Allen Iverson will become a free agent this evening, and Frank Isola of the Daily News is under the impression that he could be a Knick very soon thereafter.
"Until something's done it's not done," Walsh said. "That's the way I've always been. If he's not signed it's not done."
It's worth remembering that Walsh used similar language days before Mike D'Antoni was hired as coach. Walsh has spent the past few days calling his inner circle of NBA friends about Iverson. One of those calls was to Larry Brown, the former Knicks coach, who was with Iverson in Philadelphia when the Sixers went to the NBA Finals.
I wouldn't call that a sure thing at all, but there certainly seems to be more interest on Walsh's part than I initially expected. I guess that, given the objects of Walsh's advances this summer, it shouldn't surprise us that he covets a 34 year-old. Isola also mentions that the Knicks won't be Iverson's only suitor; Miami is interested, and there will likely be other teams in play. In any event, my thoughts on the possibility remain the same. An Iverson signing seems like a lateral, temporary move that is unseemly and somewhat counter-productive, though not nearly as devastating as, say, signing Jason Kidd for three years would have been. To me, the continued blossoming of Toney Douglas, Danilo Gallinari, and Jordan Hill (which, mind you, requires that they all get minutes) would sell more tickets than a '90s relic eating the youngsters' minutes. I have always loved Iverson as a player, but the one-year rental of a veteran doesn't sit well with me. If Walsh feels the need to make signings, why not reach into the D-League and mine for a diamond in the rough--another piece with which to rebuild? What's Joe Crawford up to?