NBA

Knicks mailbag: This coach, starting 5 would lead to playoff return

You ask, we answer. The Post is fielding questions from readers about New York’s biggest pro sports teams and getting our beat writers to answer them in a series of regularly published mailbags. In today’s installment: the Knicks.

If the Knicks want to make the playoffs next year, what is a potential best starting team after free agency and the draft, including the head coach? — Jean

Make no mistake. New president Leon Rose wants to break the seven-year playoff drought next season. Why shouldn’t that be the goal in the anemic Eastern Conference?

Let’s start with hiring Tom Thibodeau, who broke Minnesota’s 13-year playoff drought and is a proven winner.

Though this might be the lamest — and shortest — free agency in history in late October, Rose still could make upgrades while keeping flexibility for 2021.

This is an alignment I can foresee, especially if father Lavar Ball gets his way as we’ve reported here multiple times.

A starting lineup of LaMelo Ball (point guard); RJ Barrett (shooting guard); Carmelo Anthony (small forward); Christian Wood (power forward) and Mitchell Robinson (center) isn’t shabby, especially if Ball is ready to be the quarterback.

LaMelo Ball, Tom Thibodeau and Carmelo Anthony
LaMelo Ball, Tom Thibodeau and Carmelo AnthonyAP (2); Getty Images

The Bench Five would feature Frank Ntilikina (backup PG), Reggie Bullock (backup SG), Kevin Knox (backup SF), Julius Randle (backup PF) and Taj Gibson (backup C).

The Knicks are one of only four teams with cap space and they can add the up-and-coming Wood, 24, with a massive one-year deal — just as they secured Bobby Portis.

The sense is Anthony wants to finish his career in New York and he fell right on the Knicks’ radar the moment Rose accepted the presidency. There is no bigger fan of Anthony on the planet than Rose.

Melo will be on audition for Portland during the Orlando restart. If he can take Knox under his wing — a big if — it could really work out.

As for Randle moving to the bench, several scouts are convinced his future is as a sixth-man scorer on a playoff team. Randle has never made the playoffs.

Submit your Knicks questions to be answered in an upcoming mailbag

Why can’t this Knicks’ 10 capture a No. 8 seed? This proposed group is better than Orlando’s.

(If) the Knicks move up to the No. 1 overall pick, I’d trade it along with pieces to get an established star. Your thoughts? — Tim

Although this draft is considered mediocre, I wouldn’t do it. I especially wouldn’t do it if the established star is someone like DeMar DeRozan. There will be a superstar or two coming out of this draft and Rose will rely on his mega-staff (the new scouts and old scouts) to figure whom they are.

The Knicks have a good young core with more draft picks, so why are they always trying to chase stars instead of committing to the rebuild and developing the players? — Rashad

The Knicks would love to develop their young players, but not enough of them have shown signs of stardom. If the Knicks had a chance to package youngsters to net a star, that’s how you win titles. Rose won’t hesitate to trade Dennis Smith Jr., Ntilikina, Knox — all recent lottery picks — in a deal for a star. None of the trio has shown potential stardom. Rose mentioned only two “bedrock pieces’’ in Barrett and Robinson. Rose also said Smith is “a special talent right there,’’ but it sounded like he was attempting to increase his trade value.

Why was Allonzo Trier buried on the bench for much of the season? He surely should have been playing over (Wayne) Ellington, (Reggie) Bullock & (Dennis) Smith. Was it his excessive complaining about not getting fouls called? — Theodore Cohen

Allonzo who? Trier was waived last month by the new regime so they could sign 15th man Theo Pinson. Rose doesn’t view Trier as a team player or good enough defender. He’s a one-trick pony as an isolation scorer. My theory is former president Steve Mills propped up the undrafted Trier as a rookie partly because he thought Trier could be another lure for Kevin Durant. KD was Trier’s mentor when he attended prep school in Oklahoma and Durant starred for OKC.

In your (recent answer) about Iggy (Brazdeikis) and other G-Leaguers, you say Rose didn’t get to see him play so there is no attachment. Isn’t the goal to get good players on the roster? Why does it matter who brought who into the organization? — Anthony

In a perfect world, that should never be a factor. But we live in a society where front-office types seek credit. Rose has no attachment to Brazdeikis but GM Scott Perry does. Perry convinced James Dolan to fork over $1 million to Sacramento to move up in the second round to snare the Michigan southpaw sniper. That’s why I believe the Knicks will give Brazdeikis chances — as long as Perry is around. In Damyean Dotson’s case, he was a Phil Jackson draft pick. Because there’s no attachment to Rose or Perry, Dotson is as good as gone.