LOS ANGELES — Everybody loves Raymond, including Kobe Bryant.
King Kobe gave Amar’e Stoudemire his kudos but saved his loudest raves for the Knicks’ point guard as the Lakers great issued his blessing on the Knicks’ renaissance yesterday.
Bryant highlighted his acquisition as the unsung key. Bryant also proclaimed Stoudemire never needed Steve Nash to be great, calling him a “deserving candidate” for MVP.
With the roaring Knicks (21-14) on a three-game romp after roughing up league-best San Antonio and scorching the desert with Friday’s destruction of the Suns, here come the Lakers. Tonight’s Staples Center showdown pits the defending two-time champions against the newest kids on the block, with their owner James Dolan in Hollywood for the occasion.
Bryant believes the signing Felton was one of the most unheralded acquisitions in recent times.
Felton, with his first career triple-double, made Steve Nash an afterthought in Friday’s rout of the Suns that kicked off their four-game Western trip.
Bryant said he is not surprised by the Knicks’ revival.
“[It’s] to be expected,” Bryant said. “One of the under-the-radar acquisitions was Raymond Felton. He’s a fantastic player. A good defender, good playmaker, knocks down big shots. That kind of snuck by everybody. They added Stoudemire but getting Raymond was a huge help.”
Bryant said Stoudemire is proving what he always thought — Stoudemire doesn’t need Nash. But he gave a sarcastic response on whether he was the league MVP through 35 games.
“Home crowds chant MVP for anybody,” Bryant said, referring to the Garden’s serenades. “They chant MVP for Earl Boykins in Milwaukee. But he’s playing the way I thought he’d play. I never bought into the nonsense Steve makes Amar’e what Amar’e is. It was always kind of silly to me. He can do everything. He’s a deserving candidate for it.”
Mike D’Antoni called it an “ideal” time to meet Phil Jackson’s dynamo which has hit speed bumps but has won three straight and is 26-11.
“Playing as well as we’re playing, we got a shot with these guys,” D’Antoni said.
“It gives you confidence but you don’t want to be overconfident,” Felton said. “Playing against the Lakers you have to be ready. You don’t want to come off blowing a team out and being blown out in the Staples Center. You don’t come in as cocky or too confident. This team can easily blow us out if we don’t play the right way.”
Shelve the nostalgic poems about the once-formidable tandem of Nash-Stoudemire. That Suns era ended this summer but officially was laid to rest Friday when Stoudemire and Felton rode into town and shot down any old memories.
“It wasn’t one of those things I was trying to shut that up,” Felton said. “But at the same time if they still say that after that game, that’s on them.”
Felton was signed to only a two-year contract, a point of contention during negotiations. The Knicks kept their options open for 2012 when Chris Paul and Deron Williams become free agents.
“I heard all that stuff in Charlotte,” Felton said. “I just keep doing what I do. I hope I’m a New York Knick right now and hopefully I’ll be here for a long time.
Phil Jackson, a member of the Knicks’ two title teams, said the club has earned a new prominent status in the East.
“We thought of this Eastern Conference with four, five teams if you count Chicago and Atlanta with Miami, Orlando and Boston as top teams,” Jackson said. “Certainly you have to say the Knicks are fitting right in that space in there, forcing their way into contention with Atlanta, Chicago. If they can challenge the top three, Orlando-Miami-Boston, that will be a boost for their club.”
marc.berman@nypost.com