Reports: Knicks have hard sell

The Knicks have long been angling for the summer of 2010 and its vaunted free agency class. But might they have a hard time attracting anyone to come play for them come Thursday?

Writes Ken Berger of CBS Sports: "Word circulating over the weekend was that Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni faced a 'very tough sell' to the top free agents, according to one rival executive monitoring the free-agent buzz .. A representative for one prominent free agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiating period hasn't begun, said the Knicks may have as hard a time -- or even harder -- persuading second-tier free agents to go to New York."

The representatives reasoning is as such, according to Berger: "If you come in there, expectations are so high you almost can't -- unless it's LeBron, anybody else will have a really hard time living up to it."

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is hearing similar chatter: "One prominent agent [said Sunday night]: 'I think there's a very good chance the Knicks will get shutout (in free agency)...Even likely...'"