Knicks Rumors: Kenyon Martin Won't Sign for Minimum, Who's Left?

If you're a Knicks fan, it's hard to ignore the gapping hole that the team has at the power forward position after Amar'e Stoudemire. Many hoped that New York would chase Kenyon Martin, after missing out on him last February, but it appears that isn't likely. 

According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, sources have expressed that Martin will not take the veteran's minimum salary—which is a little north of a million dollars. 

This is a big hit to New York, as Martin was probably the best fit for the Knickerbockers. He's considered an intimidating and very physical forward. However, there are still a few options that should be mentioned. 

While it seemed like a long shot, it appears that Josh Howard still has the Knicks on his list of teams in consideration. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo tweeted that Howard was close to making a decision between five teams. It would be surprising if Howard chose to take his talents to NY, as other teams can offer him more money and possibly a starting role. 

The more likely backup plan for GM Glen Grunwald should be Andray Blatche, and Jared Zwerling gave good reasoning behind this. 

"

Andray Blatche, who got amnestied and will still make $$ from Washington, could be more open to the veteran's minimum.

— Jared Zwerling (@JaredZwerling) August 2, 2012"

With Washington still paying off Blatche, he's got nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing in Madison Square Garden. 

Also worth a mention—and not a bad fit for the Knicks either—are Louis Amundson and Anthony Tolliver. While there has been no mention of New York looking into these options, both players can provide a big body making it difficult to penetrate the basket and they can score from down low.

With Amar'e being injury prone, a quality backup is necessary, and who knows how valuable they may become to this Knicks' team.  

If you thought the first day of free agency was interesting—wait till you see teams scrambling to pick up the last quality players at a given position. 

Hopefully, New York gets the cream of the crop of what's left.