Knicks' swingman Quentin Richardson traveled to Miami to see a specialist who immediately performed an operation to repair a ruptured disk in his back.

Richardson will miss the rest of the season but the injury is not considered career-threatening.  He is expected to be healthy by the start of the 2007-2008 season.

"It's season-ending but not career-ending," coach Isiah Thomas told the media.

After the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers, LeBron James endorsed the club as a tough opponent that could make the playoffs.

"For one, their back is against the wall," James said in praising the defensively stout club. "And come on, this city deserves a playoff team. It doesn't make sense for them to have all that talent and not to make the playoffs. And I think Isiah (Thomas) definitely has them on the right path.

"As a fan, I would like to see them in the playoffs. Hopefully if they make it - maybe we'll see them in the first round."

Allan Houston attended Wednesday's shootaround and also attended the Knicks' game versus Cleveland.

Houston has remained noncommittal about a possible comeback.

Jamal Crawford recently got off crutches and is thinking about making an early return before the regular season ends.

When Crawford underwent surgery for a stress fracture, it was thought that the earliest he could return would be during the playoffs.

?I think right now it?s kind of early to tell,? said Crawford, who will be re-evaluated soon.

?It?s hard just watching, especially in this push," he said.  "I definitely think I can help.?

Even when Steve Francis is producing he can't stay on the court.

Francis left New York's game against Cleveland in the first quarter Wednesday night with a sprained right ankle, the latest injury for the struggling Knicks.

Francis was off to a strong start, with seven points and three assists in 10 minutes. He had made all three of his field goal attempts.

But while dribbling right, Francis tried to stop and plant, and the Cavaliers' LeBron James bumped into his leg. Francis fell to the court in pain and had to be helped off. He was taken for X-rays, which were negative, and the Knicks said his return was questionable.

Stephon Marbury started it. Now, Ben Wallace is joining the cause.

Wallace is lending his name to the Starbury Movement, endorsing an affordable line of sneakers and apparel started by the Knicks' star. Wallace will begin wearing the Starbury II basketball shoe Thursday when the Bulls play his former team, the Pistons. And his own sneaker -- Big Ben -- is expected to hit the market in late August or the fall.

There's no assurance either Quentin Richardson or David Lee will return for the Knicks this season, the New York Post is reporting.

Richardson avoided reporters for a seventh straight day, sitting out last night again, raising speculation he's finished.

During practice and shootaround at their Westchester compound, he has hidden in the locker room, supposedly getting treatment. Last night, Richardson again was requested by the press and declined to come out, spending the availability session hiding in the trainer's room. It his aberrant behavior for a player normally very accessible.

Lee, meanwhile, has shut it down again for an indefinite time, and revealed Kicks doctors will make the next call on when and if he plays this season - a sign Lee's overzealousness led him to coming back too early on Friday.

Lee played just 10 minutes Friday.

"I was pretty much in pain for 48 hours," Lee said. "After reviewing that with the doctors, it probably indicates it's not ready to go. And I don't have a timetable right now. I'm laying off it a bit and be back as soon as I can."

Lee said he won't make the decision next time.

"(The doctors) want to keep reviewing it," Lee said. "They'll let me know when I'm ready to go. It wasn't a mistake. I did it for the right reasons."

After being relegated to the bench for all but 12 minutes of last night's 94-89 loss to Orlando at the Garden, Knick guard Steve Francis clearly was upset but doing his best not to say anything inflammatory.

"I'm definitely confused," Francis said about his limited minutes. "I don't really know what it is."

With the Knicks fighting for a playoff berth and Jamal Crawford done for the year, it seemed Francis would be the guy coach Isiah Thomas turned to as Stephon Marbury's backcourt mate. Instead, Francis has seen his minutes dwindle in the last two games. He played 21 minutes in Cleveland on Saturday.

"It's hard," Francis said. "Being a veteran, last week playing 44 minutes to this week playing two minutes. It's tough, but it's the nature of the business."

Randolph Morris lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and still might get to play in big games in late March.

A week after playing in his final college game for Kentucky, Morris went through his first NBA practice Sunday, two days after signing with the Knicks.

"That's the best situation ever," Knicks guard Stephon Marbury said. "We were talking about that when we were stretching this morning, how he just went right from playing a game into playing in the NBA. That's definitely a unique situation."

Isiah Thomas' frustration with Steve Francis' game keeps rising as does Francis' frustration with Thomas' handling of his minutes.

After playing 20 minutes in Friday's lackluster 90-68 loss in Cleveland when the Knicks scored a season-low in points, Francis, unsolicited, raised the issue of his playing time. Francis was benched the final quarter-and-a-half.

"Not playing, not being on the court, it's tough," Francis said. "That's the hardest thing for me. I'm only doing what I can do. My stuff is not always about scoring. I don't have to be scoring to be effective."

Francis scored 16 points in back-to-back defeats to the Trail Blazers and Cavaliers. The flaky Francis added, "You play 20 minutes, be happy with 20 minutes, get home and be happy with my family." Last week, Francis called himself the team scapegoat, saying, "When things aren't going well, who else would be the donkey that they pin the tail on than myself. It's been like that since I've been here."

Francis' struggles and controversial remarks only increase the chances of the Knicks buying him out this summer, the New York Post writes.