after reading this:

CLOCK'S RUNNING OUT ON QUENTIN'S MINUTES

Knick coach Mike D'Antoni said yesterday that playing time could be "hard to come by" for Quentin Richardson.

Actually, it looks more like impossible.

Richardson didn't play Saturday in Miami, a victim of the Knicks' nine-man rotation and, presumably, his own terrible shooting of late.

With Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox now on the team, it appears Richardson, who's played in 53 of the Knicks' 59 games (and started 47 of them), could be the rotation casualty.

"I think it's a night-to-night [call]," D'Antoni said of Richardson at practice yesterday as the Knick prepped for tonight's Garden game against the Hawks.

"It's still evolving a little bit. Nothing that he did. He's been great, but [we're] trying to be sure we've put [Danilo Gallinari] in there, be sure [Wilson Chandler] plays, and sometimes minutes are hard to come by.

"He's been playing well. Just got to kind of figure it out and see how we go from here."

Actually, Richardson has not been playing well, or at least not shooting well.

In the last game he played - Friday against the 76ers - he shot 1-for-5. The game before, he was 0-for-2 (though he did have four assists and four rebounds in 13 minutes). In February, he averaged just 4.4 points on a miserable 25 percent shooting.

Richardson said D'Antoni was simply "trying to do what he had to do for us to win."

Asked if he could accept not playing if it becomes the norm, Richardson replied, "That's what I've got to do, ain't it?"

Richardson might see time tonight if Nate Robinson, who didn't practice the last two days because of a sprained left ankle, is out. D'Antoni said Robinson had improved, but wasn't sure if he'd play.

Think that would be a pretty major blow? Robinson has scored at least 26 points in seven of his last nine games.

Either way, D'Antoni expects Hughes - who's scored 25 and 19 in his last two games after opening his Knick tenure with three clankers - to start his second straight tonight.

"I needed 'em," Hughes said of his last two games. "I'm not going to sit here and say that I didn't want to play well. But I knew it was a process, and I was just kind of right on schedule ... after not being real active in the last month and a half."

D'Antoni also said Chandler could start tonight, saying, "We may switch it up a little bit."

Chandler could play small forward, with Jared Jeffries coming off the bench.

mark.hale@nypost.com

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03042009/sports/knicks/clocks_running_out_on_quentins_minutes_157960.htm

I'm going to try to catch this game tonight if anything to watch the Hawks play.

So it's going to be:

Lee-Harrington-Chandler-Hughes-Duhon

Well, why not, but to me Mike is now drowning with these lineup shifts. He should have been playing Wilcox and it should have been Wilcox-Lee-Harrington-Hughes-Duhon by now with JJ, Q, Chandler, Gallo, Nate in off the bench and that should have stayed for the entire year no matter wins or losses. Enough with the shuffling. There is no miracle lineup to be had out of this roster.

Q not playing won't win us games. Jeffries not playing won't either. What do we have to go here? 16-6? LOL not happening so just set a proper lineup and roll with it the rest of the year.

Just don't go shutting down Jeffries too much because we need him to look good (if that's possible) so we can try to trade him again this summer.

Very true Cosmic. I feel like he's making lineup shifts based on the matchups, but its got to be confusing for a young team.

Wilcox - Lee - Harrington - Chandler - Nate to me would be an interesting lineup that would give you better defense and still would be able to spread the floor.

Posted by nyk4ever:

I haven't heard one player complain about the lineup shifts and honestly the only 2 players who have earned a starting role for the duration have started every game (Lee/Duhon)

Not Al?

Well q-rich was playing cuz there's no one else.....he's a bum but he came through four the Knicks a lot this year. He played well for us this year....Hughes is better and should get his minutes. In a team game Q-rich should stay ready cuz D'antoni could call his number in case of injury, etc.....

As far as line-up changes.....D'antoni is still trying to get used to his new players....how hany games they have together? 5? I'm sure when Wilcox start to show signs he will be in the mix too.

Getting Q-rich and Jared outta the rotation is almost becoming a reality....be patient my sons...

Does D'Antoni have a clue or a plan? He just keeps flying by the seat of his pants when it comes to lineups, and most importantly, developing players. He just keeps proving what a terrible choice he was for this rebuilding team.

Just 10 days ago, D'Antoni saw fit to DNP-CD Gallinari, citing some asinine "pecking order" and talking about how the time to develop players is in summer league and preseason. Now he's talking about how he has to "be sure to put Gallinari" and Chandler in there.

I guess I should just be glad that he's finally come to his senses and is finally doing the right thing but with D'Antoni there's no guarantee that he'll continue doing so.

I'll just have to enjoy listening to all the people, who talked about how Gallinari had to "earn his minutes" and were fine with D'Antoni's pecking order and summer league plans, do another 180 and praise D'Antoni for giving Gallinari playing time now.

