(Long Island, NY) A picturesque Florida golf course. Sunny skies overlooking the green grass. The competitors all looking to take home the hardware. On March 1st, the Honda Classic began at the Jack Niklaus-renovated Champion Course at PGA National. The tournament served as the opener of the PGA TOUR’s Florida swing.

The Golden Bear has modified the course to make it just short of a major, with tight fairways and a thick rough. Speculation was that with such a tough course, the winner may be close to even par. The course is a 7,048-yard, par-70 and its main challenge is off the tees.

The $990,000 winner’s check attracted some notables, such as Jim Furyk, who is ranked right behind Tiger Woods worldwide. Another top-10 name that competed was defending champion Luke Donald, who has missed cuts at Pebble Beach and the Nissan Open in February. It was the first time in four years that he has missed back-to-back weekends in PGA TOUR events.

The first round was played in expected windy conditions and ended with Charlie Wi leading the way with 5-under 65. Donald was tied for 118th after he shot 77. The most unique story on the day was John Daly suffering an rib injury attempting to stop his swing when he heard a spectator snapping a photograph of him.

Mark Wilson led for the first time in his PGA TOUR career with a 6-under on Saturday and Boo Weekley was one shot behind heading into the final round. Donald remained at 6 over at the end of the day.

Sunday was supposed to be the last day, but an extended round was halted due to darkness after one playoff hole. Wilson, Weekley, Jose Coceres and Camilo Villegas picked up where they left off the following morning.

The four-way shootout continued with Weekley and Villegas being eliminated with bogeys on the second hole, the par-4 10th. That left Wilson and Coceres. On the third playoff hole, Wilson birdied and Coceres’ 8-foot putt hit the lip and rolled away. Wilson earned his first PGA Tour victory in 111 starts with a 5-under 71, becoming the 10th first-time winner in Honda Classic history, and the fourth in the last seven years.

“I’m just thrilled,” Wilson said to reporters. “I’m just tickled to death.”

Furyk finished tied for 31st place and Donald tied for 46th.

Some notables include: this was the sixth time the Honda has gone to a playoff; the PGA Tour’s first four-man playoff since 2004; and the first unscheduled Monday finish since the 2005 PGA Championship.

(Long Island, NY) Speculation approaching the February 27 NHL trading deadline was that the New York Islanders were going to be sellers instead of buyers. Jason Blake, who is having a career year, was rumored to be on the move to a number of Western Conference teams. He had been looking for a contract extension from Islanders General Manager Garth Snow and it is no guarantee that he will resign. But once the dealing period had passed, the Islanders not only held onto Blake, but also made a blockbuster deal.

Snow acquired left-winger Ryan Smyth from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for former first round selections Robert Nillson and Ryan O’Mara, and a 2007 first round draft pick. A hefty price when you consider that Smyth can bolt after the season when his current deal runs out.

Smyth, 31, was in contract negotiations with Edmonton up until twenty minutes before the trading deadline time. He was looking for a five-year deal worth $5.5 million each season. Will Islanders owner Charles Wang lock him up before the deal blows up in his face?

The team has to be applauded for making such a bold move. Currently, they are tied for the seventh seed in the East with the Montreal Canadians with 72 points. They have a legitimate shot to qualify for the postseason. For an organization that is trying to build up their attendance, a move such as this can definitely help.

On Thursday, Smyth played his first game with his new team. 12,263 fans gathered to welcome their new hero to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. In the first period, Smyth earned an assist on a goal by his close friend, Mike Sillinger. Unfortunately, the St. Louis Blues were victorious, 3-2 in overtime. The Islanders were shutting out the hapless Blues until the final three minutes of the third period. Then St. Louis went on a flurry and deadlocked the score, sending the contest into the extra period. The team looks to rebound in their next game on Saturday when they visit the Washington Capitals.

Smyth attended his first practice with the Islanders on Thursday morning and attracted quite a crowd. Their brethren from as far as Canada joined reporters from the local area. After the morning skate, an impromptu press conference took place to introduce Smyth to the media, and he was handed his number 94 jersey.

“I look forward to this new chapter with the Islanders and making a run for the [Stanley] Cup,” Smyth told reporters. “I’m just one player and that doesn’t make a team, but hopefully, I’ll be a piece to the puzzle that gives this team an opportunity to win the Cup.”

