Isiah Thomas only wishes he had an eraser big enough to make the signature on Jerome James' contract disappear.
One of Thomas' biggest moves of the summer is shaping up to be a major bust. James, who was benched in Wednesday's loss to Portland following three unproductive outings, is now sidelined indefinitely with a strained left hamstring.

"Jerome could be out for a while," Larry Brown said yesterday. "A couple of weeks possibly."

James signed a $30 million, five-year deal to become the Knicks' starting center. Those plans changed when Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis were acquired, and now James doesn't seem to have much of a role on his new team.

In three games, James has played 18 minutes and produced four points, five rebounds, one blocked shot and 10 fouls.