Once one of, if not the best center in the NBA, Patrick Ewing's career has been on the spiral downward ever since he left the NBA's big apple.  How bad has it done for the big fella?  In a recent game against the Indiana Pacers Ewing failed to enter a game for the first time in his career while being on the active roster, breaking a streak of 1,175 consecutive games he had played in which he was healthy.

"I'm going to get a stat sheet and frame it," a glum Ewing said, only half joking. "But yeah, it's disappointing."

Things may get worse for the ex-Knick as well, the big man may also sit out today's game against the team where he spent the first 15 years of his career.

"I think it was the right decision," Rivers said of not playing Ewing Friday. "It would have been a tough matchup for Patrick. We decided to go with (DeClercq) and (Reid). Otherwise, we'll go with Patrick when we can."

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that Ewing's career may come to a close. Two of Ewing's closest friends, Mark Jackson and Herb Williams, predict that may be the case if he's not traded or released.

Williams, who spoke by phone to Ewing yesterday morning and planned to have dinner with him last night in Orlando, reported the Ewing was shocked and disappointed and warned Rivers it's not a good idea to have an unhappy Ewing with the playoffs around the bend.

Jackson said Ewing is ready to retire if things don't change. Ewing visits the Garden possibly for the last time April 9. "I think if it was like this, yes [he'll retire,]" Jackson said before the Knicks flew to Disney City. "He's a guy with tremendous heart, tremendous pride. He's a warrior. He's not doing it for the money. So I think if it was like this, yes. If it was like this, he'll probably call it quits. But I'm sure he feels he can help some teams. He can help them."

Ewing has one year and $2.25 million left on his contract. Expect superagent David Falk to demand a summer trade like he did to the Knicks in 2000

No one on the Timberwolves doubted that all-star forward Kevin Garnett would play in Friday night's game against the New York Knicks.

Not with the team trying to get things back together before the playoffs.

Fortunately for Garnett, the Wolves took control early and cruised to a 98-77 victory, so he was able to rest during the fourth quarter.

"Everybody knows KG's a warrior," Wolves guard Chauncey Billups said. "If he can walk fast enough, he's going to play. We had no doubt he was going to play."

Garnett was injured in the third quarter of Minnesota's 113-111 victory over Dallas on Thursday night at Target Center when he leaped past Dallas reserve Wang Zhizhi to try to block his shot from the corner. Garnett went heels over head, breaking his fall with his right hand before his head bounced hard onto the floor. He lay stunned for several minutes in front of the Wolves' bench before slowly rising holding an ice bag to the crown of his head. He jogged off the court, then came back in the fourth quarter with a bandage covering 12 stitches on his scalp.

Before he left the game against the Knicks, Garnett scored 12 points and pulled down 15 rebounds for his 50th double-double of the season.

By calling himself a future All-Star, saying he was as good as Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston, and all but begging for the opportunity to someday guard Kobe Bryant, the Knicks' Lavor Postell created a bit of an uproar before last night's game.

Chris Broussard writes that his teammates, particularly Sprewell, Houston and Mark Jackson, ridiculed him mercilessly on the team bus. MSG Network devoted a pregame segment to the bombastic comments he made Monday, and Postell, finding no humor in the Knicks' ribbing, was unusually despondent before taking the court for warm-ups.

But over the next three hours, the jokes turned to cheers, the mockery became respect, and Postell's image went from that of a young knucklehead to a one-game hero with potential.

Doubling his previous career best and hitting a clutch 3-pointer in the final moments, Postell scored a game-high 20 points in 22 minutes to help lead the Knicks to an 89-82 victory over the playoff-bound Detroit Pistons at the Palace.

"I made a statement in the papers and I backed it up," said Postell, 24, who made his comments after shooting 1 for 7 in Monday's loss to Denver. "That's in the past. It was a mistake. I shouldn't have done that. But this is a great group of guys. They made fun of me, but they still supported me. They were like, `Young fella, don't make statements like that because it'll come back to haunt you.' I meant what I said. But I'll never do it again."

The victory and Postell's performance created a sense of joy in a Knicks locker room that has often been dismal after games this season. Sprewell, one of Postell's closest friends on the team, joked about moving out of the way for the reporters surrounding Postell's locker, and Jackson introduced Postell at his impromptu news conference by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Willie Namath."

"I've been playing this game since third grade," he said. "I'm good at this. I'm here for a reason. I got an opportunity and I took advantage of it."

Look out New York, hello NBA, meet Lavor Postell, the Knicks "All Star on the rise."

Chris Broussard writes how Lavor Postell feels that he is the equal of Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston.

"I look at it like this," Postell said after scoring 2 points on 1-of-7 shooting in Monday's loss to Denver. "Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell don't do anything that I can't do. The only difference is that they get an opportunity."

Postell, who is shooting 26 percent from the field this season, believes the only reason he has been stuck on the Knicks' bench for two seasons is because the Knicks' former coach, Jeff Van Gundy, a Pat Riley disciple, had an aversion to playing young players. He thinks Chaney inherited that view from Van Gundy.

"It's like the whole Pat Riley thing: I'm going with the older guys and everything," Postell said. "That's their theory."

Chaney said that Postell's low ranking has more to do with poor defense than business. When told that Postell said he holds his own against Sprewell and Houston in practice, Chaney chuckled and responded, "They beg for him to guard them."

"Right now, Lavor wants to be a scorer," Chaney said. "What gets his energy going and makes him happy is scoring, and what he has to learn is that there are two parts of the game. But to his credit, he has made a commitment to improving."

Postell has a different take. "I love to play D now," he said. "If we play L.A. and Coach says, `Lavor, you've got Kobe Bryant.' I'd be like, `I would love to have Kobe, Coach. Thank you.' Great people got to guard great people."

The Nuggets put an end to their Eastern conference losing streak by beating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden 84-83.

Voshon Lenard had 16 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter to help edge Latrell Sprewell and New York.

The Juwan Howard had 20 pts. and 12 rebounds to help Denver.

This Kurt Thomas sports some other gaudy numbers he has never seen by his name. As in: 67 games played, exactly 67 games into New York's schedule.

"That's always been my goal," Thomas said. "I'm very close. God willing, I'm going to have my first 82-game season."
Leading the nation in scoring (28.9) and rebounding (14.6) as a senior Horned Frog was easier for Thomas than keeping his ankles intact in his first three seasons as a pro. There were more fractures than he cares to recount.

Four seasons later, and going on 30 years old, Thomas might be the most respected pro in the mecca of basketball. At the very least, at a terrible time to be a Knick, Thomas is the only one who will walk away from this 82-game nightmare with any kudos.

Nuggets try to break 0-10 streak vs. Eastern Conference teams.  They play the Knicks @ Madison Square Garden in tonights contest.

Looks like they will sign Carlos Arroyo for the remainder of the season on Wednesday.

James Posey may or may not be off the injured list today.  Vandeweghe said it was a game time decision.