The Mike D'antoni Thread

[Scoooter]

So nice you said it twice.

You say we shoulda kept Mozgov but Mozgov had about as many DNP-Coach's Decisions as he had points.My biggest problem with your defense of D'Antoni is when you act like he isn't part of the reason why the roster is the way it is.He doesn't want defensive players.He wants bums like Jared Jeffries.

Jeffries is a defensive player. Just not a particularly good one. The thing about Mozgov was he couldn't stay on the floor early in the season. He'd foul out in ten minutes and bobble passes like they were biting his fingers. So they worked with him in practice and what not, he got better, and they stuck him back into the lineup, where he performed nicely. The team looked better. Amar'e's job was easier, rebounding was up, defensive stops were initiating the break. D'antoni obviously wanted to play him, he made him a starter coming out of training camp. Just wasn't ready. Until he was. But then he got traded. And now we're desperate for a center again. Keep up the good work, Jimmy.

My question to you is,what have you seen to make you believe a Mike D'Antoni coached team can do anything beside win a lot of games in the regular season and ultimately fail in the playoffs because they don't play D? Why prolong the inevitable?You have to play defense to win championships and he doesn't care about defense.Therefore,we won't win a championship under him.It's like a simple equation.Remember probability in JHS p if then q lmao

I said I wanted a good defensive assistant and good defensive players brought in. I want the team to get better defensively. They've shown, under D'antoni, that they can play pretty good D when they need to. They did in select regular season games and most of the Boston series, and that was with bad defenders at every position. Chauncey, Fields, Melo, Amar'e, Jeffries. All bad defenders. They get some good defenders, maybe some great defenders (Dwight!), and who knows?

The whole, "defense wins championships" thing is kind of played out though. You need a good team, period. Only one team can win it every year, and they tend to be the same three or four teams (and coaches). Does that mean everyone else sucks? I don't know. Jerry Sloan teams play great D, and they always fail in the playoffs. Rick Adelman wins a lot of regular season games, and then fails in the playoffs, and has for over twenty years. George Karl. If the criteria is ring or bust, then D'antoni's been as successful as any of those guys, and they've usually had better teams.

[franchize]

[QUOTE]I said I wanted a good defensive assistant and good defensive players brought in. I want the team to get better defensively. QUOTE]
But this isn't football.You don't have defensive coordinators.Basketball doesn't work like.Ultimately,assistants are just that.They assists.Have of them record stats not officially kept.Pat Ewing for example mainly records Dwight's progress.End of the day,assistants don't say much in the huddle; especially in a 30 second timeout.

They've shown, under D'antoni, that they can play pretty good D when they need to. They did in select regular season games and most of the Boston series, and that was with bad defenders at every position.

What games do you watch?We are one of,if not the worst defensive team in the league.I can't remember the last game I saw where we didn't give up @ least 30 in the 1st quarter.Furthermore,it's not just us.Every one of Mike D'Antoni's teams have been poor defensively.Spare me the nonsense about his limited roster because in PHX he had really good talent and they never played D.That's why they switched over to Terry Porter.I watched our final game of the season and realized when teams come down the court on offense, we just guard the player we're closest to.When they run pick and rolls,we switch EVERY TIME.We don't know how to hedge screens,we don't doouble hard,we don't slip picks,we don't help....NOTHING.All we do is switch. How many wide open layups did Boston get last game?

So they worked with him in practice and what not, he got better, and they stuck him back into the lineup, where he performed nicely.

You're overexaggerating Mozgov's impact.He had about a week where he had a few games over 10 points.One or two were even in the 20's.It wasn't like it was a 2 month stretch.When Mozgov was here you got tiny glimpses of him being a player.I wouldn't exactly say it was promise though.

The whole, "defense wins championships" thing is kind of played out though. You need a good team, period.

Played out? What championship team in the last decade DIDNT play good defense? It's ok...I'll wait.I'm not saying you need to be the Spurs or Boston. I'm not saying you have to be GREAT defensively.All I'm saying is you have to @ least be respectable.We're a joke on D as was every other D'Antoni coached team.

Jerry Sloan teams play great D, and they always fail in the playoffs. Rick Adelman wins a lot of regular season games, and then fails in the playoffs, and has for over twenty years. George Karl. If the criteria is ring or bust, then D'antoni's been as successful as any of those guys, and they've usually had better teams.

Jerry Sloan's problem was his GM's.They always had a two headed monster but never surrounded their dual threats with talent.When they had Stockton and Malone,their next best player was Hornacek Boozer has always been overrated and they only had a year with Al n Deron.

