from august 4th on steve sommers (on wfan.com)

- bittersweet coming here. he was very comfortable in seattle with the fans and teammates. i learned how to execute his role on the team. but for what he wanted to accomplish in his career, the move to ny was imperative. it could'nt have happened earlier or later, it's the perfect time and opportunity

- when asked if any trepidation coming from seattle to ny? - there was some concern b/c he's not accustomed to fans that don't know bball like ny fans do. he's looking forward to being in that type of atmosphere with so much bball wisdom around him, not only from the organization, but from the fans.

- most exciting and appealing thing for any athlete is to play for LB.

- if james is called upon to speak to younger players, he will but he's the type to lead by example. he plans on practicing and working hard for LB and the knicks for the next 5 years. he had good role models like divac, and webber (who became his best friend in bball), and rashard lewis and ray allen in seattle.

- what can james teach a guy like frye? patience is the answer. frye is talented otherwise the knicks would not have drafted him. he'll teach him patience and allow the game to come to him and improve his bball knowledge.

- what is LB going to teach him? positioning. james says he has a great defensive knack on blocking shots around the basket. he says LB will teach him positioning on the floor and just to be smarter on the floor. he sometimes has a temper and it shows on the floor so LB will teach him how to channel that into something positive to stay on the floor.

- the style of bball in the west is running up and down. nothing really inside out post up offense schemes. team was built around ray allen and rashard lewis and for luke to distribute the ball. james role was rebounding, block shots, and set screens to get the shooters open. james has nothing but experience in the defensive end under nate. he can trap the pick and roll and force the guard to go the other way.

- james thinks he will draw double teams in the post as he did in the post season. he said he finally had the opportunity to show his stuff in the playoffs. he was the 4th option but with rashard and vladrad went down, they changed their style of play where he was asked to do more offensively and played more half court, that's why he had better #'s now as opposed to the regular season.

- james has nothing but respect for shaq. has been friends to james since his 2nd year in college. he says that if he played shaq everynight, he can play his physical game. sometimes when he plays like that against a smaller opponent, refs call him for the fouls b/c they sympathize with them.

- he doesn't want anyone to give him anything. he wants to come in a earn the respect and appreciation by working hard and proving himself on the court. OPPORTUNITY. the opportunity presented itself in sacrament and san antonio and he seized it. now he has an opportunity here and he's up for the challenge and is ready to take it.

i left one part out

- he likes cookies and was told by isiah to eat sweetney's portion at the dinner table

I don't really want him being the guy that our rookies learn from, we've all heard about his laziness and his questionable work ethic.

He can teach patience!

"Wait until a contract year to turn it up, then you have untold riches thrown your way. Then lead by example again."

Ok, he says all the right things! Time will tell.

Remember penny last year was "in the best shape of his life" blah blah! These guys are gonna say what we want to hear!

I hope he just tears it up and is an allstar!

Im glad he has friends! Name dropping is a good sport!

I think our rookies should have a lot ot look up to already in Rose & JYD ( he'll still be witht he organization right?) I think it has a lot to do with personal willingness to learn and work and Reezy's the perfect example of that. And if they slack...LB will flip the b*tch switch for sure.

[Edited by - minsheartsreezy on 08-17-2005 5:47 PM]

I didn't say I didn't think he'd be more productive - I understand he was on a jumpshooting team and he was one of the last options. THe point is he's consistnelty overweight and has been criticized for being lazy, and I thought it was ironic that he comes in here talking about how he wants to be a role model for the rookies. I was just saying I'd rather a hard-working guy like Malik take Frye and Lee under his wings.

Big Game James sounds as if he's ready to go.

I haven't listened to the Schmoozer in a while, not since he and the Sweater (Russ Salzberg) had their show together.

Somers conducted a great interview, and JJ didn't dodge any questions. James sounded like a real student of the game, just the type that should flourish under Larry Brown. He also said that he can't wait to soak up and learn what Larry Brown will teach him (especially positioning, which is the major cause of his foul troubles).

We can't wait either.

Hes 30 years old! Not some 18 year old soccer goalie found in the jungle who never had a pair of shoes!

Contract year! Its a great motivater. Wait and see. We must argue over the way he spoke and divide the flock in to haters and kool aid junkies?

He is ours now, hold your breath and pray.