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Knight
Posts: 22775
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Joined: 7/21/2005
Member: #968
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http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknix1019,0,1158106.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines
Antonio on board with Knicks
After being upset by trade from Bulls, Davis changes mind and decides NY is good fit for him and family
BY GREG LOGAN
STAFF WRITER
October 19, 2005
The shock of being traded against his wishes has worn off, and power forward Antonio Davis joined the Knicks last night, saying he plans to buy into coach Larry Brown's program rather than seek a buyout.
Davis reported to the Knicks' training camp on Oct. 5, one day after the trade for him and center Eddy Curry was approved by the league. He returned to Chicago the next day because his mother-in-law was set to undergo surgery, but Davis also was reluctant to rejoin the Knicks because he didn't want to uproot his family.
Explaining his negative reaction, Davis said, "I was just like, 'Wow. Wow.' I didn't want to believe that I was traded ... I've been thinking about change, thinking about my kids, thinking about our foundation being disrupted. And there are a lot of mixed feelings.
"None of it had anything to do with basketball or the city. I've played in some great situations here. None of that came into play until I was able to gather myself and realized what a great situation this would be, not just for me, but for my family."
Although team president Isiah Thomas and Brown gave Davis no promises he won't be traded again while in the final year of a contract worth $13.9 million, they assured him the Knicks really want him. Davis turns 37 two days before the season opener, but he could provide the size, defense and rebounding they lost when Kurt Thomas was traded to Phoenix last summer.
"I love what Kurt Thomas stands for," Davis said. "I battled against that guy a lot and, in some instances, learned a lot from him. So, if they need me to play that type of role, that's definitely right up my alley. But right now, my issue is get in shape, learn the system, get to know my teammates, make sure I communicate with the coaches and just kind of go from there."
Davis didn't dress for the Knicks' 114-99 loss to Philadelphia last night at Madison Square Garden, but he will be at practice today and expects to gradually get into shape during the remaining four exhibition games. He brought his wife and kids with him and said they plan to settle in Westchester County for the season.
"That's the only way it was going to work," Davis said.
Having spent the first four seasons of his NBA career playing for Brown at Indiana, Davis is familiar with his system. He started 62 games at power forward for the Bulls last season, averaging 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, and he also can continue to mentor the 22-year-old Curry, as he did in Chicago.
"I feel like deserves this opportunity to come here and show everybody what he can do, show that he's healthy, show that he's willing to do what anybody asks him to do," Davis said. "If there's anything I can do to help him make that transition easier or take him to the next level, that's what I want to do. I want to push him like I did all last year."
"He only went to Georgia Tech for one year, and that's an engineering school." -LB
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10/19/2005 1:39 AM