Category: New York Knicks Blog

Point guard Raymond Felton has been an active participant in workouts.

Felton’s conditioning is considered a key for the Knicks this year.

Felton is coming off a sub-par year in Portland for the Blazers, where he reportedly entered the season out of shape.

So the Knicks are hoping that Felton can bounce back in New York.

According to multiple sources at the training facility, Felton is in solid shape and motivated for his second act in a Knicks uniform.

“He looks great,” one observer said. “He looks like 2010 Ray.”

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Rasheed Wallace will officially become a Knick on Monday.

Wallace has told the Knicks he has elected to come out of retirement and join their training camp, according to an NBA source.

The 6-foot-11 Wallace, who worked out with the Knicks over the weekend, retired two years ago after a disappointing season with the Celtics. The Knicks are expected to announce the signing Monday at Media Day. The first practices begin Tuesday.

The tempestuous Wallace, 38, will become the fifth Knick over the age of 35, joining Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and Pablo Prigioni.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Count Tyson Chandler among those who think Rasheed Wallace has something left.

After taking the last two seasons off, Wallace worked out at the Knicks practice facility, and is considering signing with the team. And after seeing him work out, Chandler thinks Wallace can help.

“He looked good,’’ Chandler said Wednesday at a charity event featuring his photography, including pictures of former Knicks Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields.. “Rasheed can be a great addition to us.”

Despite his extended break from the NBA, with Wallace’s last game action coming with Boston in the 2010 Finals, Chandler said Wallace still has skills that can help the Knicks.

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

It’s up to Rasheed.

The Knicks are willing to take a gamble on 6-foot-11 power forward Rasheed Wallace, who retired two seasons ago after finishing a disappointing one-year stint as a Celtic.

But Wallace, who worked out with Knicks players Saturday at their training facility, still has not decided whether he is willing to dedicate himself to getting himself back in NBA shape at age 38. Clearly, he’s nowhere close now.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who was on Larry Brown’s staff in 2004 when the Pistons won the title with Wallace as a linchpin, wants this to happen. The Knicks feel they have nothing to lose for the veteran’s minimum of $1.7 million.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

The Knicks have hired shooting coach Dave Hopla as an assistant.

According to a league source, Hopla will work specifically in player development and conduct individual drills for the Knicks, similar to the role that former assistant Kenny Atkinson served last season.

Hopla has worked with the Wizards and Raptors as a shooting consultant.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Also, according to sources, the Knicks are expected to hire shooting coach Dave Hopla, who once made 550 out of 550 free throws while working with the Wizards.

— Reported by the New York Daily News

Baron Davis will have a multi-faceted role with the Knicks this season: He will spend some time around the team in an advisory role; he will work with Madison Square Garden’s “Garden of Dreams” Foundation; he’s expected to provide content for MSG’s in-game entertainment and he may do some scouting for the team, according to two sources with knowledge of Davis’ agreement with the Knicks.

Davis, 33, suffered a serious right knee injury in last season’s playoffs, and is expected to miss the entire 2012-13 season.

He’s currently an unrestricted free agent, but the veteran point guard has maintained close ties with the team. He’s spent a significant time rehabbing his injury at the team facility and he maintains a close relationship with several players.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Count ex-New York Knick Stephon Marbury among those who don’t think current Knicks stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are a good fit together.

“Amare needs a point guard like Steve Nash (to thrive). He’s a pick-and-roll guy, a pick-and-pop guy. He can’t play in the half court where everything’s slowed down,” Marbury told ESPN New York during a brief interview in Manhattan on Wednesday.

When asked if he thought Anthony and Stoudemire could flourish together, Marbury said flatly, “Nope.”

Many have expressed the same concerns with the Knicks’ star duo. In their season and a half together, the Knicks have a sub-.500 record when both are in the starting lineup.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Unrestricted free agent Shawne Williams, who had his best season in New York in 2010-11, wants to return to the Knicks but the team isn’t interested, according to a source close to the versatile forward.

The source told ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks are “a good fit,” and that he’s open to taking the veteran’s minimum, which is all they can offer. The Hawks and Bobcats are also looking at Williams, who is represented by Happy Walters, the same agent as Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert.

— Reported by Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York

So, just how good can this team be on the defensive end?

“I think the sky’s the limit,” Brewer said on Friday night.

After struggling to get stops for much of the Mike D’Antoni era, New York made a significant improvement on defense last year.

With Chandler in the middle, the Knicks finished fifth in the league defensive efficiency (a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions), up from 21st in 2010-11. Chandler was named Defensive Player of the Year and Shumpert established himself as one of the top young perimeter defenders in the league.

Brewer believes that the addition of himself and Camby, among others, can make the Knicks even more stingy this year.

“I think with those ingredients, we’re going to a very dangerous,” he said.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York