Oh, well

Today's headlines tell us Isiah plans to stay pat. But Isiah is dreaming if he thinks this team will metamorphasize into a champion. Maybe Isiah is just thinking eight seed - wait until next year, Orlando! He is exactly where Scott Layden was a few years ago. The fact is that the NBA is not about winning but about profit and every team more or less has an iconic player. Those players don't get traded often and Isiah knows it and pretty much said so.

Kevin Garnett will be zipping down the court in a wheelchair hoping to win a ring in Minnesota and Jermaine O'Neal will have to be surgically removed from Indiana. The league is devoid of charisma and is wholly dependent on provincial, over-inflated poster athletes to survive. Not since Shaq has one man dominated the league, and not since Shaq and Kobe have two superior players shared a team.

However, during league contract renewal realignments we've seen lots of changes. The other occasion is when teams move and are attempting to create a new image.

That's why I think Ray Allen may be Isiah's only real shot at obtaining a quality starter. A new city might want to shed older players and take on some youth. Isiah may not get him but someone likely will.

Quite frankly, standing still is not an option for the Knicks. Isiah's theory is that making the playoffs is enough and then anything can happen. We know better. Even when the Knicks made the playoffs, the cycle of being just good enough left us in a place very much like our situation today - lousy draft picks, not enough talent to move up.

In the end, it's all about talent. Well-crafted teams, not just standing still but vigilantly ratcheting up the talent pool (see: Detroit, Toronto, and so on).

Curry needs a no-nonsense defender next to him. If Artest is on the market one can only hope Isiah is not wearing rose-colored glasses to think we couldn't use him.

Lee is a keeper, not because he's a white guy who can play but because he has improved to a level that bodes well for him. But Frye and Nate, and Crawford's manic swings make them all suspect. Usually a player is a player in this league after three years or rides the pine or bags groceries.

Francis is a guy who pouts until he gets what he wants. He did it to Vancouver and I can't help but believe he stiffed LB and Isiah. He needs to be moved for everyone's benefit and, yes, I think he's still a player, hibernating for the right opportunity. He'll embarrass us if he moves.