chicagotribune:Knicks forward Quentin Richardson quietly sorted through the tickets he had bought before Wednesday's game against the Bulls, just as he had always had done when coming back home. But not so many free ones this time.
"A few family members coming," Richardson said with a smile. "Nothing ridiculous. It's my sixth year. I don't have that many [coming] anymore."
Richardson didn't quite mean it that way, but it was a stark and sad reminder of the tragedy that rocked his family last month when his 31-year-old brother Lee was shot and killed in an attempted robbery outside his South Side home.
The entire Knicks team attended the funeral, and Richardson returned to the club after a three-game absence.
"For me, basketball always has been something of an escape from everything going on," Richardson said. "I wanted to come back. The organization thought it would take longer to come back than it did. But I was ready to come back, really."
Wednesday was Richardson's first game in Chicago since the death of his brother, and he said he intended to keep it as normal as possible. His father and stepmother didn't attend, he said, but his sister and other family members were there.
"Everyone is doing good," he said.
Richardson is one of the more positive and likeable players in the NBA. He's known for his even demeanor and his accessibility, and he remains that way despite the tragedy visited upon his family.
This guy has gone through a lot in the past months. Hopefully last nights game was a sign off him finally coming out of the stress and back into the game.
