As the NBA trade deadline approaches, it’s encouraging to see that the Knicks are looking for backcourt help to alleviate the load carried by Jamal Crawford. But the best solution may be in-house.

Since Stephon Marbury left the lineup after the January 11 game against Toronto, Crawford has been the Knicks’ point guard, and he’s the only player that coach Isiah Thomas seems to trust with the responsibility. But Crawford’s minutes have increased to levels that now may be affecting his play. The Knicks guard averages 42.8 minutes per contest in January, and he is logging 44.7 this month. At this pace, he will lead the league in minutes played.

Theoretically, there’s nothing wrong with one of your best players playing lots of minutes, but in this case, Crawford’s rise in minutes has hurt his productivity. His shooting numbers, rarely a pretty picture in general, are ghastly this month. Crawford’s field goal percentage for the season is 40.9%, well below the NBA average of 45.4%, but in February he’s shooting only 36.5% from the field. For a player who usually takes 20 shots a game, this kind of performance is damaging the team’s offense: When you think about the number of close games the Knicks have lost in recent weeks, one major reason is Crawford’s inefficient shooting. Not to pile drive it home, but Crawford’s performances have included a 6–27 shooting performance in a overtime loss to Portland, a 7–21 brickfest in a 9-point loss at home to the Los Angeles Clippers, and a 5–17 horror show in a 3-point loss to Indiana on Wednesday.

In addition, fatigue is showing up in other elements of his game. On Saturday night in Milwaukee, the Knicks were up one in the closing seconds and needing a clinching basket, when they turned to Crawford’s usual two-dribble crossover move that ends with a long-jump shot play (I doubt I’m alone in hoping that the next coach rips that page out of the playbook). On the first dribble, Bucks guard Charlie Bell swooped in and stole the ball. By the time Crawford reacted, the Bucks were racing downcourt with the ball. Fortunately for the locals, Milwaukee is also inept at end-of-the-game plays, and the 99–98 win was preserved.

While the addition of a veteran point guard such as Brevin Knight or Keyon Dooling would help the Knicks, there happens to be help in-house to consider: Nate Robinson. He’s consistently thought of as more of a shooting guard, and he’s still a bit more trigger happy than I think most Knicks fans would like. But he’s learned how to run the point. In January, when he began getting some consistent burn at the helm, his numbers were exceptional. He averaged 5.1 assists per game — and they don’t give assists on passes where the shooter is fouled and sinks foul shots. Many Robinson passes lead to players going to the line. In addition, he took better care of the basketball, coughing up only 1.4 turnovers per game. The team has wanted Robinson to learn the point; in fact, he played summer league last year —an unusual move for a third-year player — in order to run the team’s offense in Las Vegas. Yet, no one seems to notice that ‘Lil Nate has finished his assignment. I think Crawford’s minutes should come down about 10 per game, and Robinson should be given the keys to the family car more often.

This would mark an improvement over the current situation, but it’s not a solution. The Knicks’ offense is one of the worst in the league. As a team, the Knicks are shooting 43.9% from the field, 25th in the league, and as a whole, the team is averaging only 103.8 points per 100 possessions (the league average is 106.3), which is 21st in the circuit. Crawford began the season as the starting shooting guard, and it’s possible that a return to his natural position is in order if the Knicks can locate a veteran point guard.

It’s generally thought the Knicks have little they can trade, as most of their players have long, expensive contracts. But the name of Quentin Richardson has come up recently, and he’s an ideal trade chip. Richardson starts at small forward, a position that could easily be manned by some combination of Renaldo Balkman and Wilson Chandler, and after a season-long slump, the oft-injured swingman has found his shot. He’s shooting 11–23, 47.8% from the field this month, and 6–11, 54.5% from behind the arc. He is one of the Knicks’ more enthusiastic defenders (though that may be damning with faint praise), and with a contract that pays him $18 million through 2009–10, he’s one of the few Knicks that other teams might be interested in taking. Thomas should move quickly: Q-Rich is at the peak of his value. He won’t bring back a franchise player in return — but even small improvements should be welcome on a lottery team.

mjohnson@nysun.com