New York Acts

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If Jerome James suddenly blurted out, “I decided to retire in order to play amateur air hockey” he couldn’t have startled his listeners more. “I wish I could play Shaq EVERY night,” the new Knick center said -- and looked like he meant it, too -- at his introductory press conference. “At least I’d go up against another seven-footer I could hold my strength against and not worry about fouling out of the game.”

Of course, his courage and the willingness to face -- and face and face -- the game’s most daunting challenge is far from only thing attractive about the 7-1 James. In fact, the Knicks’ free-agent signing of this (very) big man probably qualifies as one of those rare instances of the ideal coming together of player, coach, and team need.

“When I look at Jerome, the first thing I see is his shot-blocking ability, presence, and ability to clog up the middle -- and that is what we lacked last year,” President, Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas said. “We needed a space eater. We also needed some intimidation in the middle. Well, we definitely have a presence in the middle now. He provides all of that.”

“Defense is my forte, my claim to fame,” smiled the extremely personable James. “I know (Coach) Larry (Brown) is all about defense. Playing for him, it’s going to be wonderful.”

Though he had himself a nothing less than other-worldly playoff series against Sacramento (17.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg), James’ numbers overall were just 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots a game. But more often than not numbers tend to lie: for one thing, James played just 16 minutes per game. For another “what blew me away about him is that in the games where he managed to play extended minutes on the floor, 25 or 30, he was putting up extremely good numbers,” said Thomas. “It’s a matter of him controlling his aggression and learning how to stay out of foul trouble. If we can keep him out of foul trouble, we’ll really have ourselves a find.”

“I think we’re catching him at the right time of his career,” added Thomas. “They always say big guys take time to develop. Last year Jerome has become comfortable with his size and also his aggression.”

James certainly subscribes to the “perfect place at the perfect time” theory. “Three years ago, when I was a free agent, I almost became a Knick,” he says. “It was pretty close -- but now I’m happy I didn’t do it. At that point I wasn’t ready for New York. But three more years of playing in Seattle, and playing under Coach Nate (McMillan), definitely prepared me for this.”

“Yes, staying out of foul trouble will be huge,” agreed James. “And I think during that playoff run, and altogether toward the end of last year, I learned how to do that.”

“I think I’ve only barely scratched the surface of my potential so far,” added James. “That eye-opener came to me last season. It was about me learning the game of basketball. It was about doing whatever it takes for my team to win. People have to understand, I didn’t play in high school at all. I barely played college basketball -- I got a late start doing that. I’m still learning. So Coach Larry Brown fills me with excitement and interest. My last great coach, Nate McMillan, talked about Larry Brown, and what he learned from Larry Brown, all the time.”

“I also came here because I really, really like Isiah Thomas,” said James. “Chris Webber, who is a great friend of mine, took me under his wing when I was a rookie. And he told me if I ever get a chance to play for Isiah, I should take it.”

From all points of view, “The Knicks are the best move for me at this point in my career,” said James. “I wanted to get to another level. In the past I’ve been very comfortable in a supporting role but I want to hold myself more accountable not only to the game of basketball but also to an organization that wants more from me.”