Isiah Thomas has narrowed his focus to two unrestricted free agents, believed to be big men Stromile Swift and Jerome James. Thomas has met with Swift and been in communication with James' agent and hopes to sign either one of them before turning his gaze elsewhere.

Speaking yesterday on MSG Network at halftime of the Knicks' summer-league game in Las Vegas, Thomas made it clear he wanted one of those two players to be a presence in the middle next year.

"I'd like to add another shot-blocker to the team," Thomas said. "I thought last year defensively, particularly inside, we didn't necessarily have the girth or the length. Right now, there are a couple of players out there, one of them gives us length (Swift) and the other one gives us girth (James). If I can add either one of those players, it would be a good addition in the off-season for us, because both of those guys can block shots."