March 14, 2012

Mike D'Antoni Resigns: you may turn on your electronic devices, the bandwagon has come to a complete stop.

posted by yerfatma to basketball at 02:52 PM - 18 comments

The Knicks were in pronounced disarray since Melo's return to the lineup after his injury. He wasn't fitting in well with D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense that Jeremy Lin was running because he's more comfortable in a post-up, which disrupts D'Antoni's and Lin's offensive schemes. Even this morning, rumors were swirling that Melo and the coach weren't getting along and he wanted a trade (later denied).

The replacement coach is going to have a headache trying to reconcile two disparate styles of play on this team.

posted by NerfballPro at 03:09 PM on March 14, 2012

So the Knicks now need to deal either Amare and Lin or Carmelo because their games don't mesh. They also need to find a coach who can run the show.

Let's see - D'Antoni is the ideal fit for Amare and Lin, and he's resigned (read: been forced out by Carmelo).

Are there any coaches out there who Carmelo approves of that also want to coach in New York?

posted by cixelsyd at 03:19 PM on March 14, 2012

Mike D'Antoni resigns because Carmelo Anthony is unhappy. Orlando supposedly offers Dwight Howard control over whether his coach and GM stay with the team (a report later refuted by the team and by Howard's agent). It appears that the NBA has become the circus that has put the clowns in charge. What a sham the so-called lockout was. The owners rolled over, and the players gave up very little. I've almost become convinced that the whole league is a fraud, with pre-determined results favoring certain markets, referees that show an obvious bias toward certain players, and no accountability from the league offices. Were it not for the relentless promotion of the league by ESPN/ABC, professional basketball might fall into a distant 4th (or worse) in the popularity ratings of professional sports.

posted by Howard_T at 03:48 PM on March 14, 2012

The big stars (highest paid) are always in charge. A coach, unless your name is Phil Jackson, is always the easy one to cut ties with. This isn't surprising in the least. D'Antoni resigned before he could be fired.

And I'm not sure I would categorize the recent Knicks situation as a "bandwagon" event. Lin got people excited, hoping it was what would turn the Knicks horrible season around. There weren't many who were shocked the team went in the tank with him back on the floor.

posted by dyams at 04:07 PM on March 14, 2012

the circus that has put the clowns in charge

I think the one real difference for the NBA versus the other 3 North American sports is the size of the team. 5 guys on the court, 12 guys total. One star can make a huge difference and can carry a team. The flip side is that one guy can stick a team up as well.

posted by yerfatma at 04:16 PM on March 14, 2012

Should have taken the Bulls job.

posted by Bag Man at 04:23 PM on March 14, 2012

I've almost become convinced that the whole league is a fraud, with pre-determined results favoring certain markets ...

Saying that in a discussion about the latest New York Knicks collapse is ironic.

posted by rcade at 04:33 PM on March 14, 2012

The owners rolled over, and the players gave up very little.

That's not how I see it. All the owners talked about was BRI percentage and they got what they wanted, a bigger piece of a poorly functioning pie. If the owners would have been content to leave BRI where it was they certainly could have gotten more systematic reforms.

Has anyone seen the Knicks games with Melo + Lin? They've been losing to some tough competition lately, right?

posted by tron7 at 05:55 PM on March 14, 2012

Yeah, I suppose they have, but my understanding is their offensive efficiency has gone in the shitter as well. Though that could be a side effect of playing good teams too. They've seen a number of good defensive teams over the last 8 or so.

posted by yerfatma at 07:06 PM on March 14, 2012

And they win by 42 tonight. Of course.

posted by yerfatma at 10:40 PM on March 14, 2012

Guess that's one of the things that make college basketball enjoyable ... they're not primadonnas - yet.

posted by jjzucal at 11:14 PM on March 14, 2012

Guess that's one of the things that make college basketball enjoyable ... they're not primadonnas - yet.

Or are they?

posted by NerfballPro at 06:20 AM on March 15, 2012

Wow, I will definitely be rooting for Reeves Nelson . . . to break something serious.

posted by yerfatma at 10:13 AM on March 15, 2012

Those Nelson anecdotes are appalling.

posted by rcade at 10:58 AM on March 15, 2012

They are terrible, and he admits they are all true. Yikes.

posted by bperk at 11:35 AM on March 15, 2012

I like where his mother's answer is the coach should have been tougher on him.

posted by yerfatma at 11:54 AM on March 15, 2012

Actually, when I was reading about Nelson, I was wondering about his home scene.

His mother reminds me of the Barefoot Bandit's mother. Who is not in line for a MacArthur Foundation grant, needless to say.

posted by beaverboard at 05:45 PM on March 15, 2012

I agree with Howard_T and have always believed if you let the inmates run the asylum this is what you get. The NBA owners caved in and now they have Melo, Dwight Howard, D.Wade, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant running the show. The players want to play with their friends, control the makeup of the teams, and decide where and when they will play and for what coach.

It is so much better when a league is healthy, all the teams are healthy, there is real parity and the players just play their best and make tons of money, while the league can keep all markets competitive, and restrict some of the musical chair games that players are gaining more and more control over. I really believe that when the players get too much power over the business of basketball it will have the same result that the auto industry in the US experienced when the unions began to control the show in Detroit.

posted by Atheist at 05:51 PM on March 15, 2012

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