Changing of the Guard Expected vs. the Bucks
Feb 4 2010 10:49PM
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Mike D'Antoni expects to insert Nate Robinson into the starting lineup vs. the Bucks.
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There will be a changing of the guard when the Knicks take on Brandon Jennings and the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed after Thursday’s practice at the team’s training facility that Nate Robinson will replace Chris Duhon at point guard in the starting lineup. The move comes a day after Robinson earned the second-half start and carried the Knicks to a come-from-behind victory over Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
“We’re still looking at different things, but it looks like Nate probably would start at the point guard and we’ll go with the way that we finished up (Wednesday’s) game,” D’Antoni said. “And we’ll see what the rotation will look like. But that seems to be the plan right now.”
D’Antoni indicated after Wednesday’s 107-85 win at The Garden that Robinson would likely start against the Bucks, but Robinson didn’t hear an official word until after practice when he was approached by the coach while he was shooting free throws. “He just said, ‘Be ready. I think you’re going to start tomorrow, so be ready,” Robinson said.
In need of energy on both ends of the floor after losing three in a row, D’Antoni turned to Robinson against the Wizards and the 5-foot-9 player delivered. Robinson, who was once completely out of the rotation for an entire month, recorded 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds in one of his strongest all-around performances of the season.
“The biggest thing is his energy on defense and attention to detail and being himself on offense,” D’Antoni said of Robinson. “If he’s making some mistakes, that’s OK as long as he’s aggressive. And especially on the defensive end, if he’s doing the things that makes us win, then he’ll be fine.”
Robinson was joined in the backcourt for most of the second half by Larry Hughes, who hadn’t played significant minutes since the start of the new calendar year. The energetic play of the two veterans was the main reason the Knicks were able to overcome a nine-point deficit in the third quarter and cruise down the stretch against a team that had defeated them just five days earlier.
Hughes likely regained a spot in the rotation after finishing with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field and a crucial third-quarter steal in 18 minutes off the bench.
“I thought he played well so we’ll stick with him and hopefully he’ll keep playing well,” D’Antoni said. “He does give us that defensive edge that in January we probably missed without him. So we’ll see how February goes, but right now I think he’s earned some minutes.”
Rookie Toney Douglas, who did not play on Wednesday, could also see more playing time in the near future, even if it’s just for a few minutes here and there.
“I hope,” D’Antoni said. “I like Toney, but again he is treated a little bit differently because he’s a rookie and you can do that, but I don’t want to abuse that. He’s always ready and always working and hopefully we can find him some playing time.”
D’Antoni doesn’t necessarily like giving the veterans spot minutes in the rotation, which could affect Duhon’s playing time in his new reserve role.
“Right now we’ll probably go in a different direction or whatever,” D’Antoni said. “You talk about what he should bring to the table, and when you don’t, I’ll play eight or nine guys. These are veterans and they will not play five or six minutes. They need a block of minutes – 20 minutes sometimes. And if you aren’t in that group, then you fall out of the rotation. That happens and your job is to be ready.”
Whoever is in the backcourt on Friday, they are sure to have their hands full against Jennings, who, like Robinson, knows how to score the basketball. Jennings, a rookie point guard, already has a 55-point game on his resume and will likely be ready to play while making his Garden debut.
“I’ve played against him in the summertime so I’ve kind of got a feel for how he plays,” Robinson said. “It’s just in the NBA it’s kind of different because now he’s running the team, running the show and he’s doing a great job at it. I just have to match his intensity and be ready to play.”
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Coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed after Thursday’s practice at the team’s training facility that Nate Robinson will replace Chris Duhon at point guard in the starting lineup. The move comes a day after Robinson earned the second-half start and carried the Knicks to a come-from-behind victory over Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
“We’re still looking at different things, but it looks like Nate probably would start at the point guard and we’ll go with the way that we finished up (Wednesday’s) game,” D’Antoni said. “And we’ll see what the rotation will look like. But that seems to be the plan right now.”
D’Antoni indicated after Wednesday’s 107-85 win at The Garden that Robinson would likely start against the Bucks, but Robinson didn’t hear an official word until after practice when he was approached by the coach while he was shooting free throws. “He just said, ‘Be ready. I think you’re going to start tomorrow, so be ready,” Robinson said.
In need of energy on both ends of the floor after losing three in a row, D’Antoni turned to Robinson against the Wizards and the 5-foot-9 player delivered. Robinson, who was once completely out of the rotation for an entire month, recorded 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds in one of his strongest all-around performances of the season.
“The biggest thing is his energy on defense and attention to detail and being himself on offense,” D’Antoni said of Robinson. “If he’s making some mistakes, that’s OK as long as he’s aggressive. And especially on the defensive end, if he’s doing the things that makes us win, then he’ll be fine.”
Robinson was joined in the backcourt for most of the second half by Larry Hughes, who hadn’t played significant minutes since the start of the new calendar year. The energetic play of the two veterans was the main reason the Knicks were able to overcome a nine-point deficit in the third quarter and cruise down the stretch against a team that had defeated them just five days earlier.
Hughes likely regained a spot in the rotation after finishing with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field and a crucial third-quarter steal in 18 minutes off the bench.
“I thought he played well so we’ll stick with him and hopefully he’ll keep playing well,” D’Antoni said. “He does give us that defensive edge that in January we probably missed without him. So we’ll see how February goes, but right now I think he’s earned some minutes.”
Rookie Toney Douglas, who did not play on Wednesday, could also see more playing time in the near future, even if it’s just for a few minutes here and there.
“I hope,” D’Antoni said. “I like Toney, but again he is treated a little bit differently because he’s a rookie and you can do that, but I don’t want to abuse that. He’s always ready and always working and hopefully we can find him some playing time.”
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“Right now we’ll probably go in a different direction or whatever,” D’Antoni said. “You talk about what he should bring to the table, and when you don’t, I’ll play eight or nine guys. These are veterans and they will not play five or six minutes. They need a block of minutes – 20 minutes sometimes. And if you aren’t in that group, then you fall out of the rotation. That happens and your job is to be ready.”
Whoever is in the backcourt on Friday, they are sure to have their hands full against Jennings, who, like Robinson, knows how to score the basketball. Jennings, a rookie point guard, already has a 55-point game on his resume and will likely be ready to play while making his Garden debut.
“I’ve played against him in the summertime so I’ve kind of got a feel for how he plays,” Robinson said. “It’s just in the NBA it’s kind of different because now he’s running the team, running the show and he’s doing a great job at it. I just have to match his intensity and be ready to play.”
Limited tickets are still available. Click here to purchase.
Follow Mike on Twitter
