For Nate Robinson, the ship may be sinking, and his dispute with Mike D'Antoni may be coming to a head.

D'Antoni's war with Robinson deepened yesterday when the Knicks coach made his strongest statement yet on how far Robinson is buried.

Though backup guard Larry Hughes could miss tonight's game in Chicago because of a strained left groin, and the Knicks are coming off a heartbreaking 94-87 loss to Charlotte that snapped their four-game winning streak, D'Antoni said he hasn't given a thought to turning back to Robinson.