The Knicks Fix

Danilo Gallinari took the usual Jerome James posistion on the first day of training camp: courtside on a stationary bike. Meanwhile, Jerome ran the floor like he was chasing after the $12.8 million he stood to lose if he didn't show up here ready to play.

"When it’s my time to hang it up, it’s my time to hang it up," Jerome said after the morning workout. "But I just felt it wasn’t my time yet. When that time comes I’m going to do that, but right now it’s not my time."

It was close. The 7-1 James admitted that he ballooned to as much as 347 pounds this summer. He attributed it to not being able to run from March until August. And that if he just looks at a Krispy Kreme . . .

“The body I got, if I work out, I lose weight like anything," he said. "But if I take any time off it just pounces back on me.”

Thirty pounds of it pounced back off him since August, which means he's still well over 300 but at least he can participate in actual drills. James looked good getting up and down in different up-tempo drills during the two-hour morning conditioning session. And despite his lumbering body, he feels like he can contribute in Mike D'Antoni's high-octane system.

"It's the same way we played in Seattle," James said. "Whatever it took to get Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis open, I ran the floor and set picks. Block shots, defense."

Speaking of Seattle, James said he has "something to prove to the people of New York. I want to let them know I am the Jerome James that played in Seattle and took care of business out there. I mean, I did my thing in Seattle.”

As for the injury problems that plagued his Knicks career: "I’m tired of getting hurt. So if I stay healthy, I’m going to play.”

He also might tear down a rim here at Skidmore College before the week is over. These are the type that shatter pretty easily.

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* - While James was the biggest early surprise of camp (literally), the first concern comes with the other Knicks big man who has had conditioning issues: Eddy Curry. He sat out the morning session because he's battling with a virus that revealed itself with a fever on Monday night. D'Antoni admitted he was disappointed that Curry already missed a day, but then he added, "You know what, I heard he was throwing up and everything, so, it's a great way to lose weight."

* - One thing you immediately notice about Allan Houston is he doesn't run with the gimp he had in his gait during his short comeback attempt last season. He runs fluidly, though doesn't have a great burst of speed nor can he stop and pop on a dime. But he can shoot it. I don't recall seeing him miss in the drills this morning.

* - Danny Grunfeld looks so much like his dad it's amazing. I said to him, 'Danny, all you need to do is grow the mustache." He replied, "You want to hear something funny? I can't grow one. It just doesn't come in."

Not a good day for some technical issues with the blog site. While Mike D (Journal News) and Steven A (Bergen Record) were pounding out quotes to share on their blogs, I was pounding my laptop into bits and pieces because our site kept crashing when I'd hit send. I managed to get the K-Berg photo up, but nothing else.

So now that it seems like things are working again this morning, let's try this again. I'm up at the hotel here in Saratoga Springs preparing for the first practice of the year.

Most of you have probably read the obvious headline moments from yesterday's Media Day. Here's a link to my story in the print edition.

It was all Marbury, as expected. If you're tired of hearing about it for now -- pretty much all of the stories centered around that theme -- here are some moments to share that flew under the radar:

* - Gallinari injury speculation grows with Dr. Berman's "sciatica" prognosis. All kidding aside, I think anything's possible at this point, including surgery. So I asked Gallo what he thought of a growing suspicion that he is a fragile player. He didn't get offended, but you could tell he didn't like the label.

“It’s a thing that probably if I’m a journalist and I see a guy hurt, I would think about it that this guy is probably going to be hurt all the season," he said. "But it’s not true about me. I will be ready.”

* - Zach Randolph said he heard the trade rumors but is fine with still being a Knick and vows to do whatever Mike D'Antoni asks of him, even if it means coming off the bench. "If that’s going to help our team win," Zach said, "then that’s what I’m going to do.” Funny moment came when Frank Isola asked him about the team drafting a player they expect to eventually fill his role as power forward and Zach quickly cut him off with a perturbed, "Who?!"

Um, Zach, have you met Danilo?

* - Chris Duhon isn't deferring to anyone despite Stephon Marbury's continued presence on the roster. I asked Chris if he felt because of Marbury's tenure as the starting point guard that he might feel like he should defer to him in practice.

“You don’t defer, you go out and compete," he said. "I’m a competitor. I want to go out there and show and prove not only to myself but my teammates and the coaching staff that I can compete at a high level and play. I look at it as a challenge. Not making it a distraction, it’s a challenge.”

* - Quentin Richardson has that swagger back from two seasons ago and you can tell he wants to take up more of a leadership role with this team. "I’m in a place where I know I will say something," Q said. "I will try and right whatever wrong’s been done."

