenyon Martin and Wilson Chandler Best Options to Improve Bench

The New York Knicks must improve their bench to make a deep run in the NBA playoffs this season, and former Denver Nuggets forwards Kenyon Martin and Wilson Chandler are the best options out there to address that weakness.

According to the New York Post, Knicks superstar forward Carmelo Anthony wants Martin to join him in the Big Apple.

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According to the source, Anthony wants Martin in New York, though he is not permitted to sign a contract until March, when his Chinese team is through with the playoffs. The rugged forward was bought out earlier this week and was expected home for the holidays.

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Martin is a physical player who can rebound and even score in the low-post. He could still start on several teams but would be an important sixth man for the Knicks, who need a talented forward that can give Amare Stoudemire a rest and not allow the team to suffer at either end of the floor.

Martin's defensive abilities and determination to win his first championship ring would be a big boost to a Knicks bench that lacks frontcourt depth.

Jared Jeffries and rookies Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan are the only big men who can come off the bench and provide any interior defense or rebounding.

Asking rookies to play an important bench role is not a smart move, and it really shows the lack of depth that the Knicks have on the bench.

Martin would be a magnificent signing, but Wilson Chandler, who is a former teammate of both Martin's and Anthony's, is another good choice to improve the Knicks bench.

Chandler, like Martin, cannot become available until March, but he is a restricted free agent, and it is likely that the Denver Nuggets would match any offer Chandler receives.

The Knicks only have $2.5 million to offer Chandler right now, which probably isn't enough to sign him because the Nuggets would almost certainly match that.

If New York could get Chandler, they would be adding a lot of versatility to their team. He is a quality scorer, but he also can defend and rebound.

Chandler played well in New York from his 2007-08 rookie season until the trade deadline last year, when the Knicks traded him to Denver as part of the Anthony deal.

The Knicks won't get past the second round of the playoffs this season if their bench is not improved at the forward and center positions.

Martin and Chandler are the best free-agent options available to fix the bench for a deep playoff run, and the Knicks would be wise to sign at least one of them in March.

Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report

Follow @NicholasGoss35