Rick Adelman had shitty teams and took them to the playoffs.Year after year I wondered how the hell the Rockets made it to the playoffs.At one point their best players were Aaron Brooks and Ron Artest yet they'd compete with teams like the Lakers and give them hell.

George Karl....I think he sucks as a coach so you won't get any argument from me with that guy lmao I'd rather D'Antoni over Karl ANY DAY!

To sum things up,I just feel we're making unnecessary excuses every year for this guy and for the Knicks.We sat around and waited for Gallo to be Mike's prodigal superstar...that never happened.We sat around said give him time to teach the team defense...that never happened.We sat around and watched him shun good talent who wanted to be here for bums like Jeffries.Now where going to wait for him to all of a sudden care about something he's never cared about his entire career?N the excuse is he needs better assistants? He's the HEAD COACH.How many teams can you honestly name their assistants?When Thibs left Boston,did they all of a sudden forget how to play D?C'mon....we're reaching.Let's get a guy in here who doesn't need everything on a platter for him.

[Scoooter]

But this isn't football.You don't have defensive coordinators.Basketball doesn't work like.Ultimately,assistants are just that.They assists.Have of them record stats not officially kept.Pat Ewing for example mainly records Dwight's progress.End of the day,assistants don't say much in the huddle; especially in a 30 second timeout.

Plenty of teams have assistants who are known almost as defensive coordinators. Tom Thibadeaux was a good recent example. Patrick Ewing would be cool, if he brought Dwight with him.

What games do you watch?We are one of,if not the worst defensive team in the league.I can't remember the last game I saw where we didn't give up @ least 30 in the 1st quarter.Furthermore,it's not just us.Every one of Mike D'Antoni's teams have been poor defensively.

Ok. "Select few games"; I didn't say it was a trend. The next step is making it dependable.

Spare me the nonsense about his limited roster because in PHX he had really good talent and they never played D.That's why they switched over to Terry Porter.

Terry Porter got shitcanned in, what, two months? Being "defensive minded" is great, but you have to be a good coach. You have to win games. The Suns missed the playoffs that year.

I watched our final game of the season and realized when teams come down the court on offense, we just guard the player we're closest to.When they run pick and rolls,we switch EVERY TIME.We don't know how to hedge screens,we don't doouble hard,we don't slip picks,we don't help....NOTHING.All we do is switch. How many wide open layups did Boston get last game?

I agree. We need better defenders and better coaching. Haven't you been listening?

You're overexaggerating Mozgov's impact.He had about a week where he had a few games over 10 points.One or two were even in the 20's.It wasn't like it was a 2 month stretch.When Mozgov was here you got tiny glimpses of him being a player.I wouldn't exactly say it was promise though.

The last thing anyone cared about was how many points he scored. That he could shoot jumpers, had some nice footwork, and could finish alley-oops and dunk put-backs were bonuses. Having a legit center in the game completely changed the look of the team. They out-rebounded opponents, they got stops at the rim, Amar'e slid back down to PF, legitimately, and had all sorts of pressure taken off of him, etc., I could go on.

That 23/14 game he had in his first game back was great. You don't see Jeffries or Williams or Turiaf putting up those numbers. Ever. I'm not saying he was an All-Star, but he was big, he was athletic, he could shoot a little bit, and he was constantly improving. In Denver, he's shown similar flashes of being a really solid center. He did a great job on Andrew Bynum in a game against the Lakers, for instance. And, oh yeah, he played a position we actually needed - and still do, more than ever.

Played out? What championship team in the last decade DIDNT play good defense? It's ok...I'll wait.I'm not saying you need to be the Spurs or Boston. I'm not saying you have to be GREAT defensively.All I'm saying is you have to @ least be respectable.We're a joke on D as was every other D'Antoni coached team.

I didn't say it was wrong, I just said it's overstated. Plenty of teams play fantastic defense and don't do shit. The Bucks played great D this season, and they stayed home in April to watch the Knicks in the playoffs. For the most part, once the playoffs started, the Knicks played "respectable" D. Now they can get better.

Jerry Sloan's problem was his GM's.They always had a two headed monster but never surrounded their dual threats with talent.When they had Stockton and Malone,their next best player was Hornacek Boozer has always been overrated and they only had a year with Al n Deron.

Rick Adelman had shitty teams and took them to the playoffs.Year after year I wondered how the hell the Rockets made it to the playoffs.At one point their best players were Aaron Brooks and Ron Artest yet they'd compete with teams like the Lakers and give them hell.

Excuses excuses. I thought you didn't like making excuses for coaches. I thought you wanted guys who didn't need "everything on a platter for them". These guys have been coaching for over twenty years each, with some great teams. No rings.

