This whole Raptor-Knick, Rose-Hardaway-draft pick thing got a whole lot murkier this week.

As anyone with Internet access knows, the talk of trading Toronto's Jalen Rose for New York's Penny Hardaway is still hot, with the stumbling block apparently being the Raptors' aversion to tossing in a first-round pick in the deal.

The big benefit for the Raptors would be about $17 million (U.S.) salary cap relief next summer; Hardaway is hardly going to turn into a regular rotation guy with the Raptors.

If the pick would be Denver's, which Toronto got in the Vince Carter trade a year ago, news that Marcus Camby of the Nuggets is out indefinitely after surgery on his finger clouds the issue greatly.

With Kenyon Martin bothered by a bad knee, Nene out for the season probably after a knee operation and now Camby on the shelf for a while, the Nuggets will be hard-pressed to hang on and make the playoffs in the Western Conference, which would give the Raptors two lottery picks next June.

If Jalen Rose rumours aren't enough on their own, he's also now linked to Ron Artest and his imminent departure from Indiana.

Yesterday, it was Rose to the Lakers, either Devean George or Slava Medvedenko to Toronto along with Austin Croshere from the Pacers.

It's not likely to happen, according to Raptor sources; just the next in a long list of Rose rumours.

He was booed at home for his recent uninspired play and questioned by coach Larry Brown for hurting the Knicks by passing up open shots in Wednesday's loss in Orlando, and everything about Stephon Marbury's downcast demeanor suggests he'd rather be someplace else.

But as Marbury went out of his way to emphasize yesterday, looks can be deceiving.

"Hey, man, I love New York, and I want to be here more than anything," Marbury volunteered in an interview after practice. "Whatever it's going to take for me to win, I'm going to do it because I feel like New York deserves it ... If it's sacrificing my game, I'm willing to do that."

In Marbury's view, that's exactly what he was doing in Orlando when he took only three shots in the first three quarters and finished with five points, 0-for-7 shooting and three assists. The hot shooters were Eddy Curry, who had 29 points, and Jamal Crawford, with 24. Marbury said he passed up open shots to get better ones for teammates, which is what Brown wants from his point guard.

Brown was in no mood to add fuel to the fire yesterday, declaring the incident over. But he did not back off his critical postgame comments. Performance fluctuates from game to game, but Brown said, "In my mind, he had a lot of good looks [in Orlando] that he didn't look to take. I think you can hurt your team by doing that."

One game after being benched for most of the fourth quarter in a loss to the Nets, Stephon Marbury seemingly took himself out of the Knicks' offense. Was it a coincidence or cause and effect?

Knicks coach Larry Brown sounded mystified by Marbury's failure to get his normal share of shots, points and assists. But Marbury said he was content to let Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford carry the offense while he tried to play the traditional point-guard role in the Knicks' 105-95 loss to Orlando last night at TD Waterhouse Centre.

The Knicks allowed the Magic to shoot 52.8 percent, gave up 23 points on 18 turnovers, were outscored 20-7 on the fast break and had zero steals to 14 for the Magic. Ordinarily, Marbury would be more involved in the offense, especially in the late stages. But he took only three shots in the first three quarters and finished with five points on 0-for-7 shooting while totaling a mere three assists and no steals.

"I think he just didn't want to shoot the ball," Brown said. "I thought he'd have 15 to 20 assists [if he wasn't shooting]. It's just one of those nights. Maybe he didn't feel like he was on."

Asked if Marbury deferred too much to Curry, Brown said, "I don't know. I know he was 0-for-7 with three assists in 41 minutes. That's tough. But he tried to guard. It's just one of those things."

This isn't the first time Marbury has struggled to find his place in Brown's offense, but the coach sounded puzzled as to why Marbury wasn't more aggressive in finding his shot.

"You know, he's got the ball all the time," Brown said. "I ran probably as much stuff for him tonight as I have at any time. It's just one of those nights. Maybe he didn't feel like he had it. But we got three assists and no steals."

After a postgame briefing from the public relations department, a bemused Marbury looked at the crowd of reporters waiting for him and said, "Uh-oh, something must have happened." Then, he wrote off his performance as a poor shooting night. "Tonight, I was just trying to do everything that coach wanted me to do as far as running the team," Marbury said.

Eddy Curry can't stay healthy.

The injury-riddled Knicks center scored a season-high 29 points but strained his left calf in the 105-95 loss to the Magic. It's a recurrence of an injury he had earlier this season, and the latest blow to a Knicks team desperate to keep him in the lineup.

Stephon Marbury, who apparently wasn't aware of the injury immediately after the game, said it best: "He's hurt again?"

Although Larry Brown didn't want to guess what his center's status will be for tomorrow's game at Milwaukee, Curry vowed to play. "I'll be ready to go Friday," he said. "It's definitely not as bad as before."

Curry said he hurt it while completing an alley-oop in the third quarter. He just returned Monday from a sprained ankle that kept him out for four games. Curry said because of the ankle injury "we kind of lost sight of (the calf) a little bit and took for granted that it was going to be healed. But it wasn't."

In the eyes of Knick rookie Nate Robinson, a double standard exists.

"Honestly it feels like whenever we foul somebody, it's like, 'Oh, they fouled him too hard,' or, 'They try to play too dirty,' " said Robinson, a central figure in a fourth-quarter scuffle that drew three technical fouls in the Nets' 109-101 victory over the Knicks at the Garden.

