NBA Insider with Ken Berger

There is a lot of buzz about whether Kevin Garnett should be suspended after an altercation last night with the Hawks’ Zaza Pachulia that appeared to involve an elbow from Garnett connecting with the chest of referee Eddie T. Rush. Commissioner David Stern and executive VP of basketball operations Stu Jackson were in attendance, so you can bet no matter what the league decides, the annual postseason conspiracy theories will be spinning out of control.

TNT didn’t show Garnett getting tangled up with Rush during the telecast last night, but the incident is all over YouTube. There’s a still photo showing Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest that is fueling speculation – particularly among Hawks fans in Atlanta, not surprisingly – that Garnett should be suspended for Game 5 in Boston tomorrow night. The feisty Hawks tied the series 2-2 with a 97-92 victory.

First of all, I used to live in Atlanta, and I wasn’t aware there were any Hawks fans there. Secondly, let me give you some sober reasoning as to why Garnett’s actions do not warrant a suspension – and my theory as to why Stern will not suspend him.

Garnett got tangled up under the basket with Pachulia while going for an offensive rebound. Frustrated that Pachulia had grabbed his arm, he threw an elbow at him and then motioned to the officials that he was being held.

Instead of accepting the technical on Garnett and walking away, Pachulia chose to saunter over to Garnett and stick his nose in KG’s face. That’s called “escalating the conflict” in the parlance of Stern.

Garnett was wrong, too. After being separated from Pachulia, he tried to go after him again – running his mouth the whole time. At this point – and this is important – Rush grabbed Garnett to keep him out of the fray. The way I see the video, Garnett didn’t shove or elbow Rush. Instead, he pulled away demonstratively in an effort to break free of Rush’s grasp. This should cost Garnett a fine, but not a suspension. Knowing how Stern views such things, I believe he will agree.

Still photos can be deceiving. This one, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, clearly shows Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest.

But if you didn’t look at the video, you wouldn’t know that Garnett was pulling away from Rush, not elbowing him.

If there are any suspensions, they will involve Boston's Kendrick Perkins and Atlanta's Marvin Williams, who both appeared to barely venture onto the court from the bench during the altercation.

If Garnett isn’t suspended, the conspiracy theorists will be in full froth, jumping to conclusions that the league wants the Celtics in the Finals and that Garnett is only the latest superstar to get the superstar treatment from Stern.

Relax. Garnett’s actions don’t rise to the level of a suspension. And the Hawks should want to knock off the best team in the league AND its best player, anyway.

The Charlotte Bobcats will introduce Larry Brown as their new head coach today in a 1 p.m. news conference, two people with knowledge of the situation told Newsday.

The announcement marks Brown's return to the NBA sideline for the first time since he was fired by the Knicks in June 2006 after a 23-59 season and well-publicized clashes with former team president Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan.

The frugal Bobcats, who fired coach Sam Vincent on Saturday, typically wouldn't be in the running for a high-priced coach like Brown. But Brown's $18.5 million settlement with the Knicks made him available on the cheap. A third person familiar with the negotiations said the parties had been discussing a contract that would pay Brown less than $3 million per season.

More details as they unfold.

Patrick Ewing finally has been offered a head coaching job – with the Orlando Magic’s summer league squad.

“You think that’s the only job I can get?” Ewing told the Orlando Sentinel’s Brian Schmitz, who had this story in his Magic blog. “Actually, I’m looking forward to coaching these guys this summer. It will be a good experience.”

It’s the right move for Patrick to get some experience as a head coach and show higher-ups around the league that he’s committed to sitting in the first seat on the bench someday. Ewing has expressed disappointment that the Knicks haven’t contacted him about their head coaching job.

I have mixed feelings about this. First, I think Donnie Walsh should be extremely patient with this hire, wait until the game of musical chairs is over, and hire the best available coach. That means a coach with experience. In my opinion, Ewing doesn’t have enough. On the other hand, at least he actually has worked as an assistant coach, unlike Mark Jackson.

Ewing’s time will come. He worked wonders with Yao Ming in Houston, and his fingerprints are all over the vastly improved offensive game that Dwight Howard is displaying.

