NEW YORK -- The Knicks already have planned a gala ceremony to retire Allan Houston's number from their salary cap. Not that team president Isiah Thomas is glad or anything like that to see Houston hobble away.

Thomas did his best to keep him around, going so far as vowing not to press Allan to voluntarily submit to a DNA test.

Houston remains one of two NBA players (the other being Marty Conlin) during my 36-year writing career who called to thank me for heavily endorsing him on national TV as a rising Pistons free agent.