New York Knicks: 10 Moves to Deepen Bench When NBA Lockout Ends

The NBA Lockout is still in full force with no apparent end in sight, but that doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to look into the future.

Last season, the New York Knicks progressed into a playoff team and created a level of excitement for their franchise not felt since June of 1999, when they last appeared in an NBA Finals.

The Knicks have a good starting line up, featuring two superstars and an NBA Finals MVP, but also have some serious depth issues.

Fortunately, free agents will be available to help solve that problem once the lockout culminates.

Yes, the Knicks have little payroll room, and there’s a boatload of uncertainty as to what the next Collective Bargaining Agreement will entail—whether or not there will be a hard salary cap, mid-level exceptions and what type of contract re-structuring ability teams have—but they’re not far off from becoming a championship contender and might look appealing to some veterans.

Of course, the Knicks will likely only make moves that leave them enough room to pursue Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Dwight Howard after next season. This greatly reduces the possibility they go after top players from the current free agent class—such as Nene, Marc Gasol, David West, Caron Butler or Jamal Crawford.

Here are 10 moves the Knicks could try and make to deepen their bench depth.

Sign Samuel Dalembert

Last season, the Knicks had some serious problems on the interior.

Ronny Turiaf’s not a bad backup option, but in no way is he a dependable starting center in the NBA. The Knicks brought in Jared Jeffries this past March, which helped, but the center position still needs an upgrade.

Samuel Dalembert would give the Knicks a center who’s better at blocking and altering shots, and finishing around the rim, than Jeffries or Turiaf. He’d make life easier for Amar’e Stoudemire, who played against bigger bodies while anchoring the interior defense last season.

Getting Dalembert to sign with the Knicks will be made harder by one of their biggest rivals, the Miami Heat. The 30-year-old center has expressed interest in signing with a contender and, while the Knicks look to be on their way, they’re not at the Heat’s level. Miami is also relatively close to Port-Au-Prince—the capital of Haiti, Dalembert’s native country—at about two hours via plane, and has the United States’ largest Haitian population.

The Knicks do have more salary cap space than the Heat, which gives them some hope of landing the Haitian Sensation, but it remains to be seen how much that matters for Dalembert, who received more than $13 million last season.

Whenever free agents become available for contact, Pat Riley could very well make Dalembert the Heat’s number one target and use his sales-pitch ability that helped bring together the Chris Bosh-LeBron James-Dwyane Wade Big Three. 

Probability: 35 percent.

Sign J.J. Barea

If the Dallas Mavericks don’t re-sign J.J. Barea, the Knicks will have an opportunity to get him.

The speedy Barea would provide a great change of pace from Chauncey Billups and would work well in Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense. The Knicks do have a decent backup point guard in Toney Douglas, but he’s a scoring guard. Adding Barea would allow Douglas to play off the ball—which would make better use of his three point shooting—and he’d be an insurance option for the soon-to-be 35-year-old Billups.

The big question with Barea is how much money will he seek after being recognized as an integral part of the Mavericks championship team? 

The 5’10” guard may try to cash in and ask for more money than he’d be worth for the Knicks. Also, like Dalembert, Barea could get courted by the Heat, which would make it tougher for the Knicks to sign the very lucky boyfriend of Zuleyka Rivera—2006’s Miss Universe.

Probability: 20 percent.

Re-Sign Shawne Williams

Last season, Shawne Williams went from relatively unknown bench player to three-point specialist for the Knicks.

Williams wants to stay with the Knicks, should be cheap to re-sign and could improve upon his 40 percent shooting from deep thanks to numerous open looks his Big Three teammates will create.

He’s the team’s second best three-point shooter, behind Anthony, and is their equivalent to Miami’s James Jones—a role player used for making open catch-and-shoot jumpers.

Probability: 80 percent.

Re-Sign Jared Jeffries

The Knicks signed Jared Jeffries late last season to help their defensive woes on the interior.

Besides being a hilarious parodic subject, Jeffries did a solid job re-directing shots, rebounding and playing help defense. Yes, he was somewhat of an offensive burden, but at least he wasn’t as bad as Joel Anthony.

The Knicks need to keep the former Indiana Hoosier, who’ll probably re-sign for the veteran’s minimum. If they land a good center to start in front of him—such as Dalembert—they’ll have a decent big man rotation.

Probability: 90 percent.

Sign Tayshaun Prince

This move would likely be contingent on a hard salary cap not becoming the law of the league, or at least not immediately once the lockout ends.

If he’d willingly take no more than $4 million to $5 million, Tayshaun Prince would be a solid pickup for the Knicks, and New York would be a nice change of scenery for the nine-year veteran.

