When Antonio McDyess strolls the Garden hallways tonight, he will give the cold shoulder to Isiah Thomas.

"He never said anything to me when I was there, so what do I have to say to him now?" the former Knick, now an injury-listed Sun, told The Post yesterday.

"I'm happy to be out of that situation. I was feeling uncomfortable."

McDyess won't play tonight when the Suns visit for the first time since Jan. 5's Stephon Marbury blockbuster. He'll save his revenge for the Knicks' visit to Phoenix Feb. 25.

Contract talks between the New York Knicks and forward Kurt Thomas have stalled.

"We've had discussions but they haven't been very fruitful," said Thomas' agent, Jerry Hicks. "The fact that they've expressed interest in doing something with Kurt, we interpret that to be a positive, but nothing has happened."

Thomas can opt-out of his contract this summer, which he is likely to do if he doesn't get an extension.

The Knicks want Allan Houston right for the playoffs, not for the dog days of February.

In reaching a bold, if risky, decision yesterday, Houston will sit out indefinitely, perhaps until the All-Star Break, and embark on a rehabilitation assignment to strengthen his sore knees.

Bouyed by a pow-wow with team president Isiah Thomas, Houston left open the possibility of returning for the first game after the break - Feb. 17 vs. Detroit - as reported here yesterday. That would give him a full three-week rehab period between games. The Knicks play seven more games before the Feb. 13-15 break.

With both knees now hurting because of overcompensation on the left one and his play in shambles, Allan Houston said he hasn't ruled out sitting out until after the All-Star break, which would give himself a full three-week layoff.

And for the first time, Houston admitted yesterday that he came back "too soon" for training camp following June's arthroscopic surgery.

Sitting out until after the All-Star break - that is, until Feb. 17 vs. Detroit - would be an extreme measure, but one Houston has to consider, with the Knicks still tied for the eighth seed and not losing ground. If he takes a shorter break that doesn't allow the knees to heal, what's the point?

"I haven't made my decision yet if I'm going to and how much it is," said Houston.

Isiah Thomas's prime objective this week is to move Shandon Anderson, and having failed in that pursuit so far, the Knicks president may force the Knicks' versatile swingman onto the injured list against his will, according to a management official.

Thomas has pitched three different trades in the last week, and come up empty on all three: Anderson to Portland for Ruben Patterson, to Dallas for Tariq Abdul-Wahad, and to Toronto for Lamond Murray and another player.
   
And after failing to move Anderson, Thomas, according to the official, instructed Anderson to undergo an MRI Monday -- ostensibly to learn more about the source of his migraines.