NEW YORK -- When I'm not being accused by first-grade readers of being excessively negative about the 19-52 Knicks -- who would have a hard time against the dead or alive 1952 Knicks -- and charged with having something personal against Isiah Thomas, Larry Brown and Stephon Marbury, I'm dared to holster my harpoon and my dirty red bandana, and formulate a solution to the team's problems instead of harping on them.

Though inclined to take the easy way out by setting up a tent around the Garden and calling it a circus, I accept their challenge.

The first order of business is for team owner James Dolan to hire a confirmed planner, a person experienced at erecting franchises pre-foundation and/or rebuilding them by creating something out of perishables or nothing tangible to the unskilled eye.

Not only must this significant someone be given complete power to inflict his will and know how on the Knicks' extreme make-over, but the entire Garden as well.

This would abruptly end the dream portion of Cablevision's programming.

Dolan's superior choices number five -- Jerry Colangelo, Jerry West, Donnie Walsh, Geoff Petrie and ex-Knick Kiki Vandeweghe whose father, Ernie, played for the above-mentioned '52 outfit.

Kiki, of course, transformed the Nuggets from layoffs to payoffs in less than two seasons and is a rising free agent.

The other four have repeated success stories to their credit.

Despite a year (both Jerrys, for sure) or two on their contracts I cannot envision their respective bosses impeding any such switch. Who knows, Suns owner Robert Sarver may even encourage Colangelo to follow his son's footsteps out of Phoenix.

If selling Cablevision, the Garden and its two prime tenants, the Knicks and Rangers is out of the question, and Dolan doesn't find any of those names appealing, I guess there's always Pete or Rob Babcock.

One validated executive or the other, the Knicks cannot represent next season as currently composed.

Dolan cannot take a chance of permitting Thomas' mismanagement team to correct their endless mistakes.

He cannot afford to put the undeviating frown of Brown -- who's clearly given up on getting anything constructive out of his players, who, in turn, have tuned out their coach -- back on the bench and in front of the cameras at postgame press conferences.

(My guess is the players are praying Brown will tell his "win the right way" story walking. His reputation as a great teacher and motivator has fallen to the point where he will have to climb a ladder to reach bottom.)

Dolan cannot allow the contagious Marbury to infect his teammates another moment.

He cannot take the risk of repeating the repulsiveness we're witnessing on a regular basis, so much so the fans are almost too bored to boo.

Season ticket holders must have hope. And since the Bulls have the Knicks' No. 1 pick (all but a certain top three; GM John Paxson might want to ask Thomas to attend the lottery drawing as his team's lucky charm), someone undaunted in terms of making unforgiving decisions must be recruited for whatever it takes.

Someone unafraid to hold people immediately accountable, who won't flinch about serving up heads on platters; hey, it worked for the Romans, it works for me.

Someone who can make a difference.

Someone who has made a difference.

Someone who can make the survivors feel good about themselves again.

Someone who understands the burden of expectations in New York and isn't cowered by criticism or makes himself unavailable to critics.

Someone who'll command his coach to stop devaluing the players and to adjust to the personnel on hand as opposed to demanding they conform to his system.

I suspect Joe Torre and Willie Randolph will have their pitching rotations set long before Brown figures out his starting five.

Someone who'll insist the coach build the team around Eddy Curry, makes sure he gets the ball on every possession, and plays him until he drops, fouls out or gets in shape; why is Brown waiting until next year to overplay the guy Thomas gave up for this June's No. 1?

Someone practiced at stretching and squeezing resources instead of squandering them.

Someone who won't put up with a coach who says "we" but makes it sound like "they."