While we're on the subject, I’m starting to wonder if Donnie Walsh is interviewing potential basketball coaches and GMs or contestants for “Dancing With The Stars.” Kenny Smith? If this is the kind of splash Walsh is looking to make, why not interview Reggie Miller? Or Cheryl Miller, for that matter? They fit the lone criteria I’ve detected thus far: They're broadcasters.

I just keep reminding myself that Walsh is extremely shrewd and intelligent, which makes me believe that all of these celebrity candidates getting interviews are part of a smokescreen. Might as well generate some buzz until he has a chance to interview the best candidate, Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau.

Thibs and Doc Rivers have their hands full at the moment, don’t they? The Hawks have awakened to tie their first-round series with the mighty Celtics at 2-2 heading to Boston for Game 5 tomorrow night. As a former Atlanta resident whose family lives there, it was good to see the building rocking last night. It’s been a looooooong time since the ATL’s NBA team has been anywhere close to the radar there. Good for the Hawks. Good for Mike Woodson, a fellow IU guy who might have just saved his job.

Having said all this, I still think the Celts will handle their business in six.

Pat Riley is one of Isiah Thomas’ mentors, so it’s not surprising that Riles possesses some of the same survival instincts that Isiah is famous for flaunting.

According to reports out of Miami, Riley will announce later today that he’s stepping down as the Heat’s coach but will remain as team president. That’s a little better deal than the make-believe job Isiah managed to latch onto after being removed from his coach and president positions by Donnie Walsh, but you get the idea. It’s a pretty soft landing for Riley after winning 15 games this season with a team that won the NBA title only two years ago.

Riley is widely expected to name his assistant, Eric Spoelstra, to replace him on the bench. This is the same approach Riley used in 2003 when he stepped aside and promoted Stan Van Gundy to head coach. In that case, Riley got tired of sitting around watching film, so he pushed Van Gundy out and went back to the bench just in time to get all the credit for the Heat’s championship run with Shaq and Dwyane Wade. This time, there’s no such juggernaut to lure Riley back. The rebuilding process he’ll be overseeing as team president is a formidable and long-term job.

If Riley is finished coaching, he goes out with seven championships and 1,210 victories – third-most in league history. But Miami is 59-105 since winning Riley’s seventh title.

Did David Stern decide not to suspend Jason Kidd in order to keep Mark Cuban’s head from exploding? Well, that could very well be a side effect of the league’s decision not to suspend Kidd for a hard foul on New Orleans’ Jannero Pargo in the Hornets' 97-84 victory. But the real reason is that film review of the play revealed that the foul wasn’t even worthy of a flagrant 2 and ejection, much less a suspension in Game 4.

Pargo didn’t even think Kidd crossed the line, saying after the game, “The only thing he did was make a hard foul and not give up a layup. That’s what he's supposed to do.”

Kidd or no Kidd, the Mavs are in trouble as they trail, 3-1, and face elimination tomorrow night in New Orleans. Cuban doesn’t favor a massive roster overhaul, which suggests that coach Avery Johnson is on shaky ground.

Larry Brown is considering about a half-dozen coaching opportunities in both the NBA and college ranks, his agent, Joe Glass, said today.

"There's a lot of opportunities," Glass said on the phone. "But nothing I can share with you or anybody else."

Speaking with Glass is always a treat. He's been with the Hall of Fame coach since the beginning of his brilliant career that spans decades. The next town appears to be on the horizon for the coach some refer to derisively as "Next Town Brown," who parted ways with the Philadelphia 76ers much more amicably than he did two years ago with the Knicks.

Brown resigned his post as the Sixers' executive vice president yesterday, a mutual parting of ways that was inevitable when team president Billy King was fired in December. Former Nets GM Ed Stefanski is calling the shots for the Sixers, who are tied 1-1 in their best-of-7 series with the Detroit Pistons heading into Game 3 tonight down the road in Philly.

Glass' son, Keith -- also an agent, not to mention an author, and out of Hewlett High School, by the way -- was telling me yesterday I needed to speak with his dad for any information about Brown's future. I reminded Keith how, um, challenging it had been to deal with the elder Glass during Brown's contract dispute with the Knicks.

"He's just a big teddy bear, really," Keith said.

