Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that things have gotten so bad for Allan Houston in terms of injuries that the word 'retirement' has reared its ugly head in the big apple, but the talk is not coming from Houston himself.

Isiah Thomas is not convinced Allan Houston will ever be an All-Star caliber player again and hinted that early retirement is an option Houston may want to consider.

Thomas, the Knicks president, didn't totally dismiss the idea of Houston hanging them up before his contract, which runs through the 2006-07 season, expires.

Asked during a conference call yesterday if Houston's condition - chronic knee pain - could reach a point where the Knicks ask their veteran shooting guard to retire, Thomas said: "I think Allan has to make the decision himself in terms of retiring. That's a question that only the player can answer. That's probably a good question for you to ask him. As an organization we'll continue to support him and try to help him overcome his injuries."

"I think we all hope that he can get back to being Allan," Thomas said. "But I think realistically we may all have to come to the conclusion that he may not ever get there again and we may have to start dealing with that reality."