Originally Posted by YEEUPP
Every game.. Get smacked by 20 or more by half. We come back to tie/lead/ or come close.... just to lose the game
that will happen without a main cog
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Chris Duhon Knicks Era ends Wednesday in Toronto-- and it will end with him reinstalled as the starting point guard.Mission was not accomplished, but coach
Mike 'Antoni is defending Duhon to the bitter end.
Duhonwas supposed to restore a winning culture to the Garden. That's whatDuhon predicted. That's what D'Antoni promised. The Knicks coach beggedteam president Donnie Walsh to sign the career backup
point guard as a free agent in the summer of 2008.
Stephon Marbury was a losing playing, D'Antoni believed. Duhon was a winner one. Two 50-loss seasons later, 'Antoni still won't admit he was wrong about Duhon.
ANTHONY J. CAUSI
ROUGH YEAR: Coach Mike D'Antoni said
Chris Duhon (above) is not solely to blame for the Knicks' losing seasons.
But Duhon isn't too proud to acknowledge his failure on Broadway.
"Ichose to come here," said Duhon, who had one of his best shootingnights yesterday, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 from the field. "Icould've been in Orlando if I wanted to. And I chose to come here forthe new opportunity, trying to bring this organization to new things.It was a challenge. And I obviously didn't succeed in that. I won'tregret that at all."
D'Antoni won't come close to regretting the Duhon signing.
"Weweren't very good [but] you're not going to get me to go there,"D'Antoni said before the Knicks were routed by the Magic 118-103 atAmway Arena to fall to 28-51. "We made all kinds of trades -- with theplan we stuck to. It's not fair to blame anybody. He's had anup-and-down two years. A lot guys did."
Orlando offered Duhon a contract to be Jameer Nelson's backup. Orlando made the finals last season and might get there again.
"Thedecision came to starting and trying to bring this team back up, orplaying behind Jameer and trying to win a championship," Duhon said."No regrets."
Duhon said this with a smile, making it appear he wasfibbing. The only thing that brought a genuine smile to his face thisseason was his Saints winning the Super Bowl and Duke capturing anothertitle.
"It was the toughest thing for me because I hate losing,"Duhon said. "Sometimes it effects me because I take it so personally.Sometimes it got me down where I can't play the way I normally play. Ihate losing."
Duhon, who was averaging 7.1 points, 5.5 assists whileshooting a dreadful 35.5 percent from the field heading into lastnight, has started the last four games, replacing rookie Toney Douglas,who still is getting big minutes off the pine. He played a solid gameyesterday, scoring 13 points and adding five assists.
Why D'Antoniisn't just rolling exclusively with Douglas and Sergio Rodriguez isbaffling. Douglas is a keeper for next season, and D'Antoni still isevaluating Rodriguez, a free agent who probably hasn't shown enough toreturn.
Duhon will be elsewhere next season for much less than thefull mid-level exception the Knicks lavished on him. "I'm smart," Duhonsaid. "I understand the league. I would love to be back. It's a greatspot. What they're trying to do with
free agency and Mike's vision and Donnnie's vision, I want to be part of that. But obviously I don't know if I am."
TheKnicks are committed to finding new point guards to go along withDouglas. Duhon said he expects he will get a job but won't entertainEuropean offers.
"I would never go overseas," Duhon said. "I would take less to stay here [in the
NBA]."
D'Antoni said he expects to see Duhon resurface, though likely as a backup.
"I do think he's an NBA player, and there's a role for him," D'Antoni said. "Whether that role is here, we'll see.I like Chris."