Can Antonio McDyess save the Knicks?
by Chad

NEW YORK -- The crowd in Madison Square Garden is chanting again.

For the first time in a long time, however, they aren't screaming "Fire Layden!"

Antonio McDyess is about to play his first game since March of 2002. The crowd at the Garden on this cool December night can barely contain itself. The atmosphere is electric.

During pregame warm-ups the crowd starts chanting his name. McDyess, overcome with emotion, actually walks off the court just before tip off and runs back into the tunnel, tears welling up in his eyes. Pistons GM Joe Dumars stops and asks McDyess if everything is OK. McDyess just puts up his hand and keeps walking.

No one knows how to read the tears. Did McDyess just suffer another heart wrenching setback or was the significance of the moment tearing at McDyess' heart strings?

"I sat back and said to myself, 'I never expected to be back on the court,' " McDyess told reporters after the game. "Honestly, there were times I thought I was going to have to retire and give up."

Within minutes McDyess composes himself and walks back onto the court.

When Knicks coach Don Chaney tells McDyess to get off the bench with three minutes left in the first quarter, the crowd erupts. Ten seconds later, before McDyess has a chance to get in the game, Chaney calls him back over to the bench to a chorus of boos.


Eventually, McDyess will get in the game. His two points and three rebounds in 13 minutes may not be much cause for celebration in most cities, but for the snake bitten Knicks, the fact that McDyess walked off the court under his own power after the game is reason enough to party.

"I think I'm going to be all right," he said. "Actually, I really think I'm going to be all right. Physically, everything was in place, my bounce, everything, running. I feel like I'm going to be pretty good."

Knicks president Scott Layden stands in the tunnel wearing his traditional FDNY hat and an untraditional big smile. Layden appears to be more at ease than I've seen him in the last two years.

The usually close-to-the-vest Layden leans against the wall, stops beat writers walking by and gives a warm hello, cracks a joke or two and acts like, for at least one day, the weight of the world isn't on his shoulders.

Layden's hallmark acquisition during his tenure with the Knicks, McDyess, is back and with him comes the return of hope for millions of Knicks fans.

Playing alongside Layden's other summer acquisitions -- Dikembe Mutombo and Keith Van Horn -- the Knicks now have one of the biggest front lines in the NBA. Slowly but surely the Knicks are starting to turn their fortunes around, and Layden believes that a healthy McDyess is the missing piece of the puzzle.

"We're not naive, but as of late we've played well," Layden tells Insider in an exclusive interview. "Getting Antonio back should give us a big boost. We are encouraged by the signs we see. Now with Antonio back, we feel we can be very good."

With the exception of McDyess, no one feels better about his comeback than Layden.

A year and a half ago, Layden traded oft-injured center Marcus Camby and the draft rights to Nene Hilario to the Nuggets for McDyess, the rights to Frank Williams and the Nuggets' 2003 second-round pick (who ultimately became Maciej Lampe).

The trade was considered a coup at the time, but like so many things under Layden's tenure in New York, the enthusiasm quickly eroded into cynicism when McDyess shattered an already fragile knee in training camp last year and sat out the entire season.

With a bloated payroll filled with bench players making all-star money, Layden looked like he was backed into a corner this summer. Trade rumor after trade rumor fell on deaf ears and the Knicks' heralded second-round pick, Milos Vujanic, decided to stay in Europe another year. The draft yielded yet another undersized power forward, Mike Sweetney, and two 7-foot teenagers from Europe who were years away, and the Knicks struck out in the free-agent market.

Surrounded by an aggressive New York press that quickly tired of Layden's stoic demeanor and bad karma, the chants of "Fire Layden!" were about the only thing that sparked any type of passion in Knicks fans.

Layden, however, wouldn't flinch.

"You always look forward," Layden said. "We knew Antonio was coming back and it was a little unfair to judge the team without him. He's going to play a big role for us. It will take him a while to get back into the system, but we're going to be alright."

Layden just may be right this time.

If McDyess stays healthy (still a big if) he gives the Knicks that athletic power forward the team has coveted for years. After a rough start, Dikembe Mutombo is starting to resemble the NBA Defensive Player of the Year again. Over his last four games, he's averaged 12.8 ppg, 14.8 rpg and 2.8 bpg and did a number on the Pistons' Ben Wallace on Monday night.

Allan Houston can still score in bunches, Kurt Thomas ranks fifth in the league in rebounding at 10.7 rpg, Van Horn hasn't been the flop in New York folks predicted he would be, the combo of Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley and a much improved Frank Williams are holding their own at the point and the Knicks have a pretty deep, if expensive, bench with Shandon Anderson, Clarence Weatherspoon, Michael Doleac, Ward and Williams.

The Knicks have won four of their last six, all against solid opponents. The team now faces a brutal five-game Western Conference road trip, but with the return of McDyess, the Knicks feel they will eventually be able to kick it up another notch.

Meanwhile, the Knicks of the future are starting to fall into place. Vujanic is wowing scouts on an even bigger stage in Italy this year. Williams is now getting regular playing time in Chaney's rotation and has had several spectacular outings. Sweetney, Lampe and Slavko Vranes are mired on the injured list right now, but the coaches claim each player is progressing nicely. At least the semblance of a youth movement is beginning to take place right under the critics' noses.

"People are missing the fact that we've had an eye on developing younger players," Layden said. "But at the same time, my job is to put a basketball team on the floor that has a chance to win."

In fact, for once, the Knicks may have too much of a good thing going. Rumors are already swirling in the New York tabloids that the long rumored combination of Thomas and Ward may finally be traded if Williams and McDyess both continue to perform well.

