Marc Berman writes that Jeff Van Gundy will have an even better look at Yao Ming than the Knicks.

The ex-Knicks coach has been chosen to run Ming's 45-minute workout tomorrow at Chicago's Loyola University. The 7-6 Chinese center will go up against a draft-eligible college center before NBA executives, including Scott Layden and Don Chaney. Organizers for Ming's lone pre-draft workout were still determining who the college player would be last night. Ming, the potential No. 1 pick, is not allowed to work out against current NBA players.

Van Gundy was asked to run the workout over the weekend. "We wanted a first-rate coach to help us," NBA international liaison Terry Lyons said.

While there is no doubt that part of the blame for the Milwaukee Bucks? late season implosion could be placed on injuries, can it really be called the main reason?  What about the New York Knicks, who also missed the post season while finishing with a 33-49 record, their worst in 15 seasons?

Tom Enland, a writer for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, is reporting that the Bucks lost 176 player-games to injury, a figure that holds them as one of the healthiest teams this season.  Using a survey prepared by Sixers statistical guru Harvey Pollack as a basis, only New Jersey (174), Utah (137), Sacramento (131) and the Los Angeles Lakers lost less.

The New York Knicks, a team hoping that health will keep their post season exclusion short, lost 229 games to injury and some are not considering the Knicks? situation as one in need of rebuilding just yet.

"We had some big injuries," said Knicks point guard Mark Jackson. "We had a tough, disappointing season. But by no means do I believe this is a rebuilding situation. I believe we'll be back where we belong."

But five teams that are currently in the playoffs had more player-games lost than the Knicks, and 10 of the 16 teams in the post season lost more than the Bucks, raising a question mark on the theories of both.

Just to put things into perspective of the teams currently in the playoffs Dallas missed the most player-games with 282, followed by Portland (269), Detroit (265), San Antonio (240), Boston (230), Orlando (211), Seattle (208), Minnesota (197), Indiana (192) and Charlotte (182).

The team which could perhaps make the best case for injuries removing any chance of post season action would be the Atlanta Hawks, who missed 319 player games.  After acquiring Shareef Abdur-Rahim in an off-season trade with Memphis the Hawks were predicted to be right in the mix of things, but with starting center Theo Ratliff once again pulling a ?Marcus Camby?, managing only three games for the season, the Hawks chances were doomed before they officially began.

Other Hawks missing in action were forward Chris Crawford, who missed 75 games; forward Alan Henderson, who missed 56; Emanuel Davis, who missed 54; guard Dion Glover (26); and forward Toni Kukoc (23).

Despite the injuries the Hawks did manage an eight game improvement over the previous season much in thanks to a 20-13 finish.  This came after the team lost 33 of their first 49 games.

"The season was tough on everybody because we had higher expectations - the playoffs," said Atlanta forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. "We had some adversity but I think our team will be stronger in the long run because of this year. We have the opportunity to have a bright future."

Other teams to be hit hard by the injury bug were Memphis (310), Houston (304), Philadelphia (299) and Toronto (298).

Their season may officially be over, yet the New York Knicks still continue to steal the headlines.  On a day where Latrell Sprewell?s $125,000 fine for sleeping in and missing a morning shoot around was cut back to $122,500 Harvey Araton of the New York Times writes that the Knicks should start over by trading Sprewell, the team?s best player.

In being fined, Araton writes, Sprewell again showed that he had become more a part of the problem than he was the solution.  Moving Sprewell could propel a quick turnaround for the Knicks, just like New Jersey witnessed this season after exchanging Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd, or Boston saw when Jim O?Brien took over from Rick Pitino.  The malignancy can be in the man with the moves or the coach who makes them.

But would moving Sprewell have similar consequences for the Knicks?  Maybe not, but Sprewell has been playing undersized at small forward and probably would excel further if he was away from Allan Houston, who now has an unmovable contract.  Araton writes that to get back to the playoffs the Knicks must use Sprewell to acquire veteran leader, a unifying presence to walk the walk.

But such a move would have further ramifications, with often injured but highly talented center Marcus Camby threatening to opt out of his contract after next season if the Knicks do move Sprewell.

If my guy's not there, I'll think about it," said Camby.

New York have their concerns with Camby himself, a player who has never played in a full season.  The Knicks tried shopping Camby this past trade deadline, and according to Marc Berman of the New York Post will do so again this summer, but teams were concerned about his durability.

"I'll definitely try to play them all, it's my mindset every year," "Scott [Layden] and Coach [Chaney] said I can't change my game. It's my forte, playing in the air. I can't lose that."

