It's another edition of Knicks' Mailbag with SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley ready to answer your questions surrounding the team. Let's get started...

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@Amrmets15 -- Do you think the Knicks look to address the need for another rim protector at the deadline? Nick Richards maybe back in the fold? Kolek and Dadiet works theoretically 

If I’m making a guess today, I’m guessing that the Knicks look for veteran point guards on the trade market before they look for front-line help. Remember, the Knicks signed Malcolm Brogdon in September with the hope that he’d be their backup point guard. They’ve had to go to Plan B once Brogdon retired. 

So far, Plan B has been point guard by committee. Second-year point guard Tyler Kolek was in the mix early in the regular season, but he’s been out of Mike Brown’s rotation for the past three weeks. Kolek was a DNP-CD in the two games Jalen Brunson missed due to injury. The DNP-CDs during Brunson’s absence suggest Brown doesn’t see Kolek as a rotation player at this point. 

The Knicks are getting by with a point-guard-by-committee approach. But I think there is still a desire internally to add a backup point guard behind Brunson. 

Who is that player? I’m not sure. Sacramento seems like a team that will be open for business ahead of the trade deadline. Jevon Carter is in the final year of his contract in Chicago; but the Bulls clearly value the veteran point guard. I’m sure there will be other options on the trade market in the coming weeks. 

So if the Knicks are healthy, @amrmets15, I’d guess today that they prioritize point guard over front court in the trade market. This is stating the obvious, but I’m sure the Knicks would at least check in with Dallas if/when Anthony Davis becomes available. You may scoff at the idea, but the Knicks want to win a title this season. If Dallas is offering Davis at a below-market cost, I’m sure the Knicks will at least give the move some thought. But this, again, is stating the obvious. The Mavs will get calls from nearly all NBA teams if/when they make Davis available. 

Anyway, the trade market will materialize in earnest over the next 3-4 weeks. It will be interesting to see which teams sell and which players become available between now and early February. 

QUICK HITTERS @RobertWCross -- First time long time @IanBegley. Can the Knicks get enough out of the JB+KAT pairing offensively to cover up the defensive flaws? I’ve been skeptical since the jump. Your take? #53Wins

This is one of several macro questions that will determine this team’s ceiling. Great topic, @RobertWCross. 

Maybe I’m being naïve here, but I think the Knicks have enough defensive talent  - and offensive firepower - to neutralize Brunson/Karl-Anthony Towns defensive flaws. 

If Mitchell Robinson is on the floor with Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, the Knick defense should improve. The numbers haven’t reflected that, yet. The Knicks are actually allowing 7.5 more points per 100 possessions with Robinson on the floor than when he’s off, per Cleaning The Glass.  But that number should change over the course of the regular season and postseason. 

Between Robinson, Hart, Bridges, Anunoby and Miles McBride, I think the Knicks have enough talent on both sides of the ball to neutralize any shortcomings from Brunson or Towns. If I’m wrong and the Knicks don’t have the personnel to do this, it will reflect poorly on the front office.

@yaalreadyknow --  What’s the prognosis on OG’s injury and whether it would hamper his production for the season onward?

It seems like Anunoby will be out for at least the rest of the month. The Knicks said he will be re-evaluated on November 27. Even if he’s healthy at that point, Anunoby would still need time to practice/scrimmage before he returns to the court. 

That said, I don’t think there is any reason to believe this injury will hamper his production once he returns.  

@doinkstarr -- Ian, can you talk about the relationship between (Knicks Vice President of Sports Medicine) Casey Smith and Mike Brown in regards to rotational decisions, player workload and recovery strategies?

I don’t have a ton of insight on this yet but it seems like Smith and Brown are on the same page regarding player workload and recovery strategies. I say this because of the Knicks’ approach with Robinson. Brown has said consistently that Robinson’s workload/availability will be determined by Smith and his staff. The head coach has been complimentary of the medical/training staff for its work with Robinson. 

So, on the surface, it seems like Brown is very much in synch with Smith and his group. 

That said, I would be very surprised if Smith had any influence over rotational decisions. That usually is determined by the head coach and his staff (and maybe some influence from the front office with certain teams). 

Thanks for the questions, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families. 

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