The elder Glass is always good for a laugh, as long as you don't take yourself too seriously, which I never do. So I did find him a bit more cuddly than he'd been when the Knicks were trying to make off with Brown's money after they fired him in 2006.

Asked if he could help me make an educated guess as to where Brown will wind up next, Glass said with a mix of sarcasm and good cheer, "I don't want to educate you, anyway. We'll just let time take its time."

When Brown left the Knicks, it was only a matter of time before he'd coach again -- and in a much better situation. That time will be here sooner than later; it's just a matter of which town will be next for Brown.

We don't like to get involved in chasing the reporting of other media outlets, nor do we think it's all that worthwhile to give the knee-jerk shootdowns when something inaccurate is reported. But in the interest of giving you accurate information about the Knicks' search for a coach and GM(s), Newsday has learned that former Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King has not been interviewed for a front office position with the Knicks.

A competing publication reported today that King already interviewed with Knicks president Donnie Walsh last week. "There is no truth at all" to the report, a person close to King told me this afternoon.

So there ya go.

Let’s get you caught up on the aftermath of the last night of the NBA regular season:

* The West seeds are set. Here are your first-round matchups:

* LeBron James added a scoring title to his growing resume, becoming the first player in Cavaliers history to lead the league in scoring (30.0 ppg). Congrats, LBJ. He fell 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists short of joining Oscar Robertson as the only players ever to average a triple-double for a season. Maybe next year.

* Mark Jackson announced on the air last night that he is leaving the YES Network. Jackson is a top candidate for a job in the Knicks’ front office or for their soon-to-be-vacant head coaching position.

* Kevin Durant capped his rookie season with his first career double-double, with 42 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Sonics to a 126-121 victory over Golden State in what figures to be their last game as a Seattle team. NBA owners are scheduled to vote today or tomorrow on the Sonics’ bid to move to Oklahoma City in the two-day Board of Governors meetings in Manhattan.

* The Nuggets clinched a 50-win season with a 120-111 victory over Memphis, but wound up with the eighth seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Lakers. Dallas clinched the seventh spot by beating New Orleans.

* One of the most intriguing first-round matchups features the fourth-seeded Jazz and fifth-seeded Rockets. One of my favorite GMs in the league, Houston’s Daryl Morey, spoke with the Houston Press about the keys to stopping Utah point guard Deron Williams. When Morey talks, I listen.

* I’m on my fourth cup of coffee. But if you’re still waiting for your first, here it is from the TrueHoop blog.

* Here are some more thoughts from the last night of the regular season from the Sporting Blog. If you're like Dan Shanoff and want nothing but Lakers-Celtics in the Finals, you should check it out.

A source close to the situation reports that Alan Hahn has almost made it home from Indianapolis. We'll be keeping you informed on the fate of Isiah Thomas.

We love 'Sheed here at the Newsday NBA Insider Blog. Can’t get enough 'Sheed. Which is good, considering the Pistons will be playing just down the road in Philly in the first round in a few days.

To get your Rasheed Wallace fix now, check out this video showing 'Sheed chewing out referee Jim Clark during a recent game against Minnesota. The best part – other than Wallace jawing at Clark, “I ain’t scared of y’all” – is Minnesota’s Ryan Gomes cracking up next to Wallace on the foul line. Clark can’t hide his smile, either. This is known as good officiating. An inexperienced of quick-tempered ref might have T’d 'Sheed up. Clark makes the better choice – just sit back and enjoy.

The playoff seeds are set in the East, while all but the top two (Lakers and Hornets) are still up for grabs based on the results tonight as the regular season comes to a close. Here’s a link to a comprehensive breakdown of East matchups and West scenarios.

As interesting as all that is, I’m still transfixed by what transpired at the end of the Cavs-Sixers game the other night. Basically, the Sixers thought they’d won, 90-89, and had gone to the locker room to celebrate securing the sixth seed and a somewhat winnable first-round matchup against Orlando. But officials reviewed the tape and determined that Devin Brown had been fouled with 0.2 seconds left. The stunned Sixers returned to the court and watched Brown drop in two free throws for a 91-90 win. Now the Sixers are the seventh seed and have to face the second-seeded Pistons in the first round.

