The other day, I asked someone who once covered the Knicks if he missed the beat, and he looked at me like I'd asked him if he enjoys a root canal. He said, in fact, that he feels a kinship of sorts whenever he runs into someone — player, coach, executive, janitor, popcorn seller, doesn't matter — who has escaped the franchise.

Madison Square Garden has become that depressing a place to work, he said. Another word used to describe the situation: Poisoned.

So with the Donnie Walsh hiring finally official, I wonder if members of the Freed from the Garden Club will welcome Isiah Thomas into their group. Thomas has to be the next to join the ranks of the ex-Knicks, doesn't he?

I mean, even if Walsh could trade Stephon Marbury for LeBron James, the Knicks would remain a mess if Thomas were employed as anything more than a ticket taker.

Walsh has to change the culture and the culture won't be changed if Thomas is around. Numerous execs and league insiders I've talked to in recent weeks agree — as I'm sure you do, too, if you have watched this once-proud franchise deteriorate into an embarrassment.

Dumping Thomas, of course, won't put the Knicks in the playoffs next season. That will take a little luck and a few moves — but probably not as many as you'd think for a team that hasn't finished .500 in seven years (After all, they play in the East).

Hire Mark Jackson as head coach. He's sharp, has a good relationship with Walsh, understands the situation and is a New Yorker. Let him grow with the new team.

Say goodbye to Stephon Marbury. He will be difficult to trade because of his contract, so Jim Dolan might have to bite a $21 million-plus bullet to buy out the point guard. But as once exec told me, Dolan is not afraid to do that. In the Knicks' world, it would be worth it. Marbury never has proven to be more than a me-first talent on mostly bad teams. There's no reason to think he ever will be anything more.

Trade Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph. One exec says they can play on the same front line but others — including me — aren't so sure. Having one ball hog on the low post is manageable. Having two guys who can't pass is a recipe for a selfish offense. Curry would be easier to move even though Randolph is a better player. Randolph comes with more baggage and has a bigger contract.

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Get a real point guard. The Raptors' Jose Calderon will be a restricted free agent. The Raptors aren't likely to let him walk but perhaps they would agree to a sign-and-trade. They could use a big man so maybe they would consider something like a Curry-Nate Robinson package. Another possibility: The Kings' Beno Udrih has proven to be a solid starter this season and will be a free agent.

Settle for moving in the right direction. Check the bad contracts: Randolph has three more seasons at about $16 million per, Quentin Richardson two more at about $9 million each, Jared Jeffries has three more years at $6 million-plus per, Jerome James has two more years at more than $6 million per, and Malik Rose is due $7.6 million but for only one more year. You don't fix that kind of problem in a summer.

But if the Knicks draft wisely — they should have a top-five pick — land a point guard and get a good player in return for Curry, they will be on their way.

For any of that to matter, though, Walsh must start by dumping Isiah, even if he won't be welcomed into the Freed from the Garden Club.