Humble words from the player nicknamed ‘Captain Canada.’ The Alberta native grew up an Oilers fan in the 1980’s when they had their dynasty. He is a four-time 30-goal scorer and has been enjoying a productive 2006-07 season. Currently, he has 31 goals and 22 assists for 53 points. Islander fans can only hope that Smyth sticks around for a long time.

(Long Island, NY) The first game back after the NBA All-Star break. All the glitz and lights of Las Vegas Boulevard have faded and it’s back to business and the daily grind. And games that the score counts. The Knicks, for all their troubles, are still in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference.

Isiah Thomas already has matched the 23-win total that took Larry Brown a full season to accomplish, if you want to use that word to describe anything that went on last season. What must Brown be thinking when he sees a lot of his favorite whipping boys, such as Jerome James, Quentin Richardson and Jamaal Crawford, in the starting line-up when the Knicks took on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden?

Perhaps it was in the back of the player’s minds knowing that a victory would put them over that dismal win total. They did hustle and play hard, even though the game was played sloppy by both teams with a combined 37 turnovers. But in the end, the Knicks came away with a 100-94 win.

Maybe the Knicks had reservations about starting the second half of the season. Coming out tentative, they misfired on their first three field goal attempts and turned the ball over more than once. By the time Thomas called his first time-out, the scoreboard read 6-0 Magic.

Richardson (15 points) finally broke the ice with a shot from downtown at the 8:35 mark. A quick turnover led to a basket by Stephon Marbury, and another resulted in a game-tying three-pointer by Richardson. A back and forth pace resulted in the game still being tied with just over five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, 13 all. David Lee, the Knicks’ second-year forward out of Florida, checked in to the game spelling James. Lee is coming off winning the MVP Award of the Sophomore-Rookie game during All-Star weekend. Following the game, Lee said, “It’s great to be back in New York. Vegas was hectic with too much going on.” The versatile Lee was averaging a double-double on the season with 11.2 PPG and 10.6 RPG prior to the contest. He did not disappoint, finishing with 14 points and 16 boards. A quick-paced first quarter ended with the Knicks up by one, 23-22.

A slower-paced start to the second quarter with more inside plays being called resulted in fouls and trips to the free-throw line for each club. The Knicks seemed to be confused when Marbury (14 points) and Steve Francis were in the backcourt together. Luckily for them, the Magic bailed them out a few times with fouls when there was no play and the shot clock winding down. Orlando was a little more out of sorts, and this allowed the Knicks to take a 37-31 lead with 6:04 left in the half. The Magic had a 6-0 run at one point to close the gap. The Knicks led by a score of 49-45 as the teams headed into the locker room.

The Knicks were looking good from the outside in the third quarter. Richardson and Crawford hit three-point shots, and the Knicks were leading 64-60 halfway through the quarter. Dwight Howard (27 points) threw down a few thunderous dunks to excite the crowd, even though he was wearing his road blues. Lee did his usual cleaning up the glass, diving for loose balls, setting picks and hitting the inside jumpers. Rookie J.J. Reddick, Orlando’s first-round pick out of Duke, hit a three-point field goal at the buzzer to make it 79-76 Knicks.

The home team began the final stanza in fashion, with nifty passing and easy conversions. Marbury hit a ‘3’ with 5:30 left to make it a 10-point game. Orlando chipped away and cut it to a three-point lead. Curry hit to make it 96-91 with less than one minute left, and was tied with Crawford with 20 points as the team’s high scorer. Marbury went to the line and made both to stretch the advantage to 98-92 with 20.7 ticks left on the game clock. A short time later, the Knicks walked off the floor victorious.

Lee said, “They took away Eddy (Curry) with double teams and I’m not sure if the Knicks from last year or even two months ago would find a way to adjust and win.” Lee is officially eligible for the NBA 6th-Man award with at least half of the games being played without him in the starting line-up.

“Tonight’s game was important because now we hold the tiebreaker (with Orlando),” said Thomas in his post-game press conference. The 24-30 Knicks are currently only three games behind the 27-27 Magic for the eighth seed. A year ago today, could we have said the same thing?

(Long Island, NY) All things must pass. Learn to love change. Whatever saying you want to use, it may pertain to the Yankees. Maybe not the team that will be defending their American League East crown this spring, but possibly by the time 2009 rolls around. And that just happens to be when they open their new ballpark.

