Knicks: Midseason Report Card

Every time the Knicks do something to raise our hopes of contending for a division title, they immediately follow it up with an effort that exposes them as the soft- defending, sporadically motivated frauds they really are.

Monday night in Miami was the latest example. The Knicks were coming off an impressive road win against Indiana, and with the news that New Jersey's Richard Jefferson was to undergo ankle surgery, the door seemed wide open for them to climb back into the Atlantic division race. Facing a Heat team that was basically a glorified CBA squad — both Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade were out — you'd have expected the Knicks to seize the moment.

Instead they seized their throats, giving up an embarrassing 27–0 run in the opening minutes — the NBA's longest in nearly a decade — en route to a 101–83 defeat. The loss drops them to 18–25, and even in the Eastern Conference quagmire that's not nearly good enough to qualify for the postseason.

So while there have been some positive developments worth noting, you'll understand if today's mid-term grades for the 'Bockers are less than effusive. The report cards please:

RENALDO BALKMAN: C Balkman has justified Isiah Thomas's reach for him in the first round last June — providing energy, rebounding, and some of the rare snippets of defense seen around these parts. But he won't be more than a role player until or unless he learns how to shoot.

KELVIN CATO: B- The veteran retread has played well enough in limited minutes that one wonders if he should be playing more … especially since Jerome James and Malik Rose are the alternatives.

MARDY COLLINS: D- Isiah's goto goon has done little of note when he's not handing out flagrants. He not only is struggling from the field, but also is taking the "shooting guard" role a bit too literally – he has just one assist in 102 minutes.

JAMAL CRAWFORD: C Crawford is an intelligent, articulate guy when you talk to him off the court, which makes his decision making on the court all the more headscratching. Yes, he makes some big shots, but until he figures out the difference between a good shot and a bad one, his grade won't change, especially given his porous defense.

EDDY CURRY: B This has unquestionably been the best season of the big man's largely disappointing career, as he's suppressed the foul and turnover difficulties long enough to pour in a career-best 19.3 a game on sizzling 58.3% shooting. Curry's average of 34.3 minutes per game is a testament to his increased capacity for avoiding silly fouls and allows him to stay on the court and showcase his dominant low-post skills. He might even be All-Star-bound if he wasn't about the worst defensive center in captivity.

STEVE FRANCIS: B- He's in Houston right now, allegedly rehabbing his knee, and may be bought out soon. Francis actually played quite well during the early part of the season, which is why he earns a passing grade. (But since he may not be here much longer, let me share an interesting factoid: The dude can't tie a necktie. Seriously. The Knicks wear ties on the road, but in the locker room after games Francis has to hand his off to a teammate, who loosely ties it for him and hands it back for Stevie to pull over his head and pull tight. Come to think of it, maybe this is the real reason he defected to Houston.)

CHANNING FRYE: D Frye's sophomore season has been a crushing disappointment, with his offensive game seemingly vanishing before our eyes and his defense becoming even more absent. He's recovered only slightly after a horrid November, making one wonder if last year's early-season exploits were just a mirage.

JEROME JAMES: F- Makes the Jared Jeffries signing seem astute in comparison.

JARED JEFFRIES: D His Knick career couldn't be off to a worse start. Jeffries missed two months with a broken wrist and has been utterly devoid of impact since coming back. He lasted only four minutes before getting the hook against Miami Monday, which may be a harbinger of what's to come for Isiah's latest midlevel misadventure.

DAVID LEE: A Unquestionably the Knicks' best player this year, and at this point it's anybody's guess why he's coming off the pine as the struggling Frye continues to start. But it could prove beneficial to Lee, who seems primed to win the Sixth Man award. He's shooting 60.3% from the floor and averaging a whopping 14.0 rebounds per 40 minutes, and based on my Player Efficiency Rating (PER, a per-minute rating of a player's statistical effectiveness) he's both the no. 1 Knick and the league's no. 1 reserve.

STEPHON MARBURY: B- Starbury looked more like Scrubury in the early going but turned around his season over the past month or so and has been looking like the Starbury of old. Unfortunately, he's been playing in pain much of the year, and his knee took another turn for the worse over the weekend, so he may be on the shelf for a while.

QUENTIN RICHARDSON: B Now that the balky back is fine, we're seeing Q at his best. You can understand why he was one of the few guys Larry Brown liked, because Richardson is essentially the anti-Knick — he moves the ball, plays physical, takes charges, and rebounds like crazy for a 6-foot-6-inch wing player.

NATE ROBINSON: C He's shown he can be a breathtaking scorer at times; at others he's only displayed breathtaking immaturity, most notably in that scrum with the Nuggets. He's basically a 5-foot-9-inch shooting guard, which is a tough way to earn a living, but as long he's confined to a role as a third or fourth guard brought in to provide an offensive spark, he can be useful.

MALIK ROSE: D The veteran has struggled so much in his reduced role that fans are longing for the days of Maurice Taylor.

ISIAH THOMAS: C- While his grade as a general manager remains a solid F, he's done better on the coaching front. Give him credit for helping Curry turn the corner and getting Marbury out of his early-season funk. However, the team still doesn't defend worth a lick and that points back to the coaching staff.

Additionally, he needs some help in game management. After being caught without a timeout at the end of consecutive losses, he kept two in his pocket against Indy even as the Knicks failed to get the ball across halfcourt on three straight trips. Meanwhile, last weekend's game-winning tipin by the Nets' Clifford Robinson over Eddy Curry begs the question of why one of New York's worst defenders was on the court in the first place.

jhollinger@nysun.com