We are now in the bottom of the 9th.

Walsh has to finish the 9th unscathed to complete the perfect game. To do so, he must sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

If his shortstop, Mike D’Antoni, makes an error on a ground ball and his lack of defense is the reason why LeBron doesn’t sign in New York, then Donnie Walsh loses his perfect game.

But Walsh can still throw a no-hitter. To do so, he must sign two second tier free agents.

If Walsh walks a batter and on ball four the ball gets away from the catcher and goes to the backstop and the Knicks don’t sign any second tier guys, he’ll still have the no-hitter intact, but he’s in serious trouble with runners on second and third with no outs.

He intentionally walks the next batter to allow a force out at any base.

If Donnie can’t convert a “Plan C” by making some sort of trade or signing one good free agent, he gives up a grand slam walk-off home run and loses the game.

Donnie has done what he said he was going to do up to this point. He has put the Knicks in an excellent position salary cap wise. He’s pitched a perfect 8 innings. But 8 perfect innings doesn’t matter unless you pitch a perfect 9th inning. We’re in the 9th, Donnie. Strikeout the side.

The New York Post says that Walsh “secretly admits” his acquisitions of Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox last season “backfired”. Walsh doesn’t think it is urgent the Knicks acquire somebody.

“I wouldn’t think I have to make a move,” Walsh told the Post. “It isn’t like I woke up and [said], ‘Oh my god, I have to do something now.’”

If Walsh does make a move, it will be for a player with an expiring contract. Walsh will not acquire a player with a contract that extends beyond this season. He wants as much cap flexibility as possible for the summer’s free agent class.

One player Walsh would take that has a contract that extends past this season is point guard Ricky Rubio of the Timberwolves. The Knicks were high on him during last year’s draft and they are still interested in him. It wouldn’t be a problem acquiring Rubio and his contract because they would probably send a contract like Jordan Hill or Toney Douglas’ to Minnesota in exchange. As Minnesota’s GM David Kahn points out, a deal is highly unlikely.

“There is just no way,” Kahn told the New York Post. “From the moment we talked, I said to him [Donnie Walsh]– and I mean no disrespect to the Knicks or Donnie — what kind of trade can they possibly propose?”

Nobody on the Knicks roster would be sufficient enough to get a deal done for the 19-year old Spaniard. 

Where do the Knicks turn to for help who fits the bill of having an expiring contract and also making the team better? 

Not Suns forward and former player under Mike D’Antoni, Amare Stoudemire. The NY Daily News makes it clear that the Knicks will not trade for Stoudemire. Not only do the Knicks not have the assets to get the trade done, but he doesn’t fill their immediate need of a guard. I proposed that the Knicks should go after Stoudemire if they disregard trying to be a complete team this year (play without a proven point guard), trade for Stoudemire, sign him to an extension, and still have enough money to sign another player to a max contract over the summer. My idea is unlikely to happen because in order to have the cap space for Amare and another player like LeBron James or Dwayne Wade, who are going to get max contracts, the Knicks would need to trade the contracts of a few players (Jared Jeffries, Eddy Curry, plus probably either Jordan Hill or Toney Douglas) and it will be near impossible to do so. Lack of assets is a major reason why the Knicks can’t get Stoudemire. Walsh doesn’t seem to be interested anyway.

Tyrus Thomas is a name that has come up recently. He was injured early in the year and lost his starting job in Chicago. His contract is up after this season. He, like Stoudemire, wouldn’t fill an immediate hole, but he would be easier to acquire. The Bulls want cap relief and the Knicks could give them some expiring contracts in return. 

Tracy Mcgrady may be the Knicks best option. The Knicks can deal expiring contracts to the Rockets for McGrady, but it’s uncertain what kind of impact McGrady can have. If healthy, it will take him some time to get back into the swing of things, but he should be able to return to form eventually. By the time he does, however, it may be too late.

The Knicks are rumored to have interest in Bobcats’ guard Acie Law. The Bobcats are looking to trade Law and the Knicks and Pacers are two teams that have come up. Law’s contract expires after this season.

It’s too early to tell where teams will be when the season ends, but after the Celtics, Cavs and Magic, the East takes a bit of a dip. The Knicks will have the opportunity to be in the mix for the 6th, 7th or 8th seed as long as they keep inching toward breaking the .500 mark.

