At midnight, Phil Jackson will be on the clock' trying to use his marquee name to attract some big-name free agents to come play for the Knicks.
So why are the Knicks probably going to be stuck with B-list free agents?
It's not like anyone will be breaking into an all-out sprint to come to the Garden when Jackson tries to convince them that they can come to a winning situation. He'll try to win them over with the idea that the Knicks are only a few pieces away, but the reality is quite different. Right now, free agents see:
1. A team that features the team’s noted volume shooter and ball-stopper, Carmelo Anthony, coming off knee surgery.
2. A coach, Derek Fisher, who made plenty of rookie mistakes during the team's 17-win debacle last season.
3. The challenge of playing in the triangle offense, which hasn't fared very well in the NBA unless the featured players were named Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.
Throw in the fact that the team's first-round draft pick, Kristaps Porzingis, isn't expected to help for a couple of seasons, and the prospect of playing under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden doesn’t sound very appealing.
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Fear not, Knicks fans. At least Jackson has the financial wherewithal to compete for talent. Even with Anthony due to make almost $23 million next season, the Knicks are about $27 million under the salary cap.
The Knicks also have a history of overpaying, and there’s no reason to believe that Garden boss James Dolan will stop now, not after his team set a franchise low for wins and has not reached the playoffs for two straight years.
Over the next few days, don't expect the Knicks to reach an agreement with anyone who's going to move the needle and vault them right into the playoff chase. Since they're a long way from competing for a title, they're more likely to come out on July 9, the first day teams can sign players, with forward Greg Monroe or respected veteran power forward David West. Monroe is done in Detroit and could get a max deal that starts at $15 million.
As far as wing players go, they're considered the favorites to land Aaron Afflalo, a career 11 ppg scorer. While his best role would be as a reserve, the Knicks view the 6-5 Afflalo, who has been with Detroit, Orlando, Denver and Portland in a nine-year career, as a starter. He could get a deal starting at $12 million per to come to New York.
For help inside, where the Knicks have no one of size who can protect the paint, they are going to meet with 6-11 DeAndre Jordan, the defensive specialist for the Clippers. But the Houston native is expected to re-sign for max money in L.A., or head to Dallas to replace former Knick Tyson Chandler.
As far as A-list free agents go, the Knicks are hoping to get an audience in Los Angeles with LeMarcus Aldridge. But most NBA observers see him leaving Portland for the Lakers, or going back to his native Texas to sign with the San Antonio Spurs.
The premier big man in the 2015 free-agent pool, center Marc Gasol, has no plans to meet with Jackson. Even if he does, he’s almost certain to stay with the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s got the best of both worlds in Memphis: The Grizzlies are a top team in the West and he can make more money by staying in Memphis than if he were to leave for the Knicks or any other team.
“If the Knicks got either Aldridge or Gasol, then you’d say, “Wow!’’ one Eastern Conference GM told me the other day. “They’d be moving the needle, because Gasol and Aldridge are really, really good, especially Gasol. Nobody is saying “Wow!’’ if they’re getting Greg Monroe.’’
Monroe is a good low-post scorer and, at 25, still has a lot of basketball in him. But the team he’s leaving, the Pistons, are in the same position as the Knicks. Yet they gave up on him after he just averaged 15.9 ppg and 10.2 rpg this past season.
As the Pistons see it, and they’re not alone in this view, Monroe just doesn’t do enough of the other core things that teams want from their big men -- he's not dominant the glass and he doesn't close down the lane or defend on the interior. If he did, Detroit would be trying to keep him.
Monroe will also meet with the Lakers, Bucks and Blazers. West, 35, one of the Pacers mainstays during the past few seasons, would give the Knicks a much-needed leader and a crafty scorer.
Anthony’s best seasons have come when he’s had similar strong personalities in the locker room. A few seasons back, he finished third in MVP voting when Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace held sway in the locker room.
Now the Knicks desperately need leaders and talented players.
Any way you look at it, when the clock strikes midnight, Phil Jackson has a lot of work to do.
Longtime New York columnist Mitch Lawrence continues to write about pro basketball, as he’s done for the last 22 years. His columns for NBCNewYork.com on the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the NBA, along with other major sports, will appear twice weekly. Follow him on Twitter @Mitch _ Lawrence
