All the trade talk doesn't spark Knicks to win

Not even trade rumors are enough to will these Knicks to win.

The Tracy McGrady-to New York and the Nate Robinson-to-Boston deals have yet to officially be announced, but the threat of several roster moves in the hours leading up to today's trade deadline did little to spark a comeback against Chicago. For the second straight night the Knicks fell to Bulls, this time 115-109.

Though the outcome wasn't what they had hoped for, the Knicks' improved intensity was a bright spot, said coach Mike D'Antoni.

"I though that [this game] was very encouraging after [Tuesday night]," he said, referring to the 33-point loss in Chicago. " . . . They keep that attitude, we'll get better as a team and we'll put some wins up. I saw a lot of good things."

But it was the action off the court that really mattered. The winds of change swirled around the Garden last night, a flurry of prospective moves overshadowing the Knicks of 2009 - or what's left of them.

The team is expected to send energetic guard Robinson to the Celtics in exchange for guard Eddie House, and possibly forward Jared Jeffries, guard Larry Hughes and forward Jordan Hill to Houston for McGrady.

Uncertainty, however, looms over Chicago as well. Guard John Salmons remained at the team hotel in anticipation of a trade that sent him to Milwaukee for Kurt Thomas and Francisco Elson.

Robinson, whose locker was bare aside from a jar of Vaseline and some Ace bandages, missed his second straight game with what the team called "flu-like symptoms." But D'Antoni refused to confirm, or deny, the various trade rumors before the game. Instead, the coach chose to stress the importance of keeping his players focused amid a "chaotic" atmosphere.

"Everybody's probably on edge a little bit because it does turn your life upside down," he said during his pregame news conference. "But it's part of the business and part of the process, and I'm focusing on the team and I'm sure they should be focusing on the game. And we're at the Garden and we need to get a win here."

That win, however, never came. The Knicks opened the second quaarter with a 13-4 run en route to a 64-53 halftime lead. But they couldn't handle the Bulls down the stretch. Al Harrington drained a three-pointer, then dunked on the Knicks' next possession to pull them within 104-102 with 3:21 left. After the Bulls extended their lead to six, the Knicks countered with a Wilson Chandler layup and a David Lee dunk on a give-and-go from Chris Duhon.

But the Knicks failed to grind out a victory as Danilo Gallinari (19 points) missed two open looks in the final moments and Derrick Rose sealed the win with a steal on a loose ball scramble with 7.3 seconds left.

"I just missed too many shots," said Gallinari, "and a lot of them were threes, so it was huge."