Things were even worse in Memphis. Iverson played only three games, voicing his displeasure about coming off the bench, just as he'd done in Detroit, before leaving the team to attend to personal matters. Walsh said that alone wouldn't make him rule out Iverson, saying, "You've got to consider everything when you're talking about anybody."

Iverson would be intriguing because the Knicks could sign him for only this season and not use up any future salary-cap space. Plus, he's still popular with many fans - some of whom have already grown impatient with Walsh's plan to rebuild through free agency next summer that left the team so vulnerable this season.

"I don't think we've changed our philosophy in that we want to be competitive now. We want to do everything we can to win right now, within the framework of keeping 2010 open like we talked about," D'Antoni said. "Whatever it takes that makes us competitive and to win right now, I think we'll do as an organization."

D'Antoni said both he and the former MVP could adjust to each other, even though Iverson might not be a natural fit in his offense. But he stopped short of saying the Knicks would or should pursue the 34-year-old guard.

"He's been a force in this league for God knows how long, so I'm not taking anything from him," D'Antoni said. "But at the same time, there's a lot of organizational stuff we'll talk about and see if it makes sense."