* - Jerome James says he's going back to Seattle after he sat mostly ignored at his table in the gym. At one point he got up, walked past Jamal Crawford's table and said, "Man, I'm going back to Seattle," which is a reference to the one NBA city where he was relevant to the media. Crawford replied, "There's no team there anymore."

More to come this afternoon between the practice sessions. The morning session will be more drills and conditioning.

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Let's re-open the caption contest, since it seems no one was able to post on the previous entry.

And I can hear K-Berg singing a little Britney this morning...

It's getting late
To give you up
I took a sip
From my devil cup
Slowly
It's taking over me

With a taste of your lips
I'm on a ride
You're toxic
I'm slipping under
With a taste of poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic
And I love what you do
Don't you know that you're toxic.

Let's have a contest here on the Fix to kick off training camp the right way. Come up with your best caption for this photo and win the opportunity to post your own blog here on the Knicks Fix.

Monday morning we hit the road to start a new season. A bunch of sportswriters will pile into my Jeep and head up the New York Thruway to a place called Saratoga Springs to begin writing the first chapter of the 63rd season in New York Knicks history.

Me: It's 173 miles to Saratoga, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of Slim Jims, it's a new era but we're still writing about Marbury.

Starberman: Hit it.

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On a serious note, it was interesting to see that the story behind Donnie Walsh's health issues were revealed Sunday by Peter Vescey. He had a piece of his tongue removed in late June because of cancer.

We all noticed that Donnie was slurring his speech at the Chris Duhon press conference back in July and we politely kept it out of print. Walsh seemed worn down in Vegas at the NBA Summer League and Vescey's story explains why.

Throughout the ordeal, Walsh and his staff -- credit Glen Grunwald here -- were still able to get some things done, such as Duhon and also dealing Renaldo Balkman to create space for promising rookie legacy Patrick Ewing, Jr. It's still one of the most notable trades in recent history because the Knicks were actually able to make something useful out of the Freddie Weis draft disaster.

But Walsh was not able to get that Clipper deal done, which was something discussed in mid-July. Walsh wouldn't talk about it on Friday and made reference to how "Mike" (as in Clips coach Mike Dunleavy) was a friend and he left it at that. Clearly something bothered him there with the Clips doing an about-face and taking Marcus Camby from Denver instead of Zach Randolph.

The good news that came from the story is Donnie says he is cancer-free and has finally kicked a decades-long smoking habit.

Here's to hoping the coming season doesn't test his will power.

* *

Media Day is Monday afternoon. I'll check in here at the Fix afterwards to give you a little taste before we all jump into my ride and do the Saratoga Shuffle.

The roster may be mostly the same as it was a year ago when the Knicks won a mere 23 games, but there is some evidence of tangible change with this franchise.

Responsibility.

Mike D'Antoni candidly admitted he was expecting a lot more out of the summer than merely the additions of Chris Duhon, Anthony Roberson and Patrick Ewing, Jr.

“To be honest, I thought things would change," he said, "but in the NBA, it takes two to tango.”

Donnie Walsh had a chance to dump Zach Randolph's hefty contract to the Clippers, but before he could get into a deep discussion the Clips pulled out and instead scooped up Marcus Camby from the Denver Nuggets instead.

Walsh yesterday decided not to discuss his frustration the Clipper situation because he is close to Clips coach Mike Dunleavy. But when it comes to the Memphis Grizzlies talks for Randolph, clearly Donnie wasn't happy with that deal. And in saying so, he gave a strong indication that no longer would the Knicks be a dumping ground for bad contracts and subject to lopsided deals because of the Garden riches.

“Look," Walsh asid, "if you called up the New York Knicks and every trade you said, ‘I want a first-round pick, $3 million and you get a lesser player than I’m getting,’ at some point I think somebody’s got to say, ‘I’m not going to do that.’”

Walsh has a similar attitude about buyouts, which is why, he says, he is so reluctant to just hand Stephon Marbury $21.9 million to go away.

"I was doing this in Indiana for a long time and I can’t remember buying out a contract," he said. "I really can’t. I dealt with it with trades, I guess. I always tried not to do that. That isn’t good management if you have to do that.”

But considering he works for an owner who has showed a willingness to do it in the past, would he?

“I don’t know," he said. "I haven’t asked the question yet.”

Lots to discuss today after an afternoon at MSG for Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni's preseason media adresses.

Will be on with loyal Fixer Brandon Tierney at 8:40 p.m. on ESPN Radio. Listen in if you can. BT always gives props to the Fix and is a regular visitor.

