The Knicks, one of a handful of teams linked to Josh Howard over the summer, are still interested in the veteran swingman, a league source tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Howard met with the Sixers on Monday and Tuesday, a week after he visited the Spurs.
Howard was reportedly close to making a decision on where to sign at the end of July, with the Knicks one of five teams he was to have been choosing between, but nothing materialized. We heard a month later that the Knicks were one of three teams still in on him, and now it appears the Knicks are again a part of a new set of NBA clubs going after the 32-year-old former All-Star. He could be viewed as an alternative to Tracy McGrady, whom the Knicks are apparently no longer pursuing. The persistence of their interest would seem to make the Knicks a favorite to land Howard, but that's just my speculation.
When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors looked today at free agents likely to receive more than the minimum, Howard received an honorable mention of sorts. Given the length of time his free agency has dragged on since he was reportedly close to a deal, it seems he's been holding out for more than the minimum, though the tenor of negotations may have changed since then, and Howard could simply be fighting for a deal that's fully guaranteed. He's been injury-hit the last several years, having played no more than 52 games in a season since 2007/08. Last year, he averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 23.0 minutes with a 10.5 PER for the Jazz.