I was looking forward to this! Iman Shumpert's "Lockout Diary" for the Post was a pleasant diversion throughout the many months without basketball. One could always detect restlessness and longing in his posts, though, and upon hearing of basketball's imminent return, I couldn't wait to read his reaction. It's up now, and he's every bit as elated as we are:

THE news of the labor agreement brought tears to my eyes. I was sitting up watching TV at 3 a.m. Saturday in a recording studio in Atlanta.

The move to New York is all I can think about. I woke up the next morning and had one of the best workouts ever. I was hyperventilating, I was so excited the lockout was over. In fact, I had to take a break between each drill.

I'm hyperventilating, too, Iman! And I had only my 408th best workout ever this morning! And that was just eating almonds in the bathtub! I highly recommend reading Shump's post as an uplifting way to start your day. There's plenty more to see, including this intriguing bit:

I’ve already spoken to a few guys and everyone’s geared up. The best text came from Chauncey Billups. I won’t reveal what he said, but it was motivation enough for my whole career!

What could that text possibly have been? Some guesses...