Berman: The Knicks know they suck too hard to attract Marc Gasol

The New York Knicks lost back-to-back heart-breakers over the past two nights to drop their record to a franchise-worst 4-17 but who cares y'all we're getting Marc Gasol next offseason start planning the parade route for June 2016!

Yeah, about that...

The Knicks are closer to landing Duke center Jahlil Okafor in the draft than they are to landing Memphis center Marc Gasol in free agency, according to an NBA source.

As the Knicks plummet to the bottom of the league, a source told The Post the club doesn't believe its chances are too good of landing the Grizzlies stud center with their 2015 cap space — not that Knicks president Phil Jackson won’t try like mad.

The report is from Marc Berman, so do with that information what you like. Personally, I am encouraged. The Knicks should be skeptical about signing Gasol, who essentially grew up in Memphis and seems quite happy in that organization. A healthy bit of skepticism is never a bad thing heading into free agency, especially compared with the "WE DEFINITELY GETTING LEBRON LOOK AT THIS BITCHIN' POWERPOINT WE MADE FOR HIM" attitude that pervaded their thinking in 2010.

There is only one teensy-weensy tidbit of this article which gives me pause:

It’s why Knicks management believes tanking is not an option and having a good record, a playoff team and Carmelo Anthony are keys to convincing 2015 free agents — such as LaMarcus Aldridge or Kevin Love — to sign with the team.

I sincerely hope this is a smokescreen. Tanking is not only an option, it is essentially the only option at this point. Even if the Knicks morphed into a gaggle of Triangle savants tomorrow (unlikely), they stand very little chance of making the postseason. This looks to be a good draft for bigs -- beyond Okafor, there are the likes of Karl Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein and Cliff Alexander -- and if you choose one of those players with your pick, they literally cannot turn you down for another NBA team. (Here's hoping Phil Jackson finally explained this concept to owner James Dolan.)

So by all means, Knicks, feel free to court Gasol, or Aldridge, or Love. Take them out for a nice dinner. If one of them wants extra bacon of his Baconator, tell the chef at Wendy's not to skimp. All I ask you is to be ready with a smart, sensible backup plan.