"The question you haven't asked, or want to ask, now that you have all these guys, when's the next trade," Layden told Insider. "The answer to that is that if there's something out there that will improve the team, we're going to look at it."

Sounds like Layden is ready to add a little fuel to the hot stove. The Knicks have been linked to talk with the Bulls for Jamal Crawford and the Raptors for Morris Peterson in recent weeks. With the Bulls-Raptors recent swap, Toronto is looking for a big man. What about a Peterson-for-Michael Doleac swap? They say every trade rumor at some point makes a stop in New York. . .

"It either runs through New York or through your column," Layden says with a smile. "That's just the nature of New York."

So is the biting criticism that seems to have dogged Layden since he first joined the Knicks in 1997.

"People are frustrated by my lack of communication, but my intention isn't to frustrate people, it's just my nature," Layden said recently in an interview with the New York Times. "I take very serious the information I have, and I'm not anxious to share that."

Fair enough. Monday night Layden predictably deflects all questions about trade scenarios, free agents or the status of his rookies or the future. He does, however, answer one question about himself.

When asked if he felt any personal satisfaction over the fact that the Knicks are starting to prove a lot of folks wrong, he pauses and with a twinkle in his eye says, "I feel great."

No one is pulling for Layden more than McDyess. "He took a chance on me and I'd love to give him the success he deserves," McDyess said. "That's a lot of pressure on me, but I guess that's why he brought me here."

They say that most people wilt within seconds under the intense heat produced by the New York media magnifying glass. But for one night at least, for McDyess and Layden, the warmth has to feel pretty good.

Other Notes:

# Despite all the enthusiasm surrounding McDyess' return, don't expect coach Don Chaney to give him big minutes anytime soon. McDyess played 13 minutes on Monday and expects to get around the same number of minutes for the next week or so until everyone's comfortable that his knee is sound.

"It's weird," Chaney said, "because as a coach, you want to keep your best players out on the court as long as they can go. You hate to set limits for them."

"I could have played longer," McDyess said. "But I didn't want to push it."

# Layden was also adamant that we take coach Don Chaney off the Insider hot seat list.

"We're well coached," Layden said. "We have the coach that we want in place. He's the right guy for the job. I'm his biggest fan. Sincerely with what's going on here, he's the right guy for the job."

# Knicks president Scott Layden believes strongly second-round pick Milos Vujanic made the right decision by staying in Europe another season.

"The one thing he is doing is playing 40 minutes a game at a high level against very good competition," Layden told Insider. "There's certainly a benefit . That should help him down the road."

The Knicks have a logjam at point guard as it is and Layden has been unable to find a deal for Charlie Ward that's been acceptable to him. So instead of languishing on the bench with Maciej Lampe and Slavko Vranes, Vujanic is averaging 34 mpg and 14.7 ppg in Euroleague play for one of the top teams in Europe.

While Layden had nothing new to report on when Vujanic will ultimately join the Knicks (there has been some talk that he may choose to play one more season for Bologna) Layden sounded convinced that next year he'd be wearing a Knicks uniform.

"He's going to play here," Layden said. "We want him and he wants to be here. We'll get that worked out. His game is getting better, he's improving all of the time. That's important for everyone concerned."

Soudns good, but the key is still Dyess' knee and everyone knows how big an IF that one is. I hope he makes it, I want him to do well and I want the Knicks to win but there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. Deke has been awesome lately too - I bet NJ feels pretty stupid right now, espc considering how poorly they have been playing. If anything, I want the Knicks to show NJ that they are still a better team and the last 2 years were a fluke for NJ...I can't stand that team.

The fact is, this could be a good team if Mcdyess can stay healthy. Not a championship team, but a good one. But in the same token.... when you build a team around a FRAGILE player like Mcdyess, don't ask people not to judge the team without him. It's not like his first injury was last year. We traded for him right after coming off of a surgery! He has to be judged on that, even if Dice doesn't play!

I agree that Chaney is the right man for this Veteran team.

there will come a time when we need to get to the next level, and he will have to move on.

Two years.

When Milos is the point guard in the east, Lampe is Dirk, and Eisley, FatSpoon, and anderson are all just a memory.

I guess Deke just needed some playing time under his belt.

I can understand Byron scott not trusting a rusty Deke late in a playoff run. But He was getting wooped good in the finals, sometimes you make a change when all else fails.

Arm chair QB's rule!

There comes a time to forgive and just enjoy the team.

Need to change your name to "LaydenSucksbutnotasmuchaslastyear". LOL

Somtimes its the journey, not the destination.

I like the guy. Im not saying I like the moves he made that did not, or have yet to pan out. Sure I want to win as much as anyone, but this guy is not a demon. When other "East Coast Executives" talk about Scott or comment on his trade proposals, I really think those writers should name them. Its not fair. Laydog (when the team goes to conference championships, I will drop the dog) is not a talker and It seems to have enough charactor to not blab about other execs.

That said, he is an unlikely choice for the GM job and should be filled with a more charasmatic personality. But he is whom he is, he is in the job and in the thick of it. Perhaps too much a strategic thinker. He'll be judged in a few years ultimatly and I hope that he is as the architect of our championship team. Maybe one day we can learn how much influence Dolan has had on some decisions.

Stienbrenner finds ways to meddle and screw up plans.

I think that Laydown bombed even worse with the Spoon deal. At least Shandon is acting like he wants to earn his money. Spoon just buys food with his (from the way it looks).