According to Chris Broussard, the Knicks' president, Scott Layden, has been roundly criticized for piecing together a roster that currently sits in 11th place in the so- so Eastern Conference. While much of the disparagement is deserved, in fairness to Layden, it must be stated that the Knicks have had their top nine players for only the past six games. And during that stretch ? aside from the 43- point farce against Charlotte ? the Knicks have played as well as anyone in the East.

Last Saturday, when Camby fouled out at the end of the first overtime in Milwaukee, Weatherspoon played the entire second overtime and wound up hitting the game-winning free throws. Against Philadelphia on Tuesday, Weatherspoon played the first six minutes of the fourth quarter while Camby rested with four fouls.

"We're playing at a different level now," Weatherspoon said. "We're going out there being aggressive. That's one of the things New York was known for, being a rugged defensive team that found ways to win and held opponents down. We've played that way lately, and hopefully we'll continue to get wins before the All- Star break and try to creep closer to even."