Now it appears those talks are centered around Timberwolves’ point guard Luke Ridnour.

Hoopsworld’s Alex Kennedy has reported that according to sources the Knicks are indeed hot after the 10-year pro.

The New York Knicks have expressed interest in Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Luke Ridnour, according to source.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) February 13, 2013

Feb 11, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Luke Ridnour (13) calls a play in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Ridnour is having a very nice season, averaging 12.2 points and 3.9 assists per game, while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, but it makes you wonder why the Knicks would be targeting a point guard at all?

The Knicks trio of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni have been very good this season and it makes little sense to add to that mix unless the Knicks were working on something else with another team that could involve Iman Shumpert.

The main need for the Knicks right now is frontcourt depth, especially with Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace still out of the lineup.

Ridnour doesn’t solve that problem.

There is some thought that the ‘Wolves would be interested in Ronnie Brewer, as they not only had interest in him during the offseason, but need healthy bodies at the moment.

But being that Ridnour makes $4 million, a trade for Brewer can’t happen. With both teams having 15 guaranteed contracts, there isn’t much flexibility between the two teams.

It’s odd to begin with that the Knicks have expressed interest in another point guard, but who knows what the plan is. It is quite possible that potentially acquiring Ridnour will trigger another move.

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Amar'e, already acting like a regular New Yawker, caught a Yankee Game on July 4th. Can he draw other stars here? Or will we end up not even giving him an offer? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Amar’e Stoudemire, out on the town catching a musical, revealed that he’s already trying to recruit players to join him in New York:

“I’ve talked to Carmelo Anthony that he needs to come out here,” Stoudemire said. “I’ve talked to Tony Parker. Both guys are ready to join me if I decide to come here. So we will see if we can work it out.”

Discussing that possibility, ESPN’s Chris Sheridan wrongly reports:

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Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks

As we discussed after the recent Knicks/Hawks game, JJ has a nice relationship with Coach Mike D’Antoni from their time together in Phoenix, plus the Knicks have somehow managed to look competitive this year in the three games he played against us.  When JJ was on those D’Antoni Suns teams, although he was huge for them, at the time he was considered to be at best their fourth most important player (after Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudamire & Shawn Marion).  Joe rightly felt he could be more, a centerpiece, and he wanted to be paid accordingly.  Having achieved all that with the Hawks, he now has reached the point most vets get to: the main thing he wants now is the chance to play for a championship.  He is even one of the few stars who has literally put his money where his mouth is and has stated he’d be willing to take a bunch less money to be on such a team.

Now don’t misunderstand: he knows he has a very good thing going with the Hawks and that they are a really, really good team.  He’s not gonna just leave them to play on a mid-level Knick team.  So ignore this quote in the NY Daily News:

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The interesting note about this is Ridnour is currently fighting for playing time against the player Walsh should have drafted all along last summer, Brandon Jennings.

Ridnour is having a very nice season, but overall his tenure in Milwaukee has been disappointing to say the least. Ridnour was an excellent piece in Seattle when he played alongside Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but without any help Ridnour’s play has certainly taken a huge step back.

If Walsh does the impossible and can convince the Bucks to take either Jared Jeffries or Eddy Curry in the deal then Walsh will put the Knicks in the best position possible for this summer.

I guess I should also note that if the Knicks don’t move Jeffries or Curry before the deadline then it will be financially impossible to sign two big name free agents this summer. As it stands now we can land LeBron or Wade, but unless Jeffries and Curry are moved we won’t have the funds to make a big enough splash to turn us into contenders.

But back to Ridnour, the kid plays the point guard position like D’Antoni wants it to be played. Ridnour is averaging 11/4 this season, but in D’Antoni’s system his numbers would certainly go up and could be a 18/10 player if we can add some better scoring pieces around him. Ridnour doesn’t turn the ball over, and is an excellent 3 point shooter for a point guard. A Ridnour/Duhon combination would be vital in regards to the second half of the season and certainly help us in our playoff push.