George Karl....I think he sucks as a coach so you won't get any argument from me with that guy lmao I'd rather D'Antoni over Karl ANY DAY!

Yeah, I kind of soured on Karl recently. Probably just paying more attention to him this season.

To sum things up,I just feel we're making unnecessary excuses every year for this guy and for the Knicks.We sat around and waited for Gallo to be Mike's prodigal superstar...that never happened.We sat around said give him time to teach the team defense...that never happened.We sat around and watched him shun good talent who wanted to be here for bums like Jeffries.Now where going to wait for him to all of a sudden care about something he's never cared about his entire career?N the excuse is he needs better assistants? He's the HEAD COACH.How many teams can you honestly name their assistants?When Thibs left Boston,did they all of a sudden forget how to play D?C'mon....we're reaching.Let's get a guy in here who doesn't need everything on a platter for him.

We also watched him coach the team (really two different teams) into the playoffs this season, for the first time in six years. Above .500! Big picture, man.

Gallo was a baller too; you hatin'.

[knickscity]

My take on D'antoni.......

If he is here, he needs a defensive assistant that will open their mouth, not the kinfolk and cronies he has now.

If he is gone, there must be a viable replacement on deck.

There is no point of firing the guy if no one else is available.

For the record I think Sloan is out the game, and Adelman really doesn't impress me, it's just something about him I just don't like.

[Scoooter]

MIKE D'ANTONI: After catching flack all season for not preaching defense, D'Antoni showed he can turn on the D when it matters most: the playoffs. In Games 1 and 2, the Knicks held the Celtics to 91.5 points, which would've made them the third-best defensive team this past season. Unfortunately, injuries doomed them. Although the sideline boss is on the hot seat for being swept in the first round, Melo and Amare have his back. That's very encouraging. Grade: B

But, of course, Melo couldn't steer away from Knicks questions. He said he was still "recovering" from the team's heartbreaking series loss to the Celtics and made it clear that he stands by Mike D'Antoni, who's been in the hot seat since the sweep.

"I love him,” Anthony said. “I’m a big fan of him. I love him and I support him." Amare Stoudemire has shared the same sentiment about wanting coach and Donnie Walsh back. "Oh, absolutely. Absolutely."

With major support from the franchise's superstars, that's probably all D'Antoni needs to return.

Link.

There's also talk of resigning Wilson Chandler. Gross.

[knickscity]

On the Melo piece.....

Obviously an offensive minded player would want an offensive minded coach.

Melo would be viewed as criminal if he said he wanted the coach gone publicly.

Yet, we have heard Melo say numerous times that the team "knows X's and O's out the window, and just play ball".

I think the feeling is mutual.......

Melo doesn't want D'antoni primarily because he knows D'antoni didn't want him.

But they are together right now, make the most out of it.

[Clutch]

[QUOTE]NEW YORK -- Thursday marked Day 4 of the New York Knicks' news blackout that coach Mike D'Antoni has helped maintain since the Boston Celtics swept the team out of the playoffs Sunday, leaving some unanswered questions -- like whether or not he and general manager Donnie Walsh will be back next season. But at least D'Antoni hasn't started holding rebellious roadside chats with reporters outside the Knicks' training facility, like Larry Brown did on his way to the great one-and-done, $18-million buyout of 2006.
That was a circus. This is just d

[Clutch]

Another article:

As Donnie Walsh seeks to regain full autonomy within the Knicks organization, Mike D'Antoni could be losing some of his power on the Knicks' bench.

According to several sources, the front office will encourage D'Antoni to revamp his coaching staff to hire a defensive coach. In the past, D'Antoni has been reluctant to seek outside help, most famously refusing Steve Kerr's request four years ago to hire Tom Thibodeau in Phoenix. Thibodeau landed in Boston in 2007, and helped the Celtics win the title three seasons ago. He now is head coach of the top-seeded Bulls.

D'Antoni is under contract through next season and is expected to be retained after leading the Knicks to their first postseason appearance in seven years. However, under D'Antoni the Knicks have been among the league's weaker defensive teams, which is something Walsh would like to change.

Memphis assistant Dave Joerger, Orlando's Steve Clifford, Portland's Bill Bayno and Chicago's Ron Adams are all regarded as top defensive coaches. Another possibility for the Knicks is Thibodeau's replacement in Boston, Lawrence Frank, the former Nets' coach. Frank's contract expires this summer.

