Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Scott Layden is working the phones. Don Chaney is pacing the sidelines. Knicks fans comb headlines searching for hope or, if nothing else, a little change. At midnight tonight, the phones will stop ringing, the final rites will be read and we can finally lay the Knicks to rest in the same LeBron James junk heap alongside the Cavs, Bulls, Heat, Grizzlies and Nuggets.

The Knicks' $4.5 million disabled player exception is little more than symbolic at this point. The word around the league is that Layden is unlikely to make a serious trade before tonight's deadline. He's insisted that any players he takes on in return are young, talented and don't own ridiculous contracts. When you consider that the players he's offering are old, marginally talented and make more money than most all-stars, it isn't difficult to see why the Knicks aren't going anywhere.

Sure, there's still a thread of hope. Chaney told N.Y. reporters on Sunday that Layden was unavailable to meet with the press because he was working the phones. But for the most part, it's all false hope.

A report out of San Francisco this weekend claiming that the Warriors and Knicks were talking about swapping Danny Fortson for the Knicks' exception are bogus. Fortson makes more than the disabled exception, meaning the Knicks couldn't fit Fortson into the exception. The two teams would have to work out a multi-player deal to get anything to work.

Folks are so desperate for change, the N.Y. Daily News was remorseful that the Knicks seem unable to pry Shawn Bradley away from the Mavs.

Sack cloth and ashes over the inability to land Bradley? Is it really that bad? Yes it is. Right now, the hottest thing going in New York is a growing point guard controversy between Charlie Ward and Howard Eisley. That's as good as it's going to get folks.

Just look at the players being mentioned do you really want them in Orange and Blue. Fortson he is the samething as Spoon undersized power forward. Bradley only reason he scores now on that team is because they are worried about the other 4 players on the court. Lets not make any moves that is the smartest thing the Knicks can do. Adding payroll isn't a good idea for this team.