SNY.tv: Online Home of All Things Sports

Now that Robinson is expected to miss up to two weeks with the injury, the 6-foot-5 Hughes should get more court time beginning with tonight's tilt against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets.

After sitting through two DNPs in the team's first two games, Hughes came off the bench Saturday to score 18 points in the Knicks' 141-127 overtime loss to Philadelphia.

"He played great," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team is 0-3. "He was the reason that I thought that second group was really good. He settled everybody down, made the right play. His defensive presence is good."

The 5-9 Robinson injured his right ankle in the fourth quarter of that game and will now be sidelined, opening up time for Hughes and rookie Toney Douglas.

Make no mistake, Hughes can score. He scored a career-high 52 points back in 2004 and has averaged 14.6 points over his career.

"I'm pretty comfortable," said Hughes, an 11-year NBA veteran who was left out of D'Antoni's nine-man rotation during the preseason. "I take the preseason for what it's worth. I'll continue to go out and work hard and practice and just before the games, getting my mind right for a long season and trying to figure out where I fit in on this team. So I wasn't discouraged by the shots and preseason at all."

Hughes will earn $13.7 million this year and is one of six key Knicks with no contract for next season.

Perhaps more important than his offense is Hughes' strong defense. He had four steals against the Sixers and averages 1.6 for his career.

The Knicks were the third-worst defensive team in the NBA last season and are giving up an alarming 119.3 points per game through three contests this season.

Hughes knows the team must improve its defensive effort if it is going to start winning some games.

"As a team you just have to want to play defense," Hughes said. "You have to enjoy it. You have to enjoy stopping the other team, making it tough on the other team. And that comes with just learning how to win."

He added: "We have to get stops. We know we can score the ball and shoot the ball, but it's tough when the other teams don't think we want to play defense. Then they get that much more comfortable in taking shots and making shots. It's hard to stop a team from scoring once they get going."