Is Greg Monroe the missing piece that can carry the Knicks back to playoff relevancy? Monroe may not be a superstar, but he’s viewed as a vital cog by Phil Jackson according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
According to his report, Monroe is certain to become a Knick this summer.
Maybe the worst kept secret in the NBA is that Phil Jackson plans to pursue Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe in free agency this summer. In fact, one league executive called it “about as close to a done deal as you can get.”
A done deal is illegal of course and would open Jackson and the Knicks to tampering charges. A more likely scenario is that representatives from both parties have made their interest known and will proceed accordingly once the free-agent recruiting period begins on July 1st. It happens all the time. …
It’s easy to connect the dots; Monroe’s agent, David Falk, is one of the few agents that Jackson has a relationship with going back more than 20 years when Falk was representing Michael Jordan. Falk is looking for a max contract for Monroe and the Knicks, coming off the worst season in franchise history, are happy to oblige.
A done deal would be tampering and illegal, but you have to believe that Monroe knows he’s coveted. A frontline of Carmelo Anthony with Monroe and Towns or Okafor is an immediate upgrade.