For Argument’s Sake

Is Chris Duhon the answer to Starbury?

The sorry New York Knicks made another offseason move and signed Chris Duhon just in case they decide to give Stephan “Starbury” Marbury the boot.

Duhon played college ball at Duke before being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004. He played for the Bulls for four short years, averaging only 5.8 points per game last season. The Bulls let Duhon go basically because they need the cap room and floor room to draft Derrick Rose.

There’s already rumors brewing that Duhon could become a starter for the Knicks immediately.

I agree that the Knicks need to replace Marbury. He’s much more trouble than he’s worth. And really, what has he done for the Knicks since he’s been there? It time for New York to move on, clear the roster and sign some new blood. But Chris Duhon? Really?

Is he the answer?

My argument is this: No, he’s not “the answer.” “The answer” is Allen Iverson and he’s already playing for the Denver Nuggets. Duhon isn’t even close to “the answer.” Sure, he’s got great athletic ability and he’s a good defender but he lacks two major elements every starting point guard in the NBA should have: a solid jump shot and the ability to see the floor well. Duhon’s jump shot needs some major improvement. You might say, so what? Tony Parker doesn’t have that great of a jump shot either. True, but Parker does have the ability to see the floor well. And he averages far more than 5.8 points per game because of his ability to get to the hoop and toss floaters in left and right. Duhon doesn’t have the speed that Parker has and he’s more apt to pass off rather than score. You might say, so what? Steve Nash dishes more often than he shoots. True, but Nash is a brilliant decision maker. He makes players around him better. Duhon still has some growing to do before he can get to that level.

I know that Duhon played extremely well at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to an overall 123-21 record during his college career, but we all know that amazing college careers don’t necessarily translate over to the NBA. See Christian Laettner.

The bottom line is that Chris Duhon is not Allen Iverson, he’s not Tony Parker and he’s definitely not Steve Nash. I don’t think he’ll ever be that good. The New York Knicks need a complete turnaround this season. They should take some notes from the Celtics and stock their bench with a good mix of seasoned veterans and eager-to-learn young players. If the Knicks had signed someone like Baron Davis (they could have made a play for him at the very least), I’d be singing a far different tune. But Chris Duhon?

I’m just not seeing it.

The results of the Candace Parker poll are in! The question was: Is Candace Parker the savior of the WNBA?
The majority of you believe that she is and that she is already putting the WNBA on the map.

For previous editions of For Argument’s Sake, go here.