For a team with a proud history the Knicks have one tradition that not many people might now about; yours truly included.

It turns out that when a Knick who’s had his number retired passes away, the team switches his retired player banner in the MSG rafters from white in color to blue.

The last time the Knicks put this neat tradition into practice was during the 2003 season when Dave Debusschere passed away.

According to the custom the banner remains blue for the remainder of the season that is underway when the player passed.

Of course this all comes to light again with the recent passing of Hall of Famer Dick McGuire.

Before tonight’s game against the Bucks, McGuire’s white banner was lowered and replaced by the blue one seen below.

It’ll of course remain that way for the rest of 2010, so if you happen to check out a Knicks game at the Garden, you’ll know why it’s that way.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

Many Knicks fans' prayers were answered this morning when Mike D’Antoni sidled up to Nate Robinson at the free throw line in the team’s practice facility and told him to be ready to start at point guard tomorrow night against the Bucks.

We were at practice and got reaction from both D’Antoni and Robinson about the lineup switch (listen after the jump).

Ironically, Nate’s start comes against Milwaukee and Brandon Jennings…the guy the Knicks should have taken in the draft, which would have rendered this conversation moot; but that’s a whole different story.

Robinson’s rise to the starting rotation came in part because of last night’s third quarter surge against the Wizards, where Nate led the way to a 107-85 win.

And thank goodness, because I don’t know how much longer I could watch Chris Duhon run this team into the ground.

He’s a good guy and all, but it’s about time D’Antoni turned the keys to this season over to Nate.

At the moment the Knicks are 4.5 games out of the 8th spot in the East, and seeing how Milwaukee is a team they have to jump to get into the postseason, tonight’s a good night to start the Rob-olution (that’s Robinson + Revolution, in case you were confused).

At this point in the season the Knicks have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying to become more athletic.

In the short term it should mean more steals and diving for loose balls and, who knows, by April Nate could will this team into a playoff spot.

If all else fails, watching Robinson with the ball in his hands every possession will be reason enough to watch Knicks games the rest of the season.

You never know when he’ll pop for 40 or dunk on a 7-footer.

Here’s Coach and Nate at practice today:

In the immortal words of Jim Mora... "Playoffs... don't talk to me about Playoffs... u kidding me?" I feel like the Knicks should have that attitude... until they start playing better, that is. They've lost 9 of their last 12... a couple of them against much weaker teams... They practiced Tuesday as they get ready for 3 games in the next 4 days including Saturday against Lebron James and the Cavaliers. We spoke to a few of the Knicks and got their takes on where this Knickerbocker team is going. LISTEN IN!!

The math is starting to catch up with the Knicks... They've played 45 games which means they have 37 left... Thirty seven games to make up 4 1/2 games in the standings to make the 8th and final playoff spot in the east... The Knicks have been highly inconsistent lately... Their last 3 games are a perfect example... They get blown out by 50 at home against the Mavericks... 50!! Then they blow out Minnesota by 27. Then they lose a nail biter by two to the Raptors. Who can figure this team out??? Hopefully Mike D'Antoni can... because he wants to get them into the playoffs since their draft pick will go to Utah anyway... Oh if they didn't have that New Jersey Net-like start this year... They'd be in such better shape! We caught up to D'Antoni and he spoke about bouncing back after that tough loss to the Raptors. Listen in!!

First it was the Jets’ Darrelle Revis snubbed as NFL Defensive Player of The Year.

Today, the Knicks’ David Lee was most likely the first man left off the Eastern Conference All Star roster (covered in the post below by Lolita).

Huddle blogger extrordinare James Piccoli and I had a healthy debate going about the Mets’ quiet hot stove season – leaving me to conclude that the Mets and Yankees are all of a sudden tightening their wallets.

Since when does New York ANYTHING not mean the most expensive or shelling out the biggest bucks? (I.E. – when do the Nationals or Angels outbid the Mets for starting pitching or the Yankees say goodbye to Johnny Damon over a few measly millions?).

The point is, something is afoot these past few months, and New York sports teams are getting the short end of the stick.

How can this be the 10th straight year the Knicks have gone without an All Star representative?

This from the league of the frozen envelope, ensuring New York got Patrick Ewing in the lottery.

Enough Jets for a minute: Kobe comes to the Garden tonight for his first visit since raining 61 on the Knicks’ heads last season.

The question for Knicks (and Kobe) fans: how many does Bryant go off for tonight?

There’s no doubting that when he wants to turn it on, he can score prodigiously. 81 against the Raptors a few years ago and the aforementioned 61 at MSG last February.