The Knicks’ started the season 1-9, a franchise worst. They were 3-14 heading into December. That’s when things started to turn around. They went 9-6 in the month of December and have won their first three games here in January, including Thursday night’s 97-93 win over the Bobcats. 

The Knicks are currently 15-20 and their two young studs, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, are putting together excellent seasons. These are the two guys the Knicks will build around in the future. If Gallo and Chandlers continue to develop and the Knicks make the playoffs or better yet, make a little noise in the playoffs, potential free agents will take note and may choose to play in New York. 

Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni know that it’s critical the team has a good season this year not only because they don’t own a first round draft pick, but also because potential free agents are looking for teams that will pay them top dollar and also give them the opportunity to contend for a title. The Knicks will have the cap room. The question is whether they’ll have a good enough season and a strong enough nucleus to persuade free agents that the Knicks will be a contender with the free agent’s addition. It’s looking like the Knicks are heading in the right direction. 

The Knicks are getting contributions in big spots from different players every night. They are playing better defense and are hitting the open shot. They weren’t doing those things in the beginning of the season. They are also playing better together as a unit. As much as I’d like to see the Knicks shed some more unwanted contracts, I think the team is playing too well right now to add or subtract any players and mess with chemistry. 

The schedule ahead gets tougher, but the Knicks should be able to stay afloat in the East. They have upcoming games against Houston, Oklahoma City, Toronto, the Lakers, and Dallas. Scattered in between those games are a game against the 76ers and two games against the Pistons.

Look for the Knicks to creep up near the .500 mark and hover around it. 40 wins is the magic mark may be enough for the 8th seed. The Knicks will need to go 25-22 the rest of the way to get to 40 wins. They went 9-6 in December which is a 60% winning percentage. A record of 25-22 is a 53% winning percentage. A few more months similar to December and the Knicks will reach the playoffs.

The following day’s game against the Magic wasn’t a carry over from the night before. Orlando, a much better defensive team than the Suns, held the Knicks to just 39 points in the first half. The Knicks did, however, get good performances from their up-and-coming players Danilo Gaillinari and Wilson Chandler. Gallo had 27 against the Suns and 20 against the Magic. Chandler put up 14 on the Suns and 24 on the Magic. 

The future of this franchise may hinge on the development of these two players. A free agent’s choice to come to the Knicks may depend on the cast of players that will surround him. Gallo and Chandler are locked into the Knicks next season and you know D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh want to get them developed quickly, meaning they’ll be on the floor for extended minutes this season. 

The Knicks, meanwhile, would like to play teams that have an uptempo style of basketball similar to theirs every game. They have a better chance at outscoring teams in a 140-130 game than beating a team in a 95-90 game. When it comes to teams that play good defense, the Knicks won’t win. They have to hit open shots when they get good looks against better defensive teams or else they’ll be held to under 40% shooting and lose by 20. 

The Knicks have some building blocks. Their development of those blocks this season will be key for the future of this team.

The people who don’t want Iverson on the Knicks say he will stunt the growth of their young players such as Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas and Wilson Chandler. They’ll also say he doesn’t play defense and that’s what the Knicks are missing. To answer those people, the Knicks need a lot more than one strong defender and he can give the young players open looks when defenders key on him.

Iverson isn’t going to get the Knicks into the playoffs but he’ll waken up a fan base that needs a “brand name” on the team and will also sell some tickets. Bring AI to MSG, Donnie. Prove you can bring a “name” to the Knicks before 2010 when the pressure is on.

AI officially becomes a free agent Thursday at 6:00 p.m., if he clears through waivers, which is expected. All signs point toward the Knicks extending an offer to Iverson. 

There are some great opinions floating around twitter on the Knicks and Allen Iverson topic. Follow @alanhan, @TommyDeeTKB, @LeBron23NYK, and @Knicksfanblog.

More on AI and the Knicks

The only bright spot thus far this season is the play of second year man Danilo Gallinari who has been shooting the ball well from beyond the arc. This bright spot is very, very dim  and any strong personal performance is being overshadowed by the Knicks inability to win games. They have been falling behind early in games and digging themselves so deep they have no chance in making a comeback.

Knicks fans are going to put up with a dreadful season in hopes the team can land a marquee free agent or two in the upcoming free agency period. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh headline the free agent class that has an abundance of superstars and may be the best free agent class in the history of sports.