For now, however, it’s all about Tracy McGrady –or, more specifically, his surgically-repaired left knee- and how much he can actually contribute over the Knicks final 29 games of the season.

Whatever the 6’8” swingman can give the New York for the duration will certainly be much more than he added to the Houston Rockets.  In a grand total of six games, none of which McGrady started, he averaged 3.2 points and 1 assist in less than eight minutes.  Clearly, the Rockets’ loss instantly turned into the Knicks’ gain.  Nineteen first-half points [and 26 overall] against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Saturday night’s 121-118 overtime loss, were enough to convince observers that, while not quite 100%, T-Mac still has considerable game left.

“With Tracy coming in, we knew there was going to be a lot of energy in the building,” Kevin Durant said after scoring 36 points to extend his consecutive game streak of 25-plus points to 27.  “He was phenomenal.  He’s back.  But, I’ll take the win.”

So, while Sergio Rodriguez, formerly of Sacramento, and Eddie House, who arrived from Boston in the Nate Robinson deal, could be nice fits to the puzzle, the trade for McGrady is looked upon as New York’s most significant in quite some time.

“Tracy has been one of the premier players in our league over the past decade,” Donnie Walsh, the Knicks president, said.  “We have every indication that he is healthy and committed to re-establishing himself as one of the best in our game.”

Walsh and head coach Mike D’Antoni haven’t been here that much longer.  As Walsh continues to rebuild, D’Antoni attempts to mix and match whatever assorted pieces are given to him.  By virtue of Walsh’s success to move the bloated contracts of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph last year, and Jerome James and Jared Jefferies this season, New York is very much in play for a lively off-season.

“Mike’s losses [which now number 84 in 135 games] don’t just count against him,” Walsh clarified.  “They count against my record, too.”

McGrady, 30, who has career averages of 21.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists with three teams, is on the books for $23 million.  There’s also the question of his expiring contract, which he wouldn’t mind converting into one that is more team-friendly.

“I’ve made a lot of money in my career,” he confirmed.  “I could retire right now, and be fine financially. So, money is not an issue. [If] they want to bring in LeBron and D-Wade, along with Chris Bosh or Amar’e Stoudemire, I’d be a damn fool not to want to stay here.

“I would definitely embrace the opportunity where money is not an issue.”

Thus, it would not be a stretch for him to accept a midlevel [$5.9 million] or, perhaps, a biannual [$1.9 million] exception for the privilege to play alongside any combination of the two.

After the 29 games are over and, assuming the Knicks’ season ends at that point, July 1 will represent the next important date on the team calendar.  But, that is then; this is now.

In other words, any thoughts of James or Wade and, to a lesser extent, Bosh will have to wait.  The present team, which also comprises All-Star David Lee, among others, may need some time to become acquainted.  In fact, because of trade deadline activity, there were just eight of 15 player photos on the wall outside the New York lockerroom.

But, while the wall suggested an empty feeling, the Knicks’ cup, at the moment, is very, very fill.

Well, an all points bulletin has been put out to find the real Jonathan Crompton, because someone had to be impersonating him Saturday. If this Is the real one, then all Volunteer fans want to keep him. Crompton showed up and had a career day going 20-27 for 310 yards with four touchdowns. He did have an interception run back for a score but that was on a tipped pass and It never hurt the team. He hit receivers short and long. His passes were dead on for the most part and he had three of those touchdown passes by halftime. When Georgia looked like they might get the momentum back, the Vols took It back. When Crompton’s pass was picked off Crompton came right back to lead his team on an eight-play 80-yard drive. The defense was outstanding allowing only a 52-yard field goal. The other two Georgia scores were from a 100-yard kickoff return and a safety. Georgia quarterback Joe Cox could not buy a chance to get the ball out of his hands. When he had a receiver the ball was jarred loosed or tipped away. On three straight possessions in the second half the Vols held the Bulldogs to -1 yard each time. Head coach Lane Kiffin got his first SEC win after he stressed all week that his team had to beat Georgia. There was a pep talk by one of the coaches about how the staff believed in the team and It hit home with most of the players. Montario Hardesty had another good showing running 20 times for 97 well earned yards. Receivers held on to the football. Mistakes were held to a minimum and they played with an energy not seen in Knoxville in quite some time. The fans still believe In their team as they came out 103,261 strong. Something good may have happened to this team in the past week but I would hold out before the celebrations start. The Volunteers have had a knack for letting their fans down. They will come up big one week and stink the joint up the next. They will come out of the shadows of adversity only to go into the depths of ineptitude. Just because they showed all this heart doesn’t mean they won’t break a few next time up. For now, It was an impressive game for a team in need of one. They looked like a team that believed in each other and played with confidence. They did It against an SEC foe, which Is a step in the right direction. Now let’s see what they come up with next.