It is unfathomable to think of the Yankees in a rebuilding stage. But take a step back and look at the big picture. Since their dismantling in the AL Division Series at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, General Manager Brian Cashman has not added bloated contracts from players past their prime, but has actually found takers for his problems. Gary Sheffield, Jaret Wright and Randy Johnson are all gone via trade, and the Yankees have not only cleared salary, but also acquired some young talent in return. Humberto Sanchez, who was one of the three arms obtained from Detroit for Sheffield, may play a prominent role sooner than later.

Which brings us to our next topic. Closer Mariano Rivera publicly speculated leaving the Bronx after the upcoming season. His is in his ‘walk’ season, currently 37 years old, and had elbow problems last September. Cashman has said that he will not negotiate until after the season with Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada. Is the handwriting on the wall that the torch may soon be passed in the bullpen? Rivera may need to be injury-free all season to guarantee his return, and that may only be if Sanchez falters. Just as Rivera was the set-up man for a quality closer, Sanchez may caddy for him until he is ready. When the Yankees’ dynasty began with the 1996 World Series championship over the Atlanta Braves, the MVP of the series was closer John Wettland, who had Rivera as an 8th-inning man.

With all the questions surrounding the return of manager Joe Torre at the end of last season, the talk will certainly be revisited as the summer sizzles and the Yankees don’t. Anytime you enter a season with lame-duck status, the pressure is on. And the pressure in New York can be overwhelming, even for a person such as Torre, born and bred here and experienced in playing and managing in the spotlight. His team has holes in a few areas, and they did not go out and make any major moves.

Their division has improved, especially with the Boston Red Sox signing Japanese right-hander Diasuke Matsuzaka. Is the worm starting to turn? The Sox stepped up and signed some big money players, such as J.D. Drew. And up in Toronto, they look to improve on their second place finish a year ago. They resigned talented outfielder Vernon Wells and inked free-agent Designated Hitter Frank Thomas. ‘The Big Hurt’ had a huge comeback year in 2006 with Oakland, and appears to be healthy again.

With all of these questions surrounding the Bronx Bombers, by the time 2009 arrives, they may be in a full rebuilding mode. Owner George Steinbrenner is getting older and has not been seen as much. If ‘The Boss’ can mellow out, anyone can. He has been the face of the franchise throughout the tenures of Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield and Derek Jeter. A new ballpark will attract fans regardless of the success of the team. And it is inevitable that after long stretches of success, some humbling rebuilding must take place. The Yankees went through their own tough times in the 1960’s and 1980’s. And even in other sports, like the Knicks being perennial playoff participants and now lottery-bound every season. It’s just the nature of the business.

The team and its fortunes may look as different as the ballpark on Opening Day, 2009.

(Long Island, NY) Fever pitch. Dolphin Stadium was ready to explode with anticipation of the opening kick-off. As the Miami sky darkened with clouds and the light rain that fell threatened to open up, no one in the building seemed to notice. Blaring rock music with images from the two 140 foot video screens was the background as the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts warmed up on the green grass.

As the clock approached 6:25 p.m., it grew louder and louder. Finishing touches by the grounds crew continued after the teams returned to their locker rooms for final preparations. No stone unturned. It was time Super Bowl XLI.

Devon Hester picked up right where he left off in the regular season. Returning six kicks for touchdowns apparently wasn’t enough. A weakness of the Colts was their special teams, finishing 30th in the league allowing field position. Hester promptly took the kick by Adam Vinatieri to the house for a 92-yard score, sending the Chicago faithful into a frenzy. A scintillating start to the World’s Biggest Sporting Event. “We were just trying to come out and set the tempo on special teams,” said Hetser. “We took it upon ourselves that the special teams would be the part that would step up and try to set and example for the first part of the game. And that’s what we did.”

On the Colt’s opening drive, Peyton Manning was picked off and the early momentum stayed with Chicago. “Obviously it didn’t look great after the opening kickoff,” said Manning following the game. “But kind of like we’ve done all playoffs, no panic whatsoever. Everybody stayed calm.”

Later in the first quarter, Manning stepped up in the pocket under pressure and found a wide-open Reggie Wayne for a 53-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was missed, and we had a 7-6 game with 6:50 left, as the rain grew heavier.

