<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Isiah Thomas came down here on a flight that was stopping through Houston on its way to Buenos Aires. "Maybe I'll keep going," Thomas said, laughing. As much as some Knicks fans wouldn't have had a problem with that, Thomas deplaned in Houston and attended the NBA's rules and competition committee meeting with 29 other team execs yesterday. So the trade rumor-mill involving the Knicks is only going to pick up speed. Along those lines, some of Larry Brown's former players think the coach is pushing Thomas hard to make moves for tried-and-true veterans. "Even though (Brown) loves the rookies he has - because they play extremely hard and he loves anybody who plays hard and plays right - he is at the stage of his coaching career and life where he needs veteran players," said Chauncey Billups, one of four Pistons who will play in tomorrow's 55th All-Star Game. "Larry loves guys who have been in fights and wars and know what to do every time they're out on the court. That's why I think he'd love to get a guy like Kenyon Martin." Thomas has been trying to pry Martin out of Denver in recent weeks and would have to get a deal done by Thursday's 3 p.m. trading deadline. There is a great deal of uncertainty now in the Nuggets' front office, with GM Kiki Vandeweghe's future up in the air. But Denver still wouldn't mind shipping out Martin to get out from under his contract. "(Brown) would love the way Kenyon plays," Billups said. "He wears his emotions on his sleeve when he plays, but he plays extremely hard. He would be a success with the Knicks and (Brown)."</div> New York Daily News I respect Billups' opinion, but no team 20+ games below .500 has any business trading for an injury prone, overpaid veteran like Kenyon Martin.