(25) South Carolina 28 Kentucky 26

Kentucky scored and then South Carolina scored and then Kentucky scored and then, the story. It was a seesaw battle that wasn’t decided until the final minutes when the Wildcats failed on a two-point conversion that would have tied It at 28. Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia may have finally come into his own, as he was spectacular. He was 16-23 for 233 yards, three touchdowns passing, one rushing and one pick. He controlled the offense all day and impressed his coaches. Freshman wide receiver Alshon Jeffery had his best game with seven catches for 138 yards and touchdown catches of 10, 28 and 22 yards. Before the Gamecocks get to feeling too good they gave up 205 yards rushing and must face an Alabama team that can run a whole lot better than Kentucky. The Wildcats showed signs that their team Is getting to where It wants be but after they lost QB Mark Hartline to a knee injury they lost their rhythm. With both their starting cornerbacks out they looked weak on the secondary. There were scoring opportunities and mistakes that also cost them points. These are the things that Kentucky must improve on to take that next step up In the East.

(1) Florida 13 (4) LSU 3

Well It was the return of AT&Tebow and the Gators didn’t even have to use all of their weapons because they knew that LSU would have a problem throwing against them. All the talk was about the concussion suffered by Tebow and how It would affect him. Well I saw him lower his shoulder on one run. He was knocked to the ground, slightly hitting his head, while trying to pass. So if the Tigers were hoping to put a scare into the kid It didn’t work and Florida Is basically In the drivers seat now in the SEC East. Tebow avoided oncoming rushers and dodged them when he had to. He and the Gators played a bit conservative to protect their quarterback. Still he went 11-16 for 134 yards a touchdown pass and a pick. He also ran the ball 17 times for 38 yards. Hey those are not the stats of a player playing scared. LSU could not generate offense as Jordan Jefferson was sacked five times by a savage Florida defense. The Tigers got only 162 yards of offense when they weren’t making mistake after mistake. They came In ranked last in the SEC in total offense and it got so bad that fans were headed to the door with over two minutes left in the game. So once again the offense of LSU gets exposed and the Gators find another way to win. It sounds like two teams headed in different directions. The Gators hope that direction takes them to Atlanta for the SEC championship game and then the BCS title. LSU is just not sure which direction they are headed in at this time.

(3) Alabama 22 (20) Ole Miss 3

Now here Is an argument as to who should be the real number one. Some experts feel that the Tide should be the top ranked team in the country and they played like It, sacking Jevon Snead four times. They were relentless all game as they applied pressure to the Rebels offensive line until they gave. They took advantage of mistakes and scored off of them and head coach Nick Saban said” This was the most complete win we’ve had all year, in a difficult situation”. Ole Miss is losing some of that steam It started the season with and Is now 1-2 in the west. Alabama Is alone atop the West at 3-0 thanks to the LSU loss. Running back Mark Ingram was all the offense they needed as he ran over and around the Rebels for 172 yards on 28 carries. The Rebels offense could not surpass 200 total yards of offense and they had the ball for less than 22 minutes. Next week Alabama has another big one at home against South Carolina. As for Ole Miss, they will host UAB in a game they can win and need to win.

Arkansas 44 (17) Auburn 23

Wow was this a surprise on a day the SEC was full of surprises. The Razorbacks held the Tigers scoreless in the first quarter for the first time all season and never looked back. By halftime it was 27-3 and by the time Auburn scored three times in the third quarter the lead was too big to overcome. Michael Smith ran for 145 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Ryan Mallett continued to shine going 24-37 for 274 yards two scores and one pick. This was the Tiger’s first loss of the season leaving Florida and LSU as the only unbeaten now.

Houston 31 Miss. St. 24

Army 16 Vanderbilt 13 OT

Why the Nets would give up their leading scorer in Vince Carter, a proven NBA commodity who had serious chemistry with Devin Harris and a talented youngster in Ryan Anderson for what they got seems a bit obscene at first.

Sure, Rafer Alston is a talented point guard that showed flashes of brilliance during the playoffs, but the Nets already have a point guard, a good one at that and a more than competent backup in Keyon Dooling that proved during the season that he can be more than an understudy if he has to be. So where does Alston fit? Is Harris going to move to shooting guard to accommodate the loss of Carter? What’s going on here?

The same thing goes for the signing of Tony Battie, who despite being an excellent rebounder off the bench and a trusty veteran, comes in with players like Sean Williams, Josh Boone and cough, Yi Jianlian capable of manning the position and in need of minutes. With that being said, where will he fit in with the Nets?

Courtney Lee however is an interesting player. I think he can definitely be a solid small forward if given about 30 minutes a night and with some more pressure on him. He’s also an excellent three-point shooter that is far more explosive than Bobby Simmons, with much more upside. If he can score a dozen points a game and provide some energy, this trade may not be so bad.

