Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that surgery on Antonio McDyess's knee was successful.

The surgery took two hours to perform and McDyess will begin rehabilitating the knee in two weeks.

Knicks doctor Norman Scott said, "There were no surprises during the surgery. We are very optimistic that Antonio will have a full recovery and be able to play again next season."

Medical experts say that to fully recover from a bone graft, like the one McDyess underwent, can take anywhere from three to six months to recover. Given McDyess's history of recovering slow, it is likely it will take closer to the six month mark- making a return in time for the start of training camp unlikely.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that Knicks forward Antonio McDyess will have surgery on his knee today in Rochester, Minnesota.

Mayo Clinic's Dr. Michael Stuart will perform the surgery while Knicks team doctor Norman Scott assists in the surgery. Knicks GM Scott Layden and McDyess's agent Andy Miller will also be in Minnesota when the surgery is performed.

McDyess will likely have a CAT-Scan on his knee around mid-July to see how far along the healing process is.

"This will involve more bone graft into the area of the fracture to enhance the biology of the fracture healing because it's been healing very slowly," Dr. Scott said. "If it's left now, it's weak. But it's not a situation where once it's fully healed, we have to be concerned about it."

Frank Isola of the New York Daily news reports that Antonio McDyess is vowing to play again according to a source close to the star forward.

"He's obviously very upset about the situation because he just wants to play," said a McDyess confidant who asked not to be identified. "It's a terrible feeling."

McDyess has been reported to have been in seclusion since he received the news he would have to undergo another procedure on his knee.

Some are worried McDyess may contemplate retirement, something he has thought about before, with this latest set back.

"He's just happy that the doctors have told him it's not career-threatening," McDyess' friend said. "He doesn't care about his contract. His only concern is playing."

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports: Former New York Mets orthopedist Dr. Riley Williams says that with each surgery Antonio McDyess has, his chances decrease of being able to fully heal.

In other words, he says the Knicks may have traded for damaged goods, much like the Orlando Magic may have done with Grant Hill.

"Grant Hill, the poor guy, is a great analogy," said Dr. Williams, the top sports knee specialist at Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery. "[Hill] has got this stress fracture that, at the end of the day, it's not going to heal. [The Knicks] are taking it really conservative [regarding McDyess] but each additional surgical reconstruction following an attempt to play decreases the likelihood of a full recovery.

"Would I say definitely he's out or in? No. But the knee undergoing a third surgery in the same local area does give me pause."

Williams believes that McDyess had the stress fracture in his kneecap even before his fatal jump.

"Even the diagnosis was very vaguely presented back then," said Williams, who worked for the Mets from 1996 to 2002. "My take on the initial injury was he had a stress-type fracture all along. The jumping incident was just a culmination. It's not like a trauma was a cause. It's wear and tear. Something about him and his knee predisposes him to this problem."

Knicks doctor Norman Scott concedes that breaking a knee cap by jumping is unusual, but is optomistic that this next surgery could end McDyess's problems.

Williams believes McDyess can still make a comeback, but that whether or not he can come back for an extended period will be in question.

"Antonio is highly athletic, but his bone structure has not responded well to the force he's putting it under in his basketball career - four games a week, practices," Williams said. "This is the culmination and it started with the [patella] tendon tear [in 2001]. It's an overuse problem. The same trouble spot is not healing. The concern is it's not going to withstand the test of time."

Marc Berman reports that New York Knicks General Manager Scott Layden may be willing to part with the Knicks' lottery pick for a proven veteran.

Layden, who in his three drafts has yet to keep a pick, is more than willing to make deals if he feels it will improve the team.

"I think we'll go into this draft and see what the best thing we can get out of it," Layden said. "If it means using it in a trade, we've shown we'll do that. And we'll do it again if that improves our team."

Layden traded his first-round selections in 2000 and in 2002- the trade in 2002 bringing in Antonio McDyess. He was left without a first-round pick in 2001 because of the Patrick Ewing trade.

Layden could also sweeten a trade package by offering one of two second-round picks owned by the Knicks, one of which is 31st overall.

Chris Broussard of the New York Times reports: Antonio McDyess and the New York Knicks received another setback on Thursday when a CT scan on McDyess's broken left kneecap revealed that he would need bone-graft surgery, which could keep him out for a good portion of the 2003-2004 season.

McDyess, who missed the entire 2002-2003 season after getting injured during the preseason, will undergo the bone-graft surgery on Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. It will be his third surgery on his left knee in 18 months.

 "Antonio's fracture is definitely healing, but it's not healing at the pace we had hoped for,'' said team doctor Norman Scott, who operated on McDyess last Oct. 16, said.

 So, what?s the outlook for McDyess?

 If you ask Scott, it sounds good but not great.

 He said McDyess would be able to play sometime this season but also mentioned that the injury was not career-threatening.

