Seriously, is there anyway this doesn’t end in tears? Well in any event, Knicks guard Steve Francis is out of the lineup again, this time maybe for good. The formerly halfway-decent player is going back on the shelf with a recurrence of the knee tendinitis that has limited him to just 26 games this season, and says his frustration level is at “orange.”

Via The New York Times:

Francis has had a strange season. He spent a month rehabilitating his knee in Houston, amid speculation that the Knicks would buy out his contract. Francis and team officials denied it. But the timing of his latest injury is curious, coming right after the trading deadline. Francis last played on Wednesday, the night before the trading deadline. He sat out Friday’s game, with the team reporting he had flu-like symptoms. The team made no mention of knee troubles until just before Sunday’s game. Since the Knicks have been unable to trade Francis, a contract buyout seems likely.