http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/knicks/arch...ll_already.html</p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <h5>A pall already cast on season</h5> By MARC BERMAN</p> Some quick observations from Media Day that did not include Isiah Thomas, who was in federal court STILL awaiting a verdict, already casting a pall on the 2007-2008 season. The Knicks were set to take their flight to Charleston early tonight - the chances of Isiah being on hand to run the first practice tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. very bleak.</p> <div id="a004959more"> <div id="more"> Eddy Curry went into detail about the harrowing night he got robbed at gunpoint and tied up in his Chicago home. One of the craziest revelations came when one of the burglars had a gun to his back, and they walked down the staircase. The burglar tripped and they both fell down the stairs. The gun did not go off. Curry also said he is "so curious'' to see how he and Zach mesh on the blocks.</p> Jamal Crawford hit the weight room during the summer for maybe the first time in his career. The bulked-up Crawford is up to 204 pounds - from last season's 187. Crawford said he wanted to be stronger toget through screens and become more durable. He said he's planning on being the starting shooting guard.</p> Malik Rose expects to be here all season. During exit interviews last April, Rose said Isiah cherishes his off-the-court leadership. Malik said, "I hope to add something on the court too.''</p> Zach Randolph did not look in great shape at all. And he and Eddy Curry have yet to be on the court together because Randolph didn't arrive in New York until last Wednesday for his physical.</p> Stephon Marbury was his usual offbeat self, talking about finding Jesus on June 29th. Allan Houston will fit right in.</p> For the most part, the players blamed the tabloid media for blowing the Isiah trial out of proportion. Which is why, knowing the landscape, James Dolan should never have let this go to trial. Now the owner who claims to do everything possible to have the Knicks win on the basketball court head into their first week of practice without their head coach and president.</p> This can only happen to the Knicks.</div></p> </div> </div>
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10022007/sport...t_a_.htm?page=0</p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <h1>KNICKS A FREAK SHOW BUT NOT A ZEKE SHOW</h1> October 2, 2007 -- Eddy Curry sat at one table, talking about nearly getting accidentally shot during a robbery at his Chicago home in July. Stephon Marbury sat at another table, saying he found Jesus on June 29. Zach Randolph was in another corner, looking puffy, admitting he's only in OK shape.</p> Isiah Thomas was not at any table on Knicks media day in Westchester yesterday, was not at their campus, was not on last night's team flight to Charleston, S.C., and won't be at the first practice this morning and possibly all week.</p> Who'll be running camp with the Knicks coach and president languishing in legal limbo? Probably assistant coach Herb Williams, though nobody knew for sure yesterday.</p> The balls have yet to be rolled out and the Knicks already are a mess, capping a summer that went downhill after the Randolph trade on draft night. The Knicks improved their roster, not their image.</p> "It affects us that our head coach won't be there, but we support him," Marbury said. "This is something that has to go on for the time being. It doesn't change our mindset. His presence will definitely be missed, but we all understand what we have to do. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out."</p> It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce owner James Dolan used bad judgment in allowing Anucha Browne Sanders' sexual-harassment suit to go to trial instead of settling and sparing the Knicks immense embarrassment and disrupting training camp.</p> Yesterday, Thomas was in federal court in Manhattan for jury deliberations. During the trial, Marbury got dragged into the muck for his extramarital truck tryst three years ago with former intern Kathleen Decker surfacing.</p> "This, too, shall pass," Marbury said yesterday. "If I went into everybody's lives and dug up what I needed to dig up, I'm almost positive there'll be skeletons in some people's closet. Nobody on this earth is perfect."</p> The Knicks' summer turned surreal, starting in July, when Curry and his wife were tied up during a robbery by gun-wielding punks. In his first remarks on the subject, Curry said he was close to being shot after he and the burglar tumbled down steps.</p> "The house was dark and one of the guys had a gun in my back and he slipped down the stairs into me," Curry recalled. "I'm just like, 'Man, if that gun goes off, I'm outta here.' But luckily it didn't happen. It wasn't meant for me to go out like that. It wasn't meant for anybody to die that night."</p> Curry missed two weeks of conditioning, fled Chicago and rented a house in Ocean City, N.J., before coming to New York to work out. This was the first summer he did not work with Chicago training legend Tim Grover.</p> But he's in better shape than Randolph. Asked if he arrived in top shape, the soft-looking Randolph said, "I'm in OK shape. I'm going to get a lot better once I get practices in."</p> Curry and Randolph have not been on the court together, as Randolph arrived late to voluntary workouts Wednesday. Even Curry seemed unsure if they'll immediately mesh on the low blocks.</p> "I've got to be honest with you," Curry said, "I'm so curious to see how we're going to play. I know we're going to play well together. I'm just curious to see what kind of adjustments need to be made so we can both coexist. I'm definitely not saying it's not going to be a challenge, because it will be."</p> Marbury had a bizarre summer, too, going from being saluted on Oprah to being crucified for seemingly defending Michael Vick and dogfighting. Marbury also ticked off some in the front office for a Post exclusive in which he said he'll play in Italy in two years when his contract expires.</p> After finding Jesus, Marbury no longer is obsessed with winning an NBA title.</p> "I'm not caught up in winning no ring," Marbury said. "I want to win a championship as a basketball player. Basketball is not my life. If I win a championship, great. If I don't, life is going to continue to go on. After basketball, you've got to live the next 50, 60 years."</div></p>
