D'Antoni awaits Davis, experience for rookies
Injured Baron Davis of the New York Knicks looks on against the New Jersey Nets. (Dec. 21, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Knicks (6-7) are not thinking "wait till next year," coach Mike D'Antoni said yesterday. Though he acknowledged that "we lost a couple of games at home we shouldn't have," he reminded that the team still is waiting for free-agent guard Baron Davis, rehabilitating a herniated disc, to play his first game for the team.
"Right now," D'Antoni said, "we're going to try to win games, win as many as we can, then set it up for the team that we'll have and see if that's good enough. I think it is.''
He expects Davis to be available late this month or in early February, and "by that time, we'll have some of our rookies with experience."
He was speaking of guard Iman Shumpert, who had 12 points, two assists and three steals in yesterday's 102-93 loss to Orlando, and forward Josh Harrellson, who scored eight points.
"We do have two rookies that have never been through a rookie camp or a camp," D'Antoni said, "and we get lost sometimes with switches, defensively or offensively. It's a struggle, remembering plays and different things. So those are normal adjustment periods we'll have."
D'Antoni could not say exactly when Davis will return to full practice. "Best-case scenario, for me? Yesterday," he said. "For him, I don't know. But I do think, come Thursday or Friday, we say, 'OK, we take another step' " in throwing Davis into more normal practice situations.
Jared Jeffries played 25 minutes in his second game back from a calf injury and had six points and three rebounds.
