<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">DALLAS - Even before he knew what facing Dallas would take out of his team, Suns coach Mike D'Antoni was figuring on another battle tonight. The Knicks may be from a lousy division and be better known for front-office messes and on-court skirmishes, but the Suns aren't expecting a break playing host to a 13-18 team. "They're playing well," D'Antoni said of the Knicks, winners of four of their past five games. "It'll be a hard game for us. They'll be tough." Had the Suns not been in Dallas, swingman Jalen Rose may have been able to host some old friends Thursday night. There is no ax to grind with Rose, who landed in Phoenix because New York waived him. Rose said he and his ex-teammates or ex-coaches would have been dining together if not for Phoenix's game. "Why?" Rose said of any possible bitter feelings. "They're still paying me." Indeed, that $14.5 million buyout would mend any fence. But there is nothing but strong ties to Rose and his former team. He has known Eddy Curry since he came into the league when Rose was in Chicago and offered him $500 per double-double. He met Jamal Crawford when he was playing for Michigan and Rose's old locker wound up being part of the recruiting deal for Crawford to join the Wolverines. "I'm real fond of those guys," said Rose, who came out of the Suns rotation early this month but has no desire to leave. "I root for them to do well." He wants New York to succeed for Isiah Thomas, his childhood idol and the guy who let him go. "They've had some great games since the brawl," Rose said. "I want Isiah to keep his job. He's been through a lot - good, bad and ugly. It'd be a good sign if he's able to turn that situation around."</div> Source
