NBA: Knicks’ Answer: No to Allen Iverson
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The New York Knicks have decided not to pursue Allen Iverson.
Team president Donnie Walsh said Friday the team won’t make any additions at this time despite its 2-9 record. He added the decision to pass on the former MVP had nothing to do with Iverson’s ability to play.
“I’ve always admired him,” Walsh said. “I think he’d be a great addition for a team that’s in a different position than we’re in and I hope he gets picked up.”
Iverson was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and became a free agent Thursday night. Walsh said he didn’t feel Iverson was the right fit at the beginning, but began to think otherwise because it’s “enticing to think that you can get a guy that can score the ball that way.”
But the Knicks remain committed to building with young players such as Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, and felt a player who shoots as much as Iverson could hinder that.
“We feel like that could hurt our development in the future, so we want to go the way we’re going,” Walsh said. “There will be other things we can do during the year that will be more in line with what our philosophy has been entering into this.”