>Knicks try to solve puzzle

>

Exactly one month ago, Carmelo Anthony emerged from a tunnel at Madison Square Garden for his first game as a Knick waving to a raucous crowd that clearly believed happy days were here again. Not nine losses in his first 16 games, six of them in seven games to teams with losing records.

Not fourth-quarter meltdowns like the nine-point lead the Knicks blew in the final 7:26 Monday against Boston or the 11-point lead with 11 1/2 minutes left they squandered Friday in Detroit — to name just two.

Thus, happy days have become panicked days, the great expectations of ’Melo’s arrival already given way to some fear that the Knicks erred in getting him — even loathing from some fans that he might become Stephon Marbury II.

And now, if the Knicks don’t beat Dwight Howard and the Magic tonight at the Garden, their record falls below .500 for the first time since Nov. 27 (at 8-9).

Yet, in-house, the Knicks try to keep the atmosphere as mellow as possible with 12 regular-season games left to right the ship before their presumed trip to the playoffs (magic number: seven).

“I expected that we wouldn’t be collectively together after that trade,” team president Donnie Walsh said Tuesday. “I also looked at the schedule in the month of March and saw if we’re trying to find ourselves, it [was] going to be difficult.”

March features 18 games (including Monday’s rematch against the Magic, the make-up of the Nov. 2 asbestos-scare postponement), including six back-to-back sets — more than half the 11 back-to-backs the Lakers play all season.

Thus with what D’Antoni calls “no practice time,” Anthony said, “Right now, we’re just figuring it out on the go.

“As long as we figure it out by the time the playoffs come, I’m not really too concerned about what’s going on right now and how it’s going on,” ’Melo said.

Easy to say, hard to watch — especially when the Knicks’ recent problems have occurred on the side of the ball D’Antoni said didn’t worry him a month ago.

Offensively, despite two All-Star “closers” in Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks, particularly late in games, look at times as if they’re running around aimlessly.

Or standing.

“We’re still trying to get a grip on it,” Stoudemire said.

“Remember, we started the year off this season with a bunch of new guys. We started off 3-8. Then, once we figured out the right floor spacing and the ball movement, how to space the floor and run the court, we went on a tear.”

A 13-1, season-turning tear.

“Offensively, it takes time to get everything clicking,” Anthony said. “I’m not too concerned about that. Offense is the easy part.”

Not lately, a month after he arrived in the city where he wanted to play.

Still, D’Antoni said one month isn’t what the trade was all about.

“We did the trade for the future of the franchise,” he said. “We think it’s going to work out, it’s going to be great. …

“It’s just a matter of getting there sooner than later.”