Knicks owner James Dolan tried yesterday to remove Herb Williams' lame-duck status. Dolan huddled with the new coach following yesterday's 101-96 loss to the Bucks and Williams signed his new head-coaching contract that includes a second year that is not fully guaranteed. It is believed it would kick in based on whether certain incentives are reached, according to a league source. That's Dolan's modus operandi as he removed Don Chaney's lame-duck status early in his first interim stint by giving him a contract extension. Of course, that second year isn't too significant since the Knicks eat contracts like apes eat bananas, but it's a nice symbolic gesture. Dolan had little to say about Lenny Wilkens' "resignation" and his role in it, as it's become steadily apparent this wasn't solely the coach's call. When Dolan emerged, the Cablevision magnate said, "If you haven't noticed, I've been showing up in the business section lately.