JAMES: KNICKS LACK A LEADER
By MARC BERMAN

December 6, 2005

SEATTLE — Jerome James knows what a winning team feels like as he experienced Seattle's monster season a year ago.

And James knows that feeling hasn't taken root with the 5-11 Knicks, who face the Sonics tonight to start a three-game West Coast trip at Key Arena.

Referring to the prodding James took from teammate Ray Allen last season in Seattle, the Knicks center responded he wishes more of that went on in the Knicks' locker room.

In a very candid statement about a potential leadership void, James said, "This team needs to go through some of that. If you're not fighting with each other when you're losing, then what's the true test of your team chemistry. That's how you get close together, through arguments and fights.

"If everything is always so grand, great and hunky-dory when you're losing, then it almost feels nobody cares. We're starting to get in those arguments and tiffs around here, so I think we're on the right track."

The Knicks are on the wrong track after Sunday's Garden matinee heartbreaker to Boston. Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas knew the first 19 games, with 13 on the road, could get ugly. And it has.



Facing the first-place Clippers (11-5) tomorrow and Phoenix (10-5) Friday, the Knicks could easily come back home 5-14 through the first 19.


A preacher's son, James, who returned to action two games ago in Detroit, is prone to hyperbole. James was in rare form before his first return to Seattle before he bolted the Pacific Northwest in July for $30 million of James Dolan's money.

"They miss me," James said. "I miss them. If we had stayed together we would've contended for a championship this year."

Right now James is finding hard to get minutes over Jackie Butler. The Knicks' center postition, was expected to see the greatest improvement after the Eddy Curry trade. But neither Curry, who returned Sunday from a calf injury, or James are in game shape.

In a pointed dig at his two marquee centers, Brown said Butler is now their best pivot. James believes it's too soon to count him out. After all, joining the Knicks was his dream job, too, he contends.

"I love the Sonics," James said. "They made a strong campaign to get me back. All my life I wanted to be a New York Knick. I really mean that."

James claimed the Knicks were to draft him in 1998 with the 38th pick before Sacramento took him two spots earlier. James also visited the Knicks as a free agent in 2001, but Scott Layden refused to match Seattle's three-year offer.

the legend continues to grow...

Jerome better show up against his former teammates.

Which is why Marbury is not in the same class as Ray...

I think James is indirectly taking a shot at Marbury.

SAS says the writers do the articles but it's the editor's that put the tag-line headlines on it to sell the papers.

big game is unreal. it's so much fun having him on this team. you had to see marv and i whenever he came into the game. we couldn't contain ourselves. too bad the humor is costing us $30 mil.

he is the absolute worst and THE WORST contract signing in ny knick history.

The Sonics are a very good team, make no mistake. They are starting to play some good ball.

Posted by Killa4luv:

Posted by djsunyc:

SAS says the writers do the articles but it's the editor's that put the tag-line headlines on it to sell the papers.

big game is unreal. it's so much fun having him on this team. you had to see marv and i whenever he came into the game. we couldn't contain ourselves. too bad the humor is costing us $30 mil.

he is the absolute worst and THE WORST contract signing in ny knick history.

Its too early to say that, I think he'll be good for us off the bench.

if jerome james averages more than 15 mins a game this year, i will buy you lunch. (restricted to locations that only have a one dollar or under menu)

"They miss me," James said. "I miss them. If we had stayed together we would've contended for a championship this year."

LOL...Big James, always there for lockerroom comic relief.

Well, I guess James serves a similar purpose as Clarence Weatherspoon, and that's to get comically abused by us message board users. Oh wait, Clarence had SOME good use on the basketball court. James has none. I guess it's going to take a little more than a couple of pictures of breaching humpback whales for me to portray a picture of the true Jerome James.

Posted by Bippity10:

This is why the media is crazy. All the guy said is they fight in the locker room and that's good. Not even sure what the topic of the article is, but I'm glad the editor found it in himself to gather his own meaning and tell us what it is.

i blame "the man"