NEW YORK -- Latrell Sprewell is not only banished from the Knicks, he's officially suspended for one game, too.

	Sprewell

The widening rift between the litigious Sprewell and his employer, the New York Knicks, took several angry turns Monday as Sprewell sued a newspaper, spouted off about Scott Layden's track record and got suspended for failing to cooperate with team staff while rehabilitating his broken hand.

Sprewell had already been fined $250,000 and told to stay away from the team for failing to report his injury when it happened.

"That's one of the things that's most disappointing," Sprewell said. "They're still not allowing me to be with the guys, be around the coaching staff, see how the team is doing.

"The last I heard it was when they see fit, and obviously they don't see fit at this point."

Sprewell spoke publicly for the first time, and the Knicks later announced his suspension -- which will cost Sprewell $140,000 -- 1/90th of his $12.6 million salary. It was the latest twist in a disaster of a preseason for the Knicks, whose unyielding run of bad fortune began the day before training camp when Sprewell arrived for media day with a broken right hand.

After initially defending Sprewell, team president Scott Layden angrily reversed course, fining and banishing him for failing to notify the team of his injury when it happened.

The New York Post reported that Sprewell broke his hand while throwing an errant punch at the boyfriend of a woman who had vomited on a carpet aboard his new yacht while docked in Milwaukee.

Sprewell called the story "ridiculous," and his agent announced a $40 million lawsuit had been filed against the newspaper in State Supreme Court in New York. Sprewell also sued for an extra $250,000 to cover the cost of the fine.

"To fine me a quarter of a million dollars, that's one thing. But to also say I can't come around the team, that's petty to me," Sprewell said. "They must believe that story."

Post beat writer Marc Berman defended his story, saying it was accurate.

Monday's string of Sprewell saga developments came in three stages -- the announcement of the lawsuit, Sprewell's 17-minute meeting with reporters and the team's subsequent announcement of the suspension.

Sprewell will be officially banned from Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night when the Knicks play the Utah Jazz in a preseason game.

"We are very disappointed that we have to take these steps with Latrell, but his actions with regard to his rehabilitation have left us no choice," Layden said.

The Knicks said Sprewell had failed to begin supervised workouts last week and removed the splint from his hand without consulting team doctors.

"The team has no choice but to take this action at this time," Layden said.

Sprewell gave his first public account of what happened aboard his yacht, though he did not give a detailed account.

"I slipped and tried to brace my fall on the deck of my boat.

"If I was trying to hit somebody, I think I would hit them. I would find a way to get at them if I was that angry about it. I wouldn't just miss a guy and not do anything."

Sprewell did not attend the news conference announcing the lawsuit, instead driving to suburban Greenburgh after the Knicks summoned him to their practice facility. Agent Robert Gist said he had received several angry calls late Sunday night from Layden after the Knicks learned that Sprewell had removed his splint.

"It is essential that Latrell follow the rehabilitation program developed for him by our medical and training staffs so his injury heals and he gets back in playing shape as soon as possible, and to date he has not done that," Layden said.

Sprewell, meanwhile, said Monday he's ahead of schedule in his rehab and could be back playing in as soon as two weeks. That would mean he'd miss just the first week of the regular season.

The biggest question, of course, is whether he'll be a Knick still at that time.

Sprewell was New York's second-leading scorer last season, averaging 19.4 points. His absence has left the Knicks without two of their best players, as Antonio McDyess went down with a season-ending knee injury in the team's third exhibition game.

Sprewell took a few shots at Layden and Knicks executive Steve Mills, who along with coach Don Chaney informed him of the fine when the team returned from training camp.

"I want you guys to look at those guys and everything they've done, look at their decisions since they've been here," Sprewell said. "You've all dug up my past, look at Scott's track record since he's been here."

Layden took over the Knicks following the lockout-shortened 1999 season when they went to the NBA Finals. They have been on the decline ever since and missed the playoffs last season for the first time in 15 years, despite having the league's highest payroll -- about $92 million.