New York Knicks Blog – Page 48 – NBA Blog

Knicks, Lakers among teams that want Carmelo Anthony

Here’s the Associated Press, via Philly.com, reporting the latest on veteran star forward Carmelo Anthony:

The Knicks went coast to coast to let Carmelo Anthony know they want him to stay in New York.

Team officials traveled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent and offered him the maximum contract allowable, a person with knowledge of the details said.

Team President Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills were part of the meeting but not Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan, an official with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the meeting were to remain private.

The meeting was first reported by ESPN.

Anthony was in Los Angeles to meet with the Lakers, who are among the teams hoping to convince the All-Star forward to leave New York. Anthony already visited Chicago, Houston and Dallas this week.

Will Knicks bring back Kenyon Martin?

Here’s the New York Post reporting:

The Knicks still may shop at K-Mart this summer.

According to an NBA source, Kenyon Martin, a free agent, went through with his offseason left ankle surgery and is on schedule with his rehab to be ready for training camp.

The Knicks, pending what they do in their hunt for a big man with their $3.3 million mini midlevel exception, could have interest in Martin.

Martin played in 32 games last season, riddled with pain for his chronic ankle issue.

Knicks not looking to land Carlos Boozer

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the Knicks and Bulls:

If the Chicago Bulls’ dream scenario is to land Carmelo Anthony through a sign-and-trade involving Carlos Boozer, the Bulls will have to come up with another plan, according to league sources.

The New York Knicks will not take back Boozer in a sign-and-trade deal, the sources said.

Despite their interest in Anthony, sources said the Bulls have not called the Knicks to gauge potential sign-and-trade scenarios.

The Knicks’ top priority is, of course, to resign Anthony. But if Anthony decides he wants to play in Chicago, it would make sense for the Knicks to retrieve some assets via a sign-and-trade, and a source said they would perhaps do so as a last resort.

Will Carmelo Anthony re-sign with Knicks?

Here’s the New York Post reporting on Carmelo Anthony free agency and the Knicks:

According to one Knicks player Carmelo Anthony spoke to recently, he gave no indication he was planning an exit strategy from New York.

The source told The Post this week one reason Anthony wants to remain in New York is he has enjoyed being in a big media market, as opposed to being in Denver.

The Post reported two weeks ago Knicks officials liked their odds of re-signing Anthony following their June 13 dinner meeting in Los Angeles in which Phil Jackson, coach Derek Fisher and general manager Steve Mills met with Anthony and his agent Leon Rose and broached the Mavericks trade.

The Post reported the organization likes its chances because of cap-space issues of Chicago and Houston. ESPN.com confirmed The Post report Saturday, saying Knicks officials were “increasingly optimistic’’ about their chances because Anthony and Jackson have “connected.’’ And now Anthony has a more consistent point guard in Jose Calderon, one of seven players Jackson added this week.

Lakers, Knicks could be Pau Gasol free agency possibilities

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on some Pau Gasol free agency possibilities:

While free-agent forward Pau Gasol grew tired of the persistent trade rumors that followed him for the better part of the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, he would give strong consideration to re-signing with the team, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Gasol has strong ties to Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who has advocated for his return, and a deep affinity for Los Angeles and the franchise he won two NBA titles with. While the constant trade rumors stung, Gasol learned to live with them and has a level of expectation that a new coaching staff would prioritize him more than Mike D’Antoni did, sources said.

ESPN reported Friday that the New York Knicks are preparing to make a run at the 7-foot Spaniard who thrived in new Knicks president Phil Jackson’s triangle offense in L.A. The Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are also expected to pursue Gasol in free agency, sources said.

However, Gasol may have to wait until free-agent forwards Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James make their decisions, as many of the teams with an interest in Gasol also have an interest in Anthony and James.

Knicks draft Cleanthony Early, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, trade for Louis Labeyrie

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, the team has drafted Cleanthony Early from Wichita State with the 34th overall selection and Thanasis Antetokounmpo from Athens, Greece and the Delaware 87ers of the NBA D-League with the 51st overall selection. Both picks were acquired yesterday from Dallas.

Early, 6-8, 219-pounds, averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 36 games for the Shockers last season. The Middletown, NY native was named to the All-Valley First Team as a junior and senior after being named the NJCAA Division III Player of the Year twice for Sullivan County Community College.

