As far as Marc Gasol is concerned, the Knicks won't be among his options come free agency. Hence, Phil Jackson and the Knicks can cross off any hopes of signing the Memphis Grizzlies star who may likely stay put with his current team.
An unnamed source via a report from Sheridan Hoops revealed that Gasol will opt to stay in Memphis where he stands to make more money. Gasol is one of the top prospects in the coming offseason and the Knicks were eyeing the Spanish star.
With this development and assuming that such is true, the Knicks will now be hard-pressed to look for another player to beef up their frontline. The last player the Knicks got rid of was Amar'e Stoudemire who is now playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
The probability of seeing Gasol leave his current team was dim from the start. The 7-foot-1 star has had no qualms about his stay in Tennessee and while a lot of teams are interested in making pitches for the two-time NBA All Star, it would take perhaps more than money (for now) to woo him out of Memphis.
With this development, the Knicks will have to go back to the drawing board and see who among the available free agents they can try to hook up and man the slot.
Apparently the Knicks need a reliable big man which would have made Gasol a perfect fit. The Knicks had Tyson Chandler and Stoudemire to fill up those positions before but the two have since parted and are now playing together in Dallas. Greg Monroe could be another target, another name that is expected to be hounded come the NBA break.
With Carmelo the lone star on the Knicks fold, it remains to be seen if quality help will come soon. While Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green or Paul Millsap could be available, the thing is that they need someone to man the paint.
