"I'm just trying to help the team get over the hump and get into the playoffs," Thomas said. "We can win a lot of games, especially with the style of play we're playing. But we just have to play some defense."

The Knicks were 2-5 before their road game Tuesday night against Chicago since Thomas and fellow New Jersey native Al Harrington started suiting up following respective trades from the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State on Nov. 21. They'll still be undermanned at the Nets tonight due to injuries, yet Thomas is enjoying playing for Mike D'Antoni again. Thomas played perhaps the best Basketball of his 12-year NBA career after he signed with Phoenix in March 2006.

"Other than playing for George Karl, [playing for other coaches] was more demanding as far as knowing the ins and outs, the X's and O's," Thomas said. "You had a lot of sets that you had to remember, things of that nature. Playing under Mike D'Antoni, you just go out and play the game as if it's a pickup game, like when you first started playing the game.

"You just go out and play and have fun. I mean, don't get me wrong, he does have plays and stuff like that. But for the most part, it's just a fun atmosphere to play in. He's a very confident coach. He's very straightforward as far as what he wants from you. You always respect somebody like that."

Thomas repaired the damage done by his complicated departure from Chicago by averaging 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 20 playoff games for D'Antoni's Suns 2 1/2 years ago. He helped Phoenix beat the Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals, and his postseason performance prompted the Clippers to sign Thomas to a four-year, $24.2 million contract in July 2006. Thomas has lived in the Los Angeles area with his wife and two daughters for several years, which made moving back across the country more difficult when he changed teams for the seventh time last month.

But Thomas' professional experience in Los Angeles wasn't what he expected when he signed with the Clippers. All-Star forward Elton Brand suffered an Achilles injury and later signed with Philadelphia, guard Shaun Livingston suffered a career-changing knee injury and the Clippers didn't reach the postseason in either of Thomas' two seasons with the team.

"The three years there were real tough," Thomas said. "Playing against them in the conference semifinals and seeing the caliber of players they had, when I was a free agent I thought going there I could be the piece to get them over the hump. But something was missing there. I don't know what it was. We had injuries, guys wanting out. It was just a bunch of chaotic stuff. For the most part, I just dealt with it the best way I could, stayed positive every day. I went out, worked hard every day and tried to help the team any way I could. ? It just seemed like somebody over there did something wrong and karma was just biting them back."

E-mail: idec@northjersey.com