Mike Woodson has found a formula to ensure third-string point guard Pablo Prigioni get minutes in the regular season.
Prigioni, the Spanish League warhorse, and Jason Kidd have become a backup backcourt pairing that has been one of the preseason’s highlights.
With Kidd’s adaptability in moving to shooting guard, Prigioni, the NBA’s oldest rookie at 35, has a great chance of being a rotation staple, according to Woodson.
“We’re going to try to, absolutely,’’ Woodson said. “My job as coach is to juggle minutes based on who’s playing well. Minutes are going to be tough to come by on this team.’’
Kidd, 39, may not be the offensive genius of his Nets days but he believes his savvy enables him to guard four positions — the 1, 2, 3, and 4. That will open up playing time for Prigioni.
“I’ve guarded everybody so much in my career,’’ said Kidd. “It’s basketball. Make him take a tough shot. I can guard the 1, 2, 3, 4. In this league you’ve seen teams gone small. You see Miami won a championship without a center. The game is going smaller with smaller 4s. I guarded Melo [Carmelo Anthony] before and he may have been at the 5 in Denver.’’
Through two preseason games, Woodson is not just loving Prigioni’s playmaking but also his defensive tenaciousness. Saturday’s 98-95 overtime victory over Boston was noteworthy for Woodson keeping the Prigioni-Kidd tandem in the game in the fourth quarter and overtime. He wants to see it. Neither player shot well, but combined for seven assists and four steals in the comeback win.
“Guys were giving me a hard time,’’ Kidd said, “because I hadn’t played in the fourth quarter [in preseason] since my rookie year. They were teasing me.’’
But Kidd is enjoying the new connection with Prigioni, whom he faced in the 2008 Olympics when Prigioni led Argentina.
“I think it starts with our age — he’s 35 and I’m 39,’’ Kidd said. “We connect right away. “He knows how to play game. It’s not rocket science. He keeps it simple, plays hard. He’s fun to play with because he competes.”
“Throw the age out, it’s just basketball. It’s easy to play when you understand how to play it the right way.’’
“They have so much knowledge,’’ Tyson Chandler said, “they rarely make a bad decision.’’
The younger Raymond Felton is the starter at the point. With Kidd and Prigioni as backups, the Knicks arguably have the game’s smartest point-guard trifecta.
“It’s easy to play with [Kidd],’’ Prigioni said. “I think we are similar players. We like to play pick and roll to create and pass the ball. I think we understand each other.’’
Said Woodson, “[Pablo] is playing great. In Washington, I thought he was great defensively. [Saturday] he was putting heat on the ball. He played a fantastic game.’’
Off the court, Prigioni is adjusting well. Though only trainer Anthony Goenaga speaks his primary language, Spanish, Prigioni is fitting in.
“I enjoy the guys,’’ he said. “I’m surprised how many good persons are in the locker room. In Europe, we have an idea in the States each player goes by himself and not in a group. I don’t feel there’s any difference in this locker room.’’
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Forward Chris Copeland made a strong case to win the 15th spot Saturday, scoring 21 points in 19:23 — 18 of them in the fourth and OT. Copeland, who played the last two seasons in Belgium, was benched in the first half. Woodson claimed he forgot about him.
“He said he forgot?,’’ Copeland said. “He [has] got a lot more responsibilities than me. I’m just glad he gave me the opportunity to play in the second half. My teammates stayed behind me.”
With shooting guard Mychel Thompson struggling with his outside shot (2 of 12, Copeland, a Colorado grad, is strong on the team’s radar. The Knicks could need an extra young forward with the health uncertainty that surrounds Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace. … Knicks took their first day off yesterday. Wallace could scrimmage for the first time today.