Renaldo Balkman is Going to be Just Fine

One of the biggest challenges with being a New York sports figure is dealing with the New York media. It's a task with which few people have had success. Bill Parcells and Derek Jeter have. ARod and Randy Johnson have not. Now the chore falls upon Renaldo Balkman, the "only Isiah Thomas would possibly do this" 1st round draft pick of the Knicks. Since he was projected to go late in the 2nd round, if drafted at all, there will be pressure for Balkman to justify being picked 20th overall. With that pressure will come incessant scrutiny from the New York media. So just how does Balkman plan on dealing with that pressure? Well, he's already put Newsday in their place:

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," he said.

Oh yeah. He's definitely ready for the New York spotlight. If that doesn't work, he might go with "I know you are, but what am I." He's also got a great retort that includes rubber and glue, but he's saving that one for the regular season.