Marc Berman writes that tomorrow night could be Sprewell's last game at the Garden in a Knick uniform.

The Knicks are shopping the 6-5 Sprewell because their three aims are to get younger, get longer and obtain a player or players with shorter-term contracts at less than maximum. The Sixers' Keith Van Horn fits the first two criteria but not the financial one. Van Horn is making $12M this season - similar to Sprewell - and has one more contract year. That extra year is a crucial factor in the new way of Cablevision thinking, with James Dolan facing a $40 million luxury-tax bill this summer.

One Eastern Conference talent evaluator said a Sprewell-for-Van Horn swap would be a good basketball move for the Knicks. Because Sprewell is stuck out of position at small forward, he believes the Knicks should deal him for either the 6-10 Van Horn or the very available 6-7 Hawk Glenn Robinson. Sprewell is 32, Van Horn is 27 and Robinson just turned 30.

Knick GM Scott Layden and Chaney happen to be big Van Horn fans. "Keith is what Keith is; you've got to accept that," the executive said. "Put him on a frontline with Kurt Thomas and [Antonio McDyess], it's a playoff team, as long as they play him at the 3. You lose a little perimeter defense but he shoots the ball better than Spree and he'll get more rebounds. Keith takes heat because of how much money he makes, you want more out of him. But he'll get you 16-to-18 points and eight rebounds. He's a good player."