"Guys, I can't answer these questions," Jerome James <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> October 11, 2006 -- Even during his disastrous first season with the Knicks, center Jerome James remained a happy-go-lucky chap - quick with an offbeat quote and smile. That all changed yesterday when a still-injured James reached a breaking point, getting visibly upset during a one-minute interview and storming off. When asked if he'll be able to play any exhibition games, James, suffering from plantar fasciatis in his foot, got choked up and said, "Guys, I can't answer these questions," before bolting to the locker room. It was an ominous sign that this season is headed down the same horrible path. The Knicks have no idea when James will be back. Coach Isiah Thomas, who lavished James with a five-year, $30 million maximum mid-level contract in July 2005, said, "I don't see this as a year-long sentence. "He's a proud man and he's hurt," Thomas said of James' uncharacteristic behavior. "The way last season went for him and what was written and said about him, I'm sure he wanted to prove people wrong and how he's a different man than what we saw of him last year." An MRI on James' foot Monday night clouded the issue further. James originally was diagnosed with a partially torn plantar fascia one week ago, injured 40 minutes into the first practice. The MRI instead showed he tore scar tissue in a cyst by his plantar fascia and now is suffering from full-blown plantar fasciatis, a lingering ailment. </div> Source
