http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/sports/basketball/saving-the-knicks-a-look-ahead-to-free-agency-and-the-2015-draft.html 2014-12-11 23:07:17 Saving the Knicks: A Look Ahead to Free Agency and the 2015 Draft Rather than dwell on the Knicks’ incompetency, think of the potential free agents and draft prospects the team may pursue once this season is over. === Let’s face it: The The Knicks have yet to win in December. If they cannot shake the Celtics on Friday night in Boston, it will not get any easier to win this month: They will face Toronto, the top team in the East, twice, along with Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and Washington, all of whom have records above .500. Then, to close out 2014, they will head west for a three-game trip to play Sacramento, Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers. Even Sacramento, the weakest opponent on the docket, is a .500 team (11-11) with a horde of young talent and a most valuable player caliber player in DeMarcus Cousins. With reports of infighting in the locker room and with Carmelo Anthony dealing with soreness in his left knee, the Knicks are in danger of joining the 1984-85 and 1985-86 teams as the only ones in franchise history to lose 20 straight games. The only upside to the Knicks’ misery, it seems, comes in the adage that there’s always next year. For one thing, their on-court struggles might turn the team’s first-round draft pick into a lottery pick at the 2015 draft. And between the rising salary cap and the nearly $35 million the Knicks will free up at the end of the season when Andrea Bargnani and Amar’e Stoudemire’s contracts expire, there is every reason to believe the Knicks will be a major player in free agency this summer. So rather than dwell on the Knicks’ incompetency — there is plenty of time for that — let’s instead turn our attention to the abundance of assets the team will have and the potential free agents and draft prospects they should consider pursuing once this nightmarish excuse of a season runs its toll. Marc Gasol (C, Memphis) Gasol, a 7-foot-1 Spaniard and the 2013 defensive player of the year, has taken an offensive leap this season, averaging 19.5 points, 8 rebounds and just under 4 assists per game for the red-hot Grizzlies. It’s no secret that the Knicks — who rank 29th of 30 teams in total rebounding — are in desperate need of a center. Gasol is as good as any big man in the league, and he is just the type of center who would thrive in the triangle offense. He has tremendous vision, can knock down elbow jumpers and score in the low post. Pairing Anthony with Gasol would make Knicks fans salivate, but Gasol is likely to sign with a team with a good shot at winning. If this season has been an indicator, New York seems a doubtful destination. Greg Monroe (PF, Detroit) If the Knicks strike out on Gasol, they might consider making a run at Monroe, 24. He has averaged close to a double-double (14 and 9) through his first four seasons, and is expected to leave Detroit at the end of this season. Rajon Rondo (PG, Boston) With his contract up after the season and the Celtics Jahlil Okafor (C, Duke) Depending on their fortunes, the Knicks could have a good shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. While that would certainly be a good thing, it is worth noting that the Knicks have not been the best at identifying franchise superstars. If they land in the lottery, Phil Jackson, the team president, might consider trading the pick before or after the draft for an established free agent like Gasol, the way the Cavaliers dealt Andrew Wiggins to land Kevin Love last summer. This ensures a quicker rebuild — even the best rookies take time to develop. But if the front office decides against trading its lottery pick, Okafor, a Duke freshman, is the first player it should consider. A 6-foot-11 center, he has been the talk of college hoops this season, averaging 17 points a game for the Blue Devils. If he is available, the Knicks have to take him. It’s as simple as that. Karl-Anthony Towns (C, Kentucky) A 19-year-old Piscataway, N.J., native, Towns would be an instant fan favorite at Madison Square Garden and a worthy selection if Okafor was not available. Because Coach John Calipari has been running a two-team platoon system with the Wildcats this season, Towns’s statistical line has been less impressive than Okafor’s, but he is a shot blocking and rebounding machine when he is in. Emmanuel Mudiay (G, Guangdong Tigers) Mudiay made headlines when