NBA

Knicks: What a bunch of turkeys!

Less than a week from Turkey Day, Knicks management has turned into chickens.

Team president Donnie Walsh chickened out of doing the bold, brash thing for the franchise and dialed in the wrong Answer to a loyal fan base that somehow still packs the Garden.

After yesterday’s gutless decision to leave Allen Iverson at the altar, there isn’t much reason for the fans to continue to pack the Garden come December. Unless center Eddy Curry is going to stay injury-free and become the real deal — as Walsh is praying — the Knicks will set a new franchise-worst record, beating 23-59, their final record twice in this decade: 2005-06 and 2008-09.

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The Knicks always are overthinking things, and they outsmarted themselves on this one. They talked and talked and finally talked themselves out of Iverson — one move that could’ve made the team relevant again.

Apparently that’s not what the Knicks want, even with no lottery pick in this year’s draft as reward for being awful. Owner James Dolan, who cares too much about having choir boys on the roster, put in his own two cents about Iverson. Dolan, Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni seem more concerned with staying clear of controversy than gaining wins. Dolan did not put the kibosh on this move. Walsh could have made the move if he wanted, but perhaps wasn’t ready to do something the owner wasn’t in love with.

The public reasons Walsh and D’Antoni gave yesterday were weak: Curry’s revival in his season-debut Wednesday suddenly gave them hope. They will look to feature him more in the offense.

Actually, Curry’s impressive start should have given Walsh more reason to add A.I. The attention Iverson gets would have left Curry more space inside — and given the Knicks a legitimate inside-outside threat.

“They could’ve been [good together], but you just don’t know,” D’Antoni said. “We just think we can turn it around with the guys we got.”

Really?

Last season, with the Knicks off to a 6-5 start, Walsh traded their two best players to open up cap space. This season, with the Knicks off to a 2-9 start, they passed on somebody who would have instantly become their best player and would not affect the 2010 salary cap.

Sometimes this game is not rocket science. Sometimes talent wins. That’s why the Knicks were fools to banish Stephon Marbury when he reported to camp in great shape prior to last season. The Knicks have too many nice guys and not nearly enough talent.

Walsh talked about the potential of Iverson taking minutes away from his young players. But A.I.’s arrival would have taken time primarily from the awful Chris Duhon and erratic Nate Robinson, both of whom have expiring contracts and aren’t part of the team’s future.

“Donnie put a plan out there a year and half ago and we’re going to stick with the plan,” D’Antoni said.

In fairness, D’Antoni wanted to sign A.I. and was talked out of it. But he also didn’t have the courage to demand it.

Where is the risk in a $1.3 million expenditure for a 10-time All-Star, especially for an owner who shelled out $3 million for the 29th pick of the draft last June? The worst that could have happened was this: The Knicks still didn’t win, D’Antoni reduced Iverson’s minutes and A.I. pulled his rebel act. Big deal. The Knicks could have cut him and moved on. At least they would have tried.

There is nothing worse than being bad and boring, and that’s what the Knicks have become now.

The Knicks face the winless Nets today — appropriately in the Swamp. They are a lot less interesting today than Thursday, when things were headed in the direction of A.I. wearing No. 3 on Tuesday night at the Staples Center against the Lakers.

Next week, the Knicks go West for Thanksgiving and nobody will care they are gone. Turkeys.