"Knicks point guard Chris Duhon said he believes more stability and less in-season trades will boost the Knicks' chances of making the playoffs in 2009-2010.

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Other than adding a shot-blocking center, Duhon said he feels the team is good the way it is. Had the Knicks not made a flurry of moves during the season -- two trades on Nov. 21 and two more at the trade deadline on Feb. 19 -- they would have been on track for a playoff berth.

The Knicks (29-44) have nine games left, including tonight's game against the Jazz. They are on track for a 50-loss season, verging on playoff elimination and another lottery.

"I'm happy with how the team battled the whole year," Duhon told The Post. "We had a lot of mishaps with trades where we had to start over. If we have a consistent team throughout next year, we'll be fine.

"It's tough going through a season, having to fit guys in, and then do it again."

Duhon's implication was that this season was sacrificed in the name of clearing cap space for 2010, when the Knicks will have room to sign at least one maximum free agent. Now that they have cap space, Duhon said he hopes Knicks team president Donnie Walsh doesn't have another trading frenzy next season.

When Duhon chose the Knicks over Orlando last July, he didn't realize the team was more concerned about 2010. Duhon accepted the Knicks' offer because he was promised a starting job. In retrospect, he would have been much better off in Orlando, which is competing for a championship. Duhon could have moved into a starting role there after Jameer Nelson went down.

During the season, the Knicks discarded seven players from the roster that came out of training camp -- Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Mardy Collins, Malik Rose, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson through trades, and Stephon Marbury via buyout. Another player, Tim Thomas, was obtained, then traded three months later.

Coach Mike D'Antoni said the Knicks were three different teams this season because of the trades and feels it contributed to Duhon's late-season demise, because the point guard has had to adjust to different rotations. An argument can be made they had four different teams, including the preseason group that featured Marbury in the rotation.

With all the movement, the Knicks never developed cohesion or a locker-room leader, and D'Antoni never named a captain. Duhon said he hopes to be that leader next season.

"A lot of guys had been here for a while and were used to certain things," Duhon said. "I was the new guy and sat back to go with the flow. Next year I'll take more of a talkative role as being a leader on the team." "