Who won’t make it through the year? Will the rookies make an impact? How will minutes be allotted? What are the holes in the roster? Do the Knicks have a real core? And more…

The Knicks season starts in 47 days, and the preseason starts in about half that time. Since the rage of early July, we’ve made it through half the summer doldrums in August, where every word out of Carmelo Anthony’s mouth is analyzed down to the etymology.

Carmelo, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams have all been brought up in the trade rumor department in the past month, coupled with frantic analysis of deals that in all likelihood won’t come close to fruition. In each case, rumored offers centered around the same characters: Eddy Curry, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Anthony Randolph.

Despite many wishes to the contrary, chances are the deals fail to go down and the four players listed remain on the Knicks roster, unless Donnie Walsh orchestrates another trade. Of the group, I cannot think of another player on the block that would rationally warrant Gallo or Randolph. It’s tough to envision Curry offering much on the court, but he also offers value in simply keeping him on the roster until the offseason. Curry would be a prime candidate to trade to a cost-cutting team with a quality veteran, but Walsh won’t exchange $11MM in cap room for a mediocre player, who could very well be the only ones available.

Along with Gallinari, Chandler was often hailed as a key cog of the Knicks future, but after stagnating the past season and his contract expiring this season, how he fits in is in question. If the team decides that Chandler’s no longer part of the answer, there is little value in letting him complete the season, unlike Curry. Portland’s disinterest in a Chandler-for-Fernandez swap speaks to Chandler’s often overstated trade value, but he likely is able to net a good player in a broader package.

Despite their “advanced ages,” the Knicks’ rookies are not the established players that could be easily evaluated for a trade. Despite his impressive Vegas showing, Landry Fields was thought to go undrafted by many, Andy Rautins still needs to show his college three-point stroke translates into the NBA, and Timofey Mozgov is the biggest mystery of them all. The Knicks won’t trade any one of these players with their true potential still undetermined, lest they deal a future quality player. Similarly, Toney Douglas showed signs of being a late first-round steal last season.

That leaves Patrick Ewing Jr., Roger Mason Jr., and Bill Walker. The Ewing Junior signing brought the roster the maximum 15, but of all the players on the roster, his spot is in most jeopardy of being taken by a training camp star. Ewing impressed the Knicks a couple seasons ago, and his recent time in the D-League helped lessen some of the scoring-related concerns, but with an non-guaranteed contract, he could become expendable. If he’s not on the roster, it’ll be because of a cut.

Roger Mason will make $1.4 million this season whether he remains a Knick or not, and his future this season is directly related to whether he can return to his 2008-09 form (42.1 3P%), instead of continuing his struggles from last season (33.3 3P%). As a guard, Mason plays in the most crowded positions on the Knicks, and if his shots aren’t falling, the Knicks could cut him loose to spread time over to Rautins and Fields.

Like Mason, Bill Walker has to prove he still “has it.” He played sporadically for the Celtics in a season plus, and while he turned heads in 27 games for the Knicks, Walker struggled mightily in the Summer League. He’s making just $1.77 million over the next two seasons, and I’d expect the Knicks to shop him around before cutting ties.