Check back here later tonight for a blog about today's notes and quotes.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert spoke out about the "insult to the city" of Cleveland that is the ongoing speculation that LeBron James will leave for New York in two years.

"People in your profession are very bored on both sides of the country," Gilbert told the Associated Press. "There's no basketball going on so they write this stuff."

Gilbert is likely referring to ESPN, which recently had a story on its website with predictions about where LeBron will wind up in 2010. Coincidentally, of the 25 writers, editors and contributors at ESPN that were polled, 11 said he'll stay in Cleveland. Eight said he'd get ova with H-to-tha-Izzo and the Nets.

Five said he'd go for the Madison Avenue gold mine and the Knicks.

But, perhaps, Mr. Gilbert also gets his Knicks Fix.

While the "insult to the mid-west" whining is a trite attempt at conjuring a small town vs. big city emotions, Gilbert should do all he can to keep LBJ, who has that opt-out in 2010. But over the next two years, whether he likes it or not, there will be two teams in New York who will do all they can to be in position to lure away one of the league's best and most marketable players.

An insult? No, Mr. Gilbert, that's merely smart business.

And if you think us slugs in the sportswriting business are the only ones saying it, take a listen to what Dwyane Wade said about it to Newsday's Ken Berger last week.

"He's one of the best players in the game and you only could see him getting better," Wade told K-Berg. "I'm in a good market in Miami. He's not in a good market in Cleveland, marketing-wise, so it just makes sense that everyone wants to see one of the best players in one of the best markets.

"Kobe's in one of the best markets already in L.A. Everybody wants LeBron in a great market, and that's why they already put him in a New York jersey. It's going to be a lot to decide for him."

Gotta get off the Marbury thing for a bit....cleared my head while working out earlier today and had some Big Daddy Kane pop up on the shuffle mix. I gotta get ready for the season, too. Get ready to write, to incite with insight, to, as Clyde might say, opine and rhyme.

Brain cells are lit, ideas start to hit
Next the formation of words that fit
At the table I sit, makin it legit
And when my pen hits the paper - awww sh......!

Buried in my story in today's Newsday is information about some other roster moves the Knicks are working on. I'm aware of my batting average lately so I'm thinking I'm due to get one right eventually.
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From today's Newsday:
The Knicks are also working on parting ways with a few other veteran players. The team is still trying to get oft-injured Jerome James to retire to free up a roster spot and clear the remaining two years and $12.6 million left on his contract off the salary cap. Forward Malik Rose, who has one year and $7.6 million left on his deal, is also a buyout candidate.
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Even if the Knicks are forced to keep Marbury, if these two moves come to fruition (neither may happen until we get deeper into the preseason) it would leave the Knicks with 14 players for a 15-man roster. Add Allan Houston, who sign a non-guaranteed contract today for another attempt at a comeback, the Knicks will be at the full 15-man roster.

Dan Grunfeld, Ernie's son, was also signed to a non-guaranteed deal to come into camp. The kid's a terrific shooter, but let's politely assume right now he's not currently in the plans going into October.

As such, here's the lineup (in alphabetical order):

Wilson Chandler
Mardy Collins
Jamal Crawford
Eddy Curry
Chris Duhon
Patrick Ewing, Jr.
Danilo Gallinari
Allan Houston
Jared Jeffries
David Lee
Stephon Marbury
Zach Randolph
Quentin Richardson
Anthony Roberson
Nate Robinson

There they are, your 2008-09 New York Knicks.

Only his words were dancing this time. Stephon is still Stephon, but in this NBC video, Bruce Beck gives him the opportunity to talk about possibly being waived and where he is at this point in his career. Stephon does come off sincere, but for some reason I think we've heard this all before.

It's tame for a Marbury video, but it does get a little silly late in the interview, especially when a bee comes into the shot and Marbury reacts and they recall his infamous appearance on Mike'D Up. Stephon then says, "C'mon Mike!"

To which Beck replies, "It's Bruce."

A few other highlights:

Will you negotiate a buyout?

"Why would I settle when I earned the money I'm about to receive?"

[You already earned this year's salary?]

What do you have to say to the fans?

"All I want to do is win. I'm a New York kid just like you. I read the papers just like you . . . I understand how y'all feel inside your heart. You're real New York fans; when you love, you love hard and when you get mad, you get mad hard. So I understand that. I just want another chance, that's it. If I can get another chance which I think I'm being given, I'm gonna take full advantage of it. And if not, I understand, it's a business. I'll keep it moving and I'll go someplace else. My heart is in New York."

[Oh Steph, you had me at "mad har...never mind"]

Can you be a good soul, a good teammate all year?

"That's all I've been."

[Cough, cough...what?]