The Knicks Fix

We already know about Jamal Crawford. We already know about Steve Francis. And now we learn after the morning shoot-around that the Knicks made the trip here to Boston without Nate Robinson, who was overcome by a stomach flu.

James Dolan has already ordered Isiah Thomas to handle the dual role of team president and coach. Why not add a third responsibility: backup point guard?

How bad could it be? Thomas turns 46 in April, but he looks to still be in good shape (much better than his former backcourt mate, Joe Dumars). Couldn't he give him a little something off the bench?

"I could give you 10 really good . . . (pause) . . . seconds," Thomas said.

So it's been 13 years since he played in an NBA game. The Knicks are playing the Boston Celtics. Not the Phoenix Suns.

More than one Knick thought it was a great idea. "That," one said, "would be the funniest story of the year!"

Major blow to the Knicks playoff hopes. Crawford is not only the second-leading scorer on the team and the coolest player they have in crunch time -- he goes out with a big three-pointer off a broken play with 20 seconds left in Monday's win over Miami -- he is the best at getting Eddy Curry the ball. Those electrifying drive-and-lob alley-oops between Crawford and Curry -- which beat the Lakers in LA a few weeks ago -- could make the Garden roar and even had road arenas buzzing.

The Knicks could not afford to lose four players -- Curry, Stephon Marbury, David Lee and Crawford. Right now, Lee is out with an ankle sprain and now the news about Crawford's mysterious stress fracture.

It leaves a lot of questions:

* - Stephon Marbury has to pick up the scoring load, like he did in the fourth quarter against Miami. But on a balky knee, can he physically sustain it?

* - Does Steve Francis gut through the pain in his knee and give Isiah Thomas whatever minutes he can give him?

* - Can Isiah get more out of Nate Robinson other than overly-dramatic swan dives into the first row and poor shot selection?

* - Can Quentin Richardson handle the 2-spot on a regular basis? More importantly, can Jared Jeffries give them anything at the 3?

* - When he does return to the lineup, would Isiah consider starting Lee -- finally -- at the 3?

I was loitering in the Knicks locker room before Monday's win over the Miami Heat and decided to take a seat next to one of the underrated personalities on the team, Kelvin Cato. You want truth? You want perspective? You want to see a menacing scowl turn into an entertaining smile? Gotta go to Cato.

I was throwing out the opinion that the Heat, even without Dwyane Wade, are a lock to make the playoffs because of the veterans on that team. My words, "I wouldn't want to play them in the first round."

Cato's reply: "I wouldn't want to play us."

He's got a point. It's still going to take some serious fortune -- something like a weak foul call on Andrew Bogut in the final second of a game or a 39-8 disparity in free throws --for the Knicks to overcome both the Nets and either Miami or Orlando for the final playoff spot in the East. But it's hard not to believe if the Knicks did somehow get in, they'd be like that fearless mid-major no one wants to play in the NCAA Tournament. They have an inside game, they have guards who can score and they get to the foul line. In a seven-game series, they could be hard to put away.

Of course their inability to defend and, more importantly, string together wins, would be their downfall. It could also be the reason why they don't make the playoffs at all. But if they did . . .

* * * *

* - The next four games: Boston, Golden State, Atlanta and Seattle. If the Knicks are going to elbow they're way into the Top 8, this is the stretch. After that, it gets tougher -- Wiz, Raps, Hornets, Raps, Mavs -- and, more importantly, it gets later and later in the season.

* - The Knicks are in good shape with the tiebreakers so far. They own season-series wins over Miami and Orlando. But they need to win their final two games with the Nets to even the season series at 2.

* - Anyone else think the Rangers' recent fade from the NHL playoff race puts added pressure on Isiah Thomas and the Knicks to get in and ensure James Dolan of at least two nights of playoff revenue this April?

* - Donald Trump was a few seats down from Dolan at the game and I couldn't help but think of those two trademark words Isiah Thomas will probably not hear when the season is over.

While you're at the job working 9 to 5
The Beastie Boys at The Garden cold kickin' it live

Doubt that's ever going to change to "Beastie Boys at The Barclays Center cold kickin' it live."

But I'm not hating. I'm just following up on yesterday's hastily-written blog on the Nets move to Brooklyn and James Dolan's seemingly apathetic reaction. No matter what the score or the record, the Nets have been and continue to be no threat to his team just like the Barclays Center won't be a threat to his Garden. Dolan probably wouldn't even flinch if Brooklynite Spike Lee changed affiliations. But Spike's a loyalist. And he knows courtside at Barclays won't have the same cache.

(Just waiting for Spike to pull out the David Lee jersey by the way. He's always supported the heart-and-soul players on the Knicks. This would be fitting because they share the same surname. So soon enough he'll be showing Double-D Lee some love, right?)

Back to Dolan . . . JD's sure shot is to get a new arena, himself. Across 8th Ave. at the old Post Office building. MSG V will have everything Barclays Center has and more: a Manhattan address. So that's why Dolan, as a member of the NBA's Advisroy Finance Committee (kind of ironic he's on this committee, no?), voted in favor of the Nets' planned move into the Knicks' backyard. This while he was spending millions to fight Woody Johnson's proposed West Side Stadium.

