http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/blog/2009/03/camby_thought_he_was_coming_ba.htmlBuried in the notes of my game story today, we have Marcus Camby, who said he had expected to be part of the Nov. 21 trade to the Knicks, which sent Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Clipperland.
"When the trade went down, I thought there was a possibility I would be in it and not Tim [Thomas]," Camby told myself and the Daily News' Frank Isola. "But Tim wound up in the trade with Cuttino."
Camby turned 35 on Sunday and looked every bit of it in Wednesday's game at the Garden, in which he played just 14:41 and was scoreless with three rebounds and zero blocks. He has been dealing with a hamstring strain and, more noticably, dealing with being a Clipper. Both he and Baron Davis were noticably grumpy on the bench and during timeouts. Mike Dunleavy has to juggle three quality big men in Camby, Zach Randolph and Chris Kaman.
But if you're wondering if Camby has anything left, consider that he's third in the NBA in blocked shots (2.25 per game) which is almost as many as the Knicks team average (2.34), which is the worst in the NBA.
“I can still block some," Camby said with a smile. "They got me playing the four [spot] now so I’m spaced out on the court, so my blocks are down this year."
He said Mike D'Antoni's offensive philosophy is "a great system" and noted how certain players have benefitted from it this season.
"I think David Lee has been flourishing in the system, seeing screens and rolling to the basket," Camby said. "Take him out and I could just see Amar'e [Stoudemire] in that same position, what he was doing. The system is great for everyone.”
Camby has one year left on his contract for $10.9 million before he becomes a free agent in 2010. He said he would welcome a return to the Knicks if it ever worked out.
“I’d be happy about being back in the area," the Hartford naive said. "Being here, just seeing everybody, being close to home. I always want to be where I’m comfortable and I’m comfortable here in New York.”
Legends Night was Monday, but on Wednesday Camby was one of a few familiar faces from one of the last memorable Knick teams, the 1999 NBA Finalists. Along celebrity row was Larry Johnson, who took in his second straight game at the Garden. So you had three key components of that '99 Finals run -- LJ, Camby and Allan Houston -- in the building (Latrell remains in hermitage).
Hard to believe that memorable run started almost exactly 10 years ago to the day.
“Every time I see Kurt [Thomas], I’m like, ‘Man, me and you are the only ones left that was on that Finals team’," Camby said. "That’s crazy, because we were like the young guys. I just turned 35 on Sunday and it seems like so long ago that I was here. Like I said, the memories are definitely life-long lasting.”
It would be great if we could swing a deal for him. I could see us getting him on draft night or something. They have 3 starting caliber PF/C's on that team (Z-bo, Kaman, and Camby). One of them has to go, especially if they end up drafting another big man.