After getting pretty gravely lost in Westchester, Osborn and myself found ourselves at the MSG training center in time for Knicks media day. Here's a quick taste of what went on:
- Ronny Turiaf is absolutely magnetic. While Osborn was up and about talking to people, I ended up spending half an hour transfixed by Turiaf riffing about a variety of topics and cajoling anyone who asked him an even remotely negative question. Alan Hahn got the best response:
We had an entertaining Q and A volley during which he scratched his shoulder, right where he has the tattoo of a lion. I asked if the lion bites.
"It might bite you," he shot back, "if you keep being negative."
I've got a whole bunch of stuff from Ronny, which I'll try and spin into a post for y'all later today.
- Osborn's comparison for Amar'e Stoudemire is Shane Falco. He's calm and confident, answers questions in a deep, almost imperceptible tone, and deals with the hard-hitting stuff like a professional. Keanu through and through.
- Eddy Curry was in the room for only a few minutes, but his presence was felt throughout the afternoon. We saw both Stoudemire and Turiaf take questions about Curry, and both referenced how dominant Curry has been in past years.
- Landry Fields confirmed that the team field trip to Yankees Stadium last night was Amar'e Stoudemire's doing. Amar'e threw out the first pitch last night and treated a bunch of the guys to a luxury suite. Landry insisted that they weren't the reason the Yankees lost.
- Up close, I'm not so sure about the new jerseys. The colors are a lot brighter, there's white trim around the numbers, and the holes are kinda strange.
- Osborn noticed that half the guys were wearing headbands and shooting sleeves and other on-court apparel. I get keeping the accessories on for the photo shoots, but sweat and muscle tightness aren't major hazards during interviews (unless they're Alan Hahn interviews).
- Besides Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph probably got more attention from reporters than anyone. We didn't speak to him today, but we'll have plenty to report from camp this weekend.
- Two-a-days start tomorrow at 9 AM and run until Wednesday, at which point the Euro Trip begins. We'll be there for the four practices on Saturday and Sunday and will report to y'all with notes. Keep following the Twitter as well. I promise I'll update it more frequently than the ONE time I did today.