NBA

Knicks’ Walsh: Cap room helps David Lee

The Knicks’ extra cap room and new options, team president Donnie Walsh said, give them better odds of keeping free agent David Lee — a point that is debatable.

“It’s much better for David,” Walsh said before the Knicks’ 121-118 overtime loss to the Thunder last night. “That I’ll tell you.”

But Walsh indicated he’s still evaluating Lee, despite his All-Star selection as an injury replacement and his 30 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma City.

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“But for all the players on the team now, they got to show they can play intense playoff-type basketball,” Walsh said.

Walsh’s statement has holes. If the Knicks land LeBron James and another maximum free agent such as Chis Bosh, Lee’s days as a Knick will be over. However, that still is fantasy.

Walsh can slice the new cap room up three ways. If the Knicks get James, they can divvy up Lee and a second-tier free agent such as Carlos Boozer or Jermaine O’Neal. Before the Tracy McGrady deal, Lee’s future seemed bleak. If the Knicks got a max guy, there wouldn’t have been enough left for Lee.

“At the end of the day, it’s not going to come down to money but what direction the Knicks want to go in the future,” said Lee, who probably will command at least $10-13M a year. “And a lot of it is what LeBron and the top three guys, LeBron, Bosh, [Dwyane] Wade, do.

“I love it here in New York,” Lee added. “It’s been my home for five years. . . . I hope to be here in the future.”

* Coach Mike D’Antoni, talking about the Knicks’ lack of centers, with Al Harrington now the backup pivot, was blindsided by a question about rehabbing Eddy Curry. D’Antoni stammered that Curry may practice in a week or two. The Knicks are expected to buy Curry out this summer to save another $1 to $2 million of cap space. . . . D’Antoni said he’d also like to look at the Celtics’ Bill Walker, a fellow West Virginia native.