Hopefully D'Antoni is done with his fickle, feminine games when it comes to doling out playing time. Nate, erratic or not, is an NBA player. Duhon is not.

DJMUSIC wrote:

sebstar wrote:Duhon is a disgrace. Yes, lets ride Nate and Douglas until the wheels fall off. It has less to do with Nate and more to do with Duhon's tired play, which is unacceptable at the NBA level.

Hopefully D'Antoni is done with his fickle, feminine games when it comes to doling out playing time. Nate, erratic or not, is an NBA player. Duhon is not.

well
seems like from MDA's postgame the coach states he going to stick with Nate which means he starts at PG
and dust off Toney Douglas for Friday BUCKs game

Duhon rides the bench until further notice he deserves it
no soft Knicks needed for the stretch run and later on

That's the best Knicks news I've heard since Zeke got the pink slip. Hopefully, D'Antoni sticks to this.

if he's on the team after 2/18...then you'll know...

AnubisADL wrote:LOL

Sounds to me like D'Antoni doesnt want Jennings to make Duhon look like a fool Friday.

I seriously question the timing of this Duhon benching.

Look it can't get worse ! Jennings scorching Duhon however I'll take Jennings getting 40pts as long as NYK wins the game friday
that is all that matters. Edgy guys like Nate, Hughes and even Gallo appeal to me. That is how the rest of team needs to play
and toughing up down this stretch months of Feb. and March if we have any shot at 8th seed.

I don't say making a 8th seed playoff is a prize but alot of teams in the running ain't that much better so why not ?
I just the like the way Knicks lose when they were losing these games. NO energy, no care, to toughness no anger.
Unacceptable that crap may be acceptable in other cities but its unacceptable in NYC.

Tough-team tough town is a tradition and we got to get back to lunch-pale attitude when teams come around to Garden it ain't going to
be easy ! This team at times dont have that is why Raptors and teams of such can come in here laugh and have a ball when Knicks don't
play with spirit and toughness that symbolizes NY.

AnubisADL wrote:LOL

Sounds to me like D'Antoni doesnt want Jennings to make Duhon look like a fool Friday.

I seriously question the timing of this Duhon benching.

Somebody's thinking ! You know how much flack fans have given the knicks management over passing on this kid. Danphoney has to try and save face by putting nate out there knowing Jennings is out to embarrass the knicks backcourt with the regular starter duhon NOW being delegated to the bench.

Those in denial won't see this is true, but those who understand the politics of the knicks it's clearly a wat to try and take the pressure off management and puts it on the competitive player Nate the great Robinson.

Classic move by Danphoney, get ya popcorn ready friday night...this is gonna be a show.

Last Updated: 6:43 AM, February 4, 2010

Posted: 3:24 AM, February 4, 2010

Stop the presses.

In the wake of last night's 107-85 Nate Robinson-inspired Garden rout of the Wizards, Mike D'Antoni dropped a bomb during his postgame press conference, saying he is ready to pull the plug on Chris Duhon as the team's starting point guard.

Robinson, who started the second half in place of the slumping Duhon, lit up the Wizards to ignite a rally from a four-point deficit at intermission that broke a three-game losing streak and moved them four games behind in the loss column for eighth place in the East.

Robinson was a buzz-saw, finishing with 23 points in 35 minutes, hitting 10 of 15 shots, mostly runners and layups. Duhon did not play in the second half, finishing 1-for-6.

Duhon had started every game this season and all but one since taking the point-guard mantle from Stephon Marbury to trumpet the D'Antoni Era. But D'Antoni finally has lost patience with the former Duke point guard, even hinting Duhon could be taken out of the rotation completely for rookie Toney Douglas.

In another bizarre twist, Larry Hughes, who expressed renewed frustration Sunday night, comparing it to "jail," was released on the Wizards and had a vigorous game off the bench. Hughes scored 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting, barreling hard to the basket on almost every touch.

Robinson's mighty effort coupled with Duhon's month-long slump has finally moved D'Antoni to diminish Duhon's role. D'Antoni was Duhon's staunchest supporter and Robinson's No. 1 critic, recently banishing him for 14 games.

"I don't have a reason not to," D'Antoni said of starting Robinson. "I like what we saw. Hopefully it will stay that way."

Asked if he was serious about Robinson as the new starting point guard, D'Antoni said, "I really like what happened. Right now tonight, that's how it is. I'll go back and look at tape. When a guy deserves to play he deserves to play. There is a moment in the season, you got to seize it and I thought he seized it."

Duhon was short in his answers afterward.

"He's very capable," Duhon said of Robinson. "Starting is not the biggest thing in the world. It's all about wins."

D'Antoni showed none of the usual optimism surrounding Duhon's slump -- which mirrors his crash last winter. "I thought his energy was way down," D'Antoni said. "It's been down a little while. I can't say [why]. I don't know."

Removing Duhon and playing Hughes last night must have been a big blow to D'Antoni's ego. D'Antoni placed Hughes in the doghouse in January, played him sparingly in just two games and didn't take kindly when Hughes squawked, calling his rotation "a joke." Hughes again piped up after Sunday's horror show in Minnesota, saying he's growing a beard in defiance.

"You lose three in a row and playing bad, you try to go with somebody else," D'Antoni said. "The reason I sent Larry to the bench was I didn't think he played well. When guys above him play bad, then let's try it again. I don't care about [his] chatter. He was working hard. He had a good practice [Tuesday]."

Hughes said he got word from D'Antoni before the game to "be ready," which helped him focus more.

"I've been known to express myself as far as speaking up," Hughes said. "The reality is I get paid a lot of money and want to earn it."

Al Harrington was also back from a two-game absence due to a knee injury, during which time the Knicks suffered the Washington and Minnesota losses. Hughes and Harrington sparked the bench as the Knicks outscored the Wizards 66-40 in the second half. Harrington had 12 points.

"It's still an old man's game," Hughes said with a smile, adding he's not ready to shave just yet.

marc.berman@nypost.com

fishmike wrote:

"You lose three in a row and playing bad, you try to go with somebody else," D'Antoni said. "The reason I sent Larry to the bench was I didn't think he played well. When guys above him play bad, then let's try it again. I don't care about [his] chatter. He was working hard. He had a good practice [Tuesday]."

this is what I am talking about. Somehow MDA is a bad coach because he "handled" Larry Hughes poorly? This kind of stuff is why I like him more and more. He played poorly he sat. He practiced and worked hard so when the guys in front of him struggled he got a shot. I dont care about his chatter, just how he plays. If there were politics and behind the scenes BS Hughes wouldnt have played.

I really hope Nate takes the helm here and does something. There was a thread about making the playoffs. One of the things that could turn our season around is if Nate starts giving us 18/6/4 from the starting PG spot and doesnt do anything stupid (I know... thats a stretch).

D'Antoni is a bad coach because it took him this long to yank Duhon.

If you want to say Hughes deserved to be benched because he played poorly when he came back from his injury, the same logic would hold that Duhon should have been released!

I'm all for not over reacting as a coach - I think LB during his stay here epitomized that.

But c'mon!