Young Knick Guards Are Impressing Riley

Another great discovery about Greg Anthony: He doesn’t like to talk about how good the New York Knicks’ second unit might be.

That’s a good sign because it means that Anthony, the Knicks’ talented rookie, refuses to recognize that he is part of a second team. He’s not aiming for a point-guard controversy, but he’s aiming to be No. 1. And as much fun as we all will have with the inevitable point-guard argument, there is a more pertinent point. There can only be a controversy if there are two players worthy of starting. And if there are, that means the point-guard position is in great shape.

Barring an injury, Mark Jackson seems secure as a starter for at least this season. John MacLeod and Al Bianchi put a lot of effort into destroying Jackson’s confidence and Coach Pat Riley is putting equal effort into repairing it.

It is clear, however, that Riley is enthused not only about Anthony, but the combination of Anthony and John Starks. Riley has often inserted Anthony and Starks into the lineup as a unit in relief of Jackson and Gerald Wilkins in the preseason, and almost always, the two young guards have pumped life into the Knicks.

“I’m impressed by the two young kids,” Riley said. “I think they’ve gotten into one another, and they like to go in in tandem.”

Anthony and Starks are better defensive players than Jackson and Wilkins. Riley characterized them with one word. “Assault,” he said, approvingly.

Their defensive skills were evident Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, where the Knicks improved their preseason record to 4-2 with a 101-95 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Anthony and Starks played about three-quarters of the second half and were primarily responsible for Jazz guards making only five of 20 shots from the field in the second half. Overall, the Knicks’ defense limited the Jazz to a 12-of-38 performance from the field in the second half.

“When Greg and I go in there,” Starks said, “we talk about shutting our man down -- getting up in our man’s jock and applying the pressure. Everybody else sees we’re working hard on defense and it’s contagious. And then the first team comes back in and puts the hammer on.”

Anthony, however, was not into first and second-team designations.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” he said. “I just like to play. John and I played in summer league together and I have a better feel for playing with him. But you have to learn everybody’s strengths and weaknesses and adapt to them and make them more productive. I don’t really think about it. I just play. When Mark comes in, I go back and sit down.”

But not late in the game Wednesday. Starks played the final 19 minutes. Anthony played the final 17. Anthony Mason and Tim McCormick played the final 15. And Kiki Vandeweghe played the final 13. There were no starters on the floor in the fourth period.

And that was the most fascinating part of what should have been a drab exhibition game. Afterward, Riley repeated what he has said since training camp opened.

“I think it’s important for this team to win,” Riley said. “I’ve made that statement three or four times. We’re trying to build something here. We have to rid ourselves of some old habits. Throughout the course of a game, you always keep a pulse on the team’s emotional stability. You can sense frustration sets in sometimes when you see things don’t go their way -- when they don’t get the calls or a couple of turnovers and they’re about ready to go the other way.

“We have to grow in that area -- just focus in, focus in and focus in and keep playing the game. You’ve got to maintain a 48-minute focus.”

Wednesday, however, Riley focused late with the second unit. That, obviously, will not happen in the regular season, but despite Riley’s emphasis on exhibition success, it is obvious he must find out whether his reserves can be effective if they are needed.

Riley has indicated he might experiment with a 10-man rotation when the regular season starts, although he quickly points out, “I also could go with seven, use six, and trust five.”

One preseason game does not tell Riley everything, but he has discovered his reserve guards are competent defensively, thus capable of being catalysts. Anthony and Starks provide such a different look from the starters that they also will work well when playing with the starting front line. It is doubtful either of them will earn a starting job this season, but they already have earned playing time. Count on seeing them a lot.