What just happened here? The Knicks made two trades in about 3 hours that just set the franchise up for possibly the biggest move/s in their history. Yesterday the Knicks shipped their top 2 leading scorers out of town so they can clear enough money to make a run at the NBA’s biggest name, Lebron James.

In one deal, the Knicks sent Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington. The other trade, Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins were sent packing to the Los Angeles Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

Knicks President Donnie Walsh is a big fan of Harrington, a man he drafted while with the Indiana Pacers.

“I drafted Al back in 1998, and I think his talents are a great fit for our style of play,” Donnie Walsh said. “This trade also gives us more long-term flexibility, while enabling us to remain competitive this season.”

What a bold move by Walsh, who put the foundation …

They loved the nightlife. They loved to boogie. They loved the ladies. They dressed with style. They had Fu Manchus. They had muttonchops. They were cooler than Fonzie. They were cooler than Coolio. They were cooler than LL Cool J. They were cooler than a pack of Kools. Here are the top 10 hippest, coolest New York sports dudes of the past 40 years.
10. Mike Piazza: The former catcher brought his mullet from LA to New York and turned the Mets into winners. Along the way he dated (and married) Playboy playmates, played the drums and appeared on Baywatch. He was California cool (even though he’s from Pennsylvania) and had the mustache to prove it.
9. Derek Jeter: The Yankees shortstop is going through Hollywood actresses like David Wells going through a bag of …

Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.
1. The Knicks have been in the NBA finals eight times―they won in 1970 and ’73, and lost in 1951, ’52, ’53, ’72, ’94 and ’99.
2. Bernard King holds the single-season points-per-game record, when he averaged 32.9 points in 1984-’85.
3. Bill Bradley has played the most career games at forward for the Knicks, with 742.
4. John Starks has made the most career three-pointers, with 982.
5. Allan Houston had the highest single-season free-throw percentage, with a .919 mark in 2002-’03.
6. Charles Oakley had 2,580 offensive rebounds, the most of any Knick.
7. The guard with the most career total rebounds is …

Helloooo Hot Stove Nation!  I wanted to pass along some information on a neat opportunity to meet some local New York sports legends while helping a worthy cause in the process.  You can’t go wrong, right?

On Sunday, November 23, former Mets Ace Ron Darling, Knicks point guard Mark Jackson, and Rangers two-time MVP Adam Graves will offer clinics for the Otsar All-Star Spectacular at Aviator Field in Brooklyn from 2 to 6 PM. The event will also include silent and live auctions, dinner with the players, and special rock-climbing and ice-skating sessions for event participants.

All proceeds benefit Otsar Family Services, a Brooklyn-based organization, established in 1980 by family members of children with special needs to provide quality programs and services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Darling, a pitcher for the 1986 World Champion Mets team, is fourth on the team’s all-time wins list.  He also played for the Montreal Expos and Oakland Athletics, and was a member of the 1985 National League All Star team …

With the beginning of basketball season comes a fresh start for the thankfully-Isiah-Thomas-less New York Knicks. See how much you know about this (once-)storied franchise. The answers will be posted tomorrow.
1. How many times have the Knicks been in the NBA finals?
2. Who holds the single-season points-per-game record for the Knicks?
3. Who has played the most career games at forward for the Knicks?
4. Who has made the most career three-pointers?
5. Who had the highest single-season free-throw percentage?
6. Who has the most career offensive rebounds?
7. Which guard has the most career total rebounds?
8. Who holds the single-season assists record for the Knicks?…

New York has had its share of great announcers, goofy announcers, pro’s pro announcers and just plain bad announcers. For this list I’m going to use the late ’60s/early ’70s as the cutoff date. Mel Allen and Red Barber were legends, but they weren’t my legends. I’ve also cheated. In some cases I’ve listed announcing teams and in others, just an individual. So here is my top-10 best announcers/teams of the last 40 years. And no, you won’t find Suzyn Waldman, John Sterling or Fran Healy on this list.
10. Jim Kaat: The 16-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star pitcher was stuck in a booth with a hodgepodge of Yankee shills from 1994–2006 (and a one-year stint in 1986). Always classy, he stood out by telling it like it is, and had a humble, non-shtick way about him.
9. Mike Breen: New York native Breen …

