NEW YORK - The New York Knicks won't pursue four-time NBA scoring champion Allen Iverson, preferring to focus on rebuilding with younger players, team president Donnie Walsh said Friday.

Although the Knicks are 2-9 so far this season, Walsh said the Knicks wouldn't make any additions right now.

Walsh said the decision had nothing to do with Iverson's ability on the court.

"I've always admired him," Walsh said of the former league MVP. "I think he'd be a great addition for a team that's in a different position than we're in and I hope he gets picked up."

Iverson was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and became a free agent Thursday night.

Walsh said he didn't feel Iverson was the right fit, but briefly reconsidered because it's "enticing to think that you can get a guy that can score the ball that way."

But Walsh said having a player who shoots as much as Iverson could in the long run hinder the development of young players like Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler.

"We want to go the way we're going," Walsh said. "There will be other things we can do during the year that will be more in line with what our philosophy has been entering into this."