Chris Broussard writes that McDyess received plenty of respect at yesterday's Entertainers' Basketball Classic. He was greeted by enthusiastic, though not boisterous, cheers when introduced to the crowd, and fans who strolled past him in the bleachers welcomed him to New York with smiles, handshakes and hugs.

When he attempted to come back from his knee surgery late last season with the Denver Nuggets, McDyess, 27, expressed discouragement because he was not able to jump as high as before. But yesterday, he said he thought he was leaping better than ever.

"The explosiveness is there," he said. "I'm jumping a lot quicker and jumping a lot higher, so I have no doubts in my jumping ability right now. It's kind of surprised me. My knee's not bothering me at all. I'm just ready to get out there and looking forward to this year."