SCRIMMAGE SHOWS LAMPE STILL HAS LOTS TO LEARN...

["JSC" <jaimscastillo@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

For the Lampe fan in Way! :) peace


Last week, Maciej Lampe got a tattoo on his right ankle -a picture of a
basketball inside a cross, with the No. 30 inside.
Lampe does not want to forget June 26 - the night he careened out of the NBA
draft lottery and into the second round, where the Knicks nabbed him with the
30th overall pick.

"He's very aware of the fact [he was picked 30th]," Knick coach Don Chaney
said. "He has something to prove being picked so late. It's a good thing for
us, especially. That means he's going to work harder to improve his game."

Yesterday marked Lampe's second practice with the Knicks' summer-league team,
joining a day late because the NBA needed to approve Real Madrid's clearance
document.

During two five-minute scrimmages, Lampe, 18, didn't touch the ball much, as
he's still learning the plays. But when he did, Lampe was out on the
perimeter, away from the inside fray.

Lampe wore white athletic tape over his left ear to protect a newly pierced
ear, but that's not why he wanted no part of the lane. That's been his style,
and that's why he's compared to Dirk Nowitzki, a 7-footer who can shoot treys.

However, Chaney wants Lampe to get himself dirty.

"Although he feels he can score on anybody outside, he can also score on guys
inside," Chaney said. "He has to put as much emphasis on his inside game as
his outside game. He's got to be a well-rounded player. It's a lot easier to
play on the perimeter. It's a lot tougher to play inside. I want him
versatile."

Lampe is a project, but one with an exciting upside.

Lampe is to make his Knick debut Monday in the Boston summer league. The
Knicks say they want him here next season, but if he's a bust in Boston and
Utah, there's a slight chance they could cease buyout talks with Real Madrid
and let him stay in Europe another year.

"It all depends on how I do in the summer league, what the Knicks think,"
Lampe said.

"I want to stay here. It all depends on my game. If I play good, then the
Knicks will fight for me. I think I can get out of my contract easy. We have
to lower the buyout, which we can do, or we can take them to court."

Slavko Vranes, the Serbian 7-6 center, joined Lampe yesterday as he was
cleared by his European team for his first practice.