NEW YORK — Linsanity cost Toney Douglas his job.
When the Knicks’ season began more than two months ago, Douglas was the team’s starting point guard and Jeremy Lin was firmly entrenched at the end of the bench.
Now, as my SheridanHoops.com colleague Moke Hamilton ably points out, Douglas and Lin have basically switched roles.
And while Linsanity has been examined from just about every angle imaginable, this story has really not been covered.
“It’s tough,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said Wednesday before Lin helped the Knicks beat the Cavs, 120-103, with 19 points, 13 assists and one turnover.
“We believe in Toney…but somebody would have to get hurt or fall out of favor. It’s tough to get everybody in.”
When the season began, reporters swarmed around Douglas in the Knicks locker room to get his comments after every game.
When the team struggled with him at the point, people wanted explanations.
But since Linsanity began Feb. 4 — propelling the Knicks to a 10-3 run under Lin’s leadership — Douglas has become the forgotten man in the Knicks locker room.
“I’m high on Toney,” Knicks interim GM Glen Grunwald said recently. “I think he’ll make a comeback this year.”
That seems unlikely at this point.
Douglas, who is averaging 9.4 points this season, has played a total of 10 minutes in the last 12 games. New York is 9-3 during that stretch.
When he was running the point, the offense did not flow smoothly and he had a tendency to make cuts across the back of the court, instead of initiating pick-and-roll opportunities for Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler or setting up teammates in transition.
He is averaging just 2.2 assists per game.
Lin, by contrast, is averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 assists.
So while Linsanity has been painted as a feel-good story with plenty of positive angles, the hard truth is that Lin’s emergence hasn’t been pleasant for everyone.
“We believe in Toney,” D’Antoni said. “We still believe he can play.”
Just not anytime soon.
Photo: NY Post