Posted by islesfan:

Does D'Antoni have a clue or a plan? He just keeps flying by the seat of his pants when it comes to lineups, and most importantly, developing players. He just keeps proving what a terrible choice he was for this rebuilding team.

Just 10 days ago, D'Antoni saw fit to DNP-CD Gallinari, citing some asinine "pecking order" and talking about how the time to develop players is in summer league and preseason. Now he's talking about how he has to "be sure to put Gallinari" and Chandler in there.

I guess I should just be glad that he's finally come to his senses and is finally doing the right thing but with D'Antoni there's no guarantee that he'll continue doing so.

I'll just have to enjoy listening to all the people, who talked about how Gallinari had to "earn his minutes" and were fine with D'Antoni's pecking order and summer league plans, do another 180 and praise D'Antoni for giving Gallinari playing time now.

D'Antony is another version of Isiah...
Even worth... he looks good. So we stuck with him for a long time.

Posted by islesfan:

Does D'Antoni have a clue or a plan? He just keeps flying by the seat of his pants when it comes to lineups, and most importantly, developing players. He just keeps proving what a terrible choice he was for this rebuilding team.

Just 10 days ago, D'Antoni saw fit to DNP-CD Gallinari, citing some asinine "pecking order" and talking about how the time to develop players is in summer league and preseason. Now he's talking about how he has to "be sure to put Gallinari" and Chandler in there.

I guess I should just be glad that he's finally come to his senses and is finally doing the right thing but with D'Antoni there's no guarantee that he'll continue doing so.

I'll just have to enjoy listening to all the people, who talked about how Gallinari had to "earn his minutes" and were fine with D'Antoni's pecking order and summer league plans, do another 180 and praise D'Antoni for giving Gallinari playing time now.

I'd say Gallo has earned minutes over Q though... it's not like Gallo had to work too hard to prove he's better than Q, but he is and has proved as much. Like I said, not to hard to do, but nonetheless mission accomplished

Posted by Bippity10:

Gallo's minutes have remained pretty much the same since he got back from his injury. Not sure the Gallo plan has changed. The only thing that has changed is D'Antoni's conversations with the media. I also think many fans and media members over reacted to one DNP as if D'Antoni was saying that he was never going to play again. He still must earn his minutes. Until he is getting 20-25 minutes a game what has changed?

It's funny we see a 15 minute press conference and we think that what is said is more important than the other 23 hours a coach spends with his team per day. Fans never know the entire picture behind a players playing time or what the plan is. We get a filtered version, but just won't admit it. This is why all coaches(from high school to NBA) look like idiots who don't know how good their rookie is, are jerking players around, "hatt" certain players, don't know what line-up to put in etc.

i heard Gallo is 100% healthy cause the coach once said he'd play Gallo when he was 100%. Why do they all lie and change their mind?

Posted by Bippity10:

Gallo's minutes have remained pretty much the same since he got back from his injury. Not sure the Gallo plan has changed. The only thing that has changed is D'Antoni's conversations with the media. I also think many fans and media members over reacted to one DNP as if D'Antoni was saying that he was never going to play again. He still must earn his minutes. Until he is getting 20-25 minutes a game what has changed?

It's funny we see a 15 minute press conference and we think that what is said is more important than the other 23 hours a coach spends with his team per day. Fans never know the entire picture behind a players playing time or what the plan is. We get a filtered version, but just won't admit it. This is why all coaches(from high school to NBA) look like idiots who don't know how good their rookie is, are jerking players around, "hatt" certain players, don't know what line-up to put in etc.

he sat Gallo for 1 game & people who claimed he was a bust anyway had a freakin' conniption... how he's back in the rotation & MDA is the guy w/o a clue... it's funny to listen to the lengths that people will go to in order to defend their own arguments.

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bippity10:

Gallo's minutes have remained pretty much the same since he got back from his injury. Not sure the Gallo plan has changed. The only thing that has changed is D'Antoni's conversations with the media. I also think many fans and media members over reacted to one DNP as if D'Antoni was saying that he was never going to play again. He still must earn his minutes. Until he is getting 20-25 minutes a game what has changed?

It's funny we see a 15 minute press conference and we think that what is said is more important than the other 23 hours a coach spends with his team per day. Fans never know the entire picture behind a players playing time or what the plan is. We get a filtered version, but just won't admit it. This is why all coaches(from high school to NBA) look like idiots who don't know how good their rookie is, are jerking players around, "hatt" certain players, don't know what line-up to put in etc.

he sat Gallo for 1 game & people who claimed he was a bust anyway had a freakin' conniption... how he's back in the rotation & MDA is the guy w/o a clue... it's funny to listen to the lengths that people will go to in order to defend their own arguments.

TMS, you're slackin on your hating, bro. Work on that.