Dolan says he was against the West Side Stadium because it included public money and is in support of Bruce Ratner's Brooklyn plan because it will be financed privately. But while Dolan made a big deal about distrupting the quality of life on the West Side in the lobbying against the Jets, he has pretty much ignored how Ratner's plan will be a major distruption of those residents near the Atlantic Yards.

The Barclays Center will be a premeir venue, there's little doubt. It'll be brand new and the plans call for state-of-the-art everything. The Nets are a premeir NBA franchise and even as Jason Kidd gets old they'll likely still be an elite team when the move to BK takes place in 2009.

But they'll never have a Manhattan address and without that, you're always No. 2. Even if the team that plays in the No. 1 venue continues to play like No. 2.

James Dolan spent over $8 million lobbying to stop the Jets from building the West Side stadium for a host of reasons, none more important than the fact that the new stadium would pose a threat to Madison Square Garden as Manhattan's largest concert and event venue. There's nothing Dolan and his money can do to stop new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, but what about the Nets move into Brooklyn?

Dolan's apparent disinterest in what's happening in Brooklyn -- which broke ground last month and is expected to be completed for the 2009-10 season -- suggests the Garden chairman has no confidence in the project and no fear with the result of it. There are still many skeptics who don't believe the arena will ever get completed because it has been met with great resistance from the residents of the area -- mostly Knicks fans, no doubt -- who will be disturbed by the construction. With the support of Mayor Bloomberg, Nets owner Bruce Ratner is going forward anyway.

Barclays Arena, as it will be named, will be a superior venue to the antiquated Garden, which turns 40 next year. The team that will play in it, the Nets, already have been the superior NBA team in the area for almost a decade. So why not the same amount of contention with Ratner on his plan to move into one of the five boroughs -- traditionally Knick Country -- and infringe on not only the Knicks fan base but the Garden's business?

“Very sad. It’s a sad day in basketball. The type of player he was, he was always a clutch player. No one really listened when Bird said he was the best player that he ever played with. Those of us who played against Dennis Johnson understood exactly what Bird was saying when he was always complimenting DJ. We used to call him 'Soul Man'. He could defend, he could rebound, he always made clutch shots, he always made big steals. He’s just a good guy. All our battles with him he always had a kind word for us. Always had words of encouragement. He and Vinnie Johnson played together in Seattle and I got to know him well through Vinnie."

Bird steals the ball! Over to DJ!

"It was a great play. It was a great read and reaction by Dennis because when Bird stole the basketball he was almost out of bounds. He had his toes raised. Dennis read it made a cut and layed it up. Those two had great chemistry.”

One more time . . .

Steve Francis is back in body but where is he in mind? Now that the trade deadline is over and he's still an Knick -- I still don't see a buyout before the season ends -- what is he going to give you off the bench? If it's what we saw Wednesday in Philly, Isiah Thomas might be better off going to Mardy Collins, who might be an offensive liability but at least gives you a determined effort on defense (and attempts to get over the top of screens).

Thomas needs to show no loyalty to Francis at this point. He didn't buy him out and didn't (or wasn't able to) trade him. Francis owes the Knicks more energy than what he brought in Philly. The Knicks started off great in that game and when Francis and the bench came in, the competitive spirit flatlined. You can look at the absence of David Lee as a reason, but a veteran like Francis needs to take more of a leadership role. If he'd rather go through the motions and goof-off with his buddy Nate Robinson, then Thomas has no reason to play him. Not on a team that is desperate for wins as they try to race for a playoff spot.

Francis overdribbles (it's long been a knock against him) and when he drives too often gets himself into trouble with no outlet. It disrupts the offense and kills any flow the Knicks may have developed. He's not a very good defender and with the balky knee probably is even worse than usual. But he can be a useful player when he's under control and plays the role Thomas needs him to play behind Stephon Marbury.

Thomas had words with Francis during the game in Philly, but carefully said it wasn't just Francis he was mad at.

“It wasn’t necessarily directed at him, but it was directed at that whole second unit and the way they came in the game," Thomas said. "What didn’t happen and the position it put us in. I was upset with that whole second unit and the way they responded to the situation.”

The second unit put the Knicks into a hole that was too deep to climb out of. And instead of their usual mid-game run blowing open the game, all it did was get them back into it, at least within five. It wasn't nearly enough, especially with Kyle Korver knocking down everything he threw up.

Side note: How about knocking Korver down a few times to get him out of his rhythm? You got six fouls! Sure, he's a good free throw shooter, but punishing a shooter is one way to get him out of a hot streak.

Vince Carter as a Knick? It's suspicious that the Nets would be willing to move Carter across the river to their division rivals. Get past the initial excitement about it -- and get over the fact that it's not going to happen -- and look at it from a distance. The Knicks are on the Nets' heels in the standings and both teams are outside the playoffs looking in. When you have a high-profile player like Carter, you don't deal him to your rival unless you know something your rival doesn't.

