Not just Anthony, but Gasol and Jordan on Walsh's radar

The Knicks feel Anthony holds all the cards, and Walsh plans to play the cards he has carefully, not desperately. He is unwilling to give up too much for Anthony, team sources said yesterday.

Walsh is waffling on whether he even wants to part with Randolph to gain a first-round pick from the Timberwolves, a selection he possibly would have to ship with two of three prospects -- Danilo Gallinari, rookie sensation Landry Fields or restricted free agent Wilson Chandler.

Walsh will not give up three of those four players, knowing the Knicks' biggest need is a legit starting center. Sources said restricted free agents Marc Gasol and Clippers 7-footer DeAndre Jordan are squarely on the radar this summer, and that's a big priority.

For now, the Knicks wait patiently on the periphery, realizing Anthony's advisors are eager to drag them into the race to give the Nets competition. The Knicks' chances, sources say, have been helped slightly because the prospects who could be available to Denver have played well.

Having Stoudemire's support on a Anthony trade is also a factor, league sources believe.

With the Knicks winning, developing a great chemistry and having players at Anthony's position, but not at center, Walsh is more likely to give a modest proposal unsuitable to the Nuggets.

Walsh believes the club has a lot of solid small-forward types such as Anthony but what they need is a "beast" of a center to get them to the next level.

Though the 6-foot-11 Randolph is out of the rotation and seemingly off coach Mike D'Antoni's radar, Walsh is unsure he wants to give up on him because he is just 21 years old, and size and athleticism is a rare commodity. D'Antoni, however, does not like Randolph's in-game demeanor and he doesn't carry a high-enough motor.

D'Antoni has talked about developing 7-foot-1 center Timofey Mozgov for later this season, making a comparison to Toney Douglas' rookie season. Douglas took over the starting point guard role in the final month when D'Antoni felt he was ready for it.