Courtney Lee, New York Knicks: “We’re contenders, man. They didn’t make the playoffs last year, but we’re looking to change that and win big. The ring is the ultimate goal for everybody on the team; I know it is for me. When they talked to me and told me about the pieces they were adding alongside the players who were already there, I didn’t think anything less than a championship [was the goal]. We’re trying to get the Knicks back into the playoffs and win big. … Everybody is hungry and everybody has their own motivation or chip on their shoulder. We just need to come together, get that chemistry and see it click. Once everybody is together and everybody is hungry, I think we can be very scary.”

Kyle O’Quinn, New York Knicks: “When I saw the [offseason] moves, I was thinking, ‘Man, we’re really trying to make a push, we’re not trying to develop’. I think this is one of the first teams I’ve been on where it’s pretty clear-cut that they went after guys who they think could help win now. In the past, it’s been, ‘Okay, we’ll give this guy a chance,’ or we were signing guys who were trying to find their way into the league. Now, I think if we stay healthy, everyone feels [the playoffs] are possible. When I saw the moves, of course I was excited. Playing with Carmelo [Anthony] is exciting enough, but then you add guys like D-Rose and Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee? That’s so exciting. Now, we’ll just try to create a strong locker room with those guys and enjoy the process.”

blkexec wrote:Be careful Crush......certain knick fans don't want to hear any optimism, even when it comes from actual players. They rather listen to ESPN predictions that the Knicks will suck again. I feel sorry for the Knicks to have these kinds of fans, who always thinks we suck and get upset when someone says no we don't suck....lol. I think other nba fans see more promise this year than actual knick fans. We not aloud to enjoy our team? We not aloud to predict a good season.....Everything is always worst case.....Well I'm glad the players feel the same way I do. This team can compete with any team in the NBA...... When was the last time you could say that?

CrushAlot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

blkexec wrote:Be careful Crush......certain knick fans don't want to hear any optimism, even when it comes from actual players. They rather listen to ESPN predictions that the Knicks will suck again. I feel sorry for the Knicks to have these kinds of fans, who always thinks we suck and get upset when someone says no we don't suck....lol. I think other nba fans see more promise this year than actual knick fans. We not aloud to enjoy our team? We not aloud to predict a good season.....Everything is always worst case.....Well I'm glad the players feel the same way I do. This team can compete with any team in the NBA...... When was the last time you could say that?

A preemptive strike against anyone who might criticize Courtney Lee for his comments?

They compiled quotes from interviews Alex Kennedy did with players earlier in the summer. Lee's quotes are from this interview, http://www.basketballinsiders.com/courtney-lee-on-free-agency-knicks-expectations/. Why would his quote need to be defended and what is different from when he said them two months ago?

I'm not saying it needs to be defended. Preemptive means defending before there's even an attack, though. It's not a big deal, but it comes across as a little insulting when two people who agree with each other say to be careful because they think some people who haven't even commented in the thread will say something.

CrushAlot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

blkexec wrote:Be careful Crush......certain knick fans don't want to hear any optimism, even when it comes from actual players. They rather listen to ESPN predictions that the Knicks will suck again. I feel sorry for the Knicks to have these kinds of fans, who always thinks we suck and get upset when someone says no we don't suck....lol. I think other nba fans see more promise this year than actual knick fans. We not aloud to enjoy our team? We not aloud to predict a good season.....Everything is always worst case.....Well I'm glad the players feel the same way I do. This team can compete with any team in the NBA...... When was the last time you could say that?

A preemptive strike against anyone who might criticize Courtney Lee for his comments?

They compiled quotes from interviews Alex Kennedy did with players earlier in the summer. Lee's quotes are from this interview, http://www.basketballinsiders.com/courtney-lee-on-free-agency-knicks-expectations/. Why would his quote need to be defended and what is different from when he said them two months ago?

I'm not saying it needs to be defended. Preemptive means defending before there's even an attack, though. It's not a big deal, but it comes across as a little insulting when two people who agree with each other say to be careful because they think some people who haven't even commented in the thread will say something.

Funny, espn, Slam, nbc sports are all making a big deal about comments that Lee made on july 6th. This is old news.