There was a moment toward the end of Sunday's 106-101 loss to the Nets that may serve as a coda to any lingering playoff hopes for the Knicks. Devin Harris stole the ball from Larry Hughes, who turned to complain to the refs instead of chasing Harris and, at the very least, fouling him hard enough to ensure that there wouldn't be a layup. The Knicks went from down one to down three, and the game was lost.
Harris represents the playoffs in this little scenario, and the Knicks just let their chance at them fly away this weekend. The Knicks are closing the season like they want an early vacation, and with 20 games to go and five teams between them and the playoffs, the Knicks need to solve their problems soon to have any shot at the postseason.
A good answer might be to get the ball to Danilo Gallinari, but there just doesn't seem to be anyone willing to pass the guy the ball. He got four shots in a dreadful loss to Charlotte on Saturday night, and was open for most of the fourth quarter without getting touches on Sunday.
He's still having fun in his rookie season, though. Gallinari has embraced "The Rooster," the nickname he brought with him from Italy, as you'll see in this video from Posting and Toasting and RealKnicks.com.
With Hughes, Quentin Richardson and Wilson Chandler tossing ugliness toward the basket far too often, it's time to let The Rooster loose. He's the best shooter on the team and he's shown a willingness to take those shots late in games when the Knicks need scoring. There's nothing to lose by going with Gallinari, but there's still something to gain.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
