The New York Knicks are heading into the upcoming season with a championship on their minds and now that the team has 14 roster spots taken up, it's time to fill out the roster and a number of players fit for the team as they look for another free agent, including names like Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas and Ivan Johnson.
The team has a lot of confidence after making it into the playoffs last season and beating the Boston Celtics and now they have one more spot to fill on the roster. The team brought in Metta World Peace, Pablo Prigioni and JR Smith as well as Andrea Bargnani in a trade with the raptors and now one more player will fit into the puzzle for them. According to ESPN New York, the team is interested in signing Lou Amundson and other names include Drew Gooden, Ivan Johnson and Tyrus Thomas.
Amundson could be an interesting option in the front court after the team dealt with numbers injuries and while the 30-year-old only has averages of 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his career, he could be a solid player on the bench. The team that wins the championship likely will have a deep bench and with the Knicks dealing with depth and age issues, adding someone else that can contribute some minutes could be very valuable come playoff time, especially by giving the other players a rest.
Amundson is the definition of journeymen after playing for eight different teams in his career, but adding him to a lineup that has Tyson Chandler, Amar'e Stoudemire, Bargnani and Kenyon Martin, he could make a nice difference. Lithuanian big man Ovidijus Galdikas could also be an option, as Bleacher Reports writes that Jared Zwerling reports that the team could be looking to add an international big man to the mix. The 24-year-old Galdikas would be a much younger option, while the same report says that D-League star Henry Sims will not be the 15th player signed despite him averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 blocks over 41 D-League contests.
Cole Aldrich, Earl Barron, Jason Collins, Hamed Haddadi, Jared Jeffries, Jerome Jordan and Shavlik Randolph are all left on the market and while the Knicks need another big, none of those players has moved the meter for the team. The Knicks know they need more depth and they likely will sign someone within the week to get the team set. Carmelo Anthony knows this is a big year for the Knicks and that he needs to take them deeper into the playoffs.
