If Allan Houston's agent has anything to say about it where he plays next season, it just might be in New York.

"Let's be realistic," Bill Strickland said last night. "Given his tenure with the Knicks -- and this is me speaking, not Allan -- I would think they had a slight advantage over any and every team, given his history with the team."

That's not to say the two-time All-Star isn't considering all suitors, but Houston made his reputation in New York, developed an abnormally cordial relationship with owner Jim Dolan and was the face of the franchise for nine mostly successful seasons. Moreover, he lives a short drive from the Knicks' training complex in Greenburgh, N.Y.