Can there be a Knicks point-guard controversy come April if backup Baron Davis continues to rise and Jeremy Lin’s game flattens out? It is no longer a Linsane thought.
Mike D’Antoni has always left open that possibility, and after the second unit’s superior play in the Knicks’ second-half bludgeoning of the Cavaliers in Wednesday's 120-103 win, their starting lineup as March begins could be different when the month ends.
D’Antoni said Wednesday night the second unit dominated the first unit during scrimmages earlier this week. Davis confirmed a friendly rivalry is brewing between the super subs and the star-studded starting unit. That makes the Knicks (18-18) only the most dangerous .500 team in sports since the Giants were 7-7 in December.ROLE REVERSAL? Baron Davis had his best game with the Knicks on Wednesday, and if he continues to dazzle as a sub, Mike D’Antoni said he would think about making him the starter ofver Jeremy Lin (right).
“That’s our job is to come out and practice and play with that energy and intensity,’’ said Davis, who had eight assists and zero turnovers in 14-plus minutes. “It helps us. We’re not going to play against a better second unit than our first team. Every day in practice we are challenging them and we are kicking their butts.’’
So will D’Antoni look into tinkering with the starting five, even bringing Lin off the bench?
“It could [change],’’ D’Antoni said. “I’m trying to find the right combos. But it’s got to be determined over time. It’s not going to be over one game. Not going to just throw people under the bus for one or two games. Over a length of time, if they prove they need to be out there, they’ll be out there.’’
Having burgeoning 3-point ace Steve Novak replace struggling Amar’e Stoudemire in the starting lineup is politically incorrect. But not as much as if D’Antoni demotes Lin, whose numbers Wednesday were better than his overall effectiveness vs. Cleveland. With a late burst when the Knicks were in command, Lin finished with 19 points, 13 assists and one turnover.
Davis hurt the Cavaliers more than Lin during the Knicks’ second-half comeback with the Fab Five second unit of Novak, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Jared Jeffries. Their defensive spirit was superior to Carmelo Anthony’s starting group.
“If we’re serious about doing something important in the postseason, everyone has to buy into playing less minutes and playing harder and really stepping up,’’ D’Antoni said.
Stoudemire, a team player, said he just wants the championship ring.
“No, it’s OK,’’ Stoudemire said of facing fewer minutes. “We feel good about that. We feel great about the fact that we can play our second unit. That’s a beautiful thing for us because that’s going to be something that’s very important going down the stretch during the season and on to the playoffs.’’
Novak, who is shooting 49 percent in February, said he’s happy in his bench role.
“No controversy,’’ Novak said. “We know we’re going to go as far as Amar’e goes and Carmelo goes. We need them to be our leaders. Those two and Tyson [Chandler].’’
Lin, a strong candidate to win Player of the Month today for February after leading the Knicks to a 10-3 surge, has shown only minor signs of wearing down. The Knicks want to reduce his minutes to fewer than 35, but keep him as the starter in a perfect world.
One league executive said Lin will hit a rookie wall because this is essentially his rookie season after playing sparingly last year with Golden State. D’Antoni is also looking to temper expectations. In a playoff series vs. Miami, who is to say Davis’ experience won’t be in demand, especially the way Lin looked lost against the Heat trap last week?
“The story is he came from being cut a couple of times, almost being cut by us to leading the team to seven wins and dominate the league for [two] weeks,’’ D’Antoni said. “I think the story now is he can’t dominate the league all year. Nobody does that. To be able to be leader of the Knicks is a great story. Now he’s in a routine where 17-18 points [and] eight, 10, 12, assists, few turnovers and becomes a point guard who will make your team win. He’s doing that. It was a bounce-back [Wednesday] but he only had one blip after being tired from seven [games] in 10 nights and Miami jumped on him.’’
Davis, who has played four games, said his minutes will gradually increase but isn’t ready for more than 15 minutes a night when the Knicks begin their four-game road trip starting in Boston Sunday, before heading to Dallas, San Antonio and Milwaukee.
In December, Davis didn’t know if he’d ever make it to the court, yet was branded as their savior. Now he feels he still can be.
“This gives me a joy knowing I’m building and an added bonus of confidence going into the next game,’’ Davis said. “It’s one of those games getting the monkey off your back. I am part of the team. I know I can do certain things out there to help this team win.”
marc.berman@nypost.com