Will tonight be one of those nights? Maybe, maybe not.

The Lakers need a win after losing to LeBron and the Cavs last night, and that might force Kobe to play more unselfishly.

Or he could decide to shoot every time he touches the ball.

Either way, it should be entertaining.

How many do you think he scores?

(I say 35).

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

Maybe everyone should take a month off from work every now and then.

Especially if it guarantees a return performance like the one Nate Robinson had tonight against the Hawks.

Mike D’Antoni FINALLY put Nate Rob (only took him a month to listen to my man Chris) in the game after 14 straight DNP-CD’s and you know where it went from there…..

41 points in one of the most dominant displays ANYONE has put on in the NBA this season.

Seriously, that run he went on beginning in the fourth and into overtime was reminiscent of……and you Jordan-lovers better not cringe….. #23 himself.

Nate absolutely took that game over. He put the Knicks on his back, or, more accurately, said to them “get the hell out of my way.”

If you missed the game, the most telling moment came when Nate was in the midst of his unconscious stretch and the MSG cameras caught Mike D’Antoni with one of those smiles that said “you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

We still don’t know exactly why D’Antoni buried Nate so deep in the dog house, but it seems like it might have been the best thing for all parties concerned.

Now the question is, what role does Robinson have from here on out?

The Knicks came up a bit short in their Christmas day matinee against the Heat, falling 93-87.

On the bright side, the uniform color combination of the Heat’s usual road reds and the Knicks alternate greenies made for additional holiday flavor.

But, alas, the Knicks were losers and their home winning streak came to an end at six games.

Afterward, we were in the locker room and got some post game reaction from David Lee, Al Harrington and Mr. Green and Orange shoes himself, Danilo Gallinari.

(Seriously, those shoes are awful).

Take a listen:

In years past this was a no brainer.

The Knicks stunk and presents rule. Spend all day putting together your new Erector Set and ignore the Knicks’ latest blowout.

But this year there’s a dilemma.

All of a sudden the Knicks are (kinda) good and playing at noon (NOON!) against the Heat.

So I ask you, how do you reconcile this crappy Christmas scheduling for Knicks fans?

Chances are you like to sleep in on Christmas and open presents......then eating with/ignoring family takes up the other hours in your early afternoon.

Do the Knicks have a place in your holiday rotation tomorrow?

Or is your TV fixed to the Yule log tomorrow on PIX?

Whichever way you go, seems like you can’t lose.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

(***Kudos to anyone who gets the Bernard King connection to this post***)

Nate Robinson hasn't seen the court in the last 9 games.

It's now nine and counting for Nate Robinson. Krypto-Nate has had a DNP CD (Did not play--Coach's Decision) next to his name for nine long games. Mike D'Antoni obviously has the Lethal Liliputian (as Clyde Frazier might say) in chateau Bow-Wow. I don't understand it. I'm not sure when the weird energy between these two started. Was it the Nets game at the Meadowlands when Nate shot the ball into the Nets basket, clearly after the buzzer? I always thought that was really overblown, but D'Antoni was clearly hot that day. Maybe it started when Nate joked around with Dwight Howard before a game against Orlando. Whenever it started... It's a full blown beef now. Saturday, Nate's agent asked for a trade. Aaron Goodwin told the Daily News: "I can't allow Nate to rot on Mike's bench and not do anything about it. I can't allow this to happen to his career, It's clear that Mike D'Antoni doesn't want to play him." Nate has been the good citizen so far, saying all the right things. Before Sunday's win against Charlotte, Robinson said he would like to stay in the Big Apple. But when asked if he would want to stay in New York and not play or go elsewhere and play, Robinson became the "Artful Dodger."

Mr. Fix It Here:

Mike D’Antoni created a mini-stir yesterday when he said he would continue to bench Nate Robinson….and then said he’d play Satan himself if he’d help the Knicks win.

Therefore by my math, as far as D’Antoni is concerned, Satan > Nate. (That’s the sign for ‘greater than’, right?)

Anyway, with Nate still inexplicably in “Chateau Bow-Wow” (trademark my boss Bobby), I’ve come up with a clever solution to get Krypto-Nate some playing time; just now how he might think.

Follow me here.

Whose side are you on?

Of course I'm referring to Nate Robinson's three pointer that he shot into his own basket today after the first quarter buzzer sounded in the Knicks/Nets game.

