NEW YORK -- While the rest of you are either congratulating or condemning the Knicks' masterminds for taking on Jalen Rose and his money for Antonio Davis and his honey (and you thought the Mets were the only area team who took pride in rerouting the bride) I'm convinced there must be another move or two to come.

Rose's arrival neither solves Larry Brown's pointless guard problems (conspicuous on both sides of the ball) nor the team's need for an interior defense minister accomplished at snuffing shots and altering minds.

Additionally, Rose greatly reduces the daylight of Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford if Brown plans to use him in the backcourt.

If not, then Qyntel Woods, more athletic and a much better rebounder than Rose, and Trevor Ariza should prepare to take a number and a seat.

Logic dictates there must be more to this than hiring an extravagantly paid 33-year-old out of town hit man.

Though, admittedly, the Nuggets first-round pick and $3 million somewhat eases the infusion of Rose's $16.9 million salary to next season's already bloated ($102 million) cap.

Still, it's unreasonable to think this is it. Clearly, this is only the first of Isiah Thomas' latest dominoes to fall.

Sources maintain the Knicks continue to full court press Portland for Theo Ratliff and Denver for Earl Watson. One player or the other, maybe both, could be New Yorkers soon.

Naturally, I'm obliged to take the local angle regarding these distinct possibilities. Yet, from what I understand from executives and agents I trust implicitly, the Knicks aren't the major driver in exceptionally sensitive conversations involving four or five teams and spotlighting one demi-devalued franchise player.

I don't pretend to know all the particulars, but I do know Steve Francis, whose friction of late with coach Brian Hill and consequent two-game suspension, is well documented, is on the verge of being sent from Orlando to Denver.

In exchange, the Nuggets would give up Nene, Voshon Lenard and Watson, who would either wind up in New York or Seattle.

Obviously, the Knicks would have to surrender one of their youngbloods, preferably a guard, specifically the overpaid Crawford, who's being shopped.

The Sonics, who drafted Watson and lost him to free agency to Memphis, are prepared to part with Flip Murray and Vitaly Potapenko. The second wave of talks link the Knicks, Nuggets and Blazers . . . and Ratliff, Ruben Patterson, Penny Hardaway, DerMarr Johnson and a couple other expiring contracts.

"Everyone is on board with the Francis trade but one team," asserted one of the participants, declining to divulge its identity. "Something's either going to get done or it'll be dead within the next 48 hours."

This just in, Part I: Upon hearing the news of the trade, Kendra Davis said she would now be throwing her coffee to go.

This just in, Part II: The Knicks have changed their name to Sans Antonio.

I guess that'll teach Davis to ask Brown to simplify the defense.

No one in Toronto is familiar with the rumor floated by the Chicago Tribune that the Bulls are contemplating a Tim Thomas-Davis swap. It's also extremely doubtful the Raptors will buy out Davis from his remaining $7 million and waive him so he can return to Chicago and play for the Bulls.

"Sounds to me like Antonio doesn't have any objections to returning to Toronto for the final 34 games," said a Raptors source. "He and Sam Mitchell have a good relationship from their days as teammates."

Don't look now, but the Hawks reeled off three in a row for the first time in a couple of seasons. Atlanta edged Orlando as three players (Al Harrington, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith) had double-doubles.

The Hawks began the weekend dead-even with the Knicks for the right to be ignored during the second half of the season.

You make the call: Have the Hornets benefited more from the addition of Chris Paul or the subtraction of Baron Davis and Jamal Magloire?

Who do you believe is telling the contentious truth about Chauncey Billups' free-agent exit from Minnesota to Detroit, Flip Saunders or Kevin McHale?

Were Philadelphia's media closer to having it right when they clamored for Billy King to get Allen Iverson more help when he was healthy, or when they prodded him to trade A.I. after the 76ers had won two straight without him?

Newsflash: Isiah Thomas was hit with a class-action restraining order by the WNBA.