New York Knicks' Biggest Red Flags Entering This Season

In the process of building a consistent winner for the future, this year's New York Knicks team won't be competing for a championship—even their most influential voices have conceded that.

But the team presumably has enough talent to compete for a playoff spot in a more balanced Eastern Conference this season. 

That's if everything goes according to plan. But, in this in-between stage of Phil Jackson's short-term rebuild, there are plenty of obstacles and question marks to work around.

Carmelo Anthony is back for the long haul, but with Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani taking up $35 million in cap space, there simply weren't enough resources to put together a top-notch unit for 2014-15. 

As the roster is currently constructed, first-year coach Derek Fisher's job won't be easy, especially considering he's attempting to instill a new system that most players have never seen up-close.

After losing Tyson Chandler, the team has no true defensive presence near the rim. The depth chart as a whole will be difficult to manage, with several new players fitting together for the first time. 

The Knicks have the potential to fall near the back end of the East's playoff picture, but here are a few things holding them back. 

Is There Any Rim Protection?

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Tyson Chandler's defensive impact had waned over the last two years, but through all the team's struggles on that end, it was always convenient to have a bona fide stopper near the rim as an insurance policy.

With Chandler now a Dallas Maverick, the center duties will be left to the trio of Samuel Dalembert, Jason Smith and Cole Aldrich—none of the three bringing the necessary impact on defense given the futility of New York's guards on that end.

According to NBA.com, both Dalembert and Smith faced an average of 6.1 shots at the rim. With Dallas, Dalembert held those shooters to a 52 percent field-goal clip, while Smith, albeit in just 31 games, held them to a 51.1 field-goal percentage.

For what it's worth, over 46 games playing 7.2 minutes per night last year as a Knick, Aldrich faced 2.4 attempts at the rim, and opponents shot 44.1 percent. 

Facing the 28th-most shots per game at the rim last season (among those who played in at least 41 games and averaged 20 minutes per game) with 6.9, Chandler was 30th league-wide among rotation players (same criteria as above) who faced at least four rim attempts per game, with a 50.9 percent field-goal mark. 

Among the Knicks' new trio, Dalembert has a reputation as a competent defender, but at 33 and with a dozen NBA seasons under his belt, it's unlikely he'll be able to give a ton of minutes at the pivot spot.

Aldrich did look impressive on both ends during his limited time last season, and he could possibly be effective in a larger role this year.

There's been talk, via ESPNNewYork.com, of Smith playing some power forward, which could make sense defensively. Though he hasn't been the primary rim protector as a Pelican the last few seasons with Anthony Davis more than capable, he hasn't been a minus on that end. Over the course of his career, his teams have allowed two points less per 100 possessions with him on the floor.

Considering the team will likely run out lineups with Jose Calderon, J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony at the smaller positions, the team will need all the help it can get defensively in the paint.

What Can Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani Bring to the Team?

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As the two primary roadblocks to this Knicks rebuild, Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani's salaries are the lone reasons for their spots on this team.

Both in contract years, neither is likely to be a part of the team's plans moving forward. But since they're still with the team, Fisher will need to find ways to work them into the current structure. 

The question is just how much they can contribute, especially in Fisher's triangle.

Bargnani is coming off a season-ending elbow injury he suffered last January, but before that, he was hardly helping the team's efforts. Brought on as a big who could help space the floor, he shot a career-worst 27.8 percent from three-point range, making just 30 of his 108 attempts.

The team's offense improved from 19th before his injury to fourth from Jan. 23 through the end of the season. He's currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that's kept him out of the last three preseason tilts. 

Stoudemire has at least shown an ability to score, even despite all his physical ailments. He got through last season mostly unscathed, save for a sprained ankle that cost him seven games in January.

Regular rest days and minutes restrictions kept him off the floor through most of the year, until Mike Woodson lifted the restraints and played him 28 minutes per game as a starter over his last 20 games. 

He'll need to master the triangle offense to be effective yet again, but according to Stoudemire in an interview with the New York Post, that shouldn't be a problem. 

"With the triangle offense, it's probably the best situation for all of us," Stoudemire said. "We get a good system we can run and stay consistent on. I've adjusted to any system I've played in. It won't be a problem."

To his credit, he has mastered the systems of two prior coaches with the Knicks over his four years there. But with other players on the roster—Quincy Acy, Cole Aldrich and potentially Travis Wear—trying to make a lasting impact with the team post-rebuild, Stoudemire and Bargnani are more obstacles than they are building blocks. 

Will Iman Shumpert Finally Make Strides in Year 4?

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Even after the team's recent influx of youth, Iman Shumpert is still the Knicks' most intriguing piece. He's still only 24, has the tools to be an elite defender in the backcourt and has posted a 40 percent three-point clip over 45 games in 2012-13. 

But as he enters Year 4 of his career, he still hasn't put together any extended stretch of all-around success, and he is coming off his worst year to date.