In case you missed it (what were you doing instead.....something silly like "going outside?"), the Knicks inbounded in their own half of the court with half of a second on the clock, and instead of shooting 3/4 court at the Nets bucket, Robinson waited for the horn to sound, then immediately shot a three-pointer into his own hoop. It was actually a pretty nice shot.

When he walked back to his bench, though, MIke D'Antoni was livid. Nate played roughly the first minute or so of the 2nd quarter then sat the rest of the game.

So now that you have the background, whose side are you on?

The Knicks and Allen Iverson…will it happen?

I’m sure you’ve been inundated with everyone’s two cents these past few days on whether AI is a good fit at MSG, but who cares what blogger nerds like me think (and Bobby, who weighs in one post below).

We caught up with a couple of Knicks tonight and got THEIR opinion – the only ones that matter, really – on whether or not they think Allen Iverson is a good fit with the Knicks.

Check out the video below for interviews with David Lee, Jared Jeffries and Chris Duhon (who will lose significant playing time if Iverson becomes a Knick – you can feel the tension!!).

So the Knicks are considering bringing in Allen Iverson. I have mixed feelings on this, as should most Knicks fans, Apparently the Knick brass has misgivings about A.I. too.

We are just one month away from the start of the NBA season. The Knicks are hoping to field a competitive team while waiting to see if they can get their hands on LeBron James or any of the other attractive players who will be free agents in the summer of 2010. We spoke to the players today at their annual media day.

Ok, that title is a little misleading. Here’s what REALLY happened.

So I was at the US Open Friday afternoon, and in my scramble to catch a shuttle to the LIRR station, I leapt on a bus about to leave the course and grabbed the last remaining open seat.

Desperately trying to catch my breath, as I am hopelessly out of shape, I didn’t immediately realize the 6’10” individual sitting in the seat directly to my right. We’re talking like three inches apart, shoulder to shoulder.

Anyway, as the guy in the seat on the OTHER side of me was offering to buy the unopened Gatorade popping out of my bag, other riders in our immediate vicinity correctly identified the enormous guy as….Knicks Assistant Coach Herb Williams!

(By the way, I gave away that Gatorade for free. I took it from the media lunch room just before leaving...I can’t resist free stuff).

It was a nice night at the Garden... Well not the actual game.. The Knicks blew a 10 point 4th quarter lead and lost to the Orlando Magic 106-102... but at halftime, the Knicks honored 7 of the greats to wear the orange and blue... Carl Braun, Richie Guerin, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and Dick McGuire... So whatever era you're from as a Knicks fan, "your guy" was honored.

Eddy Curry's Knick career certainly hasn't been much to write home about. He was a talented question mark to begin with. The Chicago Bulls, Curry's hometown team, were so concerned about his cardiac problems they had no trouble letting the Knicks pick up the 6'11" big man a four years ago. Questions about his heart (literally and figuratively), his knees, plus off the court disasters have haunted him. Even coach Mike D'Antoni was surprised to see Curry at practice today.

It's not Paul and Heather, Madonna and Guy or Brad and Jennifer, but Stephon Marbury has his freedom tonight-and so do the Knicks. The buyout from hell is complete. No matter who is at fault: Jim Dolan for letting Steph hang around after showing Isiah Thomas the door; coach Mike D'Antoni and GM Donnie Walsh for not being upfront with Starbury, or Marvury himself for not seeing the writing on the wall and getting out when he had the chance. WHATEVER. The deal is done. Marbury loses over 2 million of the 21 he's earning this season. The Knicks get some cap space and (to them) one damn big distraction. The team? After all the necessary questions before tomorrow's game, Marbury will be long forgotten.

He was possibly the most talented guy Thomas brought in here, but playing in his hometown, Marbury never quite fit in-WHERE have we heard that before? Within a few days, Marbury will probably be a Celtic. Let's see if he tries to fit in a little better with K-G then when the two were in Minnesota. There is a distinct possibility that Marbury could possess in about 4 months what he never came close to in 5 years at MSG:a championship ring.

Dear Larry –

We’ve nearly got this team the way we like it, with character guys taking the floor each night. We’re well aware of your reputation – six teams in 11 seasons – so get your act together by the time you step in that locker room!

The past couple years here have been brutal at times. Just look at some of the rotten apples that have infiltrated the Garden: Steve Francis, Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph, etc.

It was impossible to root for that ghastly bunch, and we feared the harm they’d caused to this franchise’s reputation would follow us for years.

A group of local sports stars came out to Harlem Thursday afternoon to cut the celebratory ribbon at the unveiling of the refurbished Harlem Dowling Center for Children and Family Services.

