Pacers' Kyle O'Quinn still at home in Garden vs. Knicks

For a night, Kyle O’Quinn felt at home.

O’Quinn, who spent the last four seasons in New York, the city where he grew up, worked out before the game on the floor and then spent time with family and friends who had gathered at Madison Square Garden to say hello. But it was temporary, O’Quinn here as a member of the Indiana Pacers.

“A little different being in this visitors locker room,” O’Quinn said. “I haven’t seen this since almost my rookie or second year. A little different feeling but you know, my family was out there. Got that good warm feeling, my mom and them, nephews and things. So we covered all corners on that.”

O’Quinn opted to leave as a free agent after attending David Fizdale’s introductory news conference at the Garden. He signed a one-year deal with Indiana, but has played sparingly -- averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in just eight minutes per game, not even getting into two other games.

"It was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made in my basketball career,” O’Quinn said. “At the end of the day, you talk to your agent, you talk to the people that help you, but it comes down to you. And that was like the biggest decision I’ve ever made as far as making a decision in my career. So I slept on it, I prayed on it. and I made the decision, I’m sticking with it. But there’s no secret that I would have loved to play for Fizdale or be here. It just was something I couldn’t control at the time.”

“Kyle is first-class, man,” Fizdale said. “He was one of those veterans that we saw as a guy that could mentor. But at the same time, I understand, I get it. This is the league. You’ve got to put yourself in the best position that you can be in, but I’ve got a lot of respect for Kyle. He’s always been a hard-working, first-class player in this league and a great guy for young players.”