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Inside the NBA
Posted: Tuesday February 01, 2000 02:05 PM Mr. ExcitementMarcus Camby sends a charge through the Knicks and their fans By Jackie MacMullan
On good nights he treats the crowd to an electric slam off a loose rebound or a breathtaking weakside rejection. On bad ones Camby's in foul trouble early, drawing one call for going over the back, another for reaching in. Either way, fans will return to see Camby try to make something happen. Sports Business Daily published a list of the 20 best-selling NBA jerseys in the first half of this season; Camby's number 23 was more popular than Karl Malone's jersey or Eddie Jones's. "I can feel the buzz," Camby says of the stir he creates at the Garden. "It's a lot better than last year, when the boo-birds were out. I wasn't even getting into the games, and they were still screaming at me, 'We want Oak! We want Oak!' Man, that was tough." The buzz last season centered on Camby as a pawn in a power struggle between former general manager Ernie Grunfeld and coach Jeff Van Gundy. Grunfeld had traded popular power forward Charles Oakley to the Raptors for Camby despite the reservations of his coach. Van Gundy stubbornly benched the slender 6'11" forward, who in his two seasons in Toronto had been branded an immature kid who wouldn't play hurt. Van Gundy contends that it was impossible to develop an immediate feel for a new player after a prolonged lockout and a shortened preseason. Camby's vindication came in the playoffs, when his energy fueled New York's improbable journey to the Finals -- and saved Van Gundy's job. This season Camby is averaging 26.7 minutes, up 6.2 from last year, and there's no longer any question of his importance in the rotation: He's a favorite for the Sixth Man Award. Ask Camby if he's Van Gundy's guy now, and he laughs and says, "I don't think I'm one of his core guys, guys who've been here, like Larry Johnson, Allan [Houston] and Pat [Ewing]. But I think he's my guy. When his job was in jeopardy, I could have gone in the tank against Miami in the first round, and we wouldn't even be sitting here. But I played hard for him. I understand his philosophy now, and he respects me more." It helps their relationship that Camby doesn't demand shots, which Van Gundy must delicately distribute among Ewing, Houston and Latrell Sprewell. The Knicks are a collection of complex factions. Camby's boys are Sprewell, forward John Wallace and guard Rick Brunson. The clean-living Houston and point guard Charlie Ward have been nicknamed the Christian Coalition, while Ewing, the proud old warrior, stands alone, his friends having been traded, his skills eroding, his stature on the team diminished. He doesn't talk much these days, and team officials wonder how it will end. "Pat's used to being the Guy in this city," says Camby, who has taken some of Ewing's minutes. "But I can't worry too much about him. He's still going to come in and get his number called. Hey, I don't get any plays called for me. I get my baskets off hustle plays. The one thing I do feel bad about is the injuries Pat's had. The Achilles [tendon tear] has set him back two to three years. His wrist is still messed up. He's playing through a lot of pain." Even though New York was tied with Miami atop the Atlantic Division at 26-16 through Sunday, there are concerns. The Knicks were 10-8 against the top eight teams in each conference and 10-12 on the road. Sprewell, who demanded a starting role, is filling the small forward slot though he's better suited to play the two guard, Houston's position. The strain of being 190 pounds and trying to hold off threes such as 250-pound Juwan Howard is taking its toll on Sprewell, and Van Gundy frets about his wearing down. Camby, meanwhile, must prove he can provide the consistency New York so desperately needs from him. At week's end he was averaging 10.2 points on 48.7% shooting, along with 7.9 rebounds and 2.24 blocks. He still hears whispers that he's not tough enough, stemming from the stretch earlier in the season when the team asked him to play through painful tendinitis in his left knee, and he sat for two games instead. One other thing: Camby no longer catches opponents by surprise. "Every time the ball goes up, there are two guys keeping me off the glass," he says. "One guy is banging me at the three-point line, then another guy is hitting me at the free throw line. Then there are teams who send a spy out on me. Like the Pistons. Every time I check into the game, they send in Jerome Williams to bother me. That kid, he's crazy." As the Feb. 24 trading deadline nears, rumors will swirl about the Knicks' upgrading their two-headed point guard, Ward and Chris Childs. There will be talk of Ewing's role and questions about Sprewell's position. There will be updates on the relationship between Van Gundy and Camby. New York survived far worse turmoil to reach the Finals last year. Camby, who found a way to thrive under those conditions, has a handle on what it will take to get back there. "We don't all have to be best friends," said Camby, "but we've got to play like we are." Issue date: February 7, 2000
For more Inside the NBA see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, February 2. Click here to subscribe to SI.
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