As Renaldo Balkman would say, “Aw, man, crazy.” Here’s a pretty good summary of the events on Deadspin, complete with a YouTube feed. Maybe Brown was fouled, maybe he wasn’t. But I urge you to look at LeBron James, who passed to Brown on the play in question. How many steps did ‘ol LBJ take after he picked up his dribble?

Who gave Tim Donaghy his whistle back?

My votes are in for the NBA’s 2007-08 regular season awards. At the risk of opening myself up to ridicule – hey, why else would I have a blog? – here are my selections and some of my thinking that went along with them:

Rookie of the Year
1. Al Horford, Hawks
2. Kevin Durant, Sonics
3. Luis Scola, Rockets
Why: Horford was the dominant player on a playoff team; Durant the dominant player on a lousy team. Scola had the most impact of any rookie, and I was tempted to put him ahead of Durant. Very tempted.

Coach of the Year
1. Maurice Cheeks, 76ers
2. Rick Adelman, Rockets
3. Eddie Jordan, Wizards
Why: A lot of deserving choices, not the least of whom was Doc Rivers. But Doc Gooden could have coached that team. What Cheeks did in Philadelphia – making the playoffs with a young team that most had pegged for the lottery – makes him the obvious choice. Eddie Jordan deserves mention because of what the Wizards did without Gilbert Arenas.

Defensive Player of the Year
1. Kevin Garnett, Celtics
2. Shane Battier, Rockets
3. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Why: More deserving candidates in this category that any other. Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan will get a lot of votes on reputation, but this should be a performance award. Garnett thoroughly upgraded the Celtics at the defensive end of the floor; Battier is the most productive wing defender in the league and can also clamp down on shooting guards; and Rondo emerged as a tenacious point defender.

All-NBA

First Team
F Kevin Garnett
F LeBron James
C Dwight Howard
G Chris Paul
G Kobe Bryant

Second Team
F Carlos Boozer
F Tim Duncan
C Amare Stoudemire
G Steve Nash
G Tracy McGady

Third Team
F Carmelo Anthony
F Antawn Jamison
C Marcus Camby
G Deron Williams
G Allen Iverson
Why: The first team is obvious. After that, it got tough. I like to have each team with a legitimate starting five; i.e., small forward/power forward, point guard/shooting guard, and as close to a true center as possible. I had to make an exception with Boozer and Duncan on the second team and D-Wil and AI on the third. I struggled to find a place for Rasheed Wallace on the third team, but went with Carmelo because I didn’t want to break my rule again. What about Dirk Nowitzki? I picked Jamison on the third team instead because he picked up the scoring and leadership slack with Arenas out.

Sixth Man
1. Manu Ginobili, Spurs
2. Jason Terry, Mavericks
3. Leandro Barbosa, Suns
Why: Excellent arguments could be made for Utah’s Kyle Korver and Atlanta’s Josh Childress. Ginobili is a given.

Most Improved
1. Hedo Turkoglu, Magic
2. Tyson Chandler, Hornets
3. LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers
Why: Turkoglu is a lock. Aldridge and Chandler were pretty much neck-and-neck, but I gave the edge to Chandler because his numbers went up more than Aldridge’s compared to his career averages and he played on a better team.

MVP
1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
2. Chris Paul, Hornets
3. LeBron James, Cavaliers
4. Kevin Garnett, Celtics
5. Dwight Howard, Magic
Why: I bet 90 percent of the voters will have the same top four, with some putting KG ahead of LeBron and others putting Paul ahead of Bryant. As LeBron said recently, Kobe has been the best all-around player in the league for five years and deserves his first MVP trophy. I chose Howard over Tim Duncan and Carlos Boozer because Duncan’s numbers and impact were down and Utah is too flimsy on the road; not all Boozer’s fault, but certainly worthy of consideration.

What, no Knicks? The NBA doesn’t sanction awards such as First-Team All-Overpaid, Most Disappointing Player, and Least Improved.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the Bucks have found a new GM -- Pistons assistant GM John Hammond.

While Joe Dumars has gotten all the credit for building an Eastern Conference power in Detroit, Hammond is as responsible as anyone. The Pistons' front office, which includes highly regarded international scouting director Tony Ronzone, is the envy of all teams currently blowing up, or contemplating blowing up, their organizational charts.

