According to his agent, Knicks' guard Steve Francis will practice Thursday with the intention of playing in the home game versus the Warriors on Friday.

Francis is apparently buoyed by the results of an MRI exam he underwent Wednesday in New York.

Knick forward David Lee has been inactive for the past two games with a right ankle sprain, and, according to the New York Post, it doesn't look good for tonight's game in Boston.

"No, it still hurts," he said. "It's going to be a little while."

Knicks coach/president Isiah Thomas said Lee didn't do anything at yesterday's practice, but he envisions him returning against Golden State on Friday.

"We're going to need him healthy and live and vibrant," Thomas said. "If he has to miss one more game, so be it. But I don't see him missing more than one more game, but you never know with the ankles."

Isiah Thomas reacted to the news of Jamal Crawford's impending absence from his Knick rotation and told the media what to expect in the starting lineup.

Quentin Richardson will slide to the two-guard spot and Jared Jeffries will be inserted into the starting lineup at the small forward position.  Thomas will rely on Nate Robinson and rookie Mardy Collins in the backcourt off the bench.  Rookie Renaldo Balkman will also have an increased role.  Thomas says he does not expect to sign a free agent.

Howard Beck of the New York Times speculates that Channing Frye could also join the starting lineup given the need for scoring with Crawford down.

Crawford is likely lost for at least the regular season with surgery to repair a stress fracture to his right ankle.  He could return for the playoffs if the Knicks get there.

?Believe me, we?re not going to go in the tank,? Thomas said. ?It?s a devastating injury for him personally, but I remember there was an old sign in the Boston Garden, and I remember reading it every time I went in. It said, ?We will not be denied.? That?s our motto, and that?s our stance right now.?

The Knicks learned on Tuesday that Jamal Crawford will likely require season-ending surgery on a stress fracture in his right ankle, though the team said it's possible he could return if the Knicks make the playoffs.

"It's very disappointing, honestly," Crawford told reporters on Tuesday. "You never expect anything like this to happen. I guess it's just part of life."

Crawford told reporters that surgery is "not definite, but a strong possibility."

Steve Francis says he is not thinking about an early retirement, but the injured Knicks guard can't say when he will play again.

Francis is out indefinitely due to chronic soreness in his right knee. Coincidentally, Francis has not played since Thursday's trading deadline. The Knicks were hoping to move Francis, and at one point there were conversations about trading him to Miami in a deal that would have included James Posey's expiring contract.

When asked last night if he believes the troublesome knee could force him to retire, Francis said: "No. That's the last thing."

A buyout seems more likely.

Steve Francis may have played his last game for the Knicks this season, and perhaps forever, the New York Daily News is reporting.

The veteran guard sat out last night's game with recurring pain in his right knee and admitted that he could be finished for the season.

"I don't know," Francis said. "I don't want to say something that isn't there, but I'm not sure. I'm not (ruling that out). I've just got to be smart. I can't really make a decision in one day."

The uncertainty of Francis' status comes just days after the Knicks were unable to move Francis before Thursday's trading deadline.

When Francis left the team for four weeks earlier this season to rehab in Houston, he and the Knicks had talks about a potential buyout. There is a chance that those talks could resume.

Francis hasn't played since being benched for the second half of Wednesday's loss in Philadelphia. "I guess that was the way the game was going," he said. "When I was out there, we were up, but when I came out, we were down. That's when the lead kind of went a different way. I wasn't that mad."

When asked about his frustration level, Francis said: "What's it called, the terrorist alert, when they say the security alert is like orange? That's what my frustration is now."

Last night, Knicks' forward David Lee came down on Andrew Bogut's ankle, leaving the game with 5:56 to go in the third quarter after spraining his right ankle.

Lee reentered the game with 28.4 seconds left in the third quarter, but did not play at all in the fourth.

"It's tough," said Stephon Marbury. "I noticed when he wasn't in the game right away. He's always around the basketball. He's getting offensive rebounds and he's always making something happen."

Lee may play tomorrow in New Jersey, but the Knicks will wait until after practice today to make a decision on the second-year power forward's status.

"It's in a strange spot," Lee said. "It's just a little sore right now. I landed awkwardly, it was just painful. It hurts to put weight on it and pound on it. I'll be OK. I heal quickly."

Former NBA star Latrell Sprewell, accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their children, may communicate with his children only by phone, e-mail or text message.

Harrison Town Judge Marc Lust extended an order of protection Friday keeping Sprewell -- best known for choking Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo at a 1997 practice -- away from girlfriend Candace Cabbil and their four children.

On Thursday, Isiah Thomas denied making a formal offer for the Nets' Vince Carter in recent days. However, as the Post's Fred Kerber reported yesterday, the Knicks indeed offered for Carter a package of Channing Frye, Jerome James and Malik Rose.

The Knicks did not offer Jamal Crawford, but the Nets were rebuffed when they tried to get rookie Renaldo Balkman added.

The Knicks also offered Frye and Francis for Jason Kidd.

As for contacting the Nets about Carter, it was "just due diligence," Thomas said.

"It's safe to say there's 29 other teams we made contact with," he said. "I've been pretty straight-up with you guys. I don't see anything on the horizon. We contacted 29 teams to see who was available. New Jersey was one of them.

"We did our homework," Thomas added. "I didn't make an offer."

The Knicks will not be adding significant payroll to their club unless a Vince Carter or Kevin Garnett becomes available.

The chances of Isiah Thomas using his $5 million mid-level exception this summer has become slim, according to sources.

The Knicks' payroll next year will drop from a league-high $123 million to about $85M.