It definitely was surreal but by halftime these were my guys. I wonder if part of that mental dissonance was watching these new 2011 Knicks at home in a throwback away uniform? Also you are seeing the new fellas on Legends Night next to people you really had a connection with like Starks & the Pearl or even H20. It's going to take a while for them to earn the kind of attachment we have with those players.

Elite wrote:I find my self almost equally as interested in Denver's next game as i do New Yorks... I miss our guys.. gallo, wilson and ray...

Same, I am definitely watching the next Denver game and rooting for our guys.

To score 114 when the offense looks bogged down on most possessions... That makes me feel pretty good about our potential. When Barron comes here, we'll have the pieces to make a nice run. Tonight, we'll probably get spanked, but I think Orlando will be a good test. We'll have had a few days to get some idea of how the pieces fit in Mike's system and Orlando's looking sluggish lately.

"Homegrown" is a state of mind.

The thing that really got me is just how good Billups is and how we really do have a big 3 already. This team is gonna be tough once they get in synch. It's so hard for teams to defend 3 great players. I can't wait to see the rest of the season. People that doubted if this was worth it are gonna change their minds. Chan and Gallo do not equal Melo, much less Melo and Billups. This is a major upgrade and I was mesmerized by the differences.

orangeblob is correct, how can you watch half of the team you rooted for sent away, and not feel some empathy for their departure?

If you look at athletes as simply stats and objects of gratification it is easy to brush it off and say "we got better"

If you see them as people, it is impossible to forget what Felton said in October about bringing a winner to New York. If you are the restaurant owner and staff who made friends with Gallo it is not so simple to have a member of the family not show up for dinner.

DrAlpaeus poses some great questions that can only be answered one at a time by each fan of the NYK.

Building an emotional connection is what the most successful franchises strive for. Sound effects, flashing lights and sexy cheerleaders optional.

bernard wrote:I was looking forward to the game all day. Got pumped up by the silly line-up introductions and other hype that usually leaves me cold, and then was oddly removed and uninterested during the game. It wasn't til my son said, "Who are those guys pretending to be Knicks?" that it home (and he's a huge Melo supporter and was all in favor of the trade). It's going to take me a while to get instinctively behind these guys. I miss Gallo and Ray Ray.

I haven't weighed in on the trade as I don't have much new to add. We gave up a lot, perhaps more than we needed to, and got a lot back. We'll have to see if we're better off as it plays out. I really don't have a strong opinion about whether it was smart or not. I see both sides of the argument. That's not the point of this thread. More about how hard it is to change allegiences on a dime. I haven't felt it so strongly with other trades.

good post. i understand both sides of the argument and i miss the guys, too.

they dragged us up out of a decade of horrible basketball and were playing well. it's really hard to cut ties with those guys.

oddly, the weirdest sight was wilson in denver. i didn't realize that i was really used to him being a big part of this team.

sports is pretty mercenary these days.