Turiaf on 'negativeness': No, no no!
New New York Knick Ronny Turiaf clowns around with his name tag during Media Day. (Sept. 24, 2010) Credit: AP
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Ronny Turiaf 's ebullience in his first day wearing a Knicks uniform called to mind the time Bobby Bonilla put on a Mets cap and declared that the New York media "won't be able to knock the smile off my face.''
Turiaf doesn't want a lesson on the recent history of the Knicks. In fact, it seemed none of the new faces on this roster cared to hear about it.
"Let me tell you this, I'm going to change everybody's perception of negativeness,'' Turiaf said during Friday's Media Day at the MSG Training Center. His trademark excitability effervesced with every word, especially the one he made up. "It's a new word: Negativeness,'' he said. "I'm going to change people's perception of that around here. I'm not going to let that affect me. I'm going to affect other people. How about that?''
Consider Turiaf, a burly 6-10 forward, a foot soldier in that war against negativeness. It's going to take more than the usual rhetoric, of course, and probably will have to happen without Carmelo Anthony, whom the Knicks are not pursuing with any great desperation.
There were reports Friday that the Nets were working to land Anthony in a four-player trade, though talks are believed to be very preliminary. The Knicks do want Anthony, but they would prefer to sign him as a free agent next summer rather than gut their roster in a trade.
So for now, as training camp begins Saturday, that leaves Amar'e Stoudemire, the big catch of the long-anticipated offseason, with the franchise on his broad shoulders. He has embraced his newfound celebrity as a star in this city by jet-setting throughout the past month. But it's what he does on the court - and how he handles the pressure when things go wrong - that will resonate most.
"Obviously, there's going to be some good press and some bad press,'' Stoudemire said. "It's up to us to stay together.''
He was careful not to overstate the team's outlook for the season. Ending a six-year playoff drought is the obvious goal for this team, and Stoudemire said he believes the Knicks are "a top-eight team in the East.''
Top five? Stoudemire hit the brakes on that one. "I wouldn't give us too high of expectations,'' he said. "We're not quite there yet, but we're looking to eventually get to that point.''
Point guard Raymond Felton, the other key free-agent signing by the Knicks, said he and Stoudemire have to set the standard for the rest of the team. "We've got to bring it,'' he said, "in order for them to follow us.''
One of the holdovers, 2008 first-round pick Danilo Gallinari, said he plans to take ownership of this team as well. "Mike [D'Antoni] asked me to be more of a leader this year,'' he said, "and I want to accept that role.''
As far as the intense pressure to succeed that is sure to come after fans waited two long years for this rebuild to begin, Felton seemed to welcome it. "New York is an aggressive basketball city, no question,'' he said. "They love to win. It's a city that hates to lose. I love it. I love it.''
Another newcomer, Anthony Randolph, said what's happened in the past will stay in the past. "I think everybody's in here wide-eyed and looking toward the future,'' he said. "Everybody's goal is for the playoffs. I haven't heard one player say anything about the past. Everything has been geared toward the future.''
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