Duhon back as Knicks' starting point guard
Last Updated: 7:06 AM, February 12, 2010
Posted: 1:51 AM, February 9, 2010
Comments: 17
PrintChris Duhon admits his eyes might have been opened when Mike D'Antoni demoted him to the bench two games ago. Tonight, Duhon will be back in the starting lineup, and he's prepared to return with one thing above all else -- energy.
As the Post's Marc Berman first reported yesterday, D'Antoni will flip-flop Duhon and Nate Robinson for tonight's game against the Kings at the Garden, returning Duhon to his starting point guard role after a two-game bench banishment. Robinson will come off the bench as a shooting guard after starting at point last Friday and Saturday.
Duhon, who revealed yesterday his demotion was "a reality check," said this time as a starter he needs to be sure he plays with spirit. Being passive won't work.
"I've just got to be myself. I've got to bring energy. That was the main thing," Duhon said. "When I play with energy, it's contagious and guys kind of feed off of that. My main thing is coming out there, being very, very aggressive defensively and bringing a lot of energy to the court."
Duhon, who hails from Slidell, La., and is a monster Saints fan, was basking in the glow of his team's Super Bowl upset Sunday night. But his Saturday was spent, as The Post reported, meeting with D'Antoni to determine how to repair the struggling Knicks. They've lost five of six -- including both games with Robinson starting -- and sit 19-31 with just one game left before this weekend's All-Star break.
Duhon came off the bench Friday against Milwaukee, scoring six points with three assists in 15 minutes. He played 30 minutes off the bench Saturday in Cleveland, scoring five points with eight assists.
"At some point, you've just got to look in the mirror and it just comes from you, what you need to do to help this team win. Maybe sitting and not starting was kind of a reality check," Duhon said. "It gives you the opportunity to really not blame anything else but yourself and do something about it."
As a starter on Friday and Saturday, Robinson scored 13 points and 26 points, respectively. But the Knicks were down 29-26 after Friday's first quarter and were demolished 44-24 in Saturday's opening frame.
D'Antoni said Robinson is better suited as a shooter, not a distributor.
"We're 19 wins. I don't like anything right now," D'Antoni said, laughing. "But he's just a better off-guard than he is a point guard. And I think he understands that. The team functions a little bit better with a true point."
D'Antoni said Robinson, who has a strained groin and didn't practice or speak to the media yesterday but is expected to play tonight, "needs to be aggressive and looking for his shot. Sometimes the point guard has to make [Danilo Gallinari] aggressive, has to do other things."
Will the switch help the Knicks?
"I don't think any lineup change is going to be a cure-all at this point," David Lee said. "Right now it's about the guys that are on the floor playing with energy. That's the biggest thing."
PostPics
Today in Pictures-
Azarenka collapses at US Open
-
Style Aces
-
Jets vs. Giants Preseason Game
-
Brazil vs. USA Soccer Match
-
A-Rod's 600th home run
Comments (16)
Post Your CommentLouV
02/10/2010 12:09 AM
Anyone know how much snow we're going to get tomorrow?
oldyank
02/09/2010 8:49 PM
Donnie, fire yourself as GM. This was a draft where you knew or should have known you needed a point guard. It was a strong draft for point guards- Jennings who will be rookie of the yearor Evans were around but you draft a project who is not very good with a lottery pick. Then you get a pick and draft a guard when you could have gotten a big man. You had to have watched Duhon last year and saw he hit a wall and was not that good and would be in the last year of his contract. You did not want Nate back, so you really had nobody. The GM must go because he gave the coach who is not too good a bynch of junk to coach. You do not have Pat Riley, Phil Jackson or Red Holzman coaching here. You have a guy who has never done it here and has never won anything. Hey neither have you but you are supposed to be a guru. So fire yourself. Hire a real gm. I do not have a name for you, others will. Let him hire his own coach and you and Dolan can watch. Do it as soon as the season ends. I know you will not be doing anyhting by the deadline but you will not fire yourself during the season either. too bad
KnicksNut
02/09/2010 8:31 PM
Keeping with D'um-D'um's freak-out rotation changes, allow me to offer:
PG Darko Milicic (according to D'um-D'um, he can't play center, so...)
SG Jordan Hill (young and athletic...give him a shot, Mike)
C Nate Robinson (c'mon, Mike...he can dunk over Dwight Howard, fer crissakes!)
SF Cutino Mobley's expiring contract (that contract hasn't complained ONCE this year about it's role on the team)
PF Chris Duhon (just for laughs)
BigTyme
02/09/2010 5:28 PM
VMAN...u can't point anything at N8 b/c he's NOT a pg, remember?
vman650
02/09/2010 4:24 PM
Very hard to win without a point guard. Duhon and N8 are equally inept and this can not be blamed on D'Antoni. The finger needs to point to Walsh.
xman
02/09/2010 2:52 PM
"My main thing is coming out there, being very aggressive defensively and bringing a lot of energy to the court." Duhon said..... this whole energy excuse the entire team and coach has used all year is getting annoying. How about paying guys average salaries while playoff bonuses...maybe an extra million for each round of the playoffs. If these guys cannot motivate themselves....maybe money will.
datjerseytexan
02/09/2010 2:34 PM
fire the D'Anphoney...
datjerseytexan
02/09/2010 2:34 PM
fire the D'Anphoney...