The New York Knicks aren’t exactly the epitome of responsible spending, or respectable decision-making, but signing Rasheed Wallace is anything but foolish.
According to Ric Bucher of ESPN, Wallace was working out at the Knicks’ practice facility and the team itself was considering adding his services.
NBA news: Rasheed Wallace working out at NYK practice facility w/Camby and Kurt Thomas. Knicks’ considering.NBA news: Rasheed Wallace working out at NYK practice facility w/Camby and Kurt Thomas. Knicks’ considering.
By logical standards, the Knicks have had a roller coaster of an offseason. Sure, they added and secured some much needed depth, but they allowed a budding young prodigy in Jeremy Lin to walk away for nothing while aging their roster considerably.
And while Wallace’s presence would keep in theme with New York’s taste for veteran athletes, it’s far from a foolish move.
Let’s look at the facts, the Knicks, courtesy of injuries to Ronnie Brewer and Iman Shumpert, are incredibly thin in the backcourt. Delve even deeper, and we see that while New York has plenty of options in the low post, they only remain viable if a handful of aging players—I’m looking at you Marcus Camby, Tyson Chandler, Amar’e Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas—remain healthy.
Now, does anyone realize that Wallace satisfies two of the Knicks’ biggest concerns. Not only did Wallace shoot a respectable 33.7 percent from beyond the arc for his career, but he’s 6’11”, and can play four out of the five positions on the floor.
Why would signing such a player, regardless of how many years removed from the NBA he is, be foolish? Sure, there is some risk involved, but that holds true if the Knicks were to sign Kenyon Martin or Tracy McGrady to fill either of their deficiencies.
At least with Wallace, if everything works out, you have a guy who can satisfy more than one need, fill more than one hole. This isn’t to say a guy like McGrady isn’t a good fit, because he is, but this comes down to versatility. Wallace, if he’s healthy, provides plenty of it, more than most actually. Why not take a chance on him? I mean, at this point, what exactly do the Knicks have to lose?
Nothing, because they’ve already seen their backcourt depth diminish and their low post attack age right before their eyes. We’re talking about a roster spot that, at this stage, is made for a bit role player. There aren’t any potential stars left on the market, nor would the Knicks have the money to spend on them even if there were.
This has to be about filling multiple. New York has a need for a player who can hit the outside shot, battle down low on the glass and also provide a spark off the bench.
As history shows, Wallace satisfies the first two without breaking a sweat. As far as injecting some valuable production into the second-unit goes, well that’s the risk here, the Knicks will just have to wait and see.
And yet, that holds true with any player they sign at this juncture, whether it be Martin, McGrady or even Lou Amundson.
So, if given the opportunity, the Knicks would be far more foolish to pass on Wallace than they would to sign him.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
