NBA Rumors: Gilbert Arenas and Top Free Agent Guard Options for New York Knicks

The New York Knicks were fortunate to defeat the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day, but will be hard-pressed to come within shouting distance of an NBA title this season if they'd don't do something to paper over, if not upgrade, their guard situation.

The Knicks are currently down to two healthy guards—Toney Douglas and Landry Fields—with Iman Shumpert out two-to-four weeks with a sprained MCL, Baron Davis down indefinitely with back problems and Mike Bibby still on the mend.

A situation of that sort isn't good for any team, but is particularly foreboding for a Knicks team running Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo, guard-oriented offense.

As such, GM Glen Grunwald needs to find a warm body or two with some ball-handling skills, and fast. The market's rather thin at the moment, to say the least, but these three guys would all make for capable fill-ins at the veteran's minimum.

Gilbert Arenas

Grunwald has already proven adept at navigating the amnesty market, cutting Chauncey Billups to make way for Tyson Chandler and then signing B-Diddy off the waiver wire.

Nabbing free agent Zero for pennies on the dollar would solidify Grunwald's status as His Majesty of the Amnesty, not to mention give D'Antoni another (relatively) healthy guard who can man either backcourt spot.

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Arenas has the Knickerbockers on his wish list of destinations. Arenas is still more than capable of scoring 15 points, dishing out four or five assists and pulling down a few boards from game to game when given the opportunity. That sort of production would comparable to, if not better than, whatever Toney Douglas would offer.

Sure, there's still the issue of Arenas' penchant for, shall we say, eccentric behavior, but in a city like New York, with an owner as nutty as James Dolan, a personality like Arenas wouldn't exactly be anything new. 

Earl Boykins

If Arenas doesn't tickle the Knicks' fancy, Grunwald could always opt for Earl Boykins, his former backcourt 'mate with the Golden State Warriors.

At 35, Boykins is still among the more elusive guards in the NBA, though that may be more attributable to his size (5'5'') than his speed. Boykins' lack of verticality doesn't exactly bode well for his ability to defend opposing points, though, given the not-so-defensive reputation of D'Antoni's teams, that wouldn't likely be much of a problem. 

Boykins is an absolute pest at the point with the ability to chip in eight points and a couple dimes per night as Douglas' backup. What's more, Boykins would get along beautifully with Carmelo Anthony, with whom he played with in Denver during the first three-and-a-half seasons of 'Melo's NBA career. 

Marcus Banks

Mike D'Antoni is at least somewhat familiar with Marcus Banks, having coached him during their days together with the Phoenix Suns.

I'm just not sure whether that's a good or bad thing for Banks in this situation. The eight-year veteran out of UNLV has long been known for his tremendous speed, not to mention the erratic play that such fleetness of foot so often precipitates in the NBA.

That said, Banks has performed admirably when given consistent playing time during his career and, again, the Knicks are all but desperate for someone who can dribble and move at the same time.

At the very least, Banks is familiar with D'Antoni's system. Whether he can run it effectively is another story entirely, one that the Knicks would have to discover for themselves.

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