It's a bit light but there was one comment that I liked to see. I bolded it:

by Kyle Stack / @KyleStack

Knicks fans can finally look forward to an upcoming season. In past years, any sense of optimism, such as Mike D’Antoni’s hiring, was mitigated by a lack of accountable players. The Knicks have had talented players — they just haven’t been guys who you would call reliable. Times have changed.

The Knicks are a legitimately exciting team after an off-season of roster turnover. Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler are still in the blue and orange but are now joined for a playoff run by veteran point guard Raymond Felton, athletic big man Anthony Randolph and one of this off-season’s biggest free agent signings in Amar’e Stoudemire.

STAT celebrated his first visit to the NBA Store in New York City as a Knick by partaking in the Store’s “Shop with a Jock” program. He took two kids from the Knicks’ Garden of Dreams Foundation and another who won a contest on his Twitter account for a shopping trip throughout the Store. Then he came back to the center court downstairs, where I caught him with him for his thoughts about Felton, Randolph and Madison Square Garden.

SLAM: You had great chemistry with Steve Nash in Phoenix. What can you do to forge a similar chemistry with Raymond Felton?
Amar’e Stoudemire: Practice. It’s just that simple, just practicing. If you work out as hard as we do, the chemistry is going to come. It’s not hard to play a screen-and-roll game in this League. You have a good passer and good finishers, it’s gonna be successful.

SLAM: You’ve played against Anthony Randolph from being in the Pacific Division. What does he bring to the table?
AS: Yeah, I think Randolph is great. He’s versatile, he’s young, he’s athletic, he can shoot the ball pretty well. And he’s eager to learn more. So, it’s gonna be great for us. He’s a great addition to the team and he’s gonna help us a lot. He’s really going to do well.

SLAM: Is there a part of D’Antoni’s way of coaching that you understand now which you may not have understood when you were with him in Phoenix?
AS: Nah, it’s pretty much the same with D’Antoni. Obviously he’s one of the best offensive coaches in the NBA. So, that’s going to be great for us. Defense is something I’ve gotten better at the past few years so that’s obviously something that’s going to help us as a team.

SLAM: Are you becoming a teacher of D’Antoni’s system to your teammates?
AS: Yeah, absolutely. Anytime you bring in new players to a system like that it takes a learning process to get to know the situation. That’s what this is all about. Training camp is when it really gets down to hard work and execution. Right now, we’re going to get a feel of his offense and get better in training camp.

SLAM: Even with his offense, the Eastern Conference and the Knicks still have a connotation with rough, rugged play. Do you feel pressure to play that way?
AS: Nah, basketball is a matter of will, skill and determination. That’s all we gotta focus on. As long as we play the way we are and so far, this off-season, we keep building and keep improving then we’re gonna be in good shape.

SLAM: What’s considered a failure for the Knicks this season?
AS: I think anything less than what we have to accomplish. We’re looking to definitely have a better record than what we had last season. And we’re looking to hopefully make the playoffs. So those are all goals as of right now. But you never know — in Phoenix we got further than what we expected so maybe we’ll do the same here.

SLAM: You haven’t played a whole lot in Madison Square Garden. Ever have a different feeling playing there?
AS: Yeah, it’s obviously the best platform to play on in the NBA. It’s the best arena in the world, from entertainers to athletes. So obviously it’s going to be a great, great atmosphere every night. I heard it’s sold out already so the fans are excited. It’s going to be beautiful.

SLAM: Nash offer you any advice for living here since he’s here each off-season?
AS: Yeah, I talked to him briefly about it. Steve lives out in TriBeCa. But I’m gonna be near the practice facility so that I can practice every day and put in that work.

I liked that real brief comment about how "so far this off-season" he's pleased with how the players are working together in their practices. We've been hearing how most of the players have been working out and scrimmaging together already and this confirms that they're in their working hard. I also liked the fact that he moved close to the practice facility so he can get to the gym whenever he wants to. I must admit that I never knew that he was as dedicated a player and he seems ready to lead. I've read the same kind of comments from Felton, who said he is the leader of the team on the floor and relishes that role.

In another interview he said: "We're in top shape already before training camp ... so we're going to be that much more focused and be able to execute during training camp"

I know none of this guarantees success, but for change it's good to hear PURE BB being the talk from our players. They're ignoring the trade rumors about Melo and are getting after it in practice. THANK GOD! No more Steph drama or other crap.

Hope that dude comes in ready and focus for his own damn good..

nixluva wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:LMAO....Not a peep from Curry, probably somewhere arguing with his baby mama about child support, on a tread mill with a double burger, apple pie and milk shake...

Hope that dude comes in ready and focus for his own damn good..

Man I think the Silence is deafening. It makes no sense that he hasn't been there with his new teammates getting acquainted and in shape. I have to assume that he's again out of shape and ashamed to show himself. Why else would a player stay away like this?

Becasue she doesn't give a *#@# about playing?