After Saturday’s victory by the Knicks over the Cavaliers, Carmelo Anthony gushed about J.R. Smith, saying they “need him to come off the bench with a spark, with an edge, with a chip on his shoulder.”
With apologies to perhaps Steve Novak’s marksmanship, Smith is the Knicks’ most important bench player. But Toney Douglas may be about to join them both as a critical reserve. And what Anthony said about Smith reflects what the Knicks received from Douglas last season.
There’s no question after Wilson Chandler headed to Denver as part of the Anthony deal, the Knicks’ best bench player was Douglas. In his second season, Douglas played in 81 games, started nine, and averaged 10.6 points and 3.0 assists and shot 37 percent from 3-point range. After the Anthony deal, in 27 games, including seven starts, Douglas averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 assists and shot 40 percent from 3-point range.
He began this season as the starting point guard, but his decline has been stunning, first out of the starting lineup and then out of the rotation.
With Lin out for six weeks because of a torn meniscus, however, Douglas can again become a key bench producer. Saturday, playing 10 minutes as Baron Davis’ backup, Douglas scored five points on 2-for-5 shooting, moving ahead of Mike Bibby in the rotation.
“I feel like this is Toney’s perfect opportunity to step up and be used for us down the stretch,” Tyson Chandler said.
But can Douglas deliver? He’s shooting a miserable 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three. And he’s barely played in the last two months, appearing in only five of 28 games.
On Saturday, Douglas didn’t look sharp in the first half when he played eight-plus minutes. In the second half, he saw only 90 seconds of court time.
“Toney gave us some positive minutes,” interim coach Mike Woodson said, insisting he saw enough to continue giving Douglas time. “He was probably a little nervous getting in there, but I thought once he got up and down the floor a few times, he looked pretty good moving around.”
Still, the Knicks’ point guard situation is in flux. Douglas is an uncertainty. Bibby, who turns 34 in May, has hit one shot in his last five games and is shooting 27 percent for the season.
Davis has started the last four games, playing between 24 and 34 minutes in each. He’s shot poorly (11-for-33), but after committing nine turnovers in his first start, he only has seven in his last three combined.
mark.hale@nypost.com