Knicks Rumors: The Latest on Kenyon Martin to New York
In case you haven't heard, Kenyon Martin could be moving back to the tri-state area in the near future.
On Jan. 12, Sports Illustrated's NBA Twitter account reported that executives of the New York Knicks were pressing to sign the 35-year-old free agent.
"Knicks executives pushing for team to ink Martin on.si.com/VySGdI
— SI NBA (@si_nba) January 12, 2013"
Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears also reported the rumor, citing the uncertainty surrounding Rasheed Wallace as New York's recent interest in a big man.
ESPN New York's Ian Begley reported on Jan. 17 that Wallace would be out for "an extended period, possibly for the entire season," which makes all the more sense for the Knicks to target Martin, who could be open to the idea of coming to New York.
As Wojnarowski and Spears write, "Martin has been open-minded about the possibility of accepting a 10-day contract to get the opportunity to prove his value to the Knicks, sources said."
It's a deal that certainly makes sense for both sides.
Despite somewhat of a down season from Martin as a Los Angeles Clipper last season, he's shown that he can still rebound the basketball and protect the basket in his early to mid-30s and Martin has already played alongside current Knicks like Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and J.R. Smith.
After a scorching start, New York is playing just .500 basketball in its last 10 games and would benefit from acquiring another solid interior defender to pair with Tyson Chandler.
As far as the Martin to New York situation, we're waiting for this rumor to get to the next level.
While some within the organization are pushing to replace Wallace now—perhaps with Martin—others, including head coach Mike Woodson, are inclined to wait it out with Wallace, Begley writes.
If the Knicks do decide to wait until Wallace heals, they could miss out on Martin, as a team like the Los Angeles Lakers could be in the market for a big man given the recent injury to Jordan Hill, as B/R's Dan Favale writes.
New York's execs need to weigh whether Wallace is a viable player when healthy or if Martin is the better option at this point in the season, especially before the Knicks see their Atlantic Division lead disappear.
Follow me on Twitter for more NBA news and analysis: Follow @Pete_Schauer
