[h1]New York Knicks might be watching Charlotte Bobcats point guard D.J. Augustin very closely[/h1]
BY
Frank Isola
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Tuesday, December 15th 2009, 4:00 AM
Snyder/Reuters
Charlotte Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin is one of the players the New York Knicks have their eye on.
Any point guard who plays for
Larry Brown will ultimately clash with the head coach (See:
Stephon Marbury). But those who understand there is a method to Brown's madness can accomplish great things (See:
Allen Iverson).
Charlotte's
.J. Augustin is currently struggling with Brown's Play The Right Way edict, which could be a good thing for the
Knicks. Augustin remains a player of interest for the Knicks, who, according to a team source, had extensive talks last season with the Bobcats regarding a deal for the second-year guard out of
Texas.
"He was part of a bigger deal," the source said. "But I know the Knicks like him very much."
Knicks president
Donnie Walsh declined to discuss his level of interest in Augustin, although it is no secret that Walsh and Brown, friends for many years, talk regularly. According to a source, Brown is open to trading Augustin but has been overruled by
Michael Jordan.
"He hasn't defended like he needs to defend," Brown said recently. "He hasn't made shots. He hasn't distributed the ball."
Brown was saying some of those same things four years ago about
Nate Robinson, who is now buried on
Mike D'Antoni's bench. A Robinson-for-Augustin deal is unlikely because the salaries don't match and because Robinson would have to agree to the deal.
Either way, Robinson's days in New York are numbered. He and
Chris Duhon will become free agents on July 1 and Robinson certainly won't be re-signed. The Knicks will eventually be in the market for a point guard and Augustin, despite being undersized, is on their radar.
The Knicks, who have won four straight and are in Charlotte Tuesday, have had trouble containing Augustin. He's averaging 15.2 points in five games against the Knicks, including 15 two months ago when the Bobcats beat the Knicks in overtime.
BEND INTO SHAPE:
Jonathan Bender went through his second full practice yesterday and D'Antoni wouldn't rule out making Bender, who hasn't appeared in an
NBA game in three years, active against Charlotte.
"We'll see," D'Antoni said. "I wouldn't mind, not knowing how the game is going, getting him time as soon as I can in a non-stressful time like garbage time."