New York Knicks forward Jared Jeffries fractured his left calf bone yesterday during practice and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks. The injury occured when he blocked Stepon Marburys layup from behind on a fast break and landed awkwardly. He could miss the first 15 regular season games and come back around Thanksgiving. For the third straight preseason, Jeffries has suffered an injury that will force him to miss the start of the regular season. The Knicks signed Jeffries in 2006 when the Wizards declined to match the Knicks offer. He had a disappointing season last year shooting 40% from the field and averaging 3.7 points in 18 minutes. He sprained his ACL and missed the first five games of the regular season. His first season with the franchise he appeared in only 55 games due to a fractured wrist and missed the first 23 games of the season. …

The New York Knicks signed guard/forward Dan Grunfeld to a contract last week. Grunfeld, is the son of current Washington Wizards team president, Ernie Grunfeld. The elder Grunfeld played for the Knicks (1982-1986) and served as the team’s general manager (1991-1999).
Dan Grunfeld was undrafted out of Stanford University and played overseas the past two years. He averaged 14.7 points for Aguas De Valencia in Spain last season, and while at Stanford, Grunfeld earned First Team All-Pac 10 as a junior.
The Knicks also signed Allan Houston to a non-guaranteed contact. The contract will provide Houston with a chance to make the team through solid play in training camp, but the contract is not guaranteed unless he earns a roster spot. The 37-year old retired in October 2005 and attempted an unsuccessful comeback last year. He played in one preseason game …

Patrick Ewing Jr., the son of New York Knicks legend and Hall of Famer, will wear No. 6 for the Knicks. His father’s 33 jersey was retired by the Knicks in February 2003. The younger Ewing chose No. 6 because it was his father’s Olympic number. The elder Ewing also wore the number when he played his last season with the Orlando Magic. Another reason for picking the number was his favorite player Bill Russell also wore No. 6
Ewing Jr. was allowed to wear 33 at Georgetown since they do not retire numbers. As a junior, he helped contribute to the teams run to the final four. In his senior year, he won the Big East Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings 43rd overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. He was dealt to the Houston Rockets on August 14th as part of a multi-team deal. …

Patrick Ewing, one of the greatest players in New York Knicks history, is going to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame today in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was drafted with the first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, the first draft lottery in league history. Ewing was a three-time All-American at Georgetown and reached the championship game of the NCAA tournament three out of four years he was there. Georgetown defeated the Houston Cougars led by Hall of Fame classmate Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. The former Hoya was named the AP National Player of the Year in his senior season.
Ewing began his illustrious career with the Knicks winning the 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year award. The 7-footer made an immediate impact, averaging 20 points, nine rebounds and 2 blocks per game. He averaged over 20 points in a season 13 times and at least 10 rebounds nine times while …

The New York Knicks acquired forward Patrick Ewing Jr. from the Houston Rockets for the rights to center Frederic Weis. Weis was drafted by the Knicks in the with the 15th selection in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft. However, he never signed with New York, electing to continue his European basketball career. Weis, now 31, seems to have no future in the Rockets plans and is currently playing for the Spanish club, Iurbentia Bilbao.
To draft Weis, the Knicks passed up New York Native Ron Artest, James Posey and Andrei Kirilenko. The 7’2” French center is best remembered for being dunked on by Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Ewing Jr. was drafted 43rd overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2008 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Rockets on August 14th as part of a multi-player deal. Knicks …

Another rumor has surfaced that the Memphis Grizzlies are interested in New York Knicks power forward, Zach Randolph. The proposed trade would have the Knicks acquiring former first round pick Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric for Zebo. These players are being tossed in trade rumors because their roles look to be diminished next season. By acquiring O.J, Mayo, Darrell Arthur and Marc Gasol the Grizzles are looking to build a young up-tempo team full of athleticism and should pass both Serbian players on the depth chart
General Manager Chris Wallace would be unwilling to include any of its core players such as Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and Hakim Warrick. Memphis has concerns about Zebo’s attitude and poor defensive play. However, he possesses outside range, can score from the low-post and rebounds well. Last season, the Grizzlies ranked 18th in rebounds per game.
 Milicic has never lived up to his potential as the number two …