It’s almost time.In about a month, the defending NBA champion New York Knicks and the rest of the league will begin training camp. In New York, a summer of celebration will transform into a season of defense, as the Knicks look to become the first title winners to go back-to-back since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.New York’s roster is pretty much the same as last season sans Mitchell Robinson, who left in free agency for the rival Boston Celtics. Will the departure of a single bench player, a very important one, greatly impact the Knicks’ chances to repeat?In preparation for the start of training camp, let’s answer some fan questions about New York’s roster, players’ futures and more.(Editor’s note: This will be the first of a two-part mailbag. Part 2 will come later this week. Submissions have been edited for brevity and clarity.)“Why is losing Robinson a big deal? He didn’t play much and cannot shoot free throws. He’s injury-prone and cannot make a shot further than a layup.” — Gary C.You are correct that Robinson has flaws, and it’s because of those flaws that he wasn’t a starter for the Knicks and the franchise felt the need to get Karl-Anthony Towns.That said, Robinson is statistically one of the greatest offensive rebounders of all time. And that skill played a big part in why New York was so good offensively.During the regular season, the Knicks ranked 11th in field goal percentage and fourth in 3-point percentage. In short, they were one of the more efficient offenses last year. If an opponent forced New York to miss on its first possession, they should’ve celebrated like they won a title because it didn’t happen often. And when the Knicks did miss a shot while Robinson was on the floor, he created a second possession with his offensive rebounding.Essentially, when Robinson was on the floor, New York wasn’t leaving the offensive end of the court without points, whether on their first, second or third shot attempt. That’s a huge advantage very few teams have.How the Celtics landed Mitchell RobinsonJay King and Jeshua KiddThe Knicks led all playoff teams with 17.6 second-chance points per game en route to a title. Robinson averaged a team-high 2.6 offensive rebounds per game in the postseason. He was also a deterrent at the rim defensively and could guard effectively in space.Robinson is just a unique player, a weapon for New York because of how elite he is at this one facet of the game. Andre Drummond, Robinson’s replacement, is also statistically one of the greatest rebounders of all time, but he’s not quite the player he was four or five seasons ago.New York’s front office did a good job finding someone who can replicate some of what Robinson does for a low price, but Drummond, at this stage of his career, still isn’t Robinson.“Do you think (Miles) McBride will be on the Knicks after the trade deadline, considering his expiring contract, the Knicks’ second apron crunch and their depth at guard?” — Sam F.Unless the two sides reach an agreement before the start of the season, it feels like we’re heading toward a departure just based on history.Leon Rose and the Knicks’ front-office brass usually trade players who they’re far apart in extension talks with — except for Robinson, who we established has a unique skill set that was important to the title run.New York did great business in 2023 when it signed an unproven-but-talented McBride to a three-year, $13 million contract. The Knicks saw the development behind the scenes, and decision-makers figured they could get the second-round pick for a low price, while giving him some security. Since then, McBride has greatly outperformed this current contract.Surely, he’s looking for a substantially larger annual salary than the $4 million-ish he’s been earning the last three seasons. McBride has become a highly efficient 3-point shooter and is a solid on-ball defender. He’ll likely get the pay bump he’s looking for in the open market.As for the Knicks, they can’t pay everyone. Towns and Josh Hart have extensions looming. Jalen Brunson’s extension is coming up. Robinson was a casualty of owner James Dolan not wanting to go into the second apron, and McBride could likely be, too, depending on the financial decisions around Towns and Hart.McBride is a good player, but the Knicks do have one of the league’s smallest backcourts. They have three rotation players listed at 6 feet 2 or shorter: Brunson, McBride and Jose Alvarado (and Tyler Kolek is also on the smaller side). Also, McBride is more of a shooting guard than a point guard, and with Landry Shamet in the fold, it’s possible New York could see McBride as more expendable.Ultimately, the Knicks don’t have many routes to try and upgrade the roster. McBride’s expiring contract is the most obvious, as they have other options to fill his role. Surely, New York would like to keep McBride, but another team could probably pay the guard closer to what he may be looking for.Settling extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will be a future focus of the Knicks’ front office. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)“How realistic is it that either Karl-Anthony Towns or Josh Hart take a discount on their extensions?” — Mark S.It’s very realistic.I wrote a few weeks ago that neither Towns nor Hart will get the max extensions they’re eligible for. So technically, they’ll be taking “discounts.”I’m more curious about the number Towns and the Knicks are both comfortable with, more than where New York and Hart land. The latter situation feels easier to figure out, because Hart has recent comps to look at around the league. (I wrote about it in detail here.)As for Towns, would he take a three-year, $135 extension ($45 million average annual value), assuming he gets to pick up his $61 million player option for 2027-28? That would pay Towns close to $200 million in total toward the end of his career, and it would give the Knicks some good flexibility starting three seasons from now. It seems like a good idea from New York’s perspective. If you’re Towns — the franchise improved each season since your arrival and, if we’re being honest, $45 million annually isn’t market value in this new NBA economy for a top-15 player. Trae Young will make more than $50 million annually after this season.Towns’ situation will be trickier than Hart’s. He’ll take a discount, but by how much? And does New York want to pay the 30-year-old Towns $55 million to $65 million per year over the next four years? That’s a question the Knicks will keep pondering.“What overall grade do you give the Knicks’ front office this summer” — Ed H.I give them a B-plus. They returned basically the entire roster from last season, except for Robinson.Normally, I’d agree with not going into the second apron just to retain a bench player, but as we’ve talked about, Robinson isn’t just a “bench player.” He’s as good at one skill as anyone in the history of the game. I would have liked to see this group run it back in full to defend the title. Dolan not being willing to go into the second apron for a championship team gets a little knock from me.The Knicks’ draft also gets a small knock. They maneuvered all over the board to avoid the second apron and getting cash. It landed New York a player who will play overseas next season, Jack Kayil, and another in Tyler Nickel, who still hasn’t agreed to a contract. Weird draft.“Who do you think is most likely to be the backup center come the trade deadline?” — Drew P.My gut tells me Drummond, unless the Knicks move McBride and get a center in return.New York will get a third center between now and the start of the regular season. I don’t see that player being good enough to overtake Drummond. The options available in the open market aren’t appetizing.A trade — and we’ve established that McBride seems most likely to be traded among the players with real value — is the only way I could see the Knicks getting a backup center who would be a potential upgrade over Drummond.