The Knicks are currently on a six game losing streak. While there's a lot of uncertainty about the team, one thing is clear: You can't blame Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, or Jerome Jordan.Why not? Because they didn't play in any of those games. None of them have seen any action since February. None of them are injured either. If you watch Knicks games on TV like I do, you can see them every once in a while sitting on the bench or standing in the huddle with their warmups on.
Let's take a look at each of these players and see what they bring to the table:
Mike Bibby: 21 games, 13.9 minutes per game (2.8 ppg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 rpg)
The last time Bibby played was on February 15th in a win against the Kings. However, ever since then, he hasn't seen a second of playing time. If Bibby doesn't play tomorrow against the Blazers, he will officially have gone a month without playing, even though he is perfectly healthy. It's not like the Knicks are doing well without him either. The Knicks won five games in a row in February while Bibby was playing, but since then they are 3-9 while he's been benched. He signed with the Knicks for the veteran's minimum before the season started in the hopes of getting a ring, but the Knicks are losing and he isn't playing.
Toney Douglas: 26 games, 20.8 minutes per game (7.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.0 rpg)
As the '11-'12 season started, a lot of weight was on Toney Douglas' back. He was going to be the starting point guard for the Knicks. The Knicks won their first game of the season while Douglas started and put up a solid stat line (19 points, 4 assists). However, things gradually went downhill as Douglas struggled to run the offense and the Knicks started to lose regularly. As this was happening, his name started floating around in trade rumors and fans cried for the debut of Baron Davis or a trade for Steve Nash. After a rough game (0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 0-5 field goals) against the Wizards, he was replaced in the starting lineup by Iman Shumpert. Douglas played in the first 25 games of the season for the Knicks, put has only played in one game since then.
Jerome Jordan: 13 games, 4.7 minutes per game (1.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.2 rpg)
Jordan was one of three rookies signed in the offseason by the Knicks. I saw him play in his debut in a loss against the Warriors (that he wasn't to blame for). He put up 4 points and 2 rebounds in five and a half minutes of play. I remember thinking that he looked talented and could really contribute. However, he has been given only sporadic playing time and has been in and out of the D-League. The most minutes he's played in a game this season was 10 minutes in a win against the Kings. Mike D'Antoni gave Jeremy Lin consistent playing time and we all know how well that worked out. Give Tyson Chandler a break and give Jordan a chance to shine. I'm ready for some Jeromesanity!
I think that D'Antoni should switch things up and give these guys some playing time. When he did it with Lin, we went on a 7-game winning streak. When he did it with Steve Novak, he shot the lights out from three and has ever since. Bibby, Douglas, and Jordan are all capable of helping teams win.
-Bibby helped lead the Kings to the Western Conference Finals in 2002 (That was 10 years ago, but it still counts).
-Douglas scored 30 points in a win against the Bulls and dished out 10 assists to go along with 18 points in a win against the Grizzlies (Both of those games were last season, but they still count).
-Jordan led Tulsa to the 2008 CBI Championship and was named MVP of the tournament (This happened while he was in college, but it still counts).
If there is someone on the Knicks who does need to get benched, it's J.R. Smith. He's been very inconsistent and doesn't seem to be helping the team.
(Photo Courtesy: ESPN NBA - http://espn.go.com/nba/players)
References: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players
Have any thoughts on Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and Jerome Jordan not receiving any playing time? Do they belong in the rotation? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
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