Berman: Shawne Williams will work out for the Knicks

From the look of things, Knicks draft workouts have more or less run their course (unless there are clandestine or last-second workouts being done this week), and they've started to look more at free agent Summer League/minimum contract fodder. There was a mini-camp for relatively unknown free agents this past week. This coming week, a much more familiar free agent will pay a visit to Greenburgh, per Marc Berman of the Post:

Can there a happy Knicks return for Shawne Williams?

According to his agent, Happy Walters, Williams will work out for the Knicks in the coming days, and a source said the workout will be Monday. The Knicks are trying to add more scoring pop to the roster at the small-forward position now that Carmelo Anthony is viewed as their power forward.

Hey, sure. If Williams is in shape (and I've heard he is) and doesn't plan on getting arrested for drug possession anymore, he might make a nice end-of-the-bencher. It'd be foolhardy to assume Extra E can drain threes as efficiently as he did in his first month or two as a Knick, but he does have that range, plus a decent knack for defense around the basket. Berman mentions some worry from the Williams camp about Chris Copeland's potential competing presence, which is reasonable, given their overlapping skill sets, though I expect Copeland to have a greater role on whichever team signs him than Williams will for whichever team signs him no matter what.

That's in the future, though. For now, the Knicks'll give Williams a workout and, if they like what they see, perhaps invite him to Vegas or just offer him a minimum deal straight away. And Williams may well decline either offer, because: 1. The men most directly responsible for his career renaissance in New York are no longer around, so his only real connection is Walters also representing Amar'e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. He's turned the Knicks down before. 2. He's getting concurrent attention from the Clippers, Bulls, and Lakers (speaking of men responsible for his career renaissance). Good for Extra E!

Final thought: The word "workout" makes me instinctively picture sweatbands and short shorts and five-pound weights. I can't help but imagine Extra E Sweatin' to the Oldies when I see that word. Sorry if this is making you uncomfortable, Shawne. I wish I never said anything.

Update: Poop