Knicks' visit to Anthony's Nuggets a welcome distraction
Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony listening during a news conference at the team's media day. Despite the persistent trade rumors over the summer, Anthony still remains in a Nuggets uniform. (Sept. 27, 2010) Credit: AP
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - The Knicks, who could use a distraction, will get one Tuesday night when they visit Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets.
Will Carmelo stay with the Nuggets? Will he get traded? Does he plan to sign with the Knicks after the season?
None of those questions will be answered Tuesday night. But at least the Knicks will have something to think about other than their five-game skid and 3-7 start. It could be a little awkward, but Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni isn't concerned with that.
"The only awkwardness is that he's really good," D'Antoni said after practice Monday. "If he wasn't any good, it wouldn't be very awkward. We'll worry about that. There's always distractions, and when you start off slow it's a distraction. We've got to be tough enough, character and mental toughness, to overcome that."
The Knicks' mental toughness, among other items, was questioned by Amar'e Stoudemire after Sunday's 104-96 loss to the Houston Rockets. Stoudemire questioned the Knicks' "urgency," "attitude" and "heart."
In his most pointed comment, Stoudemire said: "Maybe a winning mentality has never been here. I'm not used to that. I'm used to winning."
Team president Donnie Walsh said Stoudemire's words were an example of good leadership. "I thought it was totally that," he said. "I didn't think he called anybody out. He called out everybody - including himself . . . I know that it was the same in Indy when I took over. And that's a hump you've got to get over. You change the players, it still lingers on. I'm not quite sure why. Could be the town itself, it could be just the way you're being perceived, and you buy into it. You can't buy into it. And you do need a guy to take you out of that. I had Reggie Miller who wouldn't accept that."
D'Antoni chalked up Stoudemire's words to normal postgame frustration. "You come to me right after the game, I'm fuming at the mouth, and he is too, rightly so," he said. "We can always do better. We can all have more heart and more character. But you've got to put it in context that we're all trying to figure this out. We've got 10 new guys and we're not playing with the speed on offense that we need to play. We'll solve that problem. And when we solve it, we should be better."
Stoudemire said he and D'Antoni spoke about the issues Monday. "I feel a lot better," Stoudemire said. "Actually understanding the problems that we had in the previous games. I think now we understand that our back is against the wall to really buy into the system. The first 10 games of the season we didn't quite buy into the system. We know what type of team we are. We just have to make sure that we all are on the same page and I think today's practice was a great indication of that."
Notes & quotes: Ronny Turiaf (knee) practiced and is probable for tonight's game.
