NBA Free Agent Rumors: NY Knicks Trying to Keep Marcus Camby from Miami Heat

The New York Knicks are in hot pursuit of free agent Marcus Camby, but aren’t solely looking to acquire him as just a backup to starter Tyson Chandler.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks are looking to hamstring the Miami Heat by signing the 38-year-old center.

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The Knicks’ big push for Camby—besides needing a backup for Chandler—could also be tied with keeping him from the Miami Dream Team, which became dreamier with the addition of Ray Allen. The Heat have had a giant void at center the past two seasons, and Camby can start with them rather than coming off the bench with the Knicks

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Considering that the Heat are on the heels of winning an NBA championship and clearly look like the best team in the league, it’s going to be hard for the Knicks to convince Camby to ride the pine in the Big Apple rather than join the starting five in South Beach.

Since both Miami and New York are over the cap, they will not be able to land Camby without Houston—the team the veteran was dealt to last season—agreeing to a sign-and-trade.

Berman found that the Knicks would likely be giving up Toney Douglas and cash to pay for his $2 million contract, a second-round pick and Dan Gadzuric’s non-guaranteed $1.4 million deal.

Miami would have to likely offer up Norris Cole, a promising young guard.

One thing New York has in its favor is the fact that Camby was a member of the organization from 1998-2002 and enjoyed his time with the team. They made the 1999 NBA Finals with the UMass product providing big minutes off the bench.

His presence would once again be welcome in 2012, especially if it means the best team in the conference will not get better. The Knicks met the Heat in the first round of the playoffs this year and were quickly eliminated, four games to one.

The Knicks are hoping that Camby once again embraces a familiar role as the first big off the bench for a championship contender and decides to take his talents to New York over Miami.