With the drafting of Terrance Williams from Louisville as well, the Nets also continue to get younger and more energetic in addition to having cleared a ton of cap room by trading away high-priced veterans like Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter over the past two years.

It’s the end of an era.

But it could be the beginning of something great as well.

Andy Roddick moves on to the second round.

Day Three at the Australian Open produced some upsets with 10th seeded Argentine David Nalbandian blowing a two sets to one lead bowing out in five to Lu Yen-Hsun.

It also saw the great comeback story of Jelena Dokic continue with the 25 year-old now representing Australia and getting plenty of love at Rod Laver winning her second consecutive three set match upsetting 17th ranked Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3. She advanced to a third round meeting against another seed No.11  Caroline Wozniacki, who prevailed over Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-3, 6-3.

Using powerful groundstrokes which once saw her make the Wimbledon semis and climb all the way to No.4 in the world, the resilient Dokic who’s overcome a battle with depression had enough firepower in her arsenal to put away Chakvetadze, who wouldn’t go away easily in spite of 16 double faults including back-to-back clinching the victory for the adopted Aussie.

After she wrapped up the opening set 6-4, Dokic twice was up a break on Chakvetadze including serving for the match but couldn’t finish off a feisty opponent who broke back and eventually pushed the second set into a tiebreak taking four of the last five points to force a deciding set.

Part of it was due to some nerves for Dokic, who hadn’t been in this position in quite some time due to difficult circumstances which almost made her quit tennis for good. Instead, here she was being pushed the limit due to some solid play from Chakvetadze, who came up with a huge forehand winner crosscourt and then following a Dokic return winner forced an error pumping her fist.

But instead of wilting like she had a few years earlier in a similar spot blowing match points before falling in three, Dokic focused harder breaking her opponent, who struggled on serve all day a couple of more times. She converted six of 15 opportunities including the final one which was giftwrapped by a devastated Chakvetadze who couldn’t deal with the pressure.

After fighting off a match point for Deuce, she doubled for a 15th time setting up another match point. This time, Dokic wouldn’t even need to put the ball back in play as the Russian misfired badly twice more netting the second allowing the Serb to emotionally raise her arms to loud cheers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

The successful result was significant as it allowed her to climb even further in the rankings and guarantee an automatic spot into the next grand slam in Paris. But for a player who’d been through so much stress off the court due to her demonstrative estranged father, Dokic who was reduced to tears a couple of days earlier about how huge a win the first round was sobbed into her towel afterwards.

These were tears of joy for a very deserving player who so far is making the most of a new life thanks to the support of her very loyal boyfriend of six years along with his brother who coaches her. They also were very emotional giving each other a bear hug.

This story is very special. Who knows how long it’ll last? Clearly, Dokic who hasn’t lost her talent will have her work cut out for her against the promising Wozniacki. A win could mean a Round of 16 date against last year’s runner-up Ana Ivanovic, whose play improved in Round Two easily dispatching of Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-2.

The No.5 seeded Serbian next faces No.29 Russian Alisa Kleybanova who ousted Stephanie Cohen-Aloro in three sets.

In the other part of that section, 19th seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova will face No.15 Frenchwoman Alize Cornet next after prevailing in three over Mathilde Johansson 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. While the 2008 semifinalist needed three, Cornet cruised dropping just one game in a routine win over Andrea Petkovic.

Other seeded winners included top ranked Jelena Jankovic and Japanese vet Ai Sugiyama with the two squaring off in the third round.

It didn’t come as easy for No.3 seeded Dinara Safina who cameback from a set down to triumph over countrywoman Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-0. The younger sister of Marat Safin next gets Kaja Kanepi who was a straight set winner losing only four games.

Also making Round Three were Russians Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova with neither dropping a set. They could face each other in Fourth Round.

One other player to keep an eye on is 21 year-old Czech Lucie Safarova whose best slam result came down under two years ago when she made the quarters. Following a first round in which she dropped only four games against vet Sybille Bammer, she went the distance literally needing nearly two and a half hours before advancing over Marina Erakovic 6-1, 3-6, 9-7. The final set took 73 minutes to complete.

Safarova will try to keep it going against former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, who was a 7-5, 6-2 victor over Tsvetana Pironkova- best known for upsetting Venus Williams a couple of years earlier.

Speaking of Venus, she’ll be in action tomorrow along with younger sis Serena Williams as both look to advance into the third round. Russian contenders Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova also have second round matches.

American Andy Roddick elevated his game to oust Xavier Malisse on Day Three.

Roddick too tough for Malisse: Little did Andy Roddick know that his draw was becoming friendlier with Nalbandian unexpectedly exiting the earliest he has in the first slam in seven years.