"Marcus just needs to stay healthy somehow," Sprewell said. "If he's going to be with us, I'd love for him to go through an entire season and put the whole health thing behind him. When he's playing well, you've seen how effective he can be."

As the rumors swirl around himself and his friends Camby has remained skeptical of management to the point where he wonders if coach Don Chaney is safe.

"I don't know what to expect from head coach on down," Camby said. "But we all hope coach stays here."

"We've identified him as the guy we want to move forward with this team, give him the opportunity to be at training camp," GM Scott Layden said. "We have confidence in Coach he'll be able to help us through this transitional period. We're very comfortable with him as our coach."

Chris Broussard writes that Sprewell, upset about being suspended for one game and fined $125,000 for missing Sunday's morning shoot-around in Miami, argued his case for four days, and today he was rewarded for his doggedness.

James L. Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, reduced the fine by $122,500. Layden, the Knicks' president and general manager, and Coach Don Chaney gave Sprewell the news at today's season-ending meeting.

"They pretty much wiped it out, which I thought was fair, `' Sprewell said. "I'm just happy Mr. Dolan was able to do that for me."

He was a workhorse for the Washington Wizards this season, but is Popeye Jones already on the outer in the nation?s capital?  Maybe so.

As the Wizards look towards Kwame Brown to take over the starting role from Jones, Washington has not decided whether they are going to try to re-sign the blue-collared forward despite Michael Jordan liking him.

Should they decide not to, his agent Kyle Rote has already said he?ll test the free agent market, the New York Knicks may be waiting in the wings.  With their chances of acquiring either Raef LaFrentz or Michael Olowonkandi in a sign and trade are slim at best, the Knicks best shot seems to be to use part of their exception on a player like Jones.

"If the Knicks are looking to upgrade in that position, he should get consideration," Rote said.

Latrell Sprewell called his fine of $125,000 for sleeping through a morning shoot around as ?ridiculous?, the value representing one game?s salary.  The league standard for a player missing practice is a $2,500 fine, which is a reason why Sprewell will be appealing the decision with the player?s association.  Last season Knicks center Marcus Camby was fined $25,000 and suspended five games for throwing a punch at Danny Ferry of the San Antonio Spurs.  Chris Broussard of the New York Times reports that the $345,000 in salary withheld from Camby was cut by roughly 60 percent after appeal.

"I will accept a fine, but a game's salary is ridiculous," Sprewell said. "You're talking about a lot of money for basically a missed practice, and it wasn't even a practice. I'll be going to the players association and try to get something that's a little bit more fair."

The problem for Sprewell is that after news of Camby?s monetary recovery became public the league contacted the players association and stated that from that point on it will be much harder for players to recoup any lost earnings.

Despite the incident Sprewell doesn?t have any hard feelings towards the Knicks organization.

"This incident doesn't change the way I feel about the organization," Sprewell said. "Frankly, the reason I don't get upset now is because I know there is a process where I can possibly go back and get something else that's fair."

But do the Knicks feel differently about the talented guard now?  There is a very good chance, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who are reporting that Sprewell may be playing his last game for the Knicks tomorrow night as the team hosts the Nets.  Isola writes that the Knicks are likely to try to deal either Sprewell or Allan Houston, Sprewell the best chance to be moved.

"There is a concern that this could snowball into something that really didn't need to happen," said Sprewell. "There is that concern."

Sprewell has a history of behaving badly on bad teams, and with the Knicks appearing to be headed into a few years of hard times management must now ask itself if Sprewell will enhance or damage the rebuilding process.

Stay calm Knicks fans, because if Don Chaney is anyone to go by this may be a quiet off season for the New York Knicks.  A team renown for crippling itself by signing players to unmovable contracts the Knicks figure to just use their lottery pick and go through without making a major trade, meaning the team that you see now may very well be the team you will see next season, give or take a few pieces.

"Being realistic, I think it would be very difficult to say we're going to have wholesale changes, and that's why you haven't heard the word 'rebuilding,' " Chaney said. "I think we probably will have some additions, but in terms of changes, I don't think it will be a lot of wholesale changes. Naturally, we have a pick, and hopefully, we will acquire some players over the summer. But the number of players or player, who knows? Basically, we'll definitely have a pick. That's for sure. Everything else is up in the air."

The New York Knicks yesterday suspended leading scorer Latrell Sprewell from last night?s game and fined him an undisclosed amount, Charlie Nobles of the New York Times is reporting.

Sprewell claimed he simply overslept, missing the Knicks morning shoot around which led to the suspension.  The Knicks won the game against the Miami Heat 94-67 in Miami.

"I think the big issue is that I didn't call anybody to let them know where I was," he said. "They were concerned about me. I definitely owe the organization an apology."