All is not good in Gotham.

The Knicks have lost six games in a row, and nine of their last 10. New York has sunk to a seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and are in danger of falling to the eight seed with only nine games remaining.

Tonight at Madison Square Garden they host the Orlando Magic, who are riding a five-game winning streak, and who've already beaten the Knicks three times this season.

The Knicks are under .500, and are coming off five straight games of poor shooting from the field. Star newcomer Carmelo Anthony has done his part in that stretch, shooting 46.7 percent and averaging 26 points per game.

There is a little anxiety and there is a little 'oh my gosh,' said Knicks' head coach Mike D'Antoni. But I think the locker room's great and I think they know where we are, they realize the situation.

D'Antoni better hopes so, because he may be looking for another job if the Knicks don't improve. Though there are no credible reports of D'Antoni's job being in jeopardy, this season can't sit well with Knicks' brass and many unforgiving fans.

The former Suns' head coach has a 96-142 record with the Knicks, and there were high expectations for the team even before Anthony was acquired.

What also isn't working too well for D'Antoni is the success of former Knicks' players.

The Denver Nuggets have a 12-4 record since acquiring Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari. Former power forward Zach Randolph is leading the Memphis Grizzlies in scoring and rebounding on a team likely to make the playoffs.

After dealing Jamal Crawford in the 2008-2009 season, the guard went on to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award the following season with Atlanta.

Young cast off Anthony Randolph, who was used sparingly, has put up two excellent performances recently for the Timberwolves -- one where he scored 31 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and another where he scored 24 points and added 15 rebounds.

It's important to note that general manager Donnie Walsh was responsible for those trades, and not D'Antoni. Also the trades were for salary cap-clearing purposes, which helped them land Amare Stoudemire. But the trades were made with the interest of providing D'Antoni with the team he feels he needs to win, and they didn't seem to be made against his consent.

So far the wins aren't coming, and there are lots of grumbling Knicks fans.

In the short term, help is on the way, and it comes in a softer schedule.

After tonight's home game against the Magic, the Knicks will play home games against New Jersey, Cleveland, and Toronto. The Knicks will likely get a lift against those teams, and find themselves closing in on a 40-win season.

If they fail to do win against those teams, and the Charlotte Bobcats and Indiana Pacers surge, expect D'Antoni to start reaching out to struggling teams looking for a head coach this summer.

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