The Knicks Fix

It's official, Quentin Richardson is done for the season, as we and a few other papers (the Daily News and the Newark Star-Ledger) reported on Thursday -- despite Isiah Thomas's claim that on Wednesday the team did not know any of this.

Actually, Isiah this morning said the Knicks only found out yesterday that Richardson was to undergo season-ending back surgery last night. Somehow Richardson went from sitting on the Knicks bench for Wednesday's game against Cleveland to taking a flight to Miami the next day and undergoing a spinal microdiskectomy -- not exactly your run-of-the-mill arthroscopic procedure -- that night.

For the facts on microdiskectomy, click here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007250.htm

It's not quite career-threatening, but you have to believe any surgical procedure done on the spine involves some risk if not some concern.

I hope Q knew not to eat or drink after midnight on Wednesday. Oh wait, he didn't know he was going to have the surgery, according to the Knicks. Not until after an MRI and CAT scan were done Thursday morning and the renown neurological surgeon, Dr. Barth A. Green, said Q had better get to Miami quick.

Q's back must have been far more troubled than anyone in the Knicks medical staff knew. Otherwise, he should have been down to see Doc Green much sooner, no? Or do they just invest millions in players and then hope conservative methods will heal serious and chronic problems such as Q's back trouble?

Second opinions are as common at the Garden as overcooked chicken fingers.

But what's also an interesting revelation in all of this was Isiah this morning saying he knew all along that Richardson would one day require this procedure. But he went through with the draft day trade of Kurt Thomas to Phoenix for Q-Rich and the draft rights to Nate Robinson.

“We weighed all our options and we were willing to take the risk. We knew at some point in time this would occur, when there would be a surgery," Thomas said. "The chances of him coming back from a surgery we thought would be performed would be good. I thought it was best at that time to have two players and maybe one day deal with the surgery and move forward from it.”

Tough time to have to deal with the surgery.

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Quick update on the Dallas Mavericks' injuries: Avery Johnson said Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard are game-time decisions, but he certainly didn't give any reason to believe either will play tonight against the Knicks.

"I like to err on the side of caution," Johnson said after the Mavs shoot-around. "If I see any type of danger, the guy's not going to play."

Would be a huge break for the Knicks, who need all they can get right now.