By now everyone knows that the New York Knicks struck out in free agency for the most part. Their biggest targets were LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe, but they wound up with Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams. It was reported earlier this week that Aldridge was interested in the Knicks but didn't want to play center. Now it is being reported that Jordan was seriously considering the Knicks during his free agency period as well, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
It's hard to imagine that Jordan could have taken New York too seriously as a landing spot because he re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers after verbally agreeing to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks. By that simple math and common sense, the Knicks were at best Jordan's third option in free agency. Despite all of these facts, Jordan still says that he did consider the Knicks.
"The Knicks were definitely a team I was considering. I had a great meeting and great presentation, Phil Jackson speaks for himself. Fish [Derek Fisher] did a great job. The whole team had a plan with the organization, a plan for me that was cool. I just decided to stay with the Clippers, but it was great," said Jordan.
Jordan reportedly didn't have the Knicks on the map until he met with them, but he was apparently very intrigued by the meeting to make them a consideration. Jordan likely was a fan of the idea that the Knicks could offer him more offensive opportunities. Going into free agency Jordan had said he wanted a bigger role on offense, and besides Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks don't really have another scorer, so Jordan had to like the idea that he would be getting more touches.
In the end, Jordan will be a Clipper for at least the next four seasons after signing a four-year deal worth more than $87 million. Last season, Jordan averaged 11.5 points per game and led the league in rebounds per game (15) and field goal percentage (71 percent.)
That makes it twice this week that there has been news about stars considering New York in free agency. While it is a good sign that stars are considering the Knicks, the fact that they aren't able to sign any of these players isn't going to make Knicks fans happy. Aldridge and Jordan talking the Knicks up is very little consolation for a fan base that wants to be relevant so badly.