Under a new system and a more relatable coach, it's reasonable to think this is the year that Shumpert can make significant strides. But if that's not the case, the Knicks will have a decision to make on the restricted free agent-to-be. 

Already in this preseason, Shumpert has seemed to improve on a few of his flaws that have weighed him down over his three NBA seasons—namely his finishing at the rim.

His explosiveness has always figured to make him a dangerous threat in fast-break scenarios, but his poor handles and finishing skills—combined with the Knicks' lack of pace during his career—have held him back.

But against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 14, Shumpert put together a few stretches of improvement, including this highlight-reel finish:

In the triangle, Shumpert could project to a Metta World Peace/Robert Horry-type of three-and-D wing but with much more athleticism.

He's already one of the Knicks' most important pieces solely because of his defensive impact, but strides on the other end could solidify his role on the team moving forward. 

But with another sub-40 percent shooting season, the Knicks may be inclined to let Shumpert test the market next summer and use the cap space to sign a free agent of the Marc Gasol or Rajon Rondo variety. 

How Will Derek Fisher Respond to Initial Adversity?

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There's reason to believe that Derek Fisher can become a successful head coach down the line, especially with Phil Jackson mentoring him from upstairs. But in his first season, at least in the early going, there's almost guaranteed to be some struggles. 

With six of the team's first eight games coming against playoff team's from last year—and a seventh coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers—a rocky start certainly wouldn't be out of the question, especially when you factor in all the new faces playing together for the first time, in a system they have little experience in. 

In his first year as coach with the Brooklyn Nets last season, Jason Kidd underwent this type of adjustment period when the team started out 10-20.

After a few adjustments, though, Kidd actually had the Nets playing well on both ends, and Brooklyn finished with the East's second-best record after Dec. 31, going 34-17.

How Fisher handles whatever early adversities arise will set the tone for the rest of the season. 

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News recently wrote about Fisher's prospects as head man under Jackson:

"

When current Knicks assistant Jim Cleamons tried running [the triangle] in Dallas with inferior talent, he lasted 98 games with the Mavericks and lost 70. Another Knicks assistant coach, Kurt Rambis, had the same talent issues in Minnesota and won just 32 of 164 games.

Mind games and systems are nice but the NBA is still a talent-driven league. The Knicks currently have one superstar and need more. That’s Jackson’s job and he apparently has a solid plan. And as long as [James] Dolan stays away and Jackson remains in good health and spirits, this could work. If not, the chair Fisher used on Monday will get hot quickly. It always does at MSG. 

"

In the long run, the Jackson-Fisher pairing could prove to be a fruitful one. But in the short term, the rookie coach will need to be prepared for a dose of futility.

Can Carmelo Make the Necessary Adjustments?

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Of course, the Knicks go nowhere without Carmelo Anthony fulfilling his true potential in the triangle.

And while the system should bring out the very best of his personal skill set, there is a stark difference between his introduction to the triangle and that of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant—the two other elite scorers whom Phil Jackson is at least partially responsible for.

When Jordan was first dubbed the centerpiece of Jackson's triangle, he was only 26 and in his sixth NBA season. Bryant was in Year 4 of his career when Jackson took control of the Lakers—he was only 21.

Anthony, on the other hand, has grown very accustomed to doing things his own way over his 11 years in the league—specifically over the last two-and-a-half seasons under Mike Woodson, notorious for letting his stars run the show while the other four players act as spectators.

At this point in his career, though, Anthony surely realizes that if there's ever been a time to succeed power to a system, this is it. And he's said as much ever since the Knicks started being tied to the triangle. Specifically on Sept. 29, from ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley:

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Melo says he hopes to be able to help his teammates more in the triangle. Says he wants Fisher & Phil to know that he has fully bought in.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 29, 2014"

After playing such a contrasting style of basketball for so long, there was sure to be an adjustment period, and 'Melo finds himself in that predicament now. Again, from Begley:

"

"It's an adjustment," Anthony said, after the Knicks' preseason win over the Celtics on Saturday. "It's an adjustment because I'm used to taking my time and seeing where the defense is coming from. And even now, it's a medium that you've got to play with. Sometimes you can hold it a little, sometimes you don't have it, (you have to) get it out quickly. So it's an adjustment for me."

[...]

"If you don't have nothing in a second, second and a half, the ball is out," Anthony said. "There's no holding, there's a lot of ball movement. So your [teammates] have got to be ready for it."

"

The question isn't whether 'Melo is willing to adjust to the triangle. At this point, he's made it clear he's willing to do whatever it takes to put a ring on his finger.

But whether he'll be able to make the adjustments necessary to be the triangle's next star is what can make or break the team's playoff hopes in 2014-15. 

Luckily for both Anthony and the Knicks, playoff hopes in 2014-15 aren't very significant relative to next summer and beyond, when Jackson's regime will have a chance to build a contender in its own vision. 

Stats gathered from Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.