While the 15 pounds lighter No.7 seeded American was elevating his level to comeback and dispose of wildcard Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1), 6-2, amazing 36 year-old magician Fabrice Santoro cameback to defeat 32nd seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber in five sets 5-7, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Instead of Andy having to beat a player he lost to last year, he’ll instead deal with Santoro’s tricks which were no problem for him at the U.S. Open last summer.

It’s worth noting that while Roddick’s second round triumph wasn’t easy against the streaky but talented Malisse, Santoro was suffering from severe cramps after his win needing to ice his legs while on the chair instead of celebrating.

For the American who hasn’t put himself in the serious running with top four favorites Roger Federer (easy Rd.2 winner), Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and defending champ Novak Djokovic (straight set win), he has a golden opportunity to make a deep run with Tommy Robredo or Lu waiting in the Round of 16.

Could a quarter date with Djokovic be on the horizon with No.3 seeded Serb a heavy favorite against young American Amer Delic, who needed five sets in upsetting Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu? It sure looks like it unless former 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis spoils the party.

The talented yet streaky Cypriot who once trailed No.16 Robin Soderling by a set and two breaks sprung to life coming back to prevail in four sets 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 with some of those familiar big strokes of his on display while his hobbled opponent struggled due to blisters.

Baghdatis is a very streaky player and tonight got a boost from the crowd with many of his supporters urging him on. He found the range nailing timely aces and coming up with big shots from both sides of the racket even when Soderling was still pressing the action.

He’ll next meet 2008 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Mardy Fish who by admission is “streaky” and so far is on having posted a straight set win to setup an intriguing third round match-up. If the 27 year-old American serves big, he could get in the way of a potential Baghdatis-Djokovic clash.

Meanwhile, nothing will get in the way of a Federer-Safin third round match with the unpredictable Russian vet in fine form so far ousting Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straights while the Federer Express cruised losing just six games while toying with Russian Evgeny Korolev.

Federer last met his former Australian conqueror last summer at Wimbledon where no matter how well Safin tried in his first ever semifinal appearance on grass, it didn’t matter because when the chips were down, Roger delivered.

At the very least with the unpredictable Safin, it should be entertaining.

But Guerin’s game never was about gaudy goal totals. Unlike Bossy, who spent his entire career with one franchise, Guerin has played for seven different franchises. He has brought his dependability—nine straight seasons of at least 20 goals—to nearly every part of the country and became just the 79th player in NHL history to score 400 career goals when he pushed in a shot past Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala in a 4-1 victory Friday night at Nassau Coliseum.

Bossy and Bryan Trottier are the only other two players to reach the milestone in an Islanders uniform, leaving Guerin in some pretty good company. The right winger now has 13 goals this season on his way towards extending his 20-goal streak to a full decade.

“I’ve been able to stick around in this league for quite some time and had some success, and it’s a big thrill for me,” Guerin said.

The 16-year veteran scored his most goals with the Devils, recording 108 in 380 games with the team that drafted him fifth overall in 1989. Guerin played in New Jersey from 1992-1998, playing on the Stanley Cup-winning squad in 1995.

Guerin twice scored 40 goals in his career. The Worcester, Ma. native’s best season came for his hometown Bruins in 2001-02, when he scored 41 goals. He became a captain for the first time in his career when he joined the Isles before the start of last season and is considered one the veteran leaders on a team that is trying to develop prospects like first-round pick Josh Bailey, who tallied an assist on Guerin’s 399th goal in the second period of the win over the Maple Leafs.

“It’s awesome for Billy,” coach Scott Gordon said. “Everybody on the bench was extremely excited for him. It’s quite an accomplishment.”

Guerin is just the eighth United States-born player to reach the plateau, becoming the first since John LeClair reached the mark in March 2006. He joins Hall-of-Famer Joe Mullen and other All-Stars like Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, Tony Amonte and Pat LaFontaine on the list.

“Looking around the league at some of the Americans coming up, hopefully that will change soon,” said Guerin, who was also a member of Team USA when it won the 1996 World Cup championship. “I’m proud to be a part of the few guys who have done it.”

Guerin recalled his first career NHL goal coming against the Hartford Whalers at what used to be called the Hartford Civic Center (now the XL Center) when he found the net on Oct. 28, 1992.

Drafted fifth overall by New Jersey in 1989, Guerin notched his first career goal with the Devils against the Hartford Whalers on October 28, 1992. The season before, Guerin was called up from the team’s AHL affiliate in Utica and appeared in five regular season games, registering zero goals and one assist.

As an interesting statistical fact, Guerin scored three goals in six games in the playoffs before the Devils were bounced in the first round, giving him goals on his playoff ledger before his first official goal. Only regular season totals are counted as part of his 400 mark.

“You never forget your first one,” Guerin said. “It was a long time ago, but it was at the old mall in Hartford. You cherish every one of them and hope it’s never the last.”