"When Donnie Walsh passed on Allen Iverson last month, the Knicks president talked about potential moves the team could make that fit into their long-range plan.

Enter the athletic young 6-foot-10 forward Tyrus Thomas. Donnie Walsh recently held discussions with the Bulls about his availability, according to a Knicks source.

The Bulls are shopping Thomas and have interest in Knicks leading scorer Al Harrington, according to a team official. Thomas has a broken arm and will not return for about two weeks, so talks have not been serious. Though acquiring Thomas is one of the things on Walsh's radar, there is a debate within the organization about giving up Harrington.

Thomas, 23, will be a restricted free agent after this season, and obtaining the former lottery pick is a way of evaluating him to see if he's worth re-signing and forming a young core to attract LeBron James. Thomas' qualifying offer would be about $6 million, leaving the Knicks with $20 million to spend. On the flip side, Thomas will also be available as a free agent July 1 without having to trade for him."