The pressure is on Dumars now to keep Ronzone, who is on Donnie Walsh's radar as he prepares to revamp the Knicks' front office, including the international scouting department.

Milwaukee also interviewed Dave Griffin and Rick Sund, but were never serious players for Walsh's services. The notoriously cheap Bucks weren't prepared to pay a GM as much as the Knicks are paying Walsh.

In case you missed it, the Nuggets put the smackdown on Golden State last night in a battle of two teams vying for the last playoff spot in the West. The Mavs clinched with a 97-94 victory over Utah, thanks to a three-pointer by reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki with 0.9 seconds left. Good stuff.

Not that Yahoo! needs any more traffic, but this is honestly one of the coolest things online for NBA fans. You can watch video highlights of every game from the previous night -- whenever you want, whichever games you want. There's also video from Baron Davis' birthday bash. Who needs "Sports Center?"

While we're at it, here's more on the Clay Bennett-David Stern dustup from Bethlehem Shoals, of FreeDarko fame. (UPDATED WITH LINK.)

Oh, and the Lakers' Andrew Bynum was in New York yesterday to be examined by a knee specialist, but was not cleared for practice or contact drills. The Lakers are good to go without him, but they need the 7-footer to make a serious run deep into the playoffs, IMHO.

The TrueHoop blog, always a friend of this one, links to a story by another friend -- Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News -- in which Allen Iverson campaigns for fellow little man Chris Paul for MVP. Thoughts?

Sonics owner Clay Bennett is on David Stern’s bad side. This is not a side of David Stern you want to be on.

Email correspondence between Bennett and his co-owners show that Bennett was working behind the scenes to move the team to Oklahoma City as early as last year – while at the same time telling Stern that he was committed to staying in Seattle.

Oops!

The emails are part of the court record in a lawsuit filed by the city of Seattle, which is trying to force the Sonics to stay there two more seasons. Bennett wants to be in Oklahoma City next season.

This article has the evidence to prove it: Interesting playoff races, some blockbuster trades, and a tight MVP race has resulted in higher TV ratings and the league's highest-ever attendance for the month of March (4.2 million), which is usually dominated by college basketball.

Also, sales at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue were up 46 percent year-over-year in March, according to this AP story -- which I happen to know was written by my friend, AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney, even though there's no byline on the link.

Enjoy ... and enjoy the basketball, even if we in New York are having a hard time doing that lately.

This guy thinks so. Also, check out Gus doing an ABBA impersonation at A-Hahn's blog ...

If you’ve been following the Knicks’ soap opera along with me for the past few weeks, you would be hard-pressed to know there’s actually a real NBA season going on. One of the best in years, in fact.

Our collective lack of awareness in the NBA’s biggest city and media market is one of the biggest reasons David Stern is practically giddy (by his standards) that big changes are under way at Madison Square Garden.

The Celtics still have a shot at a 65-win season. LeBron arguably has a better shot of getting to the Finals than anyone believed he had a year ago. One of the best stories in the league is happening down the Turnpike in Philadelphia, where the 76ers were supposed to have been tanking for ping-pong balls but instead are in the sixth playoff spot in the East.

And that’s just the East. Out West, there’s a riveting three-team race for the last two playoff spots between Dallas, Denver, and Golden State. The odd team out is virtually assured of having the best record ever for a non-playoff team – and it very well could be a 50-win season.

The Warriors and Nuggets play head-to-head tomorrow at Golden State in a crucial game. Here’s how the remaining schedule breaks down for the three teams dueling for two spots:

* Dallas: two home, two away, two against playoff-bound opponents
* Denver: two home, two away, three against playoff-bound opponents.
* Golden State: three home, one away, two against playoff-bound opponents.

The playoffs begin April 19 and promise to be even better that last year. Do you miss basketball? Can’t blame you. It’s been eight years since the Knicks had a winning season, and we don’t even have the Nets to keep us occupied this spring. It’s bad for basketball that New York is about as interested in the NBA right now as I am in Pedro Martinez’s hamstring.

And we haven’t even gotten to the MVP race, which appears to be a two-man showdown between Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Kevin Garnett will get some votes, simply because he’s almost completely responsible for the Celtics’ turnaround. LeBron? A couple of months ago, he might’ve gotten my vote, but his team won’t even finish with 50 wins.

