February 8, 2006
Smiling in Toronto, Davis Wags a Finger at the Knicks
By RICK WESTHEAD

TORONTO, Feb. 7 — After Antonio Davis finished his first practice as a Raptor on Tuesday, he had some parting words for those who run his former team, the Knicks.

"Larry and Isiah, they need to get on the same page," Davis said of Coach Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas, the Knicks' president. "Is the team going younger or older? What are they doing? Where's the team going?"

Davis was speaking publicly for the first time since Thomas traded him to the Raptors on Friday for the 33-year-old small forward Jalen Rose and for what will probably be a mid-first-round draft pick.

Davis, a 37-year-old forward, said the Knicks' organization was "a mess."

He also said he had been taken aback by his trade to Toronto, where he played for more than four seasons starting in 1999. He has also played in Indiana and Chicago.

Davis said the Knicks had gone to great lengths to coax him to report last fall after acquiring him and Eddy Curry in a trade with Chicago. At the time, Davis, whose family lives in Chicago, was considering retirement.

"I hope they're happy with what they got," he said Tuesday. "They have to be looking out for the best interests of the Knicks, and Antonio Davis has to be looking out for the best interests of Antonio Davis."

Asked if he was holding anything back to avoid further criticizing the Knicks, Davis nodded and smiled.

A Knicks spokesman did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

The trade has been questioned because Knicks officials said they were in a rebuilding mode but ended up acquiring Rose, who is 33 and who is owed $16.9 million next season. Rose's addition could limit playing time for young players like Trevor Ariza and Nate Robinson.

Davis has received considerable attention in recent weeks. He was suspended last month for rushing into the stands in Chicago when he saw his wife involved in a confrontation with a fan.

His wife was charged with misdemeanor battery last week in connection with an October traffic altercation in a Chicago suburb.

Davis said the recent tumult in Knicks management — Thomas has been accused of sexual harassment by one of the team's former front-office employees in a federal lawsuit — had not affected the players.

"It's definitely a circus there, but it's not something players are really too involved with," he said. "You get a few questions about it, but there's really not much more than that. I wouldn't say it's been a distraction."

He said he was pleased to be rejoining Toronto, even though he was jeered in recent seasons when he returned to play.

During his first stint with the Raptors, he demanded that the team trade him. One reason he cited was his concern that his children might receive a poor education in Canadian schools.

"Even if I had left on a good note, there are still going to be people who don't like you and don't like what you stand for," Davis said. "But I can't really worry about that."

Davis said he liked what he had seen from the Raptors in recent weeks. Toronto started the season 1-15, but the Raptors have gone 16-16 since then.

"I feel it's a lot better," he said. "Obviously, this is a young team trying to get somewhere and trying to be competitive each and every night."

Hinting at his unhappiness with the Knicks, Davis said: "I was telling the guys, this was the first time I've got to run up and down and enjoy myself in a long time. It was nice to see some fresh faces and see guys who really cared about playing and listening to their coach, trying to do everything they can to help each other and to win basketball games."

Are we getting older or younger? We just sent your old ass to Toronto for Jalen and a draft pick, what do you think? Have fun getting booed after making that comment above about the poor education in Canadian schools.

Who's a bad apple? Ariza? Nate? Lee?

Larry Brown is a complete moron the way he runs this team. You can't take young effort guys and make them out to be malcontents in the press. I've never seen a coach so willing to rip the players that are giving the most effort.

Be a better coach Larry!

Nice friggin' out of bounds play... Are you trying to lose?

I agree. Larry Brown is not a coach for rebuilding. The guy is like 70 or something. I don't think he is at the point in his career where he wants or has the patience to do that. And your right, you berate the players who are giving you effort each time they are on the court? That's crazy. Of course they are going to make mistakes, that's what rookies do. He is to impatient to rebuild.

you know what? I like the head-butting between Isiah and Brown. Why wouldn't the rest of everyone?

Isiah seems to be trying to bring in younger guys, no doubt he has made a big mistake or 2 or 3, but he has a ton of pieces and future pieces. Brown is a good coach who definitely needs the right kind of vets to get the team motivated and playing in the right direction (I would say the Knicks have 1 and a half of those type of vets). Isiah and Brown are struggling to get it right-fixed... would you want one or the other to completely outweigh the other?

I want to win championships, not just make the playoffs. Laying a foundation for that takes time.

"Is the team going younger or older? What are they doing? Where's the team going?"

that pretty much sums up what many of us on this board have been wondering for the past couple years.