A move to hire another assistant does not necessarily mean one of D'Antoni's current assistants will be removed. Phil Weber, Dan D'Antoni, Herb Williams and the highly regarded Ken Atkinson are all expected to be retained. D'Antoni, who is expected to acquiesce to management, has made it clear that he wants to remain in New York. However, there will be several job openings this summer that D'Antoni might find attractive, including one with Golden State, whose roster has players better suited to play D'Antoni's up-tempo system than the Knicks currently do.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...l#ixzz1KuHnU1p

[bluechox2]

d antoni needs to take defense 101 summer classes over the summer if he wants to keep him job.

[knickscity]

d antoni needs to take defense 101 summer classes over the summer if he wants to keep him job.

He can reunite with David Lee after next season.

[franchize]

David Lee isn't a good defender.He's a good rebounder.

As for the "support for the coach",I dont read much into it.Melo would come off as an asshole if he was the new guy in town and he already turned his back on his coach.In todays sports world,where analysts are looking for you to "say all the right things", ppl's opinions and comments in press conferences mean less and less. I go by facts and fact of the matter is....we need a new coach!

[Clutch]

David Lee isn't a good defender.He's a good rebounder.

As for the "support for the coach",I dont read much into it.Melo would come off as an asshole if he was the new guy in town and he already turned his back on his coach.In todays sports world,where analysts are looking for you to "say all the right things", ppl's opinions and comments in press conferences mean less and less. I go by facts and fact of the matter is....we need a new coach!

[Clutch]

Source: Donnie Walsh questions if Mike D'Antoni is right for Knicks; coach could bolt for Toronto

MIAMI - Donnie Walsh has never said he is looking to make a coaching move, but perhaps Mike D'Antoni will make one for him.

D'Antoni, entering the final year of his contract as Knicks coach, could emerge as a candidate in Toronto, where the Raptors announced Wednesday that coach Jay Triano will not return.

Toronto president Bryan Colangelo has a good history with D'Antoni from their time with the Phoenix Suns. Colangelo hired D'Antoni and together they transformed the Suns into one of the NBA's most successful and entertaining teams.

"I believe that bringing in a new voice as head coach will accelerate the progress we are looking to make in the coming years," Colangelo said in a release Wednesday.

Coincidentally, the one knock on D'Antoni's teams is that they don't focus enough on defense. During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Colangelo said he wanted an experienced coach and one with a "defensive-minded" perspective.

Jeff Van Gundy would be an obvious choice but the former Knicks coach and current ABC/ESPN analyst is happy in his current role. According to a source, Van Gundy wants to wait at least another year before he returns to coaching.

As of Wednesday, Colangelo had not asked the Knicks for permission to speak with D'Antoni, who is hoping to remain in the New York area until his son graduates high school in two years.

However, the Knicks have given no indication that they are open to negotiating a new deal with D'Antoni. Sources close to Walsh claim that the team president has privately questioned whether D'Antoni's system is the right fit for the Knicks.

Walsh's most successful clubs with the Indiana Pacers were good halfcourt teams, both offensively and defensively. The News reported in April that Walsh may insist that D'Antoni revamp his staff to hire an assistant coach in charge of defense. In the past, D'Antoni has been reluctant to make such a hire. In Phoenix, he refused Steve Kerr's request to make current Bulls head man Tom Thibodeau his defensive coach.

After losing at least 50 games in his first two seasons, D'Antoni guided the Knicks to a 42-40 record this year. It was their first winning season in 10 years. However, the Knicks were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs and several veteran players began to question the coach.

The pending lockout suggests that D'Antoni will remain in New York for at least one more year. Also, Walsh may feel obligated to give D'Antoni a full training camp to prove what he can do with Amar'e Stoudemire and late-season pickups Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

Should D'Antoni leave for another job or get fired, there are viable candidates available to replace him, including Rick Adelman, Lawrence Frank and Mark Jackson, who is a finalist for the Golden State job. There is also a report that the Knicks may pursue

Kentucky coach John Calipari, who is represented by CAA, the same agency that represents Anthony and Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who can become a free agent in 13 months.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...#ixzz1O6bbPH4g

[knickscity]

That articles says they may be focusing on a coach with a defemsive mindset.

That eliminates Pringles.

[franchize]

D'Antoni would be in heaven because the Raptors love drafting European plyers.I'd be in heaven because he's gone.PLEAAAAAASEE Mike...Go to Canada!

I want a fresh new head coach.Let's face it,the new guys have something that they can relate to their players with.I dont know what it is but this new wave of rookie head coaches has been really good realy quick.Monty Williams, Tom Thibadeau,etc.Im not sure about hiring Mark because he wasn't even an assistant anywhere but I want a new head coach with something to prove.The veteran coaches seem to want to make it all about them.Todays players have ego problems and pride.Im not saying stroke their ego,butthe days of running teams like a college team or boot camp are over. Unfortunately,the veteran coaches dont seem to understand that.