Groggy Knicks arrive to little fanfare in London

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Iman Shumpert likely to make season debut for the NY Knicks Thursday at London's O2 Arena.

LONDON ? At least when the Beatles touched down on New York soil nearly 50 years ago there were screaming girls and television cameras to welcome the boys from Liverpool.

When the NBA's oldest roster arrived here early Tuesday they did so with little fanfare, fewer fans and very groggy from the red eye flight.

"I think guys are kind of dragging," Mike Woodson said. "I don't know if I'll get much out of anybody today."

LONDON DIARY: NO MISTEAKING THE CUISINE

The Day 1 itinerary for Knicks aboard didn't include personal appearances, media obligations or even a light practice. Woodson called it a "pampering day" two days in advance of the Knicks first regular season game outside of North America when they face the Detroit Pistons on Thursday at O2 Arena.

The NBA is hoping to generate interest in the sport following last summer's Olympics when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler helped the United States win the gold medal. Basketball has a long way to go in Great Britain where the locals say they "fancy" soccer, cricket and rugby. The Knicks and Pistons cannot even lay claim to the most anticipated sporting event of the week in London with Chelsea-Arsenal scheduled for Sunday at Stamford Bridge.

Even a British journalist asked Woodson if it felt odd being in such a large city where few people know who they are and better yet why they're here in the first place.

"It's okay," Woodson said. "I'm not into all that so it doesn't matter to me. The players are the ones who get all the hoopla. It's kind of nice when you can walk in, check in, kind of coast and take it easy. You don't have to deal with a lot of the hustle and bustle that goes on around you."

Woodson addressed a small group of reporters for 15 minutes at the Knicks posh hotel and he was the only one from the team's entourage made available to the media. Woodson revealed that assuming Iman Shumpert goes through Wednesday's practice pain-free that the second year guard will make his season debut against the Pistons. In fact, Woodson wouldn't rule out the possibility of Shumpert, sidelined since early last May following major knee surgery, will start his first game.

"We'll see," Woodson added. "That could be a possibility as well based on him loosening up. If the doctors said that might be a way to go I wouldn't be scared of putting him in the starting lineup. He's been there before."

Shumpert's imminent return will make the Knicks better defensively and it will allow Woodson to cut back on Jason Kidd's minutes. All 15 players on the roster traveled to London including Marcus Camby, who is out for at least another 10 days with a left foot injury. Rasheed Wallace, who is closing in on being out five weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot, is said to be getting closer to returning but Woodson isn't sure that Wallace will face his former team on Thursday.

Anthony is expected to address the media Tuesday for the first time since a report surfaced that Garden Chairman James Dolan used high powered microphones at the Garden to record conversations taking place on the court. Dolan, according to sources, is upset that Kevin Garnett wasn't penalized for allegedly making disparaging comments about Anthony's wife last week during a Celtics win at MSG. Anthony was suspended one game for confronting Garnett three times after the loss, including once by the Celtics team bus.

Woodson sidestepped the issue of his boss "spying" on opposing players by saying "That's not my concern. It really isn't. When I step on the floor I'm not thinking about camera guys. All I'm focusing in is the guys running up and down the floor. The cameras are there, they're there. I don't know anything about it."

The Knicks, who a broke a two-game losing streak on Sunday with a home win over New Orleans, are trying to treat their short journey as a business trip. Woodson and his coaches watched film on Tuesday and were preparing to put the team through a regular training session on Wednesday.

Still, the players were encouraged to bring their wives and children on the trip to London. Woodson had his daughter and his nephew's daughter travel with him although he doesn't think he'll have time to tour the Tower of London or Big Ben, the clock not the former Pistons center.

"I'm going to take it easy," Woodson said. "We have to treat it as a regular game. The fact that we travel this far, I feel a little groggy myself. I know how the players feel. I'm going to let them rest up today and we'll get out there tomorrow."

Source: http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/nydnrss/sports/~3/JptV2ksY1DM/story01.htm

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