Thornton Bids for a Spot on the Knicks’ Frontline

What’s up front will count heavily for the Knicks, especially now that center Bill Cartwright finally has returned to bolster the power game that includes Patrick Ewing and Pat Cummings. What concerns coach Hubie Brown is who will back them up.

Could it be Bob Thornton, the Knicks’ fourth-round pick in 1984 out of Cal State Irvine? The 6-10, 225-pounder played last season in Madrid.

“We need another quality frontcourt guy in here,” Brown explained. “It’s the old story. If a guy goes down, you’ve got to have a fourth guy who can do it. Right now Thornton’s still a kid, he’s a rookie. And you don’t want to blow smoke. Let’s see what he does when he plays against the real leapers and the guys at that position he’ll be playing against. But he’s nice. He’s been a nice surprise.”

Brown needed one, considering what has happened to his other reserve power players, James Bailey and Ken Bannister. Bailey, although coming off a dismal season, was expected to be the fourth of the five power players Brown would keep. But Bailey fainted Saturday during the Knicks’ opening practice and has been hospitalized.

“James is fine,” Knicks physician Norman Scott said. “We’re just waiting for the tests to come in. So far everything is negative. We repeated everything again. We have to be sure so we can say, ‘Look, this fainting is something that just happens to people.’ ”

Bailey also has fainted in each of the previous two seasons. “Bailey’s a question mark,” Brown said. “We’re talking a big body, experience, a shot-blocker. When you’ve got a guy at the fourth position, somebody goes down, you’ve got someone with experience, a guy who’s been around, he’s played on playoff teams and started.”

Bannister, who started 50 games last season as a rookie, figured to be the fifth player. However, Bannister is holding out for a guaranteed contract.

Brown said Bannister is hurting his chances. “It gives other people an opportunity to display some talent,” he said. “All you have to do is look at how he played down at Princeton in rookie camp. He was lucky he got invited back. He definitely was a very, very poor contributor in a league that he should have eaten alive.”