David Lee Big Times Me
One thing about being a part of the big, bad New York media is you have to know your place and, while it's not easy to accept, understand where you are in the pecking order.
Me? I've discovered this week that I'm somewhere below Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. I discovered this after asking the Knicks PR staff since last week to try to get me D-Lee for a short phone interview. A little bit on how his mysterious bone-bruise injury is healing, how he feels about the talk of the Knicks going after top shelf power forwards (with him likely going the other way in any trade) and, of course, his former Gators coach Billy Donovan.
Instead of in Newsday, he answered all of these questions yesterday on WFAN.
It's like that episode of Seinfeld.
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George: I'm sorry. I can't live knowing Ted Danson makes that much more than me. Who is he?
Jerry: He's somebody.
George: What about me?
Jerry: You're nobody.
George: Why him? Why not me?
Jerry: He's good, you're not.
George: I'm better than him.
Jerry: You're worse, much much worse.
-----
So it goes.
I like David anyway. I know what he was up to. He was pushing a product. One that, being snubbed, I refuse to promote for him. But I will say that David was one of only a few Knicks who at the end of the season said good-bye with a well-meaning handshake.
Anyway, here's some highlights of the conversation David had with Joe and Evan. You can hear the whole thing at the WFAN website.
- He said playing the sixth man role took some time to adjust to, but he learned to embrace it. "Basically, it's all a mental game."
- He's shooting 1,000 jumpers a day and also working on his ball-handling to improve two weak areas of his game. "I'm definitely not going to get worse at it," he added.
- Regardling the Jermaine O'Neal/Kevin Garnett talk - "The thing about the New York media is there's rumors every day . . . if my name is mentioned, i'm really trying not to pay too much attention to it." (Is that another shot at the writers?) Lee added that he's working hard to have a big season next year and wants to be in New York.
- On Donovan's wacky weekend, going from Florida to Orlando back to Florida - "That was a crazy situation."
- Is Donovan's intense-style right for the NBA? - "That's tough to do over an 82-game season."
- On his bone-bruise, leg injury - "I'm gradually getting back into it, getting better each day and getting stronger each day . . . I'm definitely back to just about normal now."
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By the way - Phil Ford's departure from the Knicks bench to be an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats won't leave a vacancy. In fact, the Knicks coaching staff was a bit oversized this past season. Isiah Thomas opted to keep Larry Brown holdovers such as Ford and Dave Hanners because they were under contract. With Ford off to Charlotte, the Knicks still have five assistant coaches - Herb Williams, Mark Aguirre, Brendan Suhr, George Glymph and Hanners.
Only if Williams left would there be a reason to start a campaign to bring Patrick Ewing on the staff. Williams and Aguirre do a good job with the bigs. But that doesn't mean the Knicks shouldn't reach out to Ewing to join the organization as some form of a development coach or advisor. Eddy Curry should have him as a mentor.
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Comments (9)
"I like David anyway. I know what he was up to. He was pushing a product. One that, being snubbed, I refuse to promote for him. But I will say that David was one of only a few Knicks who at the end of the season said good-bye with a well-meaning handshake."
I think everyone present just wants to hear the news. I'd rather you didn't promote anyone. Just facts. Unbiased. Objective Commentary, please.
I know you have to sell papers but in a sea of Biased reporting, you can stand out.
If not, you're just as bad as the players that you scold for having an agenda or pushing a product.
You know what. You're doing okay after all. I misread your line where you said you wouldn't promote him.
In fact, you said you wouldn't promote his product.
good one.
apologies.
Ewing should be involved somehow with the Knicks...not only is it good PR but he can definitly help with Curry's progress. Ewing deserves better and he should be on the sidelines. No doubt about it!
All I care about is that he is shooting 1,000 jumpers a day. I hope the order knicks are doing the same. Because I believe if Lee, Jeffereis, Balkman improve their shooting, even without a trade the knicks will be that much better.
Alan, at least you are higher up the pecking order then when you were reporting on the Icelanders!
Screw Ewing coming to help the knicks////hello did we evere win the big 1 with him uuuuummmmm NOOOOOOOO!!!! So having him take curry out of his game by having the BIG MAN shoot 15/20-fters aint gonna help us 1bit it didn't then it aint now please stop living in the past because our future looks bleek!!!!
Alan,
Probably not the best idea to post stuff that shows what a lazy, weak reporter you are. Can't get the phone number of a second-year player after covering him for a season? Sad.
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