Vinatieri then kicked a squibber to keep it way from the dangerous Hester. The strategy worked when the Bears fumbled the kick-off and it was recovered by Indianapolis, who promptly fumbled it back to Chicago on the next play. Thomas Jones then ripped off a 52-yard run to the Indianapolis 5-yard line. “It was just a zone play to the outside,” said Jones. “I ended up cutting back across the field and no one was there.” On 3rd and goal, Rex Grossman found Mushin Muhammad open in the end zone to make it 14-6 Chicago. The Colts controlled the second quarter with a field goal and rushing touchdown to take a 16-14 lead.

With the slick field and ball, the game started to become a fumble fest. Back-to-back turnovers occurred twice in the first half. But Indy missed a field goal attempt on the last play of the half, and the score remained the same. Vinatieri commented, “It wasn’t a great day for kicking, but at the end of the day we found a way to get it done. Ultimately, that’s the only thing that matters.” Indianapolis dominated the majority of the third quarter, but could not get the ball in the end zone. Two field goals by Vinatieri were followed by a good drive by Chicago, which culminated in a 44-yard field goal by Robby Gould to make the score 22-17 Colts. A 53-yard interception return for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden gave Indianapolis a comfortable 29-17 lead. They made it through the rain, and took home the first championship for the Indianapolis version of the Colts. Manning was named MVP, and finally got that monkey off his back.

“As disappointing as the playoff loss was last year to Pittsburgh, the veteran guys got together and learned from it and felt we were a better team this year and maybe stronger for it,” said Manning. “It’s nice when you put a lot of hard work to cap it off with a championship.”

“I just have to say how sweet this is. How happy I am for our whole organization,” said winning head coach Tony Dungy. “I think it starts at the top with (owner) Jim Irsay and just the way he’s set this whole thing up.” Dungy later led the entire Colts locker room in prayer, just as they have done all season long.

Inside the Chicago locker room, the emotions were far different. “Obviously, we are very disappointed,” said Lovie Smith, head coach of the Bears. When you turn the ball over as much as we did tonight (3 fumbles lost and 2 interceptions), it’s really hard to win. We got off to a great start and had an eight-point lead. We made a little run there at the end, but the turnovers really did us in tonight.”

Bears LB Brian Urlacher added, “The defense and I just didn’t make the plays. All season long we have prided ourselves on our defense and making plays, and we did not come out and do that today.”

Grossman appeared to have more trouble with the wet ball than Manning did. “Getting it from center was the only tough part about it-it would slide off my hands.” Manning stated that he and center Jeff Saturday had practiced wet ball drills throughout the season, which obviously made a difference during the game.

“You look at the season, after we lost our first game, everybody jumped off the bandwagon,” said Saturday. “Everyone talked about how bad we were as a team, how we could never get it done, there was no way our defense couldn’t hold up, our offense couldn’t run the ball. It just got (said) over and over, everybody kept talking about it. We always believed in the guys and they knew that if we played our style of football, we were good enough to win every game.”

Colt fans, rejoice. You are Super Bowl champions for the first time since Jim O’Brien’s field goal won it over the Dallas Cowboys in 1971.

(Long Island, NY) Maybe this is one way of taking some of the attention away from the growing list of New York Knicks bad performances at home. On this occasion, the opponent was the Denver Nuggets and the loss was by 23 points. But that wasn’t the ugliest part of the evening.

With 1:15 left in the game, a hard foul by Knick rookie Mardy Collins on Denver’s J.R. Smith set off a Donny-brook, resulting in 10 total players being ejected from the game and a multitude of upcoming suspensions. Smith took exception to the flagrant foul by Collins, and the two started jawing at each other. If there was a ‘third man in’ rule in the NBA as there is in hockey, then Nate Robinson would have been the culprit. He interjected himself into the situation and shoved Smith, resulting in a wrestling match between Robinson and Smith. The two tumbled into the courtside seats, and the two teams were involved in a mess of a brawl.

Nuggets’ star Carmelo Anthony, the league’s leading scorer, then landed a right to Collins’ face. Things could have gone worse if the players did not remain on their respective benches, which is required by the NBA. The officials, led by long time referee Dick Bavetta, decided to eject all the players that were on the floor at the time of the incident. At least the remainder of the game continued without any further shenanigans.

Will this spark the Knicks into becoming a jelled team? Sometimes, negative incidents such as this gives a club that little edge to them that they may have been previously lacking. Especially a team that is getting pushed around and blown out in their own building.

What frustrated the Knicks is that the Nuggets were still playing their starters with a large lead in the waning minutes. Kind of like throwing salt in the wounds. But the Knicks have no one to blame but themselves for trailing by as much as 24 points by the third quarter and seeing their record at Madison Square Garden fall to 4-10.

