Knicks Rumors: Michael Redd to New York Is a Great Addition, but Only If Healthy

With Shawne Williams now playing for New Jersey, Andy Rautins in Dallas and the rest of the team in Denver, the high-powered, high-octane offense of the New York Knicks has seemed to have hit a snag in the amount of depth they possess.

The Knicks are equipped with two of the NBA's top scorers in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, as well as a few stars on the rise in Landry Fields and Toney Douglas, but they don't have anyone to look forward to in regards to finding a consistent source offense. The rest of the roster outside of those four is mostly composed of rookies and players who haven't proven their worth in the past and aren't about to now.

By putting the majority of their offseason funds in Tyson Chandler, who will be making $58 million over the next four seasons, the Knicks put themselves in a position where they can no longer pursue impact players. The only other signing they made outside of Chandler was picking up Mike Bibby, who is coming off a dismal postseason with the Miami Heat where he shot 28 percent from the field.

Outside of 'Melo and "Stat," there isn't much to look to for offensive support. Douglas and Fields were quality three-point threats last season, but they're not the type of players you're going to rely on for consistent offensive support game in and game out. The Knicks need another scorer who can come off the bench and provide a spark once Anthony and/or Stoudemire take a seat.

Chandler was a quality pickup, but you have to think that over $14 million per season is a little much for a player who only has upside on defense and is limited to catching alley-oops on offense. On a Knicks team where two players are set to take up the scoring load, there is a tremendous need for a third scorer who can provide support when one of the star players hits the bench.

Anthony was a quality acquisition that can score from inside and outside, but sometimes you wonder if keeping all those young players with potential and developing them would have been the smarter bet. Or take into account that a defensive-minded presence like Chandler was brought to the team and replaced a multidimensional threat like Chauncey Billups, who could have run the point and directed traffic.

I guess we'll just have to see how it all pans out in the regular season.

Either way, the Knicks still need a third scorer and with free agents running low, the time to start finding that scorer is running out. There aren't many scorers out there that could possibly produce on a consistent basis while being affordable to the Knicks, with names like Earl Boykins or Willie Green being possible options. However, there is one name out there who could become the third scorer for the Knicks and end up being a low-risk, high-reward threat.

The Milwaukee Bucks sure aren't going to use him, so why not give Michael Redd another shot if he's healthy enough to play? I'm sure that Redd will never be 100 percent healthy since he can't manage to stay on a court for too long before suffering an injury, but with the Knicks desperate and looking for a scorer in the second unit, perhaps they can look towards the former sharp shooter as a cheap option.

The Knicks and Indiana Pacers have expressed interest in Redd, with the Buck being one of the remaining free agents left. With so few options being affordable out there, the Knicks may just have to lay their cards on the table and give the 32-year-old another chance to stage a comeback. At this point, the Knicks may have no choice but to give him a shot since they're limited on offense, outside of the big two, and from beyond the arc.

Redd is one of the more depressing stories in the NBA, as he had the potential to become a perennial All-Star who could have led the Milwaukee Bucks to a number of postseason runs. He was averaging as much as 27 points, converting on over two three-pointers per and shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc in every season before a series of knee injuries took their toll and forced Redd to the bench for an extended period.

Since 2008, Redd hasn't played in more than 33 games in a season. He's only played in 28 over the past two seasons and looked extremely winded and out of it whenever he was on the court. In fact, the only times he was on the court were usually met with another injury that forced him to the bench to recuperate once again.

The worst part of it was that the injuries were usually directed to already-injured parts that he had just recovered from, which only makes the recovery process more arduous, tedious and time consuming.

Redd has been with the Bucks for his entire career since being drafted 43rd overall in the 2000 NBA draft. He's considered one of the greatest steals in the history of the draft and may now be departing from the Bucks for the first time in his career if a team decides to give him a chance. The Bucks have given Redd numerous chances to stage a comeback, but the injuries that have taken a toll on his knees have regressed him to no end.

Now a free agent, the Knicks should be the team to give him a second lease on his NBA career. There isn't much left in the tank, and it'll take Redd a few weeks for him to get his legs back under him, but it is possible that the team can integrate him into a bench role that has him playing 15-20 minutes per night and relieves some of the pressure off his knees since his role won't be too significant.

While healthy players like Willie Green and Earl Boykins may be the more formidable options for the Knicks, obtaining Redd could lead to the most upside if he is healthy enough to stage a proper comeback.