Deal With Riley May Be There for the Taking

It’s going to be another icky summer in New York for Knick fans, so imagine how Coach Pat Riley feels.

He has been in the Knicks’ hot seat for 223 victories in four seasons, but the fallout for not achieving his goal of an NBA title seems to have affected his thinking last week.

“Getting over the top, I don’t exactly know what it takes anymore,” he told Newsday.

Riley has a year left on his contract and the Knicks have offered a five-year extension. He has left the door open about returning. Will he stay? Bet he knows exactly what it will take.

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Trivia time: What uniform numbers has Michael Jordan worn in basketball?

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Take the fifth: So the Lakers’ Cedric Ceballos got one fifth-place vote for MVP. Now that’s nice and Ceballos was an all-star this year, but that means someone thinks there are only four better players in the league.

Since David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone and Patrick Ewing finished Nos. 1-4 in the MVP voting, was Ceballos better than Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Anfernee Hardaway, John Stockton, Gary Payton and, oh, yeah, Michael Jordan?

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Savings plan: Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Blackhawks’ Jeremy Roenick is not going to change jersey numbers in his comeback from injury, thus saving devoted Roenick fans $75 or so for a replacement replica jersey.

Said Rosenbloom: “Geez, you’ll save so much, you’ll be able to buy a hot dog and a beer at the United Center.”

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Like a Karlburger? Since it looks like they’re together again, the Seattle SuperSonics would like to get Coach George Karl to keep his remarks to the media toned down, according to Art Thiel of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Said Thiel: “Specifically, his habit of not only shooting himself in the foot, but charcoaling himself in a way that resembles Wile E. Coyote after his Acme jet pack backfired.”

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Trivia answer: Nos. 9 (Olympics), 23, 45 (with Bulls) and 12 (once with Bulls when No. 23 jersey was stolen).

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Quotebook: Shaquille O’Neal on Orlando Magic teammate Horace Grant’s playoff contributions against the Chicago Bulls: “He doesn’t have a shoe contract or a rap video, but he’s our MVP.”