The New York Knicks need a lot of things these days.

Wins, more offense, better shooting, and a renewed commitment to rebounding are just a few of those things. But more importantly for a team trying to convince its most important player, NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, to stay with them past this summer, they need a starting point guard -- and a damn good one, at that.

Despite showing promise during a strong first half last season, Raymond Felton's second tenure in New York has been largely disastrous, the maligned guard coming apart at the seams thanks to inconsistent shooting and injuries. On assists, the eight-year veteran is only averaging 5.9 of them per game-decent, but not game-changing numbers. And frankly, his playmaking skills aren't really anything to write home about.

With the team's offense looking plodding, stagnant and, quite plainly, mostly dead-tied for 21st out of 30 in team points with 97.2 points, tied for fifth worst in the NBA in team assists with only 20.4 dimes per night, shooting only 44.4 percent from the field as a unit -- to paraphrase Sheryl Crow, a change at the point would do them good.

The Knicks don't have much to offer in the way of cap space until at least 2015, when Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire come off the books, but by that time, they would have plenty of cash to entice an attractive free agent. However, while they are unlikely to pull the trigger on a paradigm-shifting point guard deal before Thursday's afternoon NBA trade deadline, they still have a few options that they could pull the trigger on in the offseason to upgrade at the point.

But it can't be just any old point guard that the Knicks need; they need a star. A Grade-A talent, someone that can be the spark in the engine and get them going on offense instead of letting Melo do all the heavy lifting. Fortunately, there happen to be a nice selection of soon-to-be-available point guard candidates that the Knicks can-and should-target:

Rajon Rondo
The big fish. There have been countless rumors for the past few weeks, months, even, that New York is aiming to put Rondo, Boston's four-time NBA All-Star , in orange and blue by next summer, either via trade or free agency. The Celtics have been pretty adamant in saying that they intend to keep Rondo, but putting aside the fuzzy feelings of Boston's 2008 NBA title, the Celtics are in rebuilding mode and it looks like it's going to be a while before Boston has a title-ready team. The Knicks have Melo, and assuming he signs on this summer, by next year, they'll have a superstar, the desire to win now, and a max contract waiting for Rondo come season's end.

Kyrie Irving
If Cleveland was looking for a replacement for LeBron James, then...well, okay, there's really no replacing him. But the sensational Irving is certainly a great cornerstone piece. He's a legitimate offensive threat, a natural playmaker and has blistering speed. He's a restricted free agent in 2015, meaning the Cavs can match any offer he's thrown, but even if the Knicks make an enormous offer that Cleveland opts to match, Irving has to consider this: Cleveland is a small enough market as it is. Not a lot of players are lining up to put on a Cavs uniform, and if the Cavs break the bank to keep Irving, there isn't going to be a heck of a lot that they're going to be able to do aside from that. The reason Cleveland lost Lebron is because Cavs owner Dan Gilbert couldn't afford to put enough talent around James that could assure his winning an NBA title. With Anthony already on board and deep pockets to give him a handsome salary, there are incentives for Irving to want to force his way out of Cleveland and head for the Big Apple should the Knicks make a qualifying offer.

Jeff Teague
It seems that the Knicks already have their eye on Atlanta's speedy 25-year-old point guard, if the latest rumors are correct, as reported by ESPN. Teague would definitely be an upgrade at the point guard position and his youth, fearlessness in attacking the rim and athleticism would definitely be great assets for the Knicks. Averaging 7.1 assists to go with 15.5 points this season, he can certainly help facilitate the offense, though his four-year, $32 million contract might be a tough pill to swallow.

Kyle Lowry
The 27-year-old Villanova alum has been looking pretty impressive in his last 10 games, averaging 20.1 points and 8.1 assists. He's a veteran and has been one of the best point guards in the East this season after reporting into training camp in better shape and seemingly flourishing as a leader. Chances are that the Knicks won't try to acquire him via trade, as Toronto GM Masai Ujiri could ask for a king's ransom in exchange for him. But in free agency, he could be the cure for the Knicks' ailments at point guard.

Isaiah Thomas
Averaging 20.2 points and 6.3 assists per season, it is hard to imagine that anyone would want to trade the 25-year-old Thomas, yet it appears that the Sacramento Kings are willing to part ways with him. Having improved each year, Thomas will likely earn a pretty good payday on the free agent market, and it appears he's worth every penny of it. A quick point guard with a flair for scoring, Thomas would add youth and talent to an aging Knicks squad in desperate need of a makeover.

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