The New York Knicks are prepared to challenge the Miami Heat for supremacy in the Eastern conference this season and after winning 54 games, Carmelo Anthony feels the team is ready to take the next step and some more free agent options for the franchise include Nate Robinson and Aaron Brooks.
The Knicks have been fairly active this summer while bringing back J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni and now they have also brought back Kenyon Martin on a deal, according to ESPN.com. the team is looking at other names and after losing Jason Kidd to the Nets as head coach, they need another point guard on the roster and Robinson or Brooks could be the pick as, ESPN reports that the Knicks are kicking the wheels on both. The addition of Martin helps make up for the loss of Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace and now the team wants more depth at the point.
Robinson of course played for the Knicks after being drafted and this past season he starred for the Bulls in the playoffs while they were dealing with injuries to Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. GM Glen Grunwald said that he was impressed with what Robinson did last season in Chicago, but so far there has been no extra movement on a deal. Robinson is likely looking for more than the vets minimum, which is what he would likely get with the Knicks and that could mean Brooks is the more likely option.
Bringing back Smith could mean that Robinson won't join the Knicks, but there is a chance he could sign if no other team steps up. The Denver Nuggets reportedly have interest in Robinson after losing star Andre Iguodala and they were also impressed with his play in the postseason, as he scored 27 points in the opening series win against Miami and also added double digit scoring in every other game apart from one. Last season he played in all 82 games and averaged over 13 points and that could end up being why the Nuggets sign him.
The Bulls appear to have no interest in bringing him back and the Nuggets need to make some moves, as they lost their top scorer, head coach and general manager after winning a franchise record 57 games last season. The team is poised to take a step back after being upset in the first round by the Warriors and they could add Robinson to a team roster that includes Randy Foye and Ty Lawson as well as JJ Hickson.
The Knicks may add Robinson if he hangs around as a free agent for some more time and they are also keeping a close eye on their summer league team, including JR's brother Chris. The team also could go after Euroleague star Bobby Brown at point guard, as they worked him out in Las Vegas after he averaged 18.8 points and 5.3 assists in Italy.