For the moment the Knicks have one captain and one diva. Amare and Carmelo need to do more than sit together on the bench. The must set the tone. They must be totally committed to the team, not themselves. They CANNOT become self oriented. No, they do not need to take every big shot. They need to make certain every player on the roster feels a part of the thing or it is nothing but a glorified clique.

The shared responsibility of the team is top heavy, where it should be more equal. An apparently mediocre five from Cleveland or Indiana suddenly appears more formidable than the 1980 Lakers. A breakout performance in Miami or Atlanta makes Mike Wilbon pick the nouveau Knicks over the Heat in the first round. (Wilbon immediately came to his senses the next day and begged forgiveness). It can swing either way. The roles are being tested on the fly and that is not a good thing in a city where ticket prices can jump 50 per cent in the blink of an eye.

One thing is certain, two and a half leading men (yes Chauncey is 34) are simply not enough to defeat five. Landry Fields being depended on to deliver like a five year veteran is one of the great sub-plots of the season but it is an unusual demand to place on a rookie. Shawne Williams is doing the best he can to impersonate the versatile Wilson Chandler but he does not have the Mayor's muscle or lateral quickness. Toney Douglas turns 25. As quickly as he can make a big three, he can also avoid dribbling inside the three point arc more than Charlie Ward.

If the athletic Derrick Brown could be productive for Charlotte, it would seem he could be at least as productive as Jared Jeffries. But what do I know?...I'm just an Answer Man who is learning to watch with a more detached attitude and that does not feel good.

The most important ingredient missing from our beloved Knicks is trust. Trust is something that is earned on a brutal west coast swing where you play five games in seven nights. It is not the result of a few practices. Perhaps it is a team personality that is still a work in progress. Again. You cannot constantly change parts and expect the thing to run smoothly. They must go through the fire together to bond. The next person who proposes a multi player trade is hereby banned.

Team takes time.

Unfortunately, the biological clock in NYC ticks louder and louder.