The L.A. Times’ Mark Heisler polled some NBA writers on their MVP votes, and it appears that Kobe has the inside track. Jamal Crawford didn’t get any votes.

So far, I like what I am hearing about Donnie Walsh’s plans to move forward and repair the Knicks. Hire two people to run the day-to-day basketball operations, including a young, promising exec such as Mark Jackson; revamp the international scouting department by luring one of the top people in the business such as the Pistons’ Tony Ronzone and Nuggets’ Chico Averbuck; take your time and make sure you hire the right coach.

One thing I will not like is a coaching candidate that Walsh will no doubt be hearing from if he hasn’t already: Memphis coach John Calipari. Word is filtering out of the Final Four in San Antonio and Calipari has the itch to give it another go in the NBA.

Calipari has a few things going for him. Walsh’s close friend and confidant, Larry Brown, will give Calipari a glowing recommendation. He’s built the Memphis program into a national power and could have a national championship trophy to show for it by Monday night. There’s also a wrinkle that’s little known outside of the intimate basketball community: Calipari has a close working relationship with hoops maven Williams “Wes” Wesley, who has close ties to LeBron James.

No doubt Coach Cal will try to play the LeBron card if and when he decides to go after the Knicks’ coaching job. Wesley works closely with James’ agent, Leon Rose. A secretive mover and shaker at all levels of basketball, Wesley has become a behind-the-scenes operative for Calipari and is credited with steering top talent to Memphis.

Keep in mind that the Knicks figure to have a top 6 pick in the NBA draft in a few months, and that Calipari’s most prized recruit, Derrick Rose, is expected to come out.

I don’t think Walsh would hand the keys to Calipari simply based on spec that he’d be able to lure LeBron to New York when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2010. And if you ask me, it wouldn’t matter to LeBron if Coach Cal or Cal Ramsey were coaching the Knicks. He’ll go where the money and opportunity are, and if both are with the Knicks, it would be a no-brainer for him from a basketball and marketing standpoint.

Calipari is the consummate college coach, and there is nothing wrong with that. He was a disaster with the Nets, alienating players and coming off as arrogant. But don’t forget that when Calipari was fired by the Nets and needed a place to make a soft landing and regain some humility, Brown gave it to him by hiring him as an assistant coach in Philadelphia. Billy King, who is under consideration for a front-office job under Walsh, was the 76ers’ GM at the time.

Do I think Walsh will hire Calipari? Do I think he should? The answers are “no” and “no.” But at least you know the background on some of the factors that might begin to play out behind the scenes.

One kid is asleep, one is left to conquer, so I have a few minutes to update you on a couple of important matters.

First. I'm not going to totally scoop Alan on the birth of his own child, but suffice it to say that Fixer, Mrs. Fixer, and the newest member of Fixer Nation are all doing swell ...

Second, just out of curiosity, I stumbled over to www.fireisiah.com a little while ago. Click the link to see what I found.

Milwaukee – It is only appropriate that I am participating in what will go down as one of the critical moments in Knicks history from a hotel room on the 10th floor of the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, with a view of Usinger’s Famous Sausage plant from my window. Putting together the story for you to read in Wednesday’s paper was not unlike what I imagine the sausage-making process to be.

Messy.

Here is what I can tell you after having some time to contact sources who know what is going to be announced – and what is not going to be announced – in a 1 p.m. news conference today at Madison Square Garden:

· Donnie Walsh will be introduced as the Knicks’ president of basketball operations. His contract is four years for about $20 million, plus playoff and other incentives.
· Isiah Thomas, who flew on the team charter last night to Memphis to coach the team tonight against the Grizzlies, is in for more twisting than Jason Taylor on “Dancing With the Stars.” Walsh understands that a coaching change must be made, but the details have yet to be worked out. Thomas is not likely to be relieved of his duties immediately, and his future with the team is very much up in the air. Translation: Thomas could get to experience the 40 days and 40 nights of Larry Brown first-hand.

Several sticking points had to be resolved before Walsh would agree to the parameters of the deal. In no particular order, here is what has been decided.

