D'Antoni happy with rookie Fields' growth

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Knicks rookie Landry Fields' answer was, "I have no idea. No idea."

The question, after yesterday's workout, regarded Fields' role when the Knicks open the 2010-11 season Wednesday night in Toronto.

Might Fields, a second-round draft pick out of Stanford, crack the starting lineup? Is he the shooting guard Mike D'Antoni is looking for? Can he provide much-needed help on the boards?

Fields' response, meanwhile, would not be out of place in the big-picture, general query about the Knicks' significantly reshaped team. Can this team, 29-53 last season, hope to reach the .500 mark for the first time in 10 seasons? Does it possibly have a shot at the playoffs?

Plenty of start-of-the-season mystery prevails, and the 6-7 Fields - a guard/forward hybrid - contributed to the intrigue with a strong preseason.

D'Antoni included Fields among the "very positive things that happened in preseason . . . we didn't know Landry Fields was going to help us out. He has a good feel for the game, knows when to go back-door, extremely energetic, goes after every rebound, runs the floor, just a lot of good stuff."

D'Antoni described Fields' potential assignments "from starting to coming in and playing some significant minutes; we'll see. He's still a rookie so a lot is still unknown, but I'm real comfortable playing him."

Fields, for his part, professes no fear and trembling, whatever his job. NBA players, he said, "are just basketball players, you know. Get dressed same way we do. Any time you make somebody bigger than they are, it just messes up your own game.

"With me, it's all about remaining ready. Starting, coming off the bench, maybe not playing at all. With me, I take it one day at a time. If you can run, you can play in [D'Antoni's] system. So it's good."

Amar'e Stoudemire, of course, is the primary difference in this season's team. Asked about "reconnecting" with the All-Star from his time with Stoudemire in Phoenix, D'Antoni said, "I don't know about reconnecting. Having one of the best players in the NBA on your team, it's great. I missed him, obviously; you see my record? We had a great run in Phoenix and hopefully we can do well here."

Stoudemire insisted this is "going to be a great year for us, and we're ready. I think we're going to be pretty good. I really do. Just got to make sure we control the boards, can't give them second-chance points, can't turn the ball over . . . "

From the team's other prominent free agent, point guard Raymond Felton, comes this: "Gotta bear with us. We've got a good enough team to make the playoffs, but I'm not going to get up and scream that."

Notes & quotes: The Knicks exercised their options on the contracts of Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph and Toney Douglas.

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