Although Jeff Van Gundy made his bold change earlier this week, anointing Howard Eisley into the backup point-guard role and sitting Charlie Ward, the Knick coach still would like to see better production from the position.
Eisley, after his lavish Knick debut in Tuesday’s win over Portland, fell back to Earth vs. Miami. He committed four turnovers and shot 1-of-5 from the field in 25 minutes. He did grab five rebounds, including a last-minute long board that sealed the victory over the Heat.
Van Gundy was not pleased with the performance, nor was he pleased with Mark Jackson. Eisley and Jackson combined to shoot 1-for-11 vs. Miami. Van Gundy said the point guards, in general, and dating back to the struggling Ward, are not “playing up to their capabilities.”
“I feel I could play a lot better than I did but I’m happy we got the win,” Eisley said. “I should’ve taken better care of the ball. I could’ve hit more of the open shots I had.”
Van Gundy was displeased with how Jackson returned to the game late in the second quarter and played with low energy that contributed to Miami’s 14-0 run to close the period and bring the Heat back into the game.
Van Gundy mentioned that he was troubled some players have difficulty getting loose after spending time on the bench, evidenced by their late second-quarter meltdown. It may be why Van Gundy still opted to finish with Eisley, though he was not playing well. Van Gundy may have feared bringing back Jackson in the fourth quarter after a long rest.
“I really don’t have a plan,” Van Gundy said. “I think all of the guys are capable of finishing. I’m just going to finish with the guys – this will be a shock to you – that give us the best chance of winning.”
Eisley still can drive to the hoop better than Ward, but hasn’t found the range on his perimeter jump shot. That could take time, after he missed the first seven games, glued to the bench.
“I think my conditioning will improve as I continue to play,” Eisley said. “I feel in pretty good shape now. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to play.”
Van Gundy knows he’ll be asked about the point guards as long as Ward is on the bench, making $5.3 million.
“I don’t want to have to scrutinize them every game,” Van Gundy said.
