Knicks look forward
to making deal

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Malik Rose zeroes in but Knicks apparently have targeted the forward for a trade.
Patience is a dirty word to both Isiah Thomas and Larry Brown, especially now as they take charge of delivering New York its first NBA championship in 32 years.

With the opener coming Wednesday in Boston, the Knicks are still looking to tinker with the roster. Word around the league is that Thomas is in the market for a starting small forward and even a backup point guard. Thomas has spoken to the Portland Trail Blazers on several occasions about acquiring either Ruben Patterson or Darius Miles but has been unable to consummate a deal because the Blazers are asking for either young players or veterans with expiring contracts.

"We're committed to a youth movement," said Blazers GM John Nash. "That's why we didn't re-sign any of our veterans."

The Knicks have a surplus of power forwards and are trying to trade Malik Rose, who became expendable the moment Antonio Davis was included in the deal for Eddy Curry. Maurice Taylor is also available but his contract makes him undesirable. Penny Hardaway has value because he's entering the final year of his contract, but matching up his $15.7 million salary is no easy task. Portland would gladly take rookie forward David Lee, but the Knicks want to hold on to their three first-round picks.

The Knicks are concerned with their small forward position because Quentin Richardson, whom Brown would prefer to start at shooting guard, has been sidelined with a sore left hamstring. With Richardson out, second-year forward Trevor Ariza and free agent Matt Barnes have played the bulk of the minutes at small forward.

Both Ariza and Barnes have been impressive - as of now Barnes, who played for the Clippers and Kings, has made the team - but the possibility remains that a deal will be struck before Tuesday. The Hornets' George Lynch, who played for Brown in Philadelphia, is another possibility.

"Obviously, that's a premier position in this league and you're asking two young kids to take a lot of responsibility," Brown said. "(Barnes) knows how to play. He's much more athletic than people realize. He's a really sound, solid kid. He tries to guard and tries to play the right way."

Another area the Knicks would like to address is backup point guard. In Tuesday's preseason win over Philadelphia, the Knicks committed 34 turnovers in 48 minutes, and that was without Allen Iverson in uniform. After Stephon Marbury was forced to bench for the entire second half with a shin injury, the Knicks managed to score only 31 points and nearly blew a 17-point lead.

Jamal Crawford and rookie Nate Robinson are Marbury's backups, but both guards are more accustomed to playing off the ball. The Knicks brought in two points guards - Jamison Brewer and Steven Barber - but both were waived yesterday along with forward Otis George.

The Sixers' Kevin Ollie, who has played for both Brown and Thomas, is a possibility, but the Sixers say they're not looking to trade him. Cleveland's Eric Snow, another Brown protege, has also been mentioned but is not likely to be traded.

Notebook

BROWN RENOWN: In a survey of NBA GMs, Brown was voted as the league's top coach. The Knicks, however, didn't receive one vote when the GMs were asked which team would win the Atlantic Division. The Nets got the most votes.

Several current and former Knicks, including Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and Channing Frye, will tip off the team's "Read-to-Achieve" campaign tomorrow at Planet Hollywood in Manhattan. "Sopranos" stars Steve Schirripa and Michael Imperioli and actor Jason Lewis will also participate.

Originally published on October 27, 2005