Knicks reportedly hire D'Antoni

[BYH]

From a PR point of view, this makes a ****pot of sense. D'Antoni seems like a gregarious guy (never covered him, just my take from afar) and a decent human being, which is key if the Knicks want to improve the toxic relationship with the press and if they want to put a better face on the organization following the piece of **** Isiah. And the casual fan thinks of him as the guy that brought run-and-gun fun back to a sludge-filled NBA, so there's hope that the self-proclaimed center of the basketball universe will finally have a worthy product.

Yeah, as constructed, the Knicks aren't a D'Antoni-type team. But even the dumbest Knick fan knows rebuilding is necessary and that short-term pain is better than another 10 years of this ****. Going 25-57 and beginning to climb out of a hole next year is a far better alternative than anything that happened this year.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Anticipating D'Antoni losing big on the biggest stage is absolutely delightful. He runs his mouth, puffed out his chest to his GM and proclaimed "They call me GENIUS!!!" And ended up with nothing to show for it.

At the same time, if he did bring that running style to New York, that would be great for the league. But unless he hires an assistant who is such a guru he can figure out how to fit great defense into that system, they'd never win a damn thing.

Which also is absolutely delightful.

 

[Starman]

Anticipating D'Antoni losing big on the biggest stage is absolutely delightful. He runs his mouth, puffed out his chest to his GM and proclaimed "They call me GENIUS!!!" And ended up with nothing to show for it.

Unlike any other coach the Knicks have had recently?? :

 

[Boom_70]

It's highly unlikely that D'Antoni will have to deal with Marbury. He has one year left on his deal and the Knicks will probably either buy him out or let him sit at home while it expires. Their PG next year will probably be either Nate Robinson, a college stud like Derrick Rose or some cheap, pass-first free agent. They probably can't unload Curry or Randolph, but they can certainly reduce their minutes and play David Lee, a D'Antoni type, at the 4. If they were to get someone like Michael Beasley or even Brook Lopez in the draft, they could reduce Curry and Randolph's roles even more. The point is, the Knicks definitely have some deadwood, but it's not like D'Antoni has to rely on stiffs like Marbury, Curry and Randolph as much as Zeke did.

I have to imagine that not having to deal with Marbury was part of the deal. D'Antoni aleady knows that Marbury will not work in his system . He was coach of the Suns when Marbury was dumped on the Knicks.

If you look back at all the dumb things that Thomas did that trade was the worst .

 

[suburbia]

D'Antoni may make the Knicks respectable again. But he's not going to win a championship with them because he doesn't believe in playing tight defense. A team like the Celtics or Pistons that does believe in defense will still have their way with them, especially in big games.

Sure, there will be some more buzz. But five years from now, the Post will be calling him Mike D'An-choke-i for all his postseason failures and Knick fans will still be bitching about why they haven't won a championship in 40 years and that they need a defense-oriented coach to get them over the top.

 

[broadway joe]

D'Antoni may make the Knicks respectable again. But he's not going to win a championship with them because he doesn't believe in playing tight defense. A team like the Celtics or Pistons that does believe in defense will still have their way with them, especially in big games.

Sure, there will be some more buzz. But five years from now, the Post will be calling him Mike D'An-choke-i for all his postseason failures and Knick fans will still be bitching about why they haven't won a championship in 40 years and that they need a defense-oriented coach to get them over the top.

That may all be true, but the Knicks are so far away from thinking about a championship that I can see why Walsh wouldn't be that concerned about whether his style can win a title. D'Antoni has proven he can put highly successful, highly entertaining teams on the floor, and right now that's all that matters. Some hardass defensive minded coach like Skiles or even Avery Johnson would make more sense for a team that's already a contender and needs to get over that last hump, not a team like the Knicks that's at the bottom of the barrel.

 

[Starman]

I laugh when I see people say that "D'Antoni's style doesn't fit with the Knicks' roster."

Like it matters. The Knicks' roster, of course, is going to have to be blown out, from top to bottom, before the team can hope to contend. (See Detroit Lions, after Millen's eventual departure.)

Thanks Isiah!!