...he's going to ask for a glass of milk. Mike D'Antoni's intention to start Nate Robinson tonight are well-documented. The timing of the move is less than ideal, as this apparent admission of point guard troubles coincides far too tastily with Brandon Jennings' first NBA visit to the Garden. Looking past that, though, some questions emerge regarding the immediate future of the rotation:
Is Chris Duhon benched...or shelved?
On top of promoting Robinson to the starting spot, D'Antoni has expressed that he intends to reallocate some minutes to rookie Toney Douglas. With Larry Hughes apparently sprung from his whiskery confinement, that's three guards getting time for a coach who's loathe to play a rotation of more than 8 1/2 men. My impression is that most Knick fans would merrily accept the prospect of Duhon falling from starter to DNP in a matter of two days, but is D'Antoni really that ballsy? That would be a stark turnaround for a player who's been granted an unusually long leash so far this season.
How much Hughes should we expect?
I have a baseless fear that Larry Hughes will move into the starting lineup along with Robinson. That likely won't be the case, but it remains to be seen which tandem will see the most burn: Robinson-Chandler, Robinson-Hughes, or Robinson-Douglas. Robinson-Duhon could be an intermittent possibility as well.
Will TD be allowed to DWTDD?
Toney Douglas hasn't been all that impressive of late, but I refuse to believe that he's been fully allowed to do what he do. Can we expect more than a nominal appearance from Pretty Toney, and will it be as Robinson's backup, or in the aforementioned tandem?
Could this re-energize Danilo Gallinari?
Gallo's been generally less active on offense over the last few weeks, but he, at the very least, found his three-point touch in the second half on Wednesday. If Nate stays committed to the drive-and-kick and continues to beat his man off the dribble, the quality of Danilo's outside looks could see a marked improvement. If Gallinari's going to camp out in the corner, he might as well get some open threes.
Will we ever see Jordan Hill again?
Probably unrelated, but just wondering.
I look forward to Nate Robinson's start and match-up with Jennings tonight. Pray that Nate makes the best of his opportunity. The Knicks' immediate performance and Robinson's ability to receive a contract this offseason both hinge quite a bit on his showing as the lead guard.