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Report: Knicks finalizing a deal with Earl Clark

The New York Knicks want to add a pair of defensive-minded players by the time their next game, on Thursday, rolls around.

The Knicks are a woeful 27th in the NBA in defensive efficiency and have a pair of roster spots open after waiving Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih earlier in the week.

According to Yahoo Sports, the team is presently finalizing a deal with forward Earl Clark, who was released by the Philadelphia 76ers after they acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline last Thursday.

The 26-year-old Clark is 6-foot-10 and capable of playing either forward position. A first-round pick (14th overall) in 2009, Clark has never delivered on the potential as a two-way player he showed at Louisville. In 242 career games over five seasons with four different teams, he's managed just 14.3 minutes a night, averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds.

In his best season, 2012-13, Clark averaged 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.1 minutes with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's also added a 3-point shot to his game, now hitting at nearly a league-average clip (34.5 percent on the season).

But again, he's being signed for his defensive chops, which would only need to be "average" to represent a massive addition to the Knicks.

The Knicks are not expected to officially sign Clark until Thursday, allowing them to maximize the 10-day contract, as they have seven games in 10 days beginning Thursday.

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