[knicksfan7Participant]

It took him until the 48th game of the season to sit Duhon and play Nate and Hughes. I hope he sticks with this for the rest of the season. Start Nate and have Hughes be the 1st guard off the bench and then Duhon.

[sheltwon3Participant]

I understand why he played Duhon but right now they can not afford to play Duhon while he is in his slump. Duhon is the one guy who can actually play the point from a playmaking perspective but when he does not shoot well he is a liability. He would be a solid bk up but a terrible starter right now. Earlier Nate and Hughes played erratic and that is what cause one of them to be benched at points in this season.

[knicksfan7Participant]

Everything you are saying is on point. Just right now, Nate knows how to play the brand of basketball D’antoni wants and Hughes can play the Point as well as the SG. I don’t think Duhon should be put into exile, but he should be coming off the bench and start Nate with Hughes coming off the bench and then Duhon. The team has played better with Nate for his fast pace and Hughes provides great D .

[NYK2010Participant]

Hughes shouldn’t have been benched especially since they aren’t playing Douglas. 3 Guards isn’t enough, Chandler isn’t a guy you runs the offense obviously and Hughes can handle, defend and pass well and he some experience as a PG as well. Problem with Duhon is he passes up open shots and doesn’t drive the ball to the rim enough either. I definately agree with you guys on this.

Not sure why he shortens the rotation so much this isn’t playoff time, with Harrington, Chandler and Jeffries with nagging injuries he should play more guys.

[MkadozaParticipant]

Well this is what happens when your center has the best combination of court IQ and scoring ability…

[rtbtParticipant]

I completely agree with NYK2010, there’s no good reason to play only 8 men every night. There are several major drawbacks to this type of decision.

1. Obviously over an 82 game season, those 8 guys can be worn out. And once fatigue kicks in, you start making poor decisions, your shot goes, and you’re more likely to get injured.

2. If any one of those eight guys is injured, then you have to insert a guy into your regular rotation who essentially hasn’t played all year .

3. There are no true centers in the 8 man rotation which means the Knicks have no intimidation threat on defense in the lane. And when the Knicks play against big teams they are usually killed on the boards.

In addition to the three points above, I learned over time that one of the best ways to keep guys motivated, sharp, and create a positive team psychology is to give everyone an opportunity to play. Guys who sit on the bench every night tend to lose their interest and develop a negative attitude.

You don’t have to play all 12 guys but I think you should have a ten man rotation for the reasons cited above.

[knicksfreakParticipant]

If anyone remembers, the Knicks success started when D’Antoni shortened the Knicks rotation to 8 men. It is better because it allows continuity and keeps players hot instead of having a logjam of players coming in to the game cold and out of sync with eachother.

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