As Jerome James paused to catch his breath before trying to get back on defense while everyone else on the court was already well on their way down the floor, injured Houston guard Jon Barry laughed and said, “Somebody get that man some oxygen.”
It was only the second quarter of the Knicks’ 93-89 loss to the Rockets at the Garden yesterday and things didn’t get much better for the beleaguered center, who was booed loudly after picking up the third of his four fouls in just 14 minutes.
James wasn’t completely unproductive in his first game back since sitting out the previous five with a strained neck. He managed to score six points and grab eight rebounds, but the lack of conditioning that has plagued him all year is becoming more apparent to everyone, including opponents and fans.
At another point, Larry Brown exhorted, “Come on, Jerome!” as the Knicks waited for him to get into their offense. That caused a young fan behind the Knicks bench to exclaim, “You don’t slow down for a player! This is basketball!”
James, who also shot an airball from about two feet away from the basket, was unfazed by the criticism.
“That doesn’t bother me at all,” James said about the negative response he tends to generate whenever he plays. “I know what I can do. I like our fans, but honestly, half of them don’t know basketball. They’re just spectators. I know I’m getting better.”
The Knicks had better hope so, since he will likely be called upon more now that post presence Antonio Davis has been traded. James said he’s dealt with this kind of thing before.
“Yeah, they’re booing me now, but they’ll cheer me later,” said James, who hasn’t played more than 16 minutes in a game all season. “The same thing happened in Seattle. They booed me there, too. Now they’re praying to have me back.”
Many in yesterday’s announced sellout crowd would likely be happy to see him head back to the Pacific Northwest, but the outlandish five-year, $30 million contract Isiah Thomas signed the seven-footer to before the season makes that impossible.
Brown has bemoaned James’ physical condition throughout the year. Yesterday, he chewed James out during the game and while he didn’t choose to blast him afterwards, James’ name was noticeably absent when the coach praised the work ethic of newcomer Jalen Rose, Jamal Crawford and the hobbled Quentin Richardson.
James, however, believes it’s only a matter of time before his season turns around.
“I was definitely winded in the first half,” James said. “There’s nothing that gets you ready to play other than being out there. I started to get my second wind in the second half.”
In fact, James said he was just getting into the flow toward the end of the game.
“I wish I had played more,” James said. “I think I could have helped.”