DENVER — Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni sounded so confused following his team’s embarrassing 111-97 loss in Sacramento on Wednesday night, he’d be up for anything — even reconsidering the Allen Iverson issue.
Although that’s unlikely to happen, D’Antoni is considering doing the unthinkable by promoting doghouse resident Nate Robinson into the starting lineup.
Robinson enraged D’Antoni last Saturday in New Jersey when he shot at his own basket just after the buzzer sounded. But Robinson has made up for it with productive play in the three games since, forcing the Knicks coach to consider starting him tonight against the Nuggets.
“We’re searching,” D’Antoni said after the team fell to 3-12. “Everything should be — and is — up in the air. We’re trying to figure out 6, 7, 8 guys that can bring it every night and have some level of consistency. I’ll think about it.”
Robinson has been called “Iverson Lite” before. Some believe with Iverson now 34, there isn’t that much difference in their games any longer. Iverson announced he was set to retire Wednesday, but some have doubted his sincerity.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh left open the tiniest crack one week ago when he announced the Knicks were no longer pursuing Iverson. Things are worse now, however, with Eddy Curry’s knee acting up and the Knicks facing a brutal schedule ahead (Denver, Orlando twice, Atlanta, Phoenix).
With Chris Duhon’s struggles mounting, D’Antoni may finally pull the plug on Duhon after back-to-back blowout losses to the Lakers and Kings in which the Knicks fell behind by more than 20 in each game. Duhon, a D’Antoni favorite, is shooting 24 percent and the patience the coach has shown with him is beyond remarkable.
Robinson has scored 25, 15 and 19 points the past three games, shooting 22 of 38 from the field. The rust that forced him to miss six games with a hamstring strain is gone.
Following the Sacramento humiliation, D’Antoni said he would consider shaking up his starting lineup again. To open the second half, D’Antoni played Robinson and Al Harrington in place of Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari, who also are in danger of losing their starting jobs. Chandler’s left ankle, on which he had surgery this summer, is bothering him. He spent 25 minutes icing it in the locker room after the Sacramento game. Gallinari looks as if he has hit the rookie wall in late November.
Perhaps D’Antoni has been reluctant to move Robinson in because Duhon recently was named captain. The former Duke standout says he never has struggled with his shot this much.
“I’m thinking about it instead of just playing,” Duhon said. “For us to be good, I have to get out of it. I just got to relax.”