By the time Donnie Walsh is done, the Isiah Thomas era will be nothing more than a bad memory. The new president of the New York Knicks has reportedly traded leading scorer Jamaal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Al Harrington, according to Newsday.com.

Former head honcho Thomas acquired Crawford in 2004 from Chicago, with the eight-year pro holding a player option for two more years after the current one on the deal he signed. Harrington’s deal expires after the 2009-10 season. Why is that so important? The Knicks are doing everything possible to clear cap space to make a run at LeBron James, who hits the open market in 2010.

But is this trade just the first of many? Newsday is also reporting that a bigger, three-way deal may be on the horizon.

This menage-a-trois supposedly also involves the hapless Los Angeles Clippers, with Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins packing their bags and clearing space in the locker room for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. While this should not get anyone’s pants stained, when you hear that all three (Harrington, Mobley, Thomas) come off the boards by 2010 you may get some movement, if you know what I mean.

Thomas has already been a Knick (and a forgettable one at that), and Mobley has bounced around the league, playing for four teams in 11 seasons.

Randolph has produced since coming to New York, but is a ticking time bomb and makes a ton of money, while Collins’ claim to fame has been brawling with Carmelo Anthony. Two more Isiah mistakes that won’t be missed.

If all of this comes to fruition, then Knick fans may finally feel that something good os brewing at the Garden. It is nearly impossible to watch this team, even though they have played some spirited basketball with new head coach Mike D’Antoni. But the fact remains that there are still slugs like Eddy Curry, Jerome James and Stephon Marbury (did I mention that these three are also here by way of Isiah?) taking up space on the roster. Once these can be redacted, maybe…just maybe the Knicks can shake the label of being the league’s ‘shittiest’ team once and for all.