Carmelo Anthony hopes Knicks add Marcus Camby
Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, left, looks to pass against Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby during the first quarter of their NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore. (April 9, 2012) Credit: AP
LAS VEGAS -- The Knicks are looking to a player from their past to add rebounding and defense off the bench.
Free-agent center Marcus Camby is scheduled to meet with the Knicks in Houston Sunday morning, a league source said. The Knicks are on Camby's short list of teams he would like to play for next season. The Nets, Heat, Mavericks and Spurs also have shown interest.
Camby is weighing everything from money to what his role would be. The source said the Knicks, Nets and Heat are the teams pursuing him the hardest. The Nets are going to meet with Camby this week. His meeting with Miami on Saturday was postponed, but the Heat isn't out of the picture.
Camby, 39, could be a starter with the Nets or the Heat, but he would come off the bench if he returns to the Knicks. But Camby, who helped the Knicks reach the 1999 NBA Finals, has a friend in New York who plans to reach out to him and recruit him.
Carmelo Anthony, who played with Camby with the Nuggets, said Saturday that he will call his old teammate after he meets with the Knicks. Anthony can't go to the meeting because he's here practicing with the Olympic team.
"I love Camby," Anthony said. "If he wants to come to New York, I'm opening the doors for him, we're opening the doors for him. He's got a lot of experience in New York, so to have him back toward the end of his career and for him to still be able to do what he can do, I want that. Hopefully we can make it happen.''
When Mike Woodson was asked about the Camby meeting, he just smiled and said he can't talk about free agents. Another former teammate of Camby's, Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston, also is expected to be a part of the recruiting process.
The Knicks, Nets and Heat are tax-paying teams, so they're limited in what they can spend; it might take a sign-and-trade to acquire Camby. The source said Houston is open to doing that.
Camby remains a strong rebounder, especially on the defensive end, and shot-blocker. He averaged 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22.9 minutes for the Blazers and Rockets last season and would back up Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire.
The Knicks are working on several scenarios and hope to pull off a sign-and-trade, whether it's for Camby, Jason Kidd -- with whom they've agreed to terms -- or Randy Foye. The Knicks are expected to match the Rockets' offer to Jeremy Lin and re-sign free agent J.R. Smith to a one-year deal. Steve Novak also remains in their plans.
Red, white and blueThe 12 players who will represent the United States in the London Olympics were announced Saturday, and as expected, Anthony and Chandler made the team. They join Deron Williams, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Andre Iguodala and James Harden.
"We've put together a terrific team with great athleticism and great versatility and we believe we're going to be successful," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. "We think it's a very versatile team that's much more mature than they were in '08. We think they're deeper. We think they're better."
Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay and Anthony Davis were left off and will be alternates in case of injury. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh withdrew because of injury.
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