The Knicks Fix

I gave it a day before I took on my favorite Knicks subject. But while catching up on what I've missed over the past week, I saw the Knicks webiste did a few "exclusive" interviews with N8 the Gr8, Q-Rich and Serenity Steph.

(Quick Journalism 101: "exclusive interview" usually means no one else happened to be there for the conversation . . . it's a pretentious adjective tossed into some writers' stories to make them appear as if they have better access than others when, actually, they just happened to catch the subject alone...sometimes some of us get these so-called "exclusive" interviews but don't use the "exclusive" tag because you figure it's obvious the next day when no one else has the quotes...but I have a problem with "exclusive" when it's an interview about an inane topic..what's so "exclusive" about marbury saying he'd love to play with kobe bryant? do i need to hear him say that to be convinced of it?...anyway, in this case, the Knicks website has exclusive access for obvious reasons - no one from the general media bothered to show up).

I have to admit - and h8 myself for it - but Little Man N8 is growing on me like his puffy afro that is obviously being cultivated for corn rows come autumn. Or he's going Ben Wallace and hoping it gets him to the 6-foot level.

Movie break:

Chick Hearn: He's 6'5", with the afro, 6'9". Four Million dollars a year sure..but he's worth every penny. Fletch, he defines grace under pressure

OK back.

I told you all I was mostly impressed with N8's MVP showing at the summer league. But you can't get too excited about it because, well, it's summer league. And he was by far the best athlete there. What I like hearing from N8 - and I'm believing him, which is another limb I'm climbing out on - is that he's been here in New York, working on his game at the MSG Training Facility. He says he's been meeting regularly with Isiah Thomas. He's even reviewing film (and it's not just Chris Tucker movies. Side note: if you ever heard Nate talk and joke around, it's all Chris Tucker goofery...and I actually think Chris Tucker is a funny dude).

But, look, I know the Knicks' Last Man Standing tournament was sponsored by McDonalds, but knowing Nate's poor eating habits, was it really a good idea having him at a Mickey-D's to do this interview?

(You do notice Nate in the photo, don't you? He's somewhere in that Happy Meal.)

From a distance, N8 does seem like he is aware this is his career right here. He either shows up at camp ready to play serious minutes and be a contributing player behind Stephon Marbury, or he will ready himself for the And-1 Tour.

"I'm working out at the practice facility still," N8 says in the interview. "I'm staying here in New York -- I'm not going home to see my friends and family. I told them that I am trying to do my best in the NBA now and go down in history, so nothing against my family, but right now I'm hungry. I want to win, I want to go to the playoffs, and I want to win a championship. That is my goal, so now I am not going to let anything get in my way. So I am just working out and conditioning. I am watching a lot of film. I'm watching a lot of Steve Nash and other great point guards in the NBA and am just trying to get it done."

And when he was asked about returning to the Slam Dunk competition, you have to appreciate his answer: "I am always up for the challenge of trying some new dunks and coming up with some dunks that nobody has ever seen, but right now all I want to do is win. I will give up everything I can just to win games."

We want to believe you, Nate. We really do.

* *

- Q-Rich says he's cleared to run full-court, full-contact. He's going to be doing it twice-a-day at his gym in Chicago. As I told you guys earlier in the month, Q-Rich and Eddy Curry will be going with some other NBAers to a Chicago gym "Hoops" owned by Tim Grover, renown fitness guru for pro athletes. Perhaps rookie Wilson Chandler, a fellow DePaul product, will find his way there, too.

- Did some more thinking, reading about the new-look Celtics.

The options to stabilize the point guard position (which right now has 21-year-old Rajon Rondo as the starter) are few. Brevin Knight is out there, but while he can defend and has experience, he's injury prone. The T-Wolves bought out Troy Hudson after they traded KG and there was immediately a thought that Hudson could follow KG to Beantown, but that doesn't make much sense, considering Hudson is a shooter, not a passer, and, sometimes, he can be labeled as a chucker.

There's a lot of buzz about Juan Carlos Navarro's impending move to the NBA from Europe. The Wizards, who hold his rights, are reportedly listening to about 10 offers. One report said that Ernie Grunfeld told Danny Ainge he would want Paul Pierce in return for Navarro. Ernie's no dummy. He knows the Celtics' improvement only means competition for his team's playoff aspirations. Pau Gasol would love to have him in Memphis, so a Navarro-to-Grizzlies scenario is one worth watching.

Gary Payton is apparently retired, but would he give Boston a second try for the veteran's minimum? Would you want him to?

As for their bench, the papers in Boston both suggest that Doc Rivers would love to get Dikembe Mutombo to back up Kendrick Perkins. That's a lot of fouls at the 5 spot, but they're going to need them. Mutombo showed last season with Houston, when Yao Ming went down, that he still could contribute in a big spot.

If that doesn't work out, what about Chinese big man Wang Zhizhi? Reports say he's looking to get back into the NBA (he last played for the Miami Heat in 2004-05) and he was very active for the Chinese national team at the summer league in Vegas earlier this month.

"We're not done," Ainge said regarding his roster.

Of course not. You don't invest that much in three star players (each of whom need the ball fed to them) and then do nothing to insure their success.

But on the other hand, it's going to be a long winter in Minnesota.