This was a poor display of professionalism on both sides. Robinson should not have injected himself the way he did, and Anthony was completely wrong in throwing the first punch. Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas was not one to shy away from physical incidents during his playing days with the Bad Boys, aka the Detroit Pistons. But he would not condone anything of this magnitude.

Just what comes out of the league office in terms of fines and suspensions remains to be seen. Having your young players watching from the bench in suits cannot help. But if this wakes up a team that forgot how to play defense and used to intimidate clubs at home, maybe it was not all for naught.

(Long Island, NY) The recent baseball meetings in Orlando had a few moments of excitement around the baseball map. Jason Schmidt signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gil Meche with the Kansas City Royals, Mike Piazza headed to Oakland, and Freddy Garcia being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies to name a few. But as far as our local teams went, the only real ‘splash’ was Andy Pettitte coming back to the Bronx. Minor deals excluded, the Mets are still on the clock as far as making headlines go.

Mets General Manager Omar Minaya has been coy when inquired about the progress with free agent left-handed starting pitcher Barry Zito, soon to be formerly of the Athletics. Reports state that the Texas Rangers are throwing a deal on the table for six years at $100 million. The Mets do not want to go that high in years or dollars, and will try to get him with a four or five year offer in the $75-$80 million dollar range. The Ballpark at Arlington is not exactly a pitcher’s paradise, although Zito’s careers numbers there would state otherwise, which have him 10 games over .500. But the big picture would tell him that Shea Stadium would be better for him in the long run, and to be reunited with his old Oakland pitching coach, Rick Peterson, should also be a lure. The Mets are going to be a contender, and the Rangers seem to be doing whatever they can this off-season to prove that, as well. They have been giving the impression of being a big player so far, re-signing starter Vincente Padilla and inking center-fielder Kenny Lofton, and they plan on visiting with closer Eric Gagne and starter Mark Mulder. They also previously signed outfielder/DH Frank Catalanotto, a Long Island native who left the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent.

The Mets have re-signed Tom Glavine and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez since the season ended. But they both are over the age of 40 and should not be counted on as number one starter material. Pedro Martinez will be out until the All-Star break or later, recovering from shoulder surgery. So he will be viewed as a trading deadline pick-up rather than a counted on arm in the rotation. Some of the young arms from last season will get a long look in spring training, pending they are not moved in a deal. Oliver Perez, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey are the big three. Perez and Maine proved that they can get the job done in the playoffs, but both are back end of the rotation guys. Pelfrey showed flashes in his big league debut, but may need more seasoning down on the farm before he can be counted on to get the ball every four days.

Adding a veteran arm such as Zito will make a big difference. The Mets’ brass is saying that they do not view him as a number one starter. But this may be a bargaining ploy to try to keep the contract talks from exploding with dollars. When pitchers such as Ted Lilly and Meche can sign deals in the upwards of over $10 million dollars annually, expect Zito to top that wherever he ends up.

(Long Island, NY) They hired him to be the disciplinarian they didn’t have in Jim Fassel. He was supposed to come in here and right the ship and not allow any distractions from the locker room affect the team’s play on Sundays. But as the current season goes on, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has looked to be anything but what he is sometimes called in the tabloids, “Major Tom.”

Following the 36-22 win at Dallas on October 23rd, the G-Men were riding high in first place and appeared to be on their way to their second consecutive NFC East title. The Cowboys pulled veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe at halftime in that game and replaced him with the then unknown Tony Romo.

But the Giants have gone 2-4 since then, and last tasted victory on November 5th. A four-game losing streak has put them two games behind Dallas, and at 6-6, the Giants are barely holding on to a wild card berth.

You want distractions? Start with Tiki Barber’s retirement at the end of the season announcement. Followed up by the media bashing him for stating it at that time. Both Barber and Jeremy Shockey have questioned Coughlin’s use of them in public. And then the entire Michael Strahan-Plaxico Burress fiasco this past week.

