It's come down to who will blink first in the Jamal Crawford sweepstakes, and surprisingly, the person who will blink first will probably be...Jamal Crawford.

The Knicks and Bulls have basically stopped talking and are now searching other options because trade talks surroung Crawford fell apart.

"We're trying to get something done," Aaron Goodwin, Crawford's agent said. "It's up to the two teams to work out the particulars. I'm just trying to take care of Jamal."

According to sources, the Knicks want the Bulls to sign Crawford to a multi-year contract, then trade him to the Knicks along with Jerome Williams and Eddie Robinson in return for Shandon Anderson, Othella Harrington, Frank Williams, Cezary Trybanski and Moochie Norris. The Bulls want Dikembe Mutombo included as part of the deal instead, refusing to take back the bad contracts of both Anderson and Norris. Mutombo's contract expires at the end of the season, and with the expiring contracts of Harrington, Williams and Trybanski could offer the Bulls significant cap room next summer. However, the deal isn't nearly as enticing with Norris' long term contract in the mix. The reason the two teams are struggling to make a deal, according to Bulls sources, is the size of Crawford's contract. It's so big he'll become a base-year player, meaning the Bulls have to enlarge the deal to make it work under the rules of the cap.

If Crawford were willing to accept less than seven for $70 million, a different version of the deal could happen where the Knicks have to take back just Jerome Williams, and the Bulls don't have to assume the contract of Anderson or Norris. However, as of Monday afternoon, the Knicks were balking and told the Bulls they would seek to go a different direction in free agency."