What the Knicks need more than anything right now is time in the gym.
The schedule doesn't allow for much practice. After taking a quick Thanksgiving break, they will have one day to practice before Saturday's game against Golden State. And there will be two more days to get acquainted with Al Harrington and Tim Thomas before a back-to-back set. And that probably won't help the situation a lot.
"We don't have a whole lot of bodies to practice, either," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We've got to get some people well and get them back so we can practice and get into a rotation where at least for a month or two we can play with the same team."
Nate Robinson, Quentin Richardson, Danilo Gallinari, Eddy Curry and Jerome James are all nursing various injuries. Cuttino Mobley isn't expected to be available until the organization is convinced he's not dealing with a serious heart problem.
It could be another month until the Knicks begin to re-establish the kind of cohesive play they had before last week's deals.
PISTONS 110, KNICKS 96: It's pretty clear the Knicks are sorting through issues that will not be corrected any time soon. They are struggling to work Al Harrington and Tim Thomas into the game plan, and dealing with a number of untimely injuries.
They hung in for a quarter against Detroit, which jumped in front 36-20 in the second quarter when the second unit brought a burst of energy. The Knicks (7-8) got within nine in the final minutes of the third quarter, but never really threatened.
Harrington started, but missed his first eight shots. He led the Knicks with 25 points, but was 8-for-24 from the field. Thomas had 12 points, but looked tired and was a liability on the defensive end.
"They're struggling a little bit now," Mike D'Antoni said of the new additions. "They're not playing up to who they are and that's to be expected."
Wilson Chandler was ejected in the final minutes of the third quarter for punching the ball into the stands in frustration.
