Chris Broussard writes that the Knicks yesterday continued to initiate discussions with Cleveland, which drafts sixth, and were attempting to pry Andre Miller away from the Cavaliers for their seventh pick and a Knicks veteran.

Cleveland, however, appears to have better options. According to several league executives, the Los Angeles Clippers are willing to send Corey Maggette and their two first-round picks (Nos. 8 and 12) to Cleveland for Miller. The Cavaliers are pushing the Clippers to replace Maggette with either Darius Miles or Quentin Richardson. The Cavaliers could also decide to trade picks with Phoenix, which is currently in the ninth spot, in order to recoup their first-round selection next season from Phoenix.

Phoenix is one of several teams attempting to move up to the No. 5 or 6 spot. The targeted players for those clubs are power forwards Maybyner (Nen?) Hil?rio of Brazil, Chris Wilcox of Maryland, and Nikoloz Tskitishvili of the Italian League.

Most of the trade activity will start after the draft begins, and the Knicks may not know which way they will go until the clubs in front of them begin trading or selecting players. That being the case, the Knicks, who also own the 36th pick, will enter the draft with the intention of choosing a player with the seventh pick. There is a strong feeling within the organization that the club needs to maximize this pick, most likely via a trade, because it is one of the few valuable assets it has. So there is a possibility that the Knicks could draft a player and trade him.

"We'll certainly go into the draft being prepared to select at seven," Layden said. "You have to be ready. We think there'll be a player there we'll be very happy with. Having said that, if a deal comes along we'll certainly look at that."

The Knicks remain high on Wilcox, the 6-11, 225-pound sophomore, but Hil?rio may be just as high on their list. Both are incredibly athletic with great upside, but at 6-11 and 260 pounds, Hil?rio can play center as well as power forward. The Knicks also like Jared Jeffries of Indiana, a 6-11, 230-pound forward. Jeffries has been sensational in workouts, impressing teams with his varied offensive skills, athleticism and work ethic. A week after Indiana lost in the Final Four, Jeffries went to Sarasota, Fla., to bulk up his then-thin 215-pound body at the IMG Academy . Eating five meals a day, working out twice daily and taking nutritional supplements, he added 15 pounds of muscle. Jeffries, who hopes to reach 240 pounds before next season, put himself in impressive company when saying the Knicks will not be disappointed if they select him.

"I think I'll be kind of like a Dirk Nowitzki-, Lamar Odom-, Kevin Garnett-type player," Jeffries said.

He added: "I want to be somewhere where I can come in and have a chance to play right away with other great players. Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell are two of the best guards in the league. If I can add a little frontcourt help and be able to come in and contribute right away, it's great."

Jeffries was not the only player to eschew modesty. Tskitishvili boldly declared that he is sure he can be as good as Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks all-star, and Pau Gasol, the Memphis Grizzlies' rookie of the year who is from Spain.

"Gasol is from Europe, I'm from Europe, and I can do big things like him," Tskitishvili said.

Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times reports that the Bucks are busy in these last hours before the draft. According to several NBA sources, the Bucks could make a major explosion on the trading scene by Wednesday night's NBA Draft. The Bucks, sources said, are in discussions with several teams about trades, including some minor ones and a major one.

The Bucks have been inquiring around, trying to gauge Glen Robinson?s trade value, and may have found a deal they can live with. "They're working on a Robinson trade as we speak,'' a source close to the Bucks said. "I'd say the chances are good he's going to be traded, but you never know. It's at a touchy stage right now.''

Robinson's name has popped up on trade talks in the last two years, especially after the Bucks re-signed free-agent Tim Thomas. But the Robinson rumors have never been as rampant as they are now. Said one NBA general manager, "His name is out there. He can be had.'' A player personnel director, when asked who would probably be the biggest "name'' player dealt this summer, said, "Probably Robinson.''

Last week, published reports surfaced that the Bucks and Knicks had recently discussed a trade involving Robinson and Knicks star guard Latrell Sprewell. Sprewell played high school basketball at Milwaukee Washington, and currently has a home near Grunfeld's. A friend of Sprewell's said the guard would "very much'' like to play for the Bucks next season. A source close to the Bucks, however, said the Knicks initiated talks and that the Bucks have only lukewarm interest in Sprewell. Marcus Camby or Kurt Thomas may be more to the Bucks? liking.

There are rumors that Robinson isn?t the only trade bait being discussed by the Bucks. GM Ernie Grunfeld insists he's satisfied to remain in the 13th spot for Wednesday's draft. But there are rumblings Grunfeld would like to move up.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the sixth overall pick, but Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson has publicly admitted he isn't opposed to moving down in the draft. The Bucks and Phoenix Suns allegedly have expressed interest in acquiring the Cavaliers pick. The Bucks presumably would move up to draft either Chris Wilcox of Maryland or Maybyner Hilario of Brazil, both power forwards, or forward Nicholz Tskitishvili from the country of Georgia.

The Cavaliers may be looking to trade down in the draft. Chris Tomasson of the Beacon Journal reports that the word around the NBA is the Cavs, not enamored with players who might be available with the No. 6 pick, are looking to trade down in the draft. ``I think they're going to trade down,'' said agent Michael Coyne, who has had many talks with NBA officials about his client, Brazilian forward Nene Hilario.

It?s possible that the Cavs could pick Hilario at #6 and then trade him to one of the many teams that covet his size and athleticism. They include Phoenix, which picks No. 9, and Milwaukee, which selects No. 13. Dallas also likes Hilario, but the Mavericks don't have a first-round pick.

The Arizona Republic reported Saturday that Phoenix and the Cavs may swap picks and the Suns would forget about a first-round pick owed by the Cavs the next time they make the playoffs. In addition to Hilario, the Suns like Georgian forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Maryland forward Chris Wilcox.

Cavs general manager Jim Paxson said Friday that trading down is a possibility. Coach John Lucas said Saturday it's ``too early'' to say whether it will happen.

The Phoenix Suns, holders of the number 9 pick in Wednesday?s draft, may be looking to move up. Bob Young of the Arizona Republic reports that the Suns are exploring the possibility of swapping first-round picks with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have the 6th pick in the draft.

The big forwards that the Suns are hoping to land - Nikoloz Tskitishvili, a 6-foot-11 player from the Republic of Georgia who is playing in Italy, Maryland's Chris Wilcox, or Brazilian Maybener "Nene" Hilario - have all seen their stock rise as the draft approaches. If they want to land one of those players, they may be forced to trade up.

The Cavaliers owe the Suns a future first-round draft pick that could be the key to any deal that is made. The Suns acquired the pick in the 1997 three-team deal involving the Suns, Denver and Cleveland in which Antonio McDyess came to Phoenix. The pick cannot be a lottery pick, so the next time the Cavaliers make the playoffs, they must turn over the pick, which won't be any higher than No. 14, to the Suns. To move up to No. 6, the Suns would simply let Cleveland keep the future pick. Thus, the worst-case scenario would be the Suns giving up No. 9 and a future No. 14 to move up to No. 6.

The Nuggets, who pick fifth, reportedly have strong interest in Tskitishvili. And the Memphis Grizzlies, who draft fourth, are also starting to look more closely at the European forward, who has been compared to Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki and Memphis' Rookie of the Year, Pau Gasol. Wilcox isn't expected to be available past No. 7, where New York will draft. And the Los Angeles Clippers, picking ahead of the Suns at No. 8, are likely to take whomever is remaining among Tskitishvili, Wilcox and Hilario.

Suns president Bryan Colangelo would not comment on whether the Suns are pursuing a deal with Cleveland but said, "We're always looking for ways to improve our position."