Over every Knicks player’s locker at Madison Square Garden, there is now a picture of an NBA championship trophy. The new décor was added prior to halftime of last night’s 101-79 rout over the Pistons.
“I think we just want to get our focus back,” Tyson Chandler said. “I think there’s been talk around the staff and amongst us that we’ve got to know what we’re fighting for.”
It was not known who put the photos up, although Knicks manager of player security Max Cayard was involved.
“He told me to bring my ring out today,” Chandler said, referring to his championship ring from last season’s title run with the Mavericks, “and I’m guessing he talked to somebody and put the trophies up.”
Carmelo Anthony likes the photo additions.
“They’re inspiring,” he said. “It’s motivating just to see that. It gives us something to look up to, look forward to and we know where we want to be at. A lot of work that we want to do to get there.”
* Had Lawrence Frank accepted the Knicks’ assistant coach job in the offseason, it’s possible he would be the team’s head coach.
The Pistons head coach — and former Nets head man — is in his first season in Detroit, having passed on the Knicks’ offseason offer of a defensive assistant position. The Knicks chose Mike Woodson, who is now the interim head coach after Mike D’Antoni’s resignation.
“I’m happy where I’m at,” Frank said. “I just wish them all the best.”
When Frank took over the Nets for a fired Byron Scott in the 2003-04 season, New Jersey won its first 13 games under his direction. Woodson was 5-0 with the Knicks before losing Friday night in Toronto.
“I can’t believe [New Jersey] was dumb enough to give me a job,” Frank said. “I was in shock.”
* Baron Davis didn’t want to talk about the words he exchanged with Raptors players at the end of Friday’s loss, saying last night, “I’ve got nothing to say.” … Woodson said center Jerome Jordan is not ready for a larger role yet and could be sent to the D-League again.
—Additional reporting by Howie Kussoy