The Knicks frontcourt of Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler was purported to be one of the best in the NBA.

Now, about a third of the season has passed, and the trio has been arguably nothing more than smoke and mirrors-in some regards, to no fault of their own. Anthony has been hampered with injury, Stoudemire has taken less of a dominant role in the system and Chandler is still transitioning from his time with the defending-champion Dallas Mavericks.

Martin would add depth, experience and toughness to a Knicks team that doesn't have much of all three. (Reuters/Rick Wilking)

At the same time, having a thin bench hasn't helped either the frontcourt or the Knicks in general with being much of a success this season. That is why the Knicks are hoping that newly-acquired Baron Davis can return from injury and start soon in order to bring more stability to the point guard position. In effect, former starting point guards Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert can provide more depth as substitutes.

But while the Knicks are playing the waiting game with both Davis and Anthony, who has been suffering from an ankle injury, they can still make a move that can bring even more depth to the team, even if it's not at point guard. That move is signing Kenyon Martin, who cannot join any NBA team until March, and only after the Chinese team he played with during the lockout, the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, finishes their season on Feb. 16.

Reports say that Martin, formerly of the New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets, is considering joining the Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks. And, according to the New York Daily News, Andy Miller, Martin's agent, said in a text on Monday that Martin will make his decision by week's end.

That might be some of the best news for Knicks fans so far this season.

Martin, who has played in two championships with New Jersey and has also played with Anthony in Denver, would not only obviously add depth to both the frontcourt and entire team, but would also give the Knicks more size, toughness and experience. The only concern, however, is that Martin has a history of knee problems.

The Knicks roster is full, though, and would require them to release at least one player to make room for Martin. The team is stacked at guards, so logically, one should go.

For his career, Martin averages 13.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

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