D'Antoni reinstalls Duhon as Knicks' starting point guard

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - After only two games, Mike D'Antoni didn't like what he saw out of the Nate Robinson Experiment.

"With 19 wins," he said, "I don't like anything right now."

But he does like Chris Duhon running the point a lot more than Robinson in that role. So Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, the Knicks' last game before the All-Star break, Duhon will be back in the starting lineup and Robinson will return to the bench as a reserve.

"We function better when Chris is running the team," D'Antoni said Monday after practice at the MSG Training Center. "Obviously, he hasn't played well, but that's the way we're the best."

Robinson had 26 points and was a big part of a comeback from a 24-point deficit in Saturday's loss in Cleveland. But he scored 23 of his points in the second half, most of which he spent as a shooting guard with Duhon running the point.

In Friday's loss to the Bucks, which was Robinson's first start, D'Antoni could see that the 5-9 guard struggled with the responsibilities of being in charge of the offense and getting others involved.

"He's just better as an off guard than he is at point guard," D'Antoni said of Robinson, who did not practice because of a groin strain but should be available Tuesday night. "I think he understands that and I think the team functions better with a true point."

D'Antoni also included a telling remark among his reasons for giving the ball back to Duhon.

"Sometimes a point guard has to make Gallo aggressive," he said in reference to the team's best shooter, Danilo Gallinari, who is averaging eight shots in his last three games after being in double figures in the previous 10. Gallinari has been guilty of being passive and often has gotten lost in the offense, which is the fault of the point guard.

Duhon has a firm grasp of the offense and has the ability to involve other players, but he has hurt the Knicks with his 35.2-percent shooting and his hesitancy to drive to the basket. He admitted Monday that in the final year of his contract, he entered the season putting pressure on himself to perform well. After he got off to a bad start, he paid too much attention to things being said by the fans and the media.

"At some point," he said, "you've got to look in the mirror."

In the meantime, the Knicks will look around the league for alternatives before the Feb. 18 trade deadline.