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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The 2017-18 New York Knicks should be able to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

It just needs to bend around the polarizing figure that is Carmelo Anthony, then snake its way past the few other pricey veterans who remain on the roster to come fully into focus.

But with a revamped front office (Phil Jackson out, Scott Perry in) and an intriguing—albeit unknown—top-10 pick added to the mix (Frank Ntilikina), there's a glimmer of hope in Gotham. Granted, it's not the type of hope likely to yield a 2018 postseason berth, but the potential dawning of a new era is refreshing nonetheless.

The upcoming NBA campaign, then, stands to serve as a bridge to whatever lies ahead. Maybe that means making a move with Melo. Or perhaps it's a more subtle shift to get Kristaps Porzingis to the head of the table and the offense away from any geometrically based systems.

Either way, change feels imminent. And from the middle of a four-year playoff drought, change looks awfully appealing.

New York's starting five will be the first to feel that change. What follows is our best guesses at what lies ahead of Anthony, Porzingis, Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willy Hernangomez in the newly formed opening quintet.

(Note: Until Carmelo Anthony is traded, we're making these predictions with the assumption he will be on the Knicks roster to begin the 2017-18 season).