Are the Knicks Too Old to Go Deep in the NBA Playoffs?

Few fanbases in the NBA have suffered more in the last few decades than the New York Knicks.

While the team has big pockets and are in the biggest market in the U.S., decades of ill-timed injuries, bad teams and poor management decisions have left the Knicks without a title since 1973--that's 40 years.

After the last decade of futility, the Knicks shed cap space and players in a major reconstruction of the franchise that had the Knicks on their way, beginning with the signing of Amar'e Stoudemire in 2010. The Knicks looked young and revitalized as they began to turn the ship around, with former GM Donnie Walsh crafting a roster that was young and talented and with plenty of cap space to use for the final construction of a team that could make a serious run at a title.

Much of that changed midway through the 2010-11 season when the Knicks-in a move that was heavily speculated was not approved by Walsh as much as it was demanded by owner Charles Dolan-traded much of their young team to Denver in exchange for superstar Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks got a bonafide box office draw in Anthony, but they paid a price in youth and talent as they gutted much of their roster to get him rather than risk Anthony signing possibly with the Nets for the long haul. Since then, young talent has been at a premium for the Knicks. With the exception of Iman Shumpert-who still doesn't look the same since he came off ACL surgery-and promising rookie Chris Copeland, the Knicks have opted to surround Anthony with experienced, but aging players.

The result? The Knicks, the oldest team in the league, have dealt with a rash of injuries to many key players including Anthony, Stoudemire, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas. In fact, things have gotten so bad that the Knicks are looking at the recently signed 35-year-old Kenyon Martin, a great player in his prime but well past it, as a key part of their roster as the Knicks attempt to get ready for the playoffs.

Therein lies the problem.

While the Knicks' success this season is undisputed--the Knicks securing a playoff berth Friday and being first in the Atlantic Division for the first time since the Patrick Ewing era-the team simply cannot go much longer without rest and recuperation. Anthony, their top scorer, needs time to rest his knees. Chandler, their most important defensive player, could use some rest time as well to have that spring in his step when the playoffs begin. Felton, who started strong for the Knicks prior to his hand injury, is also banged up and could use a few games off. But with the Nets right behind them in the race for the Atlantic Division crown and a slew of injuries they are dealing with, rest simply isn't an option.

Even if Knicks coach Mike Woodson somehow does find a way to get his aching and aged team some time off before the season ends on April 17, there is the question of how well the veteran Knicks can hold up under the pressure of the playoffs. Players like Kidd, Chandler, Martin and Camby have plenty of deep playoff and even championship experience. They know what to do and what it takes to win when it's all on the line. But can their aging legs keep up with those demands?

Can they withstand the physical pounding that Chicago or Boston will surely give them in the first round? Could they hold up against, say, a younger, more athletic Indiana Pacers squad should they get to the second round? And, if the stars align right, could the Knicks be able to take a seven-game series against a Miami Heat squad that is on top of their game right now, blisteringly fast and physically dominating?

Odds are that unless they can find a way to give their stars and key players some real rest before the playoffs begin, the answer will be "No." And without that time to heal those weary bones, the Knicks' best season since the '90s could end with a whimper, not a bang.