Thanks for signing up, guys.
Former Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald brought in five new players last offseason via free-agent signings – with defense-oriented forward Metta World Peace and point guard Beno Udrih by far the most important. (Jeremy Tyler, Cole Aldrich, Toure’ Murry were considered more roster fillers and insurance.)
As the Knicks enter the All-Star Break after Wednesday’s home game vs. Sacramento, Grunwald is long gone from the scene and World Peace and Udrih are long gone from the rotation.
World Peace and Udrih had other options this summer, but signed with New York after the impressive recruiting spiel by Woodson and Grunwald.
At the time of the signings, current team president Steve Mills was not part of the organization. He was a leading candidate to become the executive director of the Players Association after being out of the NBA since being let go by the Garden in 2009.
Both Udrih and World Peace are strong candidates to be moved at the Feb. 20 deadline, and there doesn’t appear to be a promotion on the horizon. Though Woodson is going with the two-point-guard starting alignment, he still has no room for Udrih, who has received eighth straight DNPs and has played just once in the past 11 games (garbage time in Charlotte rout).
Murry, who has a future in the organization, is ahead of Udrih, who appears to have none. Murry saw some rotation minutes vs. Portland last week, and Woodson is committed to playing him in garbage time over the veteran Slovenian.
The Wizards reportedly have interest in Udrih. The Knicks would love to stockpile a second-round pick or Wizards rookie Glen Rice Jr., whom the Knicks had as one of the candidates to draft last year at No. 24 if Tim Hardaway Jr. was off the board, according to multiple sources.
Toronto had shown interest in World Peace during Kyle Lowry talks.
“There’s a short window frame here between now and the 20th, and I’m sure we’ll be talking to teams, I’m sure,” Woodson said on his ESPN radio show Tuesday. “That’s just the nature of the business. But are we going to do anything at this point? I just don’t know at this point.”
Udrih and World Peace again were ignored in the Knicks’ 112-100 loss to the Thunder on Sunday. World Peace played the final 1:24 of garbage time – Woodson never thinking of the former Defensive Player of the Year to rough up the unstoppable Durant, who toasted every Knicks in garnering 41 points and falling one assist short of a triple-double.
World Peace has been buried despite forwards Andrea Bargnani (elbow) and Kenyon Martin (ankle) being out indefinitely. They should return sometime soon after the All-Star Break, burying the former Ron Artest further on the depth chart.
The young big man Jeremy Tyler impresses Woodson every game, positing 10 points and 11 rebounds in just 11 minutes in Oklahoma City.
Udrih again wasn’t considered for meaningful minutes, though Woodson had a chance to give him a look in a two-point-guard alignment as J.R. Smith slogged through a disinterested performance then hurt his cheekbone on Durant’s knee in the fourth quarter.
World Peace sees the writing on the wall, and a league source said he’d be open to a trade. World Peace, in damage-control mode, made sure to tweet he wasn’t seeking a trade. The colorful World Peace sarcastically tweeted he plays only when the team is up by a lot of points or down a lot of points.