Was out sick for longer than I would have liked, and it seems like the Knicks were too, based on the last three games -- ugly win (Wizards), decent competitive loss (Grizzlies), uglier loss (Cavaliers). Because the last of those losses represented yet another low for a team that just seems to bounce along rock bottom these days -- rather than slowly crawling out -- there's been a lot of drama and angst playing itself out in the media. Very predictably, the coach is taking his lumps too.

I'll have more to say about that at some point, but at this point I still think it's worth watching the games and making some observations about players that may still be around in the future and players that are still giving effort, since they do have a bearing on what the roster will look like next year, and what needs may be considered most urgent. Here are four that caught my eye:

*  Toney Douglas:  On the positive side, Toney had his best game since the start of the season against the Grizzlies - 10 minutes, 7 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, a steal. Douglas has had better games scoring-wise, but the most encouraging aspect of his play against the Grizz was that he (finally!) looked like a point guard who could actually move the ball and find other shooters. It can't be underestimated how important this is -- as an undersized combo guard, Toney's future in the league will be questionable, as good a scorer as he's capable of being. Developing as a playmaker will be crucial to his longevity in the league, let alone success as a guard playing under Mike D'Antoni.

With that said, it's been one step forward, two steps back for him. Douglas ran the pick and roll well in the Grizzlies game for the first time that I can ever remember, but he hasn't yet gotten the hang of how to work with a roll man -- instead, his assists mainly came from using the screen to find long range shooters, or create his own offense. And his defense -- a strong point when he was drafted -- is still coming along slowly. He does well at keeping his man in front of him in isolation situations, but he often makes the wrong decision in guarding pick and rolls and providing help. It can be very frustrating to watch, given he clearly has the athleticism to be a good defender, but he still seems to be operating a notch below the speed needed to earn major minutes, even though what he's going through is nothing unusual for a rookie guard.

At this point, given the continued downward trajectory of the season, I wouldn't have a problem with Douglas getting more minutes at the expense of House -- I understand the need to continue to see how good Rodriguez really is (though I admit I'm becoming a pessimist on the subject of Sergio). I was opposed to giving Douglas more minutes earlier in the season, even when the primary guard options were all struggling, because of his mistakes. But at this point, there's little left to lose, other than maintaining the appearance of competitiveness.

*  Bill Walker: Walker looks like he could be a very good role player, and since the primary alternative to Knick watching is dreaming up various rosters to complement the free agent acquisitions this summer, Walker as a minimum salary addition to next year's team is a nice thought. I hadn't paid much attention to him with the Celtics as he seemed like a tweener project buried on the bench -- and the Tony Allen comparisons didn't exactly endear me either. But he's shown a nice touch from outside, and his motor to the basket is impressive -- he's good for a couple of highlight dunks a game. A lot of his promise seems to bear out John Hollinger's enthusiasm about his versatility before this season:

"Walker was an elite athlete prior to the knee injuries, and his ability to score and finish last season demonstrated that the injuries haven't destroyed his athleticism. He shot reasonably well from outside, too,making 12-of-30 3-pointers in the D-League and 6-of-11 long 2s in The Show. He's a poor foul shooter, however, and since he's a slasher he gets to the line quite a bit. Thus, improving from the stripe could reap big dividends."

I've been most impressed, in Walker's limited time, by how his play seems to defy position -- which makes him perfect for D'Antoni's system. He also seems to care about playing good physical defense inside, though I've been less impressed by how he closes out on shooters on the perimeter. His shot selection looks a bit rough at times, but with some seasoning and more playing time, Walker could be one of the most positive stories of a difficult season. Tactically speaking, his ability to finish inside and draw fouls will be especially valuable for a team that shoots few FTs and doesn't do particularly well converting at the rim.

*  Eddie House: Eddie hasn't been shooting nearly as well this year as he had in previous years, but since his opening night 24 point outburst on 8 for 14 shooting, he's been particularly horrible,  shooting 14 of 53 FGs and going 5 for 27 on 3 pointers in five games. One thing about Eddie is his misses are just as loud as his makes, and they seem to kill Knick runs and/or exacerbate opponent runs. His hustle and confident, vocal court presence add a nice element to a team that tends to slip into tentative or lackluster play, and he's an underrated passer when he can be bothered to pass.

Eddie and Sergio are both atrocious defenders, so it's interesting to see that it's been House that gets the minutes at the end of games: a subtle indication that the coach may not have complete confidence in Rodriguez (who didn't play the final minutes of the Grizzlies game or the entire OT period of the Wizards win).

I would just as soon Douglas get more minutes, as I noted earlier, but as long as D'Antoni cares about winning or at least being competitive, House will continue to get minutes because of his explosiveness on offense. There's no way the team can win with defense, as undermanned as it is inside, so the coaches are rolling the dice with small, offense-oriented lineups.

*  Al Harrington: Why talk about Al? He's going to be gone, and he will never stop driving the Knicks crazy with his on and off play. Maybe I just have too much of a soft spot for someone who can score with some reliability when he's on, and whose play, even on a bad knee, managed to keep the Knicks competitive in the weekend games against the Wizards and Grizz. Yes, he had a rough game against the Cavs, but who didn't? (David Lee's effort in that blowout was one of the very, very few times it looked like he quit on a game). At this point, I'm just glad Al still cares, and I'l take 37 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds against the Wiz and 31 points and 3 assists against the Grizz. I'm even pleased he got more than 1 assist in consecutive games.

Oh yeah, there's a game against the Pistons tonight. Unfortunately, it sounds like Wilson Chandler will still be out, which means it may not be a 30 point rout (gosh, let's hope not), but it has the potential to be hideous in its own special way, especially since the Pistons can't shoot and the Knicks can't rebound.