Knicks players Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler, Rangers Aaron Voros and Brandon Dubinsky, the Liberty's Tiffany Jackson and MSG legends John Starks and Adam Graves were all on hand to commemorate the event.

We caught up with many of the stars and some of the staff to get their take on the new-look facility.

David Lee was NOT among the seven reserves named to the Eastern Conference All Star team Thursday night. Lee’s omission means the Knicks will be without an all-star representative for the 8th straight year. Yikes!

Here are the East reserves:
Devin Harris – NJ
Paul Pierce – BOS
Chris Bosh – TOR
Joe Johnson – ATL
Danny Granger – IND
Rashard Lewis – ORL
Jameer Nelson – ORL

So was Lee snubbed? To be honest, I really don’t know. There are several arguments FOR and AGAINST Lee’s making the team. After breaking them down, I’m still not sure. Let’s take a look.

So there I was last Sunday night after watching the Eagles beat the Vikings in the NFC Wild Card playoffs. I turn on MSG to learn that the Knicks had beaten the champion Celtics! First thought: The Celts' Big 3 of Garnett, Pierce and Allen missed the flight to New York City OR they had all eaten at a restaurant threatened with closure by the NYC Health Department. But no, the Knicks REALLY did win. Coach Mike D'Antoni hoped the win was something to build on. Sadly, the foundation held for less than 48 hours.

No, that's not a misprint. The Knicks beat the Celtics by 12 at the Garden Sunday night.

Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 31 points and Al Harrington chipped in 30 to help the Knicks snap an 8-game losing streak against the defending champs.

Wasn't it just a year ago when the Celts beat the Knicks by about 60??

Anyway, if you're still having a tough time believing that the Knicks ACTUALLY routed the champs, we have the postgame reaction to prove it. Take a listen to Harrington, D-Lee and Chris Duhon.

PHOTOS: Knicks Upset Celtics, 100-88

We went to the Garden before the Knicks game with the Pacers to get some players’ thoughts on the Stephon Marbury-to-Boston rumors (check out our blog post below for more).

While most of the players were tight-lipped, as I’m sure you can imagine, Q-Richardson and Tim Thomas offered some insights.

Believe it or not, every player we talked to told us the story was NEWS TO THEM!! Apparently there’s no internet access in the MSG locker rooms.

Here’s what the guys had to say.

Remember when Stephon Marbury went to the Knicks/Lakers game last month in LA and watched the game from the stands?

That night he told reporters his days with the Knicks were numbered and “the team I’m going to go to, a lot of people will be SHOCKED.”

You weren’t alone if you thought that was just Steph being Steph…CRAZY, that is. But apparently, Starbury wasn’t kiddin’.

Reports are out today that the Celtics – THAT’S RIGHT – the Celtics…defending champs….the definition of team chemistry….want Marbury to help bolster a depleted bench (OHHHHHHHHHHH Baby...imagine if they get the deal done by Sunday. Celtics vs. Knicks at MSG).

Where to begin??

Last night, LeBron James and the Cavaliers came to town. During a 119-101 blowout that wasn't even that close, Knicks fans treated the NBA's Chosen One as if he were already wearing #23. If Quentin Richardson is still with the team in 2010, would King James have to buy the uniform number? Once again, the Knicks are teasing their fans. They're probably thinking, "You've waited 35 years for an NBA Title, what's a few more years?"

It's Official: The Knicks have acquired Elizabeth, New Jersey native Al Harrington from the Golden State Warriors Leading scorer Jamal Crawford heads to the West Coast. Shortly afterwards, the club traded Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

While it's true that Donnie Walsh drafted Harrington in 1998 and loves his rebounding and versatility, these deals are all about the future-one that may not include ANY of the players the Knicks acquired today.

Knicks guard Jamal Crawford prepares to make a pass under defensive pressure from Jazz center Mehmet Okur in the fourth quarter. (Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr. / November 9, 2008)

The New York Knicks haven't celebrated a winning season since 2001, and I can't imagine that this dismal streak will end any time soon. Despite starting the season at 5-3, the Knicks don't yet look like a team ready to make a playoff run. Their lack of talent, leadership, and depth will keep Mike DiAntoni from creating the type of fast-paced offense that produced his success in Phoenix. The Knicks don't have a consistent 20-point scorer, and they aren't likely to turn things around with Chris Duhon setting the pace at point guard. And the defensive unit has allowed more than 105 points per game. Don't expect DiAntoni's coaching style to allow any improvement in that department.