Carmelo Anthony at the four and Kristaps Porzingis at the five is just one possible lineup alteration the New York Knicks can make.

Sitting 10 games below the .500 mark, the much-needed break allows for the orange and blue to achieve respite, and more importantly, the chance to regroup.

The playing group maintain the brief and desire to qualify for the postseason and in their minds, make some noise. As of right now, what Jeff Hornacek is doing isn’t working. It is simply unacceptable that a team with this much talent is performing as such a low standard.

To Hornacek’s credit, somewhat, he has experimented with a few changes here and there, but none of his alterations has lasted for any meaningful period of time. With the Knicks current record and place in the Eastern Conference, they have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Therefore, it makes complete sense to make some possibly drastic or just more permanent changes to the lineup and rotations.

Here are a few possibilities:

Small Ball

The most logical change for the New York Knicks in today’s three point barrage of a league is to go small. The Knicks playing small would involve sliding Kristaps Porzingis to the five and Carmelo Anthony to the four, which is best for both players.

Kristaps Porzingis defending centers removes him from defending the three point line where he has had immense trouble in his short career, and doing it on a bad achilles isn’t helpful. It also means that Porzingis will stay at home more often, and as New York’s best shot blocker — 2.0 per game — should have better rim protection than Noah provides. Porzingis should also be able to limit his silly fouls.

Offensively, Porzingis would likely have a mismatch every trip down. A majority of big men run straight to the basket which means Porzingis will be all alone and forgotten about at the three point line. He also has an outstanding handle on the basketball for someone who is seven foot three and when coupled with his speed is difficult to defend on the perimeter.

Porzingis moving permanently to the center spot benefits both himself and the team on the offensive and defensive end of the floor.

Carmelo Anthony, now at 32 years of age, is much more suited to being a four man. He has lost the majority of his lift and speed which makes it increasingly difficult for him to get by his opponents and finish at the rim. However, Anthony has had great success as a power forward, namely leading the Knicks to 54 wins and being second in the MVP race in the 2012-13 season.

Offensively, Anthony would have a mismatch each time on the perimeter and either blow by his opponent or get enough breathing room for a jump shot. He also has the ability to lose his man in transition for one of his patented transition threes. Defensively, Anthony is used to being on the perimeter which means he wouldn’t have trouble with stretch fours and he also maintains the physicality to bang down low. He has a mismatch offensively but isn’t out matched defensively.

This means that Joakim Noah would be removed from the starting lineup and another shooter inserted. The ideal replacement would be Justin Holiday. Holiday, whom the Knicks stole from Chicago in the Derrick Rose deal, is shooting a respectable 36% from downtown and he opens the floor for the Knicks and gives Anthony and Porzingis more room to operate. More importantly, however, Holiday has a defensive field goal percentage of 38% which, considering the Knicks current defensive state, is remarkable.

Ultimate Small Ball

This lineup still includes removing Joakim Noah however instead of replacing him with a forward, another point guard instead, which would be Brandon Jennings. In his last five starts, Jennings has posted over 17 points per game and 6 assists per game whilst shooting above 40% from long range.

Since being hired, Jeff Hornacek’s philosophy has been to get out and run but the Knicks have rarely done that, at least consistently this season. Despite the lack of uptempo play, Jennings seems to get up and down the floor like there is no tomorrow and he pushes others to keep pace with him. Consequently, the Knicks offense flows freely and there are open shots like they’re going out of fashion.

Jennings’ best aspect is his pass-first nature. Jennings takes pride in getting his teammates involved and fining them easy shots, Namely, his chemistry with Kristaps Porzingis whom he seems to find on a regular basis. An underrated or somewhat unnoticed aspect when he starts is that Jennings always looks to get Courtney Lee, who the teams best shooter is, involved.

Placing Jennings with the starters makes the Knicks far more potent offensively and by matching up with other small ball lineups should improve them on the defensive end.

Remain Big

Over the summer, Phil Jackson did what Phil Jackson does best; go big. Jackson inked Joakim Noah to a four-year deal, but that hasn’t panned out how we all hoped. On the other hand, he also brought over Philadelphia’s 2015 second round pick, which he traded for, Willy Hernangomez. If the Knicks were to remain big with the twin tower front court Hernangomez should be the go-to player ahead of Noah.

Joakim Noah has seemingly passed the “over the hill” test and is not going to be apart of the team’s long-term future, therefore he shouldn’t be taking minutes away from other guys. Hernangomez has shown glimpses of being a very solid player. He has displayed Marc Gasol’s footwork in the post, rebounding and mid-range jumpers like Pau Gasol, and is on the brink of being a great passer like them. The only blemish on his short resume is that he has had some struggles on the defensive end.

Hernangomez definitely has room to improve but the only way to gain experience is to experience playing, both the ups and downs, highs and lows of NBA basketball.

Other Minor Adjustments

It is clear that the Knicks should make adjustments to the lineup as they have nothing to lose at this point but they should also distribute more minutes to other players on the bench.

Ron Baker has appeared in 27 games including three starts and he has had his moments and shown that he is a capable NBA player. The Knicks have had success through the draft and finding the diamond in the rough and Baker could possibly turn out to be another. Since the turn of the calendar, the 23-year-old rookie has shot 39% from behind the arc and has a defensive field goal percentage of 41% which is the best of any Knicks point guards.

Baker has the potential both offensively and defensively to become a viable rotation player and he should, therefore, receive playing time outside of garbage time following the All-Star break.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas has also dropped out of the rotation as of late, but he should return to the rotation. The 27-year-old Lithuanian has also had his flashes of brilliance, including a career-high 17 points in Boston. Kuz, as he is known to the fans as, has a solid touch from outside with seeming effortless form but to the surprise of the fanbase he is fearless when attacking the basket. Overall, he has a polished offensive game but he still seems to be getting used to the NBA style of play especially on the defensive end where some help is still needed.

Kuzminskas may have his flaws but many other Knicks do and he too should find his way back into the regular rotation.

Other potentials include Marshall Plumlee, who in his limited minutes has played with endless effort and enthusiasm and has shown his defensive and rebounding capabilities. Maurice N’Dour is another, however, he seems to be lost — a tweener type. He just hasn’t really found a niche yet but to be fair he has gotten barely any playing time. Overall, providing a few minutes here and there over the remainder of the year could do nothing but could things for the two individuals.