04/19/24
May 10, 2008
D'Antoni accepts Knicks' offer : Mike D'Antoni is set to become coach of the New York Knicks, bringing his entertaining offensive style from the Phoenix Suns to a team coming off one of the worst seasons in its history. Can he make the Knicks contenders again?
posted by brainofdtrain to basketball at 04:48 PM - 12 comments
It will be interesting to see whether D'Antoni is truly a good coach or if his success with the Suns was just a product of having Nash and Stoudemire.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:26 PM on May 10, 2008
So much for Stephen A. Smith's "insider" guarantee on ESPN Radio that D'Antoni was all but wrapped up by the Bulls, whose roster supposedly better fit D'A's style. Personally, I would've gone with the Bulls, as the Knicks are a complete disaster and further away from any redemption.
posted by afl-aba at 06:32 AM on May 12, 2008
I wonder if he'll call it quits in Seven Seconds Or Less?
posted by BornIcon at 09:59 AM on May 12, 2008
It's hard to fly without the right birds. D'Antoni is now the 3rd highest paid coach in the NBA with the absolute worst talent and worst attitudes of any players in the league. Good luck, Mike. Greed is good, right?
posted by wdminott at 01:38 PM on May 12, 2008
And we all know how patient and forgiving the NY media are, eh? I hope that money's guaranteed down the line. Maybe this is part of Cablevision's strategy behind buying Newday? Own the media, it's harder for them to hold your team up to ridicule.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:00 PM on May 12, 2008
As a big Knicks fan, any name besides Thomas' is a big relief. With that said, i'm not sure D'Antoni has what the Knicks need. We all know they can score if they need to, but they cannot defend if they have to. I think the Knicks can become contenders pretty easily. They are in the Eastern conference, and were relatively close to the playoffs in the 1st half. Give them 2-3 years, most likely 3 years. They will have a good draft pick this year, and have lots of young talent. Wait for some contracts to finish, and you're looking at a legit contender. With that said, Avery Johnson would have been my first choice- I think he brings the style that the Knicks really need.
posted by Kendall at 03:12 PM on May 12, 2008
stephen a. smith never knows what he's talking about - what an idiot
posted by hermitt at 03:17 PM on May 12, 2008
And we all know how patient and forgiving the NY media are, eh? I hope that money's guaranteed down the line. Well, look how long Isiah lasted- a lot longer than his head had been at the chopping block. stephen a. smith never knows what he's talking about - what an idiot heh. He kind of reminds me of Bill O'Reilly- if he doesn't agree, he just yells at you some more.
posted by jmd82 at 03:33 PM on May 12, 2008
With that said, Avery Johnson would have been my first choice- I think he brings the style that the Knicks really need. That depends on how early you want to see success. Avery, a firey coach who will yell at his players and demands defense, probably would have been a total disaster with all those over paid Knicks, who were already soft defensively. It sounds like he lost the respect of his players in Dallas because of some of that, and in NY that would have went south quick. For Avery to ave been a success, you would have had to completely scrap everything and start over before you started to see success. With D'Antoni, you still have personel issues, but at least his style will be more appealing, and encourage the players to go hard. I think that while they may not be great for the next couple years, they will improve quite a bit, and if they can draft Rose and shed a couple contracts, they could get a lot better in just a couple years. Dolan and Walsh will see more immediate returns with D'Antoni. Avery would have work as well, but it would've required more time.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:59 AM on May 13, 2008
and if they can draft Rose and shed a couple contracts According to the Daily News, he's already trying to unload Marbury for Diaw and Barbosa. That would be the best move the Knicks made since.....firing Thomas
posted by cjets at 11:36 AM on May 13, 2008
Think it is a good hire. Lee, Crawford, and Richardson will flourish in D'Antoni's system. Need to find a quality point guard in the draft and the could have a shot.
posted by justin11 at 06:33 PM on May 13, 2008
I think that he can, but it will be interesting to see if NY fans and the media are willing to give him the time he needs to fix that mess.