Rod Thorn would love to sandbag the Knicks with Carter, who did not make the Nets better since his arrival in New Jersey. In fact, you could argue that they got worse. Put Carter on the Knicks, have him dominate the ball on a team with Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry? Then take away popular Jamal Crawford -- rumored in the failed deal -- from the team and you lose the one guy who looked for Curry on the post.

What I know is Isiah Thomas has always loved Carter and tried before to get him from Toronto. Glen Grunwald also knows Carter well from the Toronto days.

But aside from the initial excitement of adding a superstar, how would he make the Knicks better other than at the box office? How would he shore up their greatest weakness -- defense -- as they push for the playoffs? Thomas' only focus should be on interior defense. His needs aren't in the backcourt, his needs are at power forward. I was watching the Knicks-Sixers game last night thinking how Sam Dalembert would be a good fit next to Curry. Blocks shots, rebounds, athletic and doesn't need the ball. If he could hit the occasional 15 footer, he'd be perfect. The Sixers are rebuilding, so no way they will part with Dalembert. But that's the mold the Knicks should be looking for when they consider players to sign with the mid-level exception (yikes) in the offseason.

The word is that Thomas won't make any deals before today's 3 p.m. deadline because he wants to leave the team alone to grow together, experience this playoff push and come back next year experienced. That's fine. But some time between now and the start of next season, he needs to find an athletic PF to improve the interior D.

* * * *

Had to share this: Cablevision spares no expense on its sports facilities. A beautiful large-screen plasma HD TV was installed n the lobby of t the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh. But you can't appreciate the picture. Why? The reception is terrible. Go figure.

Dwight Howard ambled out for the pregame shoot-around and was all smiles. He was fresh from a great performance at the all-star game in Vegas, but everyone seemed only interested in asking about his dunk. You know, the one with the sticker? If you haven't seen it yet, check it out http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5saBDOE6Sc&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbenchrenaldo%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F

Howard said he actually put the sticker up higher than the 12'6" that he announced on the placard after the dunk. He said when he practiced, he hit 12'6" on the backboard, but in the contest he got up much higher, according to the tape measure.

It was an impressive dunk, but my suggestion was that he would have scored big points if on his next attempt he scraped the sticker off the backboard.

But anyway . . . word is runner-up Nate Robinson actually had the potential contest-clincher. But the Garden brass wouldn't allow it. Get this, apparently N8 the Gr8 planned to do a Vegas-themed dunk, with him jumping over a Playboy bunny working at a blackjack table. He practiced it on Friday at nearby Western High School. MSG Network cameras caught the dunk -- which was successful in practice. MSG officials were said to be concerned about N8's safety. (Do you think perhaps they were also concerned about the buxom blackjack dealer's safety, too? The Garden has had enough lawsuits for one era.)

It would have been a show-stopper, no doubt. Even stingy Michael Jordan -- whom TNT commentator Kenny Smith dubbed "the Russian judge" -- would have to give that one a 10.

Word is, Michael loves the blackjack table.

The David Lee Lovefest has gotten so out of hand, a producer from NBC at practice yesterday stopped Eddy Curry for an interview. "Excuse me, David?"

"David?" Curry replied. "I'm not David."

We've all had our takes on the David Lee phenomenon; Bloggers, beat writers (sometimes one in the same), columnists and even some of you self-proclaimed authorities on racism. Earlier in the season I thought Lee should be the starting power forward. I was wrong. After watching almost three-quarters of a season, I now believe Isiah Thomas is correct. Lee is right where he belongs. At least right now.

His success comes from hustle and energy, but let's not start comparing him to Dennis Rodman (At least not until Lee shows up in a miniskirt and eye-liner and turns his shaggy brown curls into a multicolor perm). For Lee to be an effective starting power forward, he needs to add two more elements to his game: low-post defense and a consistent 15-foot jumper. An extra 10-to-15 pounds of muscle wouldn't hurt, either. The NBA season wears on you, especially when you play in the paint.

If Lee did add these things, he'd be an all-star. He's already starting to get the teen-mag popularity among young fans, which might earn him enough votes to contend next year. Wouldn't that be nice to have in your pocket come contract renegotiation time?

Last weekend in Vegas, especially after he won MVP in the Rookie Challenge game, Lee was often asked why he isn't starting for the Knicks. You can tell it's an issue with him, though he always shows class when he discusses the situation. He calls it Thomas' decision and leaves it at that. Lee would prefer to start.

There are probably some GMs out there who would love to get their hands on him before the deadline and toss him right into their starting lineup.

But right now, where his game is, Lee fits best as the Knicks' sixth man. Does that mean Jerome James or Channing Frye fit better at the starting power forward spot? No. Not at all. But why force Lee into that role when he is having success coming off the bench?

I haven't agreed with everything Isiah has done this season. In fact, I was dumbfounded when he opted to go with Malik Rose and Jared Jeffries as his first subs off the bench in Golden State. Lee didn't get into the game until 10 minutes in. Very strange, unless he was trying to showcase Rose.

There are so many little rumors floating around it's impossible to believe any of them. Thomas says he plans on doing nothing before Thursday's deadline. After seeing the results of the previous three trade deadlines, I'd say that's a good idea.