The Post’s Steve Serby chatted with the Knicks president about the team’s plans to land LeBron James and other big-name free agents.
Q: At 12:01 a.m. on July 1, where exactly will you be?
A: Well, I’ll either be on the phone (chuckles), or I’ll be going to somebody’s house or something like that. But literally, you cannot set up a meeting until 12:01 on July 1. So, if you do go to somebody’s home, then you’re just taking the chance they want you to and so . . .
Q: You can still be in position in somebody’s backyard at 12:01, you just can’t call them?
A: That’s right. You can’t set it up.
Q: You can already be there, right?
A: And of course, we’d all welcome that in America — somebody (showing) up in their backyard at 12:01 in the morning.
Q: That’s what Rex Ryan did to recruit Bart Scott.
A: There’s some guys that will work with (you) and some guys who’ll . . . throw their dogs out at ya (chuckles).
Q: But it’s possible you could be in another city . . .
A: Yeah, it’s possible.
Q: How did you recruit your wife, Judy?
A: I just went after her. I mean, I knew from the first minute I saw her — that’s the girl I’m gonna marry. I was 14, she was 12. So I can also pick a prospect out (chuckles). . . . She used to go to church every day. And so I started to go to church every day, not just on Sunday. And as she walked down toward her house, she’d go to a candy store (Beckerman’s), where you could get coffee and stuff like that. So I planned it, I caught up with her and said, “Hey, would you like to get a coke or a cup of coffee?” and she said, “I would.” And then we started doing everything. . . . I just had to get up early.
Q: Can Knicks fans expect you to be as relentless heading into this process as you were then?
A: Well, I never stopped. I’m intense in what I’m doing at the time. So I’m gonna be as intense as I can — without blowing up.
Q: You consider Mike D’Antoni an elite coach?
A: Oh, yeah.
Q: And he will be your coach come hell or high water?
A: Yes.
Q: The adjective you would use to characterize your upcoming recruiting game plan?
A: Well-thought out.
Q: Would you characterize it as the mother of all recruiting pitches?
A: Well, it is for the New York Knicks at this time. Just the opportunity is phenomenal here right now, particularly for a high-level player. I think this city would embrace it, and the guy would probably experience celebrity and fortune and all that beyond what he thinks he can.
Q: What is it like at this point for you?
A: Anxious because we know . . . we have a great situation here, but it’s kinda like you can’t do anything right now.
Q: Do you plan on involving the Yankees at all?
A: We’re gonna try to involve other people in New York, for sure, and they gotta be people who would want to do it. And if there’s Yankees that want to help us, we would involve them.
Q: Donald Trump?
A: If he’s available, we certainly would ask him, too.
Q: How do you feel about Knicks fans viewing you as the savior?
A: No I’m not any of that. It’s not hard to know what direction we should go in. I’m trying to organize everybody to do it. . . . I’m like a maitre d’. . . . Things are going good, you don’t need them, all right (chuckles)? If things are going bad, you’re looking for him.
Q: Being a native New Yorker, do you burn even more to make it right for the Knicks?
A: I think I was more aware of that — and I did — when I was thinking about whether I should take the job. And that’s kinda what did it for me. I thought, “I would love to get this place back to what it was” at that point.
Q: And now?
A: It’s the same thing.
Q: What makes World Wide Wes (LeBron confidant William Wesley) so powerful?
A: The players really like him and respect him, so when he speaks to them, they listen. . . . He knows the game of basketball, and if they need help, he’ll try to help ’em, is all I can tell.
Q: How much of a plus is it that Allan Houston and Wesley are very close?
A: I don’t know if any of that means anything now because again, I come to this is gonna be a decision for the player.
Q: New York has the best . . .?
A: City . . . pizza . . . my wife will forgive me, women . . . shopping . . . restaurants . . . diversity . . . culture . . . and basketball fans in the world, I truly believe that. The best of everything, to be quite honest.
Q: James Dolan?
A: I think the guy is a great owner in the sense that he obviously will spend the money.
We’re renovating the Garden — he’s paying for it, which is not what you see in most situations anymore. As long as you explain what you want to do and you stick to it, I think he’s very, very supportive.
Q: Have the last two years gone fast or slow?
A: Looking back now, I would have to say, “Boy, it went by fast.” But living through it, I always thought it was going slow.
Q: What was it like emotionally for you these last two years?
A: Well, the same as it is for the guys on the team, for the coaches. When you’re not winning, the NBA’s not a great place to be.
Q: If Plan A comes through . . .?
A: Well, I’m not even defining Plan A.
Q: OK, whatever Plan A is, if it comes through, close your eyes and describe what the Garden will look and sound like?
A: I hope it sounded like it did when I came up here with my Indiana teams, ’cause that’s about as good as it can get. There’s no better place to be, I absolutely believe that.
Q: When the Garden goes to another level, is there any way to describe what it’s like?
A: No, because there’s a buzz. . . . When you’re good in New York, before the game starts, there’s just a buzz about a big game, a big buzz. I can feel it. Like nowhere else, too.
Q: What are the chances you’ll strike out completely?
A: I don’t know. At this point, I don’t think you can have a feel for it because, in my mind, only the players know what they want to do, and they might not know what they want to do right now.
Q: The Larry King interview [ with LeBron James]?
A: It didn’t surprise me anything that was said.
Q: What might the last six hours be like as the clock ticks toward 12:01 a.m. July 1?
A: A lot of meditation (chuckles). Look, you can only plan so much, so once it gets going, I have confidence that we’ll do the right thing.
Q: What would you say to Knicks fans about whether they should buy season tickets for next season?
A: I would buy them.
Q: Because?
A: ’Cause the stock market could go up (laughs).