Rasheed Wallace
Rumor has it that New York Knicks big man Rasheed Wallace may sit on the bench for the rest of the season as news reports say the Knicks have him in a holding pattern following a stress reaction he sustained in his left foot that has not seen him play since Dec. 15. Reuters

Rumor has it that New York Knicks big man Rasheed Wallace may sit on the bench for the rest of the season as news reports say the Knicks have him in a holding pattern following a stress reaction he sustained in his left foot that has not seen him play since Dec. 15.

The newest report from ESPNNewYork.com on Wallace's injury cites two league sources that say members of the Knicks organization worry that Wallace will be out for an extended period, perhaps as long as the rest of the 2012-2013 NBA season.

"It's not looking good," one of source reportedly told the website.

League sources also told ESPNNewYork.com that Wallace is currently in a holding pattern, and that there are even some members of the Knicks organization who want to replace the 38-year-old with a free agent as soon as possible, and that Kenyon Martin, a 6 foot, 9, 35-year-old forward, may be atop the list of possible replacements.

But BleacherReport.com reports that the Los Angeles Lakers may be eyeing Martin as a possible free agent signing, following a recent injury to big man Jordan Hill that will reportedly have him on the Lakers bench for the rest of the season.

Still, the Knicks were interested in Martin over the offseason, though he ultimately declined to sign for any team, according to a September tweet by ESPN's Marc Stein:

"Free-agent rumble: Knicks continue to rate Kenyon Martin as vet free agent they like best but NYK, to date, haven't sold him on vet minimum," Stein posted on his official Twitter account.

Wallace was in retirement before the start of this year's NBA season, when Knicks Head Coach Mike Woodson convinced him to come out of his two-year retirement and play for his scrappy, aging team, which is off to a 24-13 start, its best in years.

Woodson is reportedly hoping to wait until Wallace has recovered from the foot injury before making any replacements, ESPNNewYork.com reported Wednesday.

"He'll be back -- but when, I don't know," Woodson said during an interview with the site in London on Wednesday. "We're gradually trying to get him back where he can run again so he can get back in a uniform. But when, we don't know when yet."

Wallace has posted averages of 7.2 points of 3.2 rebounds in 14.6 per each of 20 games he's played in so far this season, making him an unexpected plus for the Knicks.