This team has not played well recently. Mistakes have cost them games, and watching them is like having a video description of ‘the wheels are coming off.’ Eli Manning has not been the stellar quarterback this team needs. His late interception in the loss at Tennessee was an incredibly bad decision for a team that needed to take a breath and get ready for an overtime that never came after blowing a 21-0 lead in the fourth quarter. In the same game, a missed sack by Mathias Kiawanuka and a wave tackle attempt by Burress spelled disaster as much as the pick. Against Chicago on November 12th, the Giants’ special teams were caught off guard on a 108-yard return after a missed 52-yard field goal attempt. These are just a few of the ‘highlights’ of their losing streak that have ripped apart of the early season success they enjoyed.

Can they recover in time? Possibly, with some of the walking wounded starting to return. They need to take it one game at a time and not try to make up for four losses in one contest. They do not have an easy schedule the rest of the way. This week, they travel to Carolina. Then they host the Eagles and the surprising Saints. The final game of the season is at Washington. In the weaker NFC, 9-7 will probably be good enough to make the playoffs. That means that Big Blue can only have one slip up in the next month. The pressure will really be on them if they lose to the Panthers, which is a strong possibility. Then they will have no choice but to run the table.

(Long Island, NY) Thanksgiving time conjures up memories from all walks of life. And sports are no exception. Although none of our local teams won their respective championships, many of them did well and give us reasons to go to the game, watch it on television, and read about it in the newspaper the following day.

In baseball, the hot stove heats up the cold. Both the Mets and Yankees figure to be busy during the winter months retooling already strong squads. What’s not to be thankful for when Gotham’s two baseball teams shared the major league’s best regular season record? A division championship for each and a post-season spot. Unfortunately, a dream of a Subway Series did not happen. But it was an exciting summer regardless if you wore pinstripes or blue and orange.

On the football side of town (or river, if I want to be geographically correct), the Giants won their division last season and are currently tied for first place in 2006. The Jets cleaned house after the 4-12 disaster that was 2005, and have been one of the NFL’s surprise teams this year at 5-5. Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum have showed a lot of poise for first timers, and are ahead of schedule in the rebuilding project.

The Nets were their usual successful bunch last season, winning the Atlantic Division, but they were ousted from the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat. They are playing similar this season. The Knicks? Let’s be thankful that Larry Brown is gone. That’s about it.

The Rangers finally made the playoffs after a seven-year drought, but made only a brief appearance before being swept by the Devils. They have looked inconsistent so far. New Jersey won the division and played well, but fell short of a quest for another Stanley Cup. When it’s all said and done, both should qualify for the post-season. The Islanders were terrible last season and had their own shake up. Questionable front office personnel moves and a 15-year contract for an unproven goalie makes this team second to the Knicks as having the least to be thankful for as far as our sports teams go.

What will the next year have in store for us? Probably much of the same. Baseball teams that will be there and competing for a championship, one football team in the playoffs, two hockey teams and one basketball team extending their seasons.

(Long Island, NY) Their record may not show it. And the casual follower may scoff at the notion. But if you have been a steady customer at MSG (speaking of the arena and the television network), then there is no denying that at least some of this year’s New York Knicks are playing inspired basketball.

It is troubling that the starters, who fill up most of the overflowing salary cap, have played with the least energy. That is with the exception of Quentin Richardson, who has had a nice rebound season from his confusing 2005-06 under former head coach Larry Brown. Eddy Curry looks more and more like the bust that Chicago dealt away then the potentially dominating seven-foot center they drafted out of high school. Stephon Marbury has had flashes, but has not been consistent and should bring more to the table. He often tries to create instead of setting up his teammates. An effective and winning point guard simply does not do that. Steve Francis looks, for all intents and purposes, washed up.

The most successful young player from last season, Channing Frye, has had the toughest start of all of his brethren. Possibly he is just rusty from his season-ending knee injury and will once again show some of his strengths from last year.

But he is the exception rather than the rule. His fellow draft picks, Nate Robinson and David Lee, have been huge coming off the bench. In the games the Knicks have made interesting after falling behind by double digits early, it was the second unit who fought back. And little Nate has been a Garden favorite with his shooting and hustle. Lee had a double-double in the 102-82 home win versus Washington on Thursday, which included many offensive rebounds and put-backs. He is doing a great job all year, and takes care of the little things on the court that all teams need.

This year’s first round draft pick, Renaldo Balkman, had his best game against the Wizards with 18 points. He has been getting dirty by diving for loose balls, which is something rarely seen from the first unit.

Isiah Thomas has publicly stated that he will bench anyone and play who is deserving, regardless of stature and salary. At the rate the Knicks are going, it won’t be long before the youngsters hear their names being introduced prior to the game.