Baron Davis was playing 3-on-3 yesterday at the Knicks’ training facility, teaming with assistant general manager Allan Houston and director of team operations Chris Bernard to play against Toney Douglas, Mike Bibby and Jerome Jordan. It wasn’t all out ballin’, but it the play was fast enough to show Davis isn’t far from finally suiting up and playing games for the Knicks.
“Right now it’s really up to the coach and what the doctors say,” Davis said yesterday. “I hope I can get out there and start dressing and being a part of the team.”
Davis has gone from being the impending savior when the Knicks were struggling, to forgotten in the mania of Linsanity. So if it sounds like the 12-year veteran is itching to play, he is. There’s a chance he could dress for today’s game against the defending champion Mavericks at the Garden, offering a reminder that as well as Jeremy Lin has played, he doesn’t necessarily have a lock on the point-guard job for the rest of the season.
Coach Mike D’Antoni said as much yesterday, understanding choosing a point guard to ride into the postseason could be difficult if Davis performs well during the second half of the season.
“We know how good he can be,” D’Antoni said of Davis. “If he’s that good, it could be tough. I think they’re both comfortable with whatever happens. The luxury is having two really good point guards and that’s what we’re hoping to get.”
D’Antoni’s loyalties should lie with Lin, who basically saved the coach’s job by becoming the biggest thing in the NBA. There’s no doubt he is the Knicks floor leader of the moment, having sparked a seven-game winning streak before losing 89-85 to the Hornets on Friday night. But his ability to play well against tougher competition has yet to be tested and could determine whether he is the Knicks’ starter and finisher when it gets closer to the postseason.
The Mavericks are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Veteran point guard Jason Kidd is as crafty as they come. Today will be a good test to see how well Lin and the Knicks bounce back from the disappointing loss to the Hornets. The last thing the Knicks want is to endure another losing streak.
“I think we understand how good we are and how good we can be,” Amar’e Stoudemire said. “It’s a big game. Everybody is motivated and ready to go.”
It’s a big game for Lin, too. He had nine turnovers in the loss to the Hornets and has committed 29 turnovers in his last four starts, raising concerns about how he will play against a more formidable defense like the Mavericks.
“He’s always attacking. If you’re always attacking you’re going to have some turnovers,” D’Antoni reasoned. “As he gets older, those turnovers will come down.”
That’s the long-term view. But Davis could still become a more viable option as the games grow in importance and if Lin has trouble continuing the Linsanity that has made him the talk of the NBA. Davis, 32, has been nursing a back injury. His plan is to shake off some rust during the next four games before the All-Star break, then start making an impact over the final two months of the season.
“I’m not afraid to go out there and do what I need to do because I’m confident in where I am in my rehab,” he said.
Perceived as the savior when the Knicks were struggling, Davis admitted Lin’s emergence allowed him to take his time with his rehab. But now he’s ready to play.
“Jeremy is doing an excellent job,” he said, “so me coming in and trying to give him some spot minutes and continue to build my condition and rehab, I think I’ll only make the team better.”
Linsanity will be fun while it lasts, but the Knicks’ ultimate goal is winning an NBA championship. It still is not clear which point guard on the Knicks’ roster gives them the best chance to do that. What is clear is that Lin should have the inside track.
george.willis@nypost.com