The New York Knicks cannot find consistency up front. Injuries to several of their big men have left the team needing help under the court. Currently looking for a backup to Tyson Chandler, the Knicks attempted to sign Andrew Bynum before the Indiana Pacers got ahold of him, leaving New York shorthanded again.
The New York Post reports the Knicks attempted to make a last-minute run at Bynum when he was sitting on the free agent market. They were not quick enough and the Pacers signed the center in the end. Head coach Mike Woodson sounded a bit envious of the signing, noting the Knicks need to do the same.
"I think it's an excellent move,'' Woodson said, via New York Post. "I think Bynum is a big force in the middle if he can play. It's a positive move. He had shown signs with Cleveland. He's had his fair share of injuries too, but they just added another big load to their roster.''
Right now, Chandler is healthy and making a difference on the court, but there is not much productivity sitting behind him. Amar'e Stoudemire has been in and out of the lineup with several injuries. He finally returned to the lineup after missing time for an ankle injury. He played just over four minutes on Saturday and likely will not play more than 20 minutes a game.
Kenyon Martin is also finally back in the lineup after missing two weeks to an ankle injury as well. He has a chronic issue with that injury that makes him unreliable. There is also the issue of Metta World Peace who has not been seen or heard from in a while. Woodson is aware the team has some issues thanks to injuries and will continue to work out a rotation to try and keep everyone healthy.
"Metta hasn't been playing, so you can't really put him in the mix. Kenyon and Amar'e will be back in the rotations. I still have to be open-minded with Amar'e and Kenyon. Amar'e's missed some games, so I'm not going to play him 30 minutes. We just got slow-walk it again. Jeremy will be in and out - not playing the big minutes he was playing. I'm going back to the regular guys and try to work him in," Woodson said.
If the Knicks were willing to make a run at Bynum, they will be willing to make a run at someone else before the Feb. 20 deadline. Finding a quality player could be difficult considering the team has very little depth the can cut from the roster. The Post suggests players like Cole Aldrich or Beno Udrih could be the first to go if a partner is found.