 Watching Knicks games this year you have to wonder if there really is a future for Toney Douglas as a Knick. When Toney Douglas got drafted many fans including myself had high hopes for the young rookie point guard. Just like fans had hopes that one day Jordan Hill could make an impact wearing the Knicks orange and blue. The majority of this season Toney Douglas has spent on the bench. Over and over we have heard coach Mike D’Antoni say that Douglas is not ready. My question is if Douglas is not ready now when will he be? So far Toney Douglas has only played in 34 games averaging 13 minutes when he does play. For the season Douglas is shooting 46% from field and 35% from behind the arc. When he does get a chance to show his skill he plays solid defense on his man and plays the passing lanes very well. We have also seen a player that can hit the midrange and three point shot. In the recent game against the Grizzlies we saw Douglas get steals, play defense, take his man off the dribble and pass. Yet this has not led him to be the first guard off the bench. Douglas may not run the pick and roll as well as Duhon or now Sergio Rodriguez but he can bring the ball up and control the tempo. Apparently that was not good enough to for him to have gotten playing time over Chris Duhon. This season Duhon looks like he’s been hanging out in Oscar the Grouch’s trash can. Duhon stinking up the court was not enough for Douglas to get some playing. This season we have heard all the reasons why Douglas is not get playing time. First, we were told by coach Mike D’Antoni that Toney Douglas was not ready to play point guard. He is still has to work on his pick and roll game. Then the excuse was there was not enough minutes for him to split between Nate Robinson and Larry Hughes. To make things worst, Knicks fans were told that the main reason the Knicks did not sign Allen Iverson was because Mike D’Antoni wanted to make room for Douglas to develop. Now there is no Nate Robinson, Allen Iverson, or Larry Hughes to prevent Douglas from playing. Yet he is still riding the bench behind veteran shooting guard Eddie House waiting to get playing time. Mike D’Antoni’s decision to play Eddie House is the obstacle that is standing in the way of rookie point guard Toney Douglas. We were all told in the past by Mike D’Antoni that Douglas is not ready to play the point. However, neither is Eddy House. As a matter of fact House not being able to bring up the ball is the main reason he was shown door as a Celtic. Besides shooting there is nothing else that Eddie House can provide. Yet House has been getting the call to pay back up point guard. At this point it looks like the future of Toney Douglas as a Knick does not look too promising with Mike D’Antoni. If he can not get playing time over Eddie House this season who says that Douglas will get playing time next season when the Knicks are going after free agents and are looking for a point guard. Who knows what the future holds for Toney Douglas. One thing is for sure is with this team only winning 20 games he should be seeing more action. If Mike D’Antoni can not allow Douglas to develop in a losing season it’s unlikely that is will happen when the Knicks start winning games. Follow Me On Twitter Toney Douglas Mix 2
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