Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork provides updates on a pair of Knicks recovering from left knee surgery who attended a Wall Street fundraiser today in remembrance of the September 11th attacks. Ronnie Brewer says he'll be back by opening night from surgery to correct a medial meniscus tear, while Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL in the playoffs, won't be back until December at the earliest. The Knicks, finalized four signings today, appear to have plenty of options in the meantime, and we've got more on them and their crosstown rivals here:
- The four players the Knicks signed, along with Chris Smith, are all likely to wind up with the team's D-League affiliate, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com says (Twitter link). The team is still combing the free agent market for someone to fill their 15th roster spot in the regular season, and it's likely to be a big man, according to Zwerling. A report last week said the Knicks were considering Sean Williams, though Zwerling says there's nothing new on that front.
- Andray Blatche and Josh Childress are on non-guaranteed deals, but they're both expected to make the Nets, reports Howard Beck of The New York Times. That would bring Brooklyn's roster to the 15-player limit, but they'll likely sign more players for training camp, Beck adds, since teams can carry up to 20 in the preseason.
- Former Nets small forward Damion James and the Hawks agreed to terms today, but was gracious in his exit from Brooklyn, thanking the Nets and their fans via Twitter (hat tip to Ben Couch).