MINNEAPOLIS — Carmelo Anthony wasn’t tampering late Monday night in the visitor’s dressing room at The Palace of Auburn Hills when asked about 2015 free agent Kevin Love, but he clearly gave away how much he thinks of him.
As the Knicks front office readies to show Anthony its grand plan after the season for building a title-contending team, the 2015 salary-cap space and the potential addition of Minnesota’s monster power forward is high on the wish list. The Knicks, losers of seven straight after falling to the lowly Pistons and bearers of a 21-40 record, face Love and the Timberwolves Wednesday night at Target Center.
The Knicks expect to have cap flexibility starting this summer with a load of expiring 2015 contracts that have trade value, including Tyson Chandler’s. Chandler, who could be used as a pawn in a trade for Love, may see the writing on the wall, and Monday he wondered aloud if he wants to be around for the rebuild.
President Steve Mills was hired in September to guide the Knicks through this reconstruction. But who knew they would be starting from such a low point. The Knicks are all but assured of missing the playoffs without the benefit of a lottery pick, already racking up 40 losses with 21 games left. They need to go 20-1 just to finish .500.
The 2015 free-agent class is a gem with Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony buddy Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol and possibly LeBron James and Chris Bosh if they don’t opt out this summer.
“Where you going with this?’’ Anthony said half-kiddingly when Love’s name was mentioned.
He was asked if he and Love, together on the 2012 US Olympic Team, are similar players as stretch 4s.
“I didn’t know we had similarities,’’ Anthony said. “He’s a guy who became a stretch 4 but never was a stretch 4. He worked on his shot, his 3-ball and stretching the floor and spreading the floor out. He can also go inside. He’s one helluva rebounder. He’s a big load. He’s gotten better every year since he’s been in the league and still is.’’
With the Knicks in tatters, it’s hard to imagine any player wanting to sign with them, including Anthony. Love is a West Coast product who played at UCLA and the Lakers are going to be the favorites to land him.
With the expiring contracts of Chandler, Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani, the Knicks will have flexibility at next year’s trade deadline. If it looks like Love is leaving frigid Minnesota, the Wolves may trade him for any asset they can, and the Knicks would pounce at a sign-and-extend for Love the way they landed Anthony three years ago.
One league source said of the Knicks’ bid for Love, “They’re selling New York fans land in New Mexico.’’
When Love visited the Garden in November, he made a remark about how he “loves’’ the Big Apple. Love believed the comment was taken out of context and wouldn’t discuss it during All-Star weekend with regard to his free-agent aspirations.
“If I say that I like Charlotte or ‘Charlotte is a great city, I love spending time there,’ then all of a sudden I’m going to Charlotte,” Love said. “Anything I say is going to be a misconception or be some sort of a headline. It’s silly.
“Sure [free agency] is brought up. It crosses my mind. In a way, I just try to put that aside. It’s a question that’s always going to be brought up. Really, I would love not to talk about it and focus on winning now with the Timberwolves.”
The Knicks got an early taste of Love’s potential greatness when he racked up the league’s first 30-30 game in 28 years. Love did it in 2010, embarrassing Stoudemire, in his first month in a Knick uniform when he was still playing at an All-Star level.
Considering Detroit’s young big man Andre Drummond hauled in 26 rebounds Monday against Stoudemire and Chandler, imagine the damage Love might do Wednesday. Love is coming off a fabulous February, when he averaged 34 points and 14 rebounds.
“It was one of the best months I can remember anybody having,’’ Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said.
The Knicks, meanwhile, are amidst one of their most depressing periods in history. Anthony questioned the team’s pride, J.R. Smith questioned the team’s heart and Stoudemire questioned whether Smith should be questioning anybody.
Even stoic Chandler, who has seen his play regress this season, wondered if he’ll finish the final $14.4 million season of his contract as a Knick.
Asked by The Post Monday night if he wants to be with the Knicks for the rebuild, Chandler said, “That’s something I have to visit during the offseason. I think we all have a lot of decisions to make.”