9:51am: Head coach Mike Woodson confirmed today to reporters, including Newsday’s Al Iannazzone (Twitter link), that the Knicks won’t sign or acquire anyone for now.
8:19am: A week and a half into the NBA season, the Knicks are the first team under pressure to make changes to their opening night roster. Following Tyson Chandler‘s right fibula injury, which will sideline the center for four to six weeks, the Knicks are thin in the frontcourt, but according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the club appears likely to stand pat, at least for the short term.
Berman reports that “if things become a disaster,” the Knicks will seriously consider signing Ike Diogu, who had an impressive showing in camp with the team last month. However, for now, the front office is content to see how the club fares with a shortened frontcourt rotation and a few more small-ball lineups.
We heard yesterday that the Knicks have spoken to Louis Amundson, and Berman cites a source who says the team has been in touch with Jason Collins‘ reps as well. Berman notes that Collins, a 12-year veteran, would qualify for a minimum salary of about $1.4MM and suggests James Dolan doesn’t want to spend the money.
It’s unclear if Berman is referring to spending specifically on Collins, but either way, mentioning his potential $1.4MM salary is a bit disingenuous. Any player who has two or more years of NBA experience would cost an equal amount to the Knicks on a one-year deal: A pro-rated portion of about $884K, with the league picking up the rest of the tab. That means most of New York’s likely targets, including Collins, Amundson, Diogu, and Jeremy Tyler, would have identical cap and tax hits for the club, though perhaps some of those players are more willing to sign non-guaranteed contracts than others.
Berman also reiterates that Chris Smith is the strongest candidate to be cut if the Knicks change their stance and sign a big man. Nonetheless, New York wants to keep J.R. Smith‘s younger brother as a practice player until the D-League starts, according to Berman. D-League camps are set to open today, while the regular season will get underway in two weeks.