Newly acquired Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen said yesterday his surgically repaired ankles are "perfect," and he's looking forward to being a veteran presence.

Allen, a seven-time All-Star acquired from Seattle Thursday, met with reporters at the team's training facility.

Allen, who played at Connecticut, said part of his job will be to make things easier for Paul Pierce on the court. He had surgery April 7 to remove bone spurs from both ankles.

The Celtics obtained Allen and the 35th pick from Seattle for guards Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak and forward Jeff Green of Georgetown, who the Celtics had drafted with the fifth pick.

Knicks

New York forward Zach Randolph was introduced yesterday by the Knicks, who will pair him with center Eddy Curry to form what they hope will be a powerful front court.

"I'm not going to have a problem playing team ball and helping this team win, because that's what I want to do," Randolph said.

"I started out in Portland when it was good, we made it to the playoffs and I stayed there when it went bad. And I'm just ready to go to a winning team and make the playoffs."

The Knicks have not done that since 2004, but Randolph's arrival should move them in the right direction.

And he might not be New York's last move of the summer.

Coach and team president Isiah Thomas said the Knicks have been "active" since the NBA's free-agency period opened Sunday in hopes of landing another star from the Pacific Northwest, Seattle's Rashard Lewis.

Jazz

Utah guard Derek Fisher was released from his contract yesterday to care for his 10-month-old daughter, Tatum, who has cancer.

Fisher and his wife, Candace, said they needed time to search for the best treatment for their daughter.

"Basketball is not a priority. I don't have plans to retire ... I would enjoy playing the game, but there are a lot of things to consider," Fisher said.

Fisher at times fought exhaustion trying to balance basketball and his daughter's welfare. Once, in May, he spent a day at a New York hospital, then flew back to Utah for a Western Conference semifinal game against Golden State.

Tatum was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumor in her left eye.

The danger is that it could spread to her brain or the rest of her body.

Nuggets

Denver guard Allen Iverson denied taking part in a 2005 Washington, D.C., nightclub brawl, testifying that two men who sued him for $20 million in connection with the fight want to cash in on his basketball fame. The plaintiffs say Iverson's bodyguard and other members of his entourage attacked them when they wouldn't immediately make room for the NBA star in the VIP section of the Eyebar. Iverson also said in U.S. District Court he didn't see his bodyguard tangle with the two men.

Hornets

New Orleans hired former NBA player Paul Pressey as an assistant coach. Pressey, who was an assistant for Boston the past three seasons, has spent 26 years in the NBA as a coach and player.