What a Buzz Tonight!

The buzz is AMAZING about the game tonight. Gundy. Marbury. Yao. Francis. Holy crap! The game is HOT! HOT! HOT! Its all thats talked about this morning after our meeting. Guys talking Gundy and Yao and Marbury. Its great. Hasn't been that kind of excitement for a long time.

And, Gundy is going to do an interview in a few minutes. I will try to summarize as he talks. Stay tuned.

 

Here is the interview. Forgive me if I couldn't type fast enough but I was listening as close as possible. Its not 100 percent accurate. But 99.99999999999 is ok, right?

Jeff, the last time you were here was during the Patrick Ewing retiring ceremony. When they introduced you, you got a thunderous standing ovation. How did that make you feel that the fans of NY appreciate everything you did for the Knicks.

Gundy: Great. The fans of NY were very fair to me and very supportive. That night was all about Patrick but I will remember their reception for ever.

Micheal Kay: Do you think that your reception will be overshadowed tonight by Marbury?

Gundy: Of course. That was a great trade. I think they might miss Charlie Ward out of all because he is so gritty and tough. He doesn't have the talent of Marbury. But his tenacious way of playing is necessary in this league. But to get a PG that is not even in his prime yet, you do that trade. I think they will go deep in the playoffs. You build around one of two things. Either a dominant PG or a big time center.

Do you think NYC can ever rebuild much like Houston did after Dream left. I mean, they had a dominant, dominant player like that and him leaving or diminishing leaves a void sort of like a black hole that is only found when players of his caliber leave or diminish. Just look at the Bulls. Mike left and that team has never recovered. They get the first pick all the time and they are still in the cellar. Do you think NYC can be a place where you can rebuild from scratch or do you think the trade for Marbury is the way to go?

Gundy: Well, lets put it like this. If the Knicks got rid of all their cap problems, who do you go after with your cap money? Players like Marbury. So, they trade for him or sign him, they still did the right thing because you build around players like Marbury. You know NYC, they love PG's more than anything. Thats their history.

Because you love this area so much, do you miss coaching here?

Gundy: Of course. I regret sometimes leaving. NYC is great. The fans are great. I went through alot of emotions here in NYC but I am convinced that I did the right thing for me and for my family and for the team.

You preach alot to your team to not quit. Not give up. Yet, people say that you quit on your team. What do you say to that?

Gundy: Well, people are entitled to their own opinion. I know that in the end, I made the right decision. In my heart, I know that it was time to go and once you make decisions like that, you open yourself to critisism from everyone. And that is ok. But I live with it and I know it was right.

You got your rockets at 19-15. But you look at the WC and its loaded. Do you get frustrated knowing that your conference is so tough.

Gundy: Not really. I love it. Its a challenge. This conference is loaded with challenges and its only going to get tougher when New Orleans gets here. But I love the challenge. I really do.

Francis says that you do some things different. But he says he will adapt. He says you are gonna get him on the all-defensive team.

Gundy: Laughs....I don't know about that. Maybe in time. But we are so fortunate to have someone like Francis on this team. He has the tools to be so dominant and yet we need him to control his play. The teams core is young and I really think that Francis is learning. You can't get all players to like your way. But thats ok. I don't think I do things different but the team is talented and I believe they are buying into the system.

How is Yao doing?

Gundy: I think he is hitting a lull right now. He is struggling with consistency most of all. We all are. Some nights we have Cuttino, Francis and Yao all playing well and that is when we are at our best. We can score with anyone and defend with anyone. But that comes and goes. What I like most is that we are playing defense and that never takes a night off since its all about effort on the defensive end. And when we can't score 100 points, we know that our effort will keep us in the game and give us a chance to win in the end.

Well, Jeff. You know how we all feel about you here in New York. We miss you and I personally think you are one of the best coaches and its the Knicks loss, really. We thank you for coming on with us and wish the best for you, really.

Gundy: Thanks Mike. I appreciate you having me on.

 

Personally, I think that he misses the sell outs, the passions and loud crowds of NYC. You seen his face at the Car Center when he hears all the snoring??

 

There is another interview that I heard where he is pretty hard on Yao, I think. And on the Rocket fans also. I will put it up when I can. I am looking for the link. Maybe I will start another thread because its a pretty long interview and it has alot of meat to it.