The New York Knicks are reportedly planning to pursue Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love in the summer of 2015. This in itself isn't news -- why wouldn't they want to add a superstar? -- but their Love chase is a large part of their plan to convince Carmelo Anthony to re-sign in New York this July, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
Knicks reportedly eyeing Kevin Love in 2015
The New York Knicks already have their sights set on Kevin Love, according to a report that paints a less than pretty portrait of the organization.
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Through the decay and debris of a crumbling infrastructure, chasing the championship parade that never marches, the New York Knicks' recruitment to retain Carmelo Anthony comes with the promise to pursue Kevin Love into the franchise's 2015 salary-cap space.
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The Knicks are buried in salary-cap hell through 2014, awaiting Amar'e Stoudemire ($23.4 million),Tyson Chandler ($14.3 million) and Andrea Bargnani ($12 million) to expire. The Knicks are sold on Love in 2015, sources tell Yahoo Sports, and they've already begun devising a strategy to lure him when the time comes.
The Knicks are a bit of a mess at the moment, as Wojnarowski points out. In addition to that salary cap situation, to say they've had a slow start would be an understatement. New York is 2-4, Tyson Chandler is out with a broken leg and Anthony is shooting 41 percent. The offense has taken a huge step back from last season and the defense is now reliant on Andrea Bargnani for rim protection. Aside from Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr., it is difficult to imagine any of the players on this veteran roster getting appreciably better over the next few years. The team could come together as the season goes on, but there isn't much hope that this collection of players could challenge for a title.
Then there's the off the court stuff. New York strangely ousted Glen Grunwald in order to name Steve Mills the general manager, apparently gave J.R. Smith's brother Chris Smith a roster spot as part of a package deal and will make head coach Mike Woodson the scapegoat if things keep going south, according to Wojnarowski. There's never a shortage of controversy around the Knicks.
Anthony has indicated that he will opt out of the last year of his contract and become a free agent in July. Love will likely opt out of his a year later. Aside from playing in a bigger market, it’s hard to see what Love would gain from leaving Minnesota for New York. With the present looking bleak, though, it appears the Knicks have no choice but to sell Anthony on a different future.
Anthony and the Knicks' next game is against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Owner James Dolan guaranteed a victory while performing with his band. Of course he did.
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