He remembered the many great moments he had at the World’s Most Famous Arena both as a college standout at St. John’s and in…
By Dylan Butler
As he walked down the familiar hallways of Madison Square Garden, an array of thoughts danced through Mark Jackson’s head Friday.
He remembered the many great moments he had at the World’s Most Famous Arena both as a college standout at St. John’s and in his first tour of duty with the New York Knicks. He thought about his late father Harry and where he used to sit.
He thought about how strange it would be to play with the Knicks without his friend, Patrick Ewing. But most of all, the St. Albans native thought about how happy he was to be home.
“I’m very excited, it’s a great situation for me,” Jackson said. “It’s the greatest place in the world to play and I’m thrilled about it.”
Jackson joined the Knicks Friday after being traded from the Toronto Raptors along with Mugsy Bogues for Chris Childs and a 2001 first-round draft pick.
After playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and the Raptors, the 35-year-old is back with the Knicks, a team he started his professional career with 13 years ago and won a rookie of the year award with in 1987-88.
“I hope [I finish my career with the Knicks]. I’m tired of moving,” Jackson joked. “I’m tired of purchasing houses. There are a lot of rich real estate agents around this country because of me.
“It’s the right thing to do because I started here and God has brought me full circle and I’m just honored to be back here.”
Although he admitted he might not have been so anxious to return to New York if someone other than Jeff Van Gundy — who was the Knicks assistant coach in Jackson’s early days — was the head coach.
“I have so much respect for him as a basketball coach, as a man. It’s such an honor to play for him,” he said. “I love him as a coach and I love him as a man and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to play for him.”
Jackson was not expected to play against the Phoenix Suns Friday, the day after the trade was consummated. But when Childs arrived in Toronto and cleared a physical, Jackson and Van Gundy decided less than an hour before the game to suit up the guard.
“After the meeting we huddled up and first decided to wait until Sunday, but I’m about winning and realized that we really only have one point guard suiting up,” Jackson said. “We decided to just suit up and I had an opportunity to go out there.”
Jackson studied a couple of the Knicks offensive sets with assistant coach Tom Thibodeau in the first quarter and then, with 10:22 left in the second quarter, he made his debut.
And the fans, who seemed to love to hate him when he wore the hated Indiana Pacers uniform, responded with a standing ovation.
“It was special — I really can’t describe it,” he said. “A lot of thoughts went through my mind but I was very grateful and it meant a lot. The way they showed me some support and love and welcomed me back. It’s good to be back and I should have started clapping for them because they were missed.”
Despite not having practiced with his new teammates, Jackson played 13 minutes in the Knicks’ 88-84 overtime loss. He had three assists, one rebound and no points.
“We’re going to play him — the quicker he gets on the floor the better off he is,” said Van Gundy. “Tonight was less-than-ideal circumstances, but he’s an intelligent player. He’s going to be the starter.”
His new teammates, especially Latrell Sprewell, Glenn Rice and Allan Houston, are also pleased to have the seasoned Jackson, who is third in the league with 9.2 assists per game and first in the NBA with a 4.28 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“Once he really gets the feel for what we’re doing and what we like to do, it’s going to make us that much better,” Sprewell said.
Added Rice: “Mark is definitely one of the best playmakers in the game. Once he gets himself familiar with our offense, he’s going to be pinpointing passes to everyone. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
But not everyone is happy with Jackson joining the Knicks, as Jackson learned by a phone call he made to a close friend.
“I spoke to [former Indiana Pacers teammate] Reggie Miller. I had to tell him four or five times before he believed me,” he said. “He called me a liar. He hung up on me. He called me stupid. When he realized I was telling the truth he said, ‘How can I play against the Knicks with the same fire?’”
Another surprised recipient of a Jackson phone call Thursday night was Knicks forward Luc Longley. Jackson called to see if Longley would be willing to part with Jackson’s beloved number 13.
“I guess he knew my soft spot so he immediately said [he wears it] for his dad and I ended the conversation with that,” said Jackson, who now wears No. 31. “I’d love to wear it, but at the same time I feel honored to put on a New York Knicks uniform, not just what the number is.”
It didn’t take Jackson long to make his first start in a Knicks uniform as Van Gundy gave him the nod over Charlie Ward Sunday against the Sacramento Kings. Jackson had six points and one assist in 27 minutes in the Knicks’ come-from-behind 88-86 win.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
