Help Wanted For all of Stephon Marbury's shortcomings, he remains the captain of the Knicks and deserving of New York's tough love and support. The passing of his father is a tragic story that further calls into question the decision making of MSG brass. In light of all the recent errors in judgment committed by the Dolan/Mills/Thomas regime, the decision to refrain from informing Marbury that his father was being carted out of Madison Square Garden at halftime of the Suns game was woefully egregious.

Isiah Thomas denied having any knowledge of Don Marbury's condition and untimely passing until after the game, but this is the same Thomas who believes he is completely innocent of any wrongdoing following a guilty verdict in the now infamous sexual harassment case. It's safe to assume that Thomas (or some other Knicks official) felt the team was locked up in a close game and wanted to shoot for the win as opposed to doing what was right. Whether this was the case or not, it's just another blotch on Thomas' stained record as President of Basketball Operations.

Philadelphia's recent decision to fire their GM, Billy King comes as no surprise. King (like Thomas) was successful at drafting talent, but his four failed coaching hires, puzzling free agent signings & trade of Allen Iverson led to his exit. By hiring Philadelphia-area native, Ed Stefanski from the NJ Nets, the Sixers bring in someone with a winning track record. The Knicks would be best served conducting a search for someone with ties to the franchise who will take pride in restoring pride to the organization.

Former Knicks point guard, Mark Jackson is seen by many as a strong candidate for a head coaching position. Listening to him call Nets games on the YES Network is down right appalling. Even worse is the notion of Patrick Ewing being denied a chance to join the NYK coaching staff to mentor Eddy Curry. Knicks fans are now forced to stomach the idea that he's coaching Curry's rival, Dwight Howard to an MVP-like season. As another sign of complete disrespect to the fan base, we are forced to listen to Kenny Smith as an understudy for Walt Frazier. Are Dolan, Mills & Thomas unaware that "The Jet" was a key member of the 1994 Houston Rockets team that defeated the Knicks for the NBA title?

During the holiday season, one can only hope their wishes for an overhaul at MSG will come to fruition. Should Mr. Dolan find himself reading this column, below are a few suggestions to help steer the team in the right direction:

- Relieve Isiah Thomas of all of his duties

- Compile a list of former Knicks worthy of head coaching or GM consideration (Rick Carlisle, KiKi Vandeweghe, Mark Jackson, Greg Anthony to start) and fill both openings at season's end

- Bring in Allan Houston to replace Kenny Smith immediately

- Hire Charles Oakley or Anthony Mason as a strength & conditioning coach (Eddy Curry's latest injury says it all)

AND 1

Jared Jeffries appears lost for a second consecutive season in a Knicks uniform. Jeffries has posted career lows in points (2.1), rebounds (2.5) & steals (0.4) this season. An increase in minutes might boost his trade value, but affects Renaldo Balkman's development at SF. As a member of the Washington Wizards, Jeffries was used mainly at SG as a defensive stopper. With Fred Jones showing value at PG and Nate Robinson slipping out of the rotation, Jeffries' 13.5mpg may be best used in the backcourt.

-Greg Hutchins