In spite of his likelihood to be named, Player of the Month, Knicks Wunderkind, Jeremy Lin, is not yet safe from a potential demotion. The New York Post reported earlier today that, following the recently superior efforts of the Knicks bench squad, Coach Mike D’Antoni may be considering a shake up in the starting five.
The reasoning behind this contemplation is partially due to the effectiveness of backup Point Guard, Baron Davis, while also being a conscious effort not to overwork the “almost-rookie”, Lin. The young guard, who has regularly headlined ESPN since claiming the starting role, has obviously been extremely productive for the Knicks, but many times his realistic efficiency is masked by that of the box score.
Lin was not the only star that found his role on the team being called into question. Struggling leader, Amar’e Stoudemire, was also rumored to be on the hot seat as backup sharpshooter, Steve Novak, has been playing at such a high level that he is warranting starter consideration. Yeah, that’s right, Steve Novak. When asked about the potential shake-up, D’Antoni said that things could certainly change as he looks for the right combinations on the floor, but that those decisions would not be made in haste.
While this would seem to be an obvious case of over-tinkering, the results of which remain to be seen. But there is definitely one positive to be taken away from this situation, having an excess of start-worthy players is not such a bad problem. This is especially true when you consider where the Knicks were just a month ago.
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not really. but amare seemed not restored from injury completely yet.
What a stupid article. No way Lin comes off the bench unless he has two or three bad games in a row. Lin will probably see his minutes decrease to 30 minutes or so per game, depending on the circumstances.
I would have to agree with you, but amazingly the subject has been broached so it’s worth mention. In the end though, I really can’t see the knicks sending their young star to the pine, if for no other reason then that he’s such a fan favorite, let alone how talented he really is.
I kind of saw this coming with Baron playing so good against Cleveland.I like it just like it is right now as long as they stay cohesive. I love for the bench to be just as strong as the starters so teams get no rest from pressure.If teammates could adjust to coming off the bench even though they want to start we’d be in good shape for those upper teams.IMO, there’s nothing wrong at being a bench player.It’s who’s on the floor in the end.Also teams wont know who to concentrate on.
I couldn’t agree more. A strong bench is often the difference between good teams and great ones. In the end it’s just determining which roles you can get the most out of each player from. I don’t know why, but for some reason a player can be great off the bench but far from it when they’re starting, and vice versa. Either way though, too many talented players is a nice problem to have!