 "Surgery next week will expedite this process. We want to get him back as quick as possible. That's why we're performing the surgery at that time. He will be the same spectacular player he always was."

  Knicks? president and general manager Scott Layden downplayed the surgery.

  "This is a small bump in the road," said Layden. "Look, he's going to play next year. Dr. Scott has said that we know he'll be back with the team, and we're going to plan that way. Certainly, you're disappointed whenever you hear this news. But he'll get well and be with us next season. We're going to always try and make this team better, but we're going to make it better with him with us and as a big part of our plans."

  As for McDyess, he couldn?t be reached for comment, but Scott said McDyess was somewhat bewildered because he feels no pain.

  McDyess first injured the knee on March 3, 2001 while he was with Denver.. The scary thing for Knicks fans and McDyess is that Scott said no athlete in McDyess?s situation has overcome what he is facing.

  "This is very rare," Scott said. "Patella fractures from a jumping leg are very rare, and I don't know of any other player that's sustained this just from jumping. So we have to base our experience on the overall treatment and healing rate of patella fractures. Antonio's shown us no reason to think he's not healing. This is just to speed the healing process along."

The New York environment isn't quite as placid and predictable as in Utah, but Knicks president and general manager Scott Layden is doing everything in his power to emulate that model of franchise stability. With Cablevision CEO James Dolan's wholehearted endorsement, Layden yesterday announced his decision to reward Knicks coach Don Chaney with a brand new three-year contract worth about $10 million total.

Chris Broussard of the New York Times reports that Knicks Head coach Don Chaney has received a contract extension.

The deal is guaranteed for the first 3 years- totaling between $6-$7 million dollars. The team has the option to retain Chaney for two more seasons if they choose to do so.

"I'm very happy that the organization has shown the confidence for me to lead this team for the next couple of years," Chaney said. "I truly believe that we'll have a very good product on the floor next year and eventually we're still looking to trying to get to the championship series. So hopefully with the improvement of the players and with everybody healthy, we should have an exciting season for the next couple of years."

Knicks GM Scott Layden cited the need for stability in giving the contract extension.

"I came from a background of stability, and it's always been a background where the coach has been in place," said Layden, referring to his previous tenure in Utah, where Jerry Sloan has coached for 15 years. "So in order for us to have success, it's important for us to make this decision today so that next season we can get off to the right start."

Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan agreed with Layden and expects to see improvements on next years team.

Dolan said, "Continuity is an important part of having a championship basketball team, of growing a championship basketball team, and Scott and I both agreed that Don could get us there, so that was a big piece of it.

"We don't want to see the Garden dark during playoff seasons," he said. "Everyone is disappointed that we didn't make the playoffs. But I think there's every reason to think that we've made progress, that we've improved and that Don has improved the team. As much as I would prefer to be in the playoffs, I think the quickest way for us to be in the playoffs and for this team to reach championship caliber is to be under Coach Chaney."

Later, he added: "It would be a big disappointment no matter what if we don't make the playoffs next season. We are going to make the playoffs."

Marc Berman reports that Charlie Ward and Allan Houston, both devout Christians, have been learning to read Hebrew since last summer. The irony is tangible as Ward and Houston were embroiled in a controversial firestorm two years ago during the playoffs over their biblical interpretation regarding the Jews' involvement in the killing of Christ.

"It's about knowledge," Houston said recently. "It's the oldest language."

Though they should be extremely proud of their endeavor, neither Houston nor Ward wished to elaborate - sensitive that a published report about their religious studies would only stir up old wounds relating to the two-year-old magazine story. "It's something we do in our private time, but it's no big deal," Ward said.

Before the Lakers' game in February, an L.A.-based Israeli reporter caught wind of Houston's and Ward's Hebrew studies and was skeptical, hearing of the past controversy. So the Israeli wrote Houston's first name in Hebrew letters and Houston was able to read it. Houston then went out and scored his career-high 53 points.

Houston's career game prompted the reporter to write in an Israeli newspaper that Houston would be wise to read his name in Hebrew before every game. "Ever since I was 16, I wanted to study the word of God the way it was written," Houston told the reporter.

Houston and Ward have not waned in their Christian studies. They still attend chapel before each game and hosted a Christian childrens' function during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.

Frank Isola reports that Milos Vujanic is headed to a prominent Spanish team, but it isn't Real Madrid as first reported.

Vujanic, the Knicks' second-round pick, will instead sign with F.C. Barcelona. Last week, Vujanic agreed in principle to a deal with F.C.Barcelona that will pay him approximately $2 million over two years.

The deal is expected to be announced in June. When it expires, Vujanic plans to join the Knicks. Vujanic has already informed Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, his teammates on the Yugoslavian national team, of his decision.

Vujanic will be reunited with Svetislav Pesic, his former coach in Yugoslavia who will allow him to play point guard. The Knicks insist that Vujanic is a point guard, but several players, including the Spurs' Tony Parker, think he is a shooting guard.