Walsh, 67, will oversee the basketball operations, not the business side of the Knicks. It is believed that MSG Sports president Steve Mills will remain with the organization, but Walsh insisted on reporting directly to James Dolan and no one else.

Walsh, and Walsh alone, will shape the media policy that will be carried out from now on at the Garden. It’s not entirely certain what he will put in place, but suffice it to say that he will remain as open with the media as he has been during his quarter-century career in the NBA. This is good news, because no one can succeed in the stifling, soul-sapping environment that currently exists there.

Walsh will maintain the authority to hire a general manager and coach. Former Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King and Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien are under consideration, but there could be others as well.

The fact that Dolan has agreed to give such far-ranging power to someone of Walsh’s stature is unequivocally positive for the future of this franchise. But prepare yourself for some uncomfortable moments involving Thomas’ future. Unless he quits, it appears that he is not going away in the immediate future.

Thomas’ future has always amounted to a staring contest with Dolan, who didn’t – and doesn’t – want to fire him. As was the case with Brown, Dolan doesn’t want to admit the mistake of rewarding Thomas with a four-year contract extension only 12 months ago. And he doesn’t want to be forced to pay him the $18 million or so remaining on that contract by firing him.

So Isiah will twist, it appears. The difference between he and Brown is that the Knicks will find almost no instance where Thomas did anything but what he was told. One possibility is that Dolan hopes that, by demoting Thomas, he will force him to cave in and resign. Another is that Walsh finds some role in the organization for Thomas, who may very well have talked Walsh up for the job to Dolan as a way to ingratiate himself to the new boss. We shall see.

Hopefully, that clears some things up. I can’t imagine that Usinger’s is making any sausage at this hour, but you should be happy to know that Newsday certainly is.

Milwaukee – So I dropped my dog off at the kennel yesterday before heading to the airport for my flight to Milwaukee. Dr. Parver at Animal Medicine & Surgery of Little Neck – a loyal Newsday reader – asked where I was headed. San Antonio for the Final Four?

“Nope,” I replied. “Going to Milwaukee.”

“Why?” Dr. Parver asked.

“To watch the Knicks play the Bucks,” I said.

A long pause ensued, and Dr. Parver’s face became contorted with a befuddled expression.

“Oh, dear God,” he said.

Yeah, pretty much.

From the defeated body language I observed as the squad made its way into the visiting locker room of the Bradley Center for shootaround this morning, the players feel the same way. They probably would prefer being locked in a metal cage, munching on Kibbles & Bits and scratching themselves for the rest of the season as opposed to playing out their miserable existence over the next nine games.

Zach Randolph is back after missing Friday night’s game in Toronto with the flu. He played against the Nets and Heat last week, but was held out of previous games against Memphis and Minnesota so rookie Randolph Morris could get some minutes. Yawn.

Isiah Thomas is still coaching the team, though he appears to be growing bored watching us reporters chase our own tails as we try to find new and insightful questions to ask him. He dodged a question about whether he has consulted Jim Dolan about playing the youngsters down the stretch, and took offense to a line of questioning about how few practices he’s been holding lately.

“We don’t have healthy bodies,” Thomas said. “If you look at our schedule and our travel, we’re getting in a lot at 3 in the morning and we’ve got guys playing a lot of minutes. You definitely need energy for the game, but sometimes you just didn’t have enough bodies to practice with. So guys come over and they get their work in. We may not have a formal practice, but every single day people are in the gym once, sometimes twice a day.

“And there haven’t been days off,” Thomas said. “There have been days where you guys haven’t been invited. There hasn’t been a day that guys haven’t been involved in the gym in some type of activity. You can’t have a ‘practice practice’ if you don’t have enough bodies. So what you do is, you bring three or four guys over and get individual work and work on their individual games. There’s not too much you’re going to add to or learn from the system in the next nine games.”

Are the coaches involved?

“The coaches are here – the coaches and Greg [Brittenham] and everyone’s involved,” Thomas said.

Then Thomas let it be known that he’d had enough with this particular line of questioning.

“Well, I’ll put it to you this way,” he said. “I think we’re practicing as much as any other team right now in the NBA is practicing.”

Knicks and Bucks tonight, 8 p.m. Something tells me Dr. Parver – and many of you – won’t be watching.