Knicks Officially Buy Out World Peace, Udrih, Will Search Market For Players
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Knicks are moving on.
A loser of eight of its last 10 games, New York shook things up a bit on Monday, announcing prior to its game against the Dallas Mavericks the buyouts of forward Metta World Peace and guard Beno Udrih.
"We are disappointed that it did not work out for Beno and Metta here in New York," Knicks general manager Steve Mills said. "We thank them for their contributions this season and wish them well."
World Peace, 34, is a Queens native who played his college ball at St. John's. The 15-year veteran forward, who signed a two-year deal, $3.2 million contract with the Knicks last offseason, played in just 29 games, averaging 4.8 points.
"It was a childhood dream of mine to play basketball professionally in New York City, and it has truly been a blessing for that dream to have come true," World Peace said in a statement. "However, under current circumstances, my agent and I have agreed that being bought out would be the best option for me professionally. I would like everyone to know that whether I was on the court or off, I could not have been happier playing for and cheering on this amazing city, my city.
"Lastly, I would like to thank all of the incredible fans of New York, as well as my teammates, my coach and the Knicks' owner for the wonderful opportunity to play in my hometown," World Peace added.
Udrih, a 31-year-old point guard, played in 31 games, averaging 5.6 points and 3.5 assists.
"They weren't in the rotation, and I'm not going to linger on it," coach Mike Woodson said. "We're buying them out, and as a coach when guys work for me I wish them nothing but the best when they move on. And we're going to move on.
"You can't play everybody, and if you're not playing you've still got to be a good teammate and be ready to play when called upon," Woodson added. "Unfortunately, I couldn't play them ... I'll get back and talk to Steve and ownership [Sunday] sometime and look at the players available out there."
The Knicks are 21-35 and sit 5.5 games back of eighth-place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference.
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