Prince can still play at an efficient level. He put up 14 points per game last season, on a tumultuous Pistons squad, shooting over 47 percent. He’s got three-point range, has always been a good defender and his length would allow the Knicks to play a quick line-up without losing much in size.

A crunch-time lineup of Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields/Toney Douglas, Carmelo Anthony, Tayshaun Prince and Amar’e Stoudemire could really help the Knicks continue to progress in the right direction.

Unfortunately, it won’t be easy for the Knicks to land Prince. Numerous teams are reportedly pursuing him, including the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, as well as his current one in Detroit.

Probability: 15 percent. 

Sign Grant Hill

Grant Hill will turn 39 this October but is still good enough to help a team get better.

The former Duke Blue Devil, once considered the next Michael Jordan, appears to be well past his injury-rattled playing days and wants to join a team that can contend for an NBA championship. Hill shot close to 50 percent—almost 40 percent from three—last season and would provide the Knicks another veteran leader. He’s also familiar with Mike D’Antoni, who coached Hill during his first season in Phoenix.

It won’t be easy for the Knicks to land Hill.

While the 16-year veteran can be considered a 13-year veteran, after taking into account the games he’s missed from injury, he’ll still be 39 at the scheduled start of next season. If he chooses to leave Phoenix, which he may not, it’s more probable he’d join a team already in championship contention—such as Miami—and not one that probably needs another top-tier player to get there.

Probability: 10 percent.

Sign Shane Battier

Like fellow Duke alum Grant Hill, Shane Battier won’t be easy for the Knicks to get.

Battier made $7.3 million last season and may not be willing to take a short-term deal with the Knicks for $2 million to $3 million per year. He still has a few more good years left and may be looking for a long-term deal, unless a current contender—such as Miami or Chicago—offers him a contract.

If the Knicks land Battier, they’d have a legitimate defensive stopper and wouldn’t need to re-sign Shawne Williams. The 10-year veteran would be a solid back up for Carmelo Anthony and could play some shooting guard as well.

Probability: 10 percent.

Sign Kenyon Martin

This move would be risky, but if he stays healthy Kenyon Martin can provide a much-needed interior presence off the bench.

His energy, rebounding and ability to hit the mid-range jumper could all fit well in the Knicks’ system.

Aside from the injury issues, the biggest question with K-Mart is how much of a pay cut, compared to his last contract, he would be willing to accept. He doesn’t appear to be the most reasonable person and may hold out for an offer worth at least $4 million or $5 million a year, which would be overpayment for an injury-prone player who turns 34 this December.

Still, the Knicks are desperate for interior size, so K-Mart might find himself in a blue and orange uniform next season. 

Probability: 25 percent.

Sign Wilson Chandler

Before he was sent to the Denver Nuggets in the Carmelo Anthony deal last season, Wilson Chandler played well for the Knicks—averaging a career high 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

While he didn’t do as well after getting traded, his minutes were reduced and the team had a 10-man rotation. 

Chandler expressed his desire to remain a Knick before being sent west, acknowledging that he’d seriously consider returning to the Big Apple as a free agent.

The four-year veteran is a versatile player who can score, rebound, defend and play two positions—small forward and shooting guard.

Chandler’s a restricted free agent though, and it’s hard to know how valuable Denver considers him. The Nuggets have four other key players—Arron Afflalo, Kenyon Martin, Nene and J.R. Smith—who could be lost in free agency. His value will be dependent on who is and isn’t retained.

Chandler’s qualifying offer is $3.1 million but the Knicks might have to spend $5 million to $6 million if Denver feels they can’t lose him. That amount may be too much and New York could pass on their former swingman in order to save space for 2012’s free agency period.

Probability: 50 percent. 

Sign Andrei Kirilenko

Andrei Kirilenko playing for the Knicks might sound crazy, but he could be a great fit.

Kirilenko’s defensive prowess could boost last season’s third worst scoring defense. He can still play solid on-ball defense and use his long 6’9” frame to bother opponents. 

AK-47 can also provide some scoring off the bench. Only once in his career has he failed to average double digits in scoring for a season, and he’s got range to shoot the three—although it isn’t consistent.

While it’s reasonable to believe Kirilenko wouldn’t average double digit scoring on the Knicks because of their offensive options, his impact on defense and ability to play multiple positions would provide a much more needed service.

A big question with him, similar to Kenyon Martin, is how much of a pay cut will he take? Obviously, he’ll get less than his last contract that paid him nearly $18 million last season, but if he wants more than $2 million to $3 million, it wouldn’t be in the Knicks best interest to sign him.

The three-time NBA All-Defensive team selection is currently considering retirement, according to reports, so that makes the probability he joins the Knicks quite low.

Probability: 5 percent.