Marc Gasol and the New York Knicks’ dance around and toward each other continues.
Actually, it’s not so much a two-party dance as it is one-sided stalking. One party (the Knicks) is obviously gunning for the other, while the targeted party (Gasol) tries to elude their grasp, at least for now, amid a heated NBA playoff race, when such stalking means jack shit.
No matter, though, because the Knicks won’t stop. Before Gasol’s Grizzlies pummeled the Knicks on Monday night—a game that was close for, like, an entire half—he was asked about his upcoming free agency. Here’s how that went over, per ESPN New York’s Ian Begley:
“I haven’t ruled anything out because I haven’t thought about anything so it would be [premature],” Gasol told a small group of reporters after the Grizzlies’ morning practice at Madison Square Garden. “The reports and stuff like that, I don’t know where they come from because in my mind I haven’t thought about it. I have no [idea] how they can go there. I don’t know. … We’re in the final stretch of the regular season and we want to get in a good feeling for the playoffs so, trust me, I’m not worrying or thinking about those things yet.” …
“I know what [the Knicks] are trying to accomplish as a team, but like I said we’re trying to accomplish the same thing in Memphis and we’re trying to get to have a chance to go for a ring,” Gasol said. “I see this [Knicks] team being in the same spot we were six or seven years ago when we were winning 20 games and we were trying to create something for the future.” …
“I don’t know what the future holds but I know what the past and the present is. I think that’s pretty clear and we’ll see how it goes going forward we’ll see what factors go into my decision. I haven’t put them down or written them down or even thought about them because I think there’s no time. Like I said, it’s just not a process you can go through in the season.”
Absolutely love his final sentiments.
Nothing is more futile than asking a player about his free-agency plans midseason…when he plays for another team…when he’s in the thick of a championship pursuit…when proclaiming his desire to sign elsewhere, citing a specific team, would probably amount to some degree of tampering.
Sure, reporters have to ask, because, well, they have to. In this instance, it’s a matter of clearing up reports to the contrary, the ones that allegedly revealed Gasol has already ruled out signing with the Knicks.
It looks like those reports aren’t true.
Or maybe half-true.
Perhaps they’re totally true and what Gasol said on Monday wasn’t true.
Whatever.
Fact is, Gasol is on the wrong side of 30 and the Knicks remain a dumpster fire that has no chance of reversing course without striking draft-day gold and adding two superstars or a host of impact players over the offseason. They’ll look a lot more enticing after accomplishing the latter, but they need someone to be the first to sign up.
Gasol, in all likelihood, won’t be that someone.