"But if another team fouls us too hard or slaps us in the face, it's all right. That's what it feels like."

The play last night that got technicals for Robinson, teammate Quentin Richardson and Net Richard Jefferson came with 7:07 left. After a Knick turnover, the Nets were on a 2-on-1. Jefferson fed Jacque Vaughn, who was fouled hard by Robinson. The rookie ended the sequence with a shove and grab of Vaughn's uniform. Jefferson interceded and lots of jawing ? and the Ts ? ensued.

"Holiday cheer," said Vaughn. "Just a hard foul."

Two league sources, however, told The Post that James Dolan is almost up to his limit ? that he's no longer willing to be Santa Claus and he's reluctant to add much to his already league-high $119 million payroll for only a marginal boost.

The Knicks have had the chance to obtain Toronto's Jalen Rose for the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway since November, for example, but have resisted making the move. Thomas is trying to squeeze at least one unprotected first-round pick and $3 million from Toronto to lessen the burden of adding $34 million of combined payroll and luxury tax.

Rose, 32, is an adept slashing scorer who could be the Knicks' starting small forward. But he's a poor defender and wouldn't transform the team from a lottery club into one that's a lock for the playoffs. Nor does Rose fit the profile of a player who fits into Thomas' proclaimed rebuilding program ? a plan so flawed that the Knicks probably are unable to keep their lottery pick in the next two drafts because of the trade that brought Eddy Curry from Chicago.

"Mr. Dolan said he'll do anything he can to help us win," Brown said in a quiet moment away from the cameras and horde of writers. "He said that to me when I got the job. He said to me, he'll do anything he can. I'm confident if there's something out there that makes us better, we'll do it because everybody feels strongly about making us the best team."

If Dolan is uneager to add payroll, it's hard to blame him. Beyond the $119 million payroll, he's on the hook for about $43 million in luxury tax ? even after a reduction from Allan Houston's medical retirement.

Dolan is shelling out more than $9 million per year for Brown and paying a league-high six assistant coaches. He is also still paying former GM Scott Layden's final year of salary ($6 million) and of course, Thomas' own salary.

All that for a record tied for the league's second worst. Merry Christmas, Jim.

"The resources are there," said Dolan during training camp. "But we have to use it wisely and not waste."

The New York Knicks will not only have to deal with a red-hot Vince Carter (35.4 points in his last 5 games), they will also have to take on a Jason Kidd who thrives in Madison Square Garden when the Nets come to the Big Apple tonight.

Kidd has saved some of his greatest passes and flashiest performances for the Garden. Tonight should be no different when the Nets (14-12) look to extend a five-game winning streak in their first regular-season meeting against Brown.

"When you talk about the stage and all the attention the Garden gets, it's always exciting," Kidd said. "It's probably one of the best stages in the world to perform. So if you can't get up for that, then it's hard to get up for any game."

Untouchable rookie Channing Frye now will have his butt touching the bench at tip-off.

Seeking an on-court leader, more toughness, and hustle, Larry Brown has jostled the Knicks' starting lineup again, turning to veteran Antonio Davis as the starting power forward.

The Knicks will need all the toughness and leadership they can muster when they play host to the scorching Nets tomorrow at the Garden. Stephon Marbury officially is the captain, but Davis is emerging as the Knicks' leader.

Frye has slumped since his 30-point explosion vs. Milwaukee on Dec. 12 when he looked like the second-coming of Bob McAdoo, the former jump-shooting All-Star big man.

In the past five games, Frye, who is off-limits in all trade discussions, has averaged 10.3 points as teams have adjusted to the eighth pick in this year's NBA Draft. Frye had been the one shining light to this otherwise sickening season.

Frye, who could be hitting the rookie wall after 25 games, still isn't rebounding enough and has trouble defending big men on the perimeter.

"You get scouting reports on kids and you try to take away his jump shot," Brown said. "We're trying to get him to post up a little more, put the ball on the floor a little bit more. I think he's just learning every day."

Jalen Rose is not going anywhere just yet.

But the struggling Raptors swingman feels it may be a matter of time before he is dealt as his team has had discussions with the New York Knicks and, possibly, the Los Angeles Lakers about Rose.

In an e-mail to the New York Post that appeared in yesterday's editions, Rose said, "I feel something will happen soon ... Then back to the States."

Rose wouldn't go quite that far when talking with Toronto reporters before a game against the San Antonio Spurs last night, but the highest-paid player on the team feels it might make sense for the Raptors to ship him out.

"It just comes with the territory," Rose said when asked about the rumours, which started last season and continue to this day. "Obviously, the opportunity I'm getting minutes-wise and things of that nature, it probably haven't been that way for me as a player since the late 1990s. If you're looking at it from that factor, probably it would suggest that something may happen.

"But who knows? Like a lot of people say, who would trade for me? Nobody wants me."

Things have been so bad for the Knicks lately that even the wins hurt.

Stephon Marbury needed a strong game and a victory like never before and the Knicks' point guard got both last night. But there may have been a costly side effect. Marbury suffered a bruised left hand in the second half of the Knicks' 98-90 win over the slumping Utah Jazz, an injury the Knicks believe will not keep him out of Monday's game against the Nets.

X-rays taken immediately following the game were negative and Marbury reported no pain in his nonshooting hand. However, there was some minor swelling near his left pinkie and there is a possibility that Marbury may need an MRI to determine whether he suffered ligament damage.