Antetokounmpo, 6-7, 215-pounds, averaged 12.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 50 games for the 87ers last season after playing professionally in Greece for two seasons.

In addition, the Knicks acquired the draft rights to Louis Labeyrie, the 57th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft from Indiana for cash considerations. Labeyrie, 6-10, 200-pounds, is a 22-year-old Gonesse, France native who played professionally in his home country for the past three seasons.

Carmelo Anthony free agency roundup

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on Carmelo Anthony free agency:

Carmelo Anthony has yet to publicly reveal the process by which he plans to entertain other teams in free agency now that he has opted out of his contract with the New York Knicks, but the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams that expect to have the opportunity to make their pitch to him starting July 1, according to sources close to the situation.

Teams can’t formally contact free agents until 12:01 a.m. ET July 1, but sources told ESPN.com that the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are two more teams that could join the race for Anthony, depending on how things play out before, during and after Thursday’s NBA draft.

The Bulls are widely regarded as the early favorite to steal Anthony from the Knicks, with sources saying Monday that Chicago has been quietly planning for this free-agent pursuit for months, going back to the January trade of Luol Deng to Cleveland. Sources say every move Chicago made during the season’s second half — including the seemingly minor signings of veterans Ronnie Brewer, Lou Amundson and Mike James to very tradeable contracts — was made with the hope they might be helpful in a potential sign-and-trade with the Knicks for Anthony.

Sources say the Rockets, meanwhile, have begun working on trade exits for center Omer Asik and point guard Jeremy Lin to clear enough space under the salary cap to make a representative offer to Anthony. The Rockets have been confident for some time, sources say, that they can not only move both players if necessary in deals that create the requisite flexibility but also rival the Bulls’ sales pitch.

Dwight Howard is a Carmelo Anthony fan

Here’s the New York Post reporting on Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, whose future could be in New York, or take the super-scorer elsewhere:

Rockets center Dwight Howard hasn’t spoken to Carmelo Anthony recently, but he has hope Anthony will take a long look at Houston when he becomes a free agent.

Howard can’t forget the time Anthony — who can opt out of his Knicks contract and enter free agency July 1 — gave him the ultimate compliment years ago. Howard won’t be doing the recruiting, but said, “It would be great to have him.”

“I think he just wants to win right now,” Howard said in a Q&A with USA Today. “That’s his only goal. I’ve always been a Melo fan. One thing he said in an interview a long time ago, I think my first or second year in the league, I remember him saying that if he could play with one guy in the league, he would play with Dwight Howard, so you never know. You never know what could happen.”

Will Carmelo Anthony join Heat this summer?

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on a rumor that would shake up the NBA would if it actually materialized:

Carmelo Anthony responded to reports that he will join LeBron James this summer and sign with the Miami Heat by saying “nothing is legit until a deal is signed.”

The celebrity website TMZ videotaped Anthony as the Knicks All Star was leaving Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills on Thursday, the day before he is scheduled to meet with Knicks president Phil Jackson, head coach, Derek Fisher and GM Steve Mills.

Yahoo! Sports reported that Garden Chairman James Dolan is scheduled to join the group as well. Dolan is on the West Coast with the Rangers who were playing Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Los Angeles.

Dolan’s role in Anthony’s free agency is compelling because Anthony represents Dolan’s biggest basketball transaction. It was Dolan who hijacked the Anthony trade talks from former Knicks president Donnie Walsh in 2010. Jackson recently mocked the deal when he addressed the possibility of pursuing Denver head coach Brian Shaw by reminding reporters the Nuggets have all of the Knicks assets.

Rick Fox a Knicks coaching candidate?

Here’s New York Newsday reporting on the Knicks search for a new head coach:

If Derek Fisher turns down Phil Jackson, it’s possible another ex-Laker could be the Knicks’ next coach.

Rick Fox revealed in an interview with NBC Sports Radio that he is a candidate for the Knicks opening.

“I’ve been a candidate for a while and what I’m comfortable communicating is that there’s really nothing for me to do,” Fox said Monday. “Phil has expressed his interest, and the patience for him discovering who is right for that job is left in his court.”

Fox, an analyst on NBA TV and SiriusXM NBA Radio, expressed his desire to coach the Knicks a couple of weeks ago. He won three championships playing for Jackson with the Lakers and knows the ins and outs of the triangle offense.