SIDELINES : Strickland Tried to Force Trade

Rod Strickland tried to force the New York Knicks to trade him by being late for practice and ignoring a gag order from General Manager Al Bianchi, according to a published report.

“I thought it would force their hand,” Strickland said, and indeed he was sent to San Antonio last Wednesday.

Strickland had demanded a trade Feb. 1 after the Knicks beat Sacramento. In that game, Knicks Coach Stu Jackson benched the second-year guard, and Strickland reacted by kicking a towel.

“Bianchi sent someone into the locker room to tell me to keep quiet, but I had my say just the same,” Strickland said in today’s New York Post.

Strickland said he intentionally was late for several practices, including one earlier this month that drew heavy media interest because of the expected return of injured forward Kiki Vandeweghe.

The trade, which sent Strickland to the Spurs in exchange for veteran guard Maurice Cheeks, has not ended the war of words between Strickland and Bianchi. The Knicks’ general manager said of Cheeks: “I doubt very much if he’s going to kick a towel.”