MONTREAL — Everything has changed for Landry Fields as he takes his fledgling career north of the border. He now wears his Raptors jersey proudly, changing from his Knicks No. 6 back to his Stanford No. 2.
Fields no longer even knows the whereabouts of the famous couch Jeremy Lin slept on in his apartment the night before Lin’s bust-out game on Feb. 2.
“It was a rental couch,’’ Fields said Friday before his Raptors beat the Knicks, 107-88, last night at Bell Centre. “I had to give it back. I wonder if they even know [the history]. It’s probably boxed up.’’
The couch is history and so is the Harvard-Stanford backcourt of Lin and Fields. Before the Knicks balked at matching Lin’s offer sheet, the club declined to match Fields’ 3-year, $19 million offer.
Fields was asked if he was shocked the Knicks let his best friend leave.
In a subtle shot at the franchise’s instability, Fields answered, “Not really. The last two years with the Knicks, it’s been such a roller coaster pretty much. I’m used to that. If things were consistent, that would surprise me.’’
Fields never regained his rookie brilliance after the Carmelo Anthony trade in February of his first year, and Fields and Anthony never clicked on or off the court. Fields never missed a game in two seasons.
“It was an accumulation of things,’’ Fields said of his downturn. “I thought I lost some confidence in myself. I couldn’t really adjust as well as I would’ve liked to. I don’t want to put blame on anyone else. It was just really me. I couldn’t get it done.
“My comfort level wasn’t there,’’ he added. “Something I was going through personally, not even dealing with the team. It was hard not to let that carry over onto the court.’’
Fields said he had a sense the Knicks weren’t going to re-sign him after the exit meeting.
“They wanted to do what was best for them in terms of making that next step and making a great playoff push,’’ Fields said. “They weren’t messing around.’’
* Shooting guard Ronnie Brewer is on track to make his debut Monday in Syracuse. Though the Knicks are off from practice after back-to-back preseason games, coach Mike Woodson is staging a special scrimmage for Brewer on Sunday. Woodson won’t play Brewer unless he scrimmages once.
“There will be enough guys where he can run up and down and bang a little,’’ Woodson said. “If he reacts well and responds well to the banging, we’ll evaluate Monday and I’ll possibly give him a few minutes.’’
* Concerned Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald complained to referees at the Bell Centre beforehand about the condition of the court with gaps in the hardwood. The Knicks were concerned about safety and maintenance workers patched the areas.