Lee sees time as Knick drawing to close

David Lee's career as a Knick is loaded with statistical accomplishments, from shooting a team-record 60 percent from the field in 2006-07, to recording an NBA-best 65 double-doubles in 2008-09 to that rare 30-20-10 triple-double two weeks ago against Golden State.

There is one left to be accomplished in what could be his final game as a Knick, Wednesday night in Toronto against the Raptors: Lee needs only five points to secure a 20-10 average (he is currently at 20.3 points, 11.7 rebounds) for the season.

In doing so, he'd be one of three NBA players to average 20 and 10 this season - Toronto's Chris Bosh and Memphis' Zach Randolph are the others - and the first Knick since Patrick Ewing in 1996-97.

"I'd gladly trade in any double-double I had this year for a couple of more victories at the end," Lee said.

The hope was that tonight's finale would at least have playoff implications. Well, it does, but only for the Raptors (39-42), who could lock up the last berth in the East with a win. The Chicago Bulls, who played last night, are also in the hunt, so there will be scoreboard watching going on at the Air Canada Centre.

For the Knicks, the only reason to watch the scoreboard is to see how much time is left in the season.

Lee said his "top priority" is to re-sign with the Knicks, but understands the franchise has bigger business to attend to with their $30 million-plus in salary-cap space before deciding what to do with their homegrown All-Star, who certainly has put up impressive numbers but also carries an average of 53 losses per season in his five years in New York. "There is a business side to this," Lee said, "and that's going to take effect once the horn sounds in Toronto."

Lee added that he knows he will have to be "a reactionary guy" in free agency and wait to see what happens with the star players such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, among others. The Knicks are also expected to seriously consider Bosh, though it is believed that Amar'e Stoudemire has moved ahead of Bosh on the Knicks' wish list. After two seasons without any legitimate presence in the paint, the Knicks envision a front line of Stoudemire and free agent Marcus Camby as a much-needed size upgrade.

Of course that scenario would leave Lee as the odd man out.

"If the Knicks aren't able to get any of the good free agents," Lee said, "I might be able to stick around."

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