SEATTLE – The next time Antonio McDyess plays the Garden, he’ll have another emotional challenge. In 10 days, he faces his former team, the surging Nuggets, and the two big men involved in the 2002 blockbuster: a jacked-up Marcus Camby and Nene Hilario.
So it is a good thing McDyess has this five-game West Coast trip that starts tonight in Seattle to hone his game. Tonight we’ll see McDyess without the jangling nerves before a KeyArena audience that couldn’t care less how he does.
“This trip will really help me a lot,” said McDyess after his jittery two-point Knick debut Monday night against Detroit. “Five games on the road, no pressure. I’m just going out and play.
“My teammates were even encouraging me to calm down and when the opposite team’s coach [Larry Brown] says, ‘Just calm down Antonio, I see you’re a little nervous,’ that makes you feel good.”
The good news is McDyess’ left knee didn’t explode. As ‘Dyess peels away the coats of rust, the Knicks (7-11) need victories, too. The 79-78 overtime loss in which they blew a nine-point, fourth-quarter lead was poorly timed, with five Western teams carrying winning records ahead. After the Sonics (8-6), the Knicks, who have won four of six, play at Portland (8-7), Golden State (8-7), the Lakers (14-3) and Utah (10-6).
“It’s huge,” Allan Houston said. “We’re playing good basketball, but this will test how good we’re playing. It’s not good enough to just play good, we have to pull out wins. It’s a great opportunity for us to grow as a team and establish ourselves as a team that can pull off wins, unlike [Monday].”
After not playing since March 2002, when he was a Nugget facing the Knicks, McDyess missed all five field-goal attempts – four in the first half – and made two of four free throws. He said he never felt more nervous for a game. He got teary-eyed during the national anthem, prompting him to leave the court to collect his emotions.
“This trip is going to be big for him,” Houston said. “At home, he wants to perform so well and he probably felt anxious. When he goes on the road, he’ll feel comfortable and a little bit more at ease.”
McDyess expects his minutes (13 on Monday night) to stay about the same tonight, but should gradually increase on the trip. “I think it’s my call,” he said.
“Everyone in the arena knew his timing was going to be off,” Don Chaney said. “That will come. He’ll gradually increase his minutes and he’ll be fine.”
The Knicks, who flew to Seattle yesterday and didn’t practice, were minus-6 with McDyess on the floor. His teammates didn’t seem in synch with McDyess’ athletic style. A few times, McDyess bolted up court seeking a transition pass that never came. But in the halfcourt game, they stuffed it inside to him, more than he wanted. McDyess said he would’ve been content not to take a shot.
“I’m sure it was tough for him to get comfortable out there after two years,” Houston said. “He made some great plays off the ball. You could tell his activity in one game is so valuable to us. We wanted to get him shots.”
When McDyess came out for good with 9:13 left, Chaney stopped him, whispering, “Now you’ve got your feet wet.”
Now he’s got a chance to get his feet firmly on the ground before Camby comes to town for his first Garden return.
* Keith Van Horn also has to shake out the rust. He’s shooting 3-of-18 in the two games since returning from a sprained ankle that cost him six contests.
