The 2014-15 NBA season is just two weeks complete, but already the New York Knicks are in midseason form.

The Knicks are 2-6 after eight games of play, and find themselves in fourth place in the Atlantic Division behind the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.

Despite the Eastern Conference being so bad compared to the Western Conference, the Knicks still aren't expected to qualify for the postseason, according to most NBA experts.

The Knicks are allowing 98.4 points per game against, and they rank 26th overall in defensive rebounds per game. Although much of the focus has been on the triangle offense and the additions of Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson, defense is still the main issue in the Big Apple. As gifted as Carmelo Anthony is offensively, he hasn't made many improvements to his defensive game since entering the league.

Last season, center Tyson Chandler led the Knicks in rebounds per game with 9.6. During the offseason, the 7-foot-1 center was traded back to the Dallas Mavericks and this defense needs an upgrade. So far this season, Amar'e Stoudemire has been the best defensive player for the Knicks, and even he has been far from perfect.

Options are very limited, but one choice the Knicks could explore is power forward Jermaine O'Neal.

O'Neal may be 36 years old, but the Knicks could benefit from signing him. O'Neal is a large 6-foot-11 forward who has shown he can adapt to different systems throughout his career. O'Neal had a terrific career playing for the Portland Trailblazers and Indiana Pacers. Even last season, O'Neal played well for the Golden State Warriors making more than 50 percent of his shot from the field and 75 percent of his free throws.

Last season, O'Neal averaged 9.9 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Another factor to consider is Stoudemire. Stoudemire leads the Knicks this season with just 5.8 rebounds per game. Those are team-leading stats, but they're not very high. After that, it gets really ugly. Carmelo Anthony ranks second on the team with only 3.4 rebounds per game. Stoudemire is constantly in trade rumors, and has a losing record when playing with Anthony. It wouldn't be surprising if we see the Knicks trade Stoudemire this season or in the near future. If that does happen, O'Neal would be needed more than ever.

Obviously Jermaine O'Neal isn't Shaquille O'Neal, but his value could certainly be used on the court going forward. Just his size and experience could help the Knicks. O'Neal has played in 97 playoff games -- 31 more than Anthony has in his career. There's a lot of things O'Neal could teach younger players, and he is a good passer for a big man, which will help the triangle offense.

O'Neal is also very adaptive, as he can play both forward and center. If the Knicks want to explore this option, they can at least rest easy knowing it won't cost the team a lot of money or hurt the salary cap. At this point, what do the Knicks have to lose?

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