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D’Antoni to the Knicks | Wrong Move
Most Knicks fans would be pleased with Mike D’Antoni signing a four-year deal to coach the Knicks. The former Suns coach boasts a career 267-172 record, and is considered an offensive genius. His Suns averaged over 110 points a game. Ranked in the bottom four of the Eastern Conference, the Knicks could definately use an offensive boost. I’m just not sure D’Antoni can work his magic in New York.
D’Antoni’s style is a fast-break style, with the Knicks running up and down the court. It involves an offense power forward, a big center who isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint, and a point guard who leads the team down the floor, and isn’t afraid to pass the ball. With Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal, and Steve Nash, D’Antoni’s style works. Unfortunately, the Knicks don’t have that type of cast.
David Lee, while a good power forward, isn’t going to overmatch you on either end of the floor. Eddie Curry can’t get out of his own way to be any-type of offensive force, and Stephon Marbury ISN’T a pass first point guard. Let’s not forget, Marbury already tried to play for D’Antoni, and was shipped to the Knicks because he couldn’t adapt to D’Antoni’s style.
Another concern with D’Antoni is his disregard for defense. While the Suns averaged 110 points a game, they also allowed over 105 points. Given the players he has to work with in New York, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to get the same results he got in Phoenix. The Knicks are a slow, un-athletic bunch, which doesn’t fit with D’Antoni’s scheme. Unless some roster moves are made, I can’t see much improvement from last season’s disappointment.
If given the choice, D’Antoni would have taken the Bulls coaching vacancy (where he would have had the tools to impliment his style), but the money he wanted was in New York.
The best way for the Knicks to be a winning franchise is to be a defensive team. If they played off other team’s mistakes, that’s when they can find success. When you’re fast-breaking down the court, let it come off a turnover, or a big rebound. Then Marbury and Jamal Crawford can play their game, while Lee, Curry, and Zach Randolph score inside.
Mark Jackson would have been a better choice as Knicks coach. He was a former favorite and native New Yorker. Not to mention the positive effect he could have on Marbury. As disappointing as he’s been, he’s the starting point guard.
Seeing how Marbury and D’Antoni feed off each other this season will be the latest installment in the soap opera that is the New York Knicks.
You’re missing the boat here. The point is, the personnel the Knicks have CURRENTLY doesn’t mean a thing. Donnie Walsh isn’t here to watch THIS GROUP of Knicks. And D’Antoni isn’ here to coach THIS GROUP of Knicks. They are both here to tear it apart and remake this team in a fashion that actually has a chance. That will take time, but that is the task. Whether D’Antoni’s style works with this group is totally irrelevant. NOTHING works with this group. It’s a horrible, mismatched collection. The faster Walsh can break it apart and D’Antoni players he wants, the better off the Knicks will be.
You’re both right. As I wrote the other day, Eddy Curry’s contract is ugly but at least moveable, and D’Antoni’s arrival likely means Curry’s departure. Walsh will try to move Z-Bo as well, but that will prove much more difficult. So yes, the group that D’Antoni takes over next fall will be different than this current roster, but no, it won’t be all that different. The Knicks’ roster allows for little maneuverability in the near future, but in the meanwhile, I think D’Antoni’s style will mesh very well with guys like Crawford, Robinson, Lee, and Balkman. Heck, QRich had the best season of his career for D’Antoni. The guys that can’t keep up won’t play, I suspect.
D’Antoni’s style hasn’t won championships, and part of the reason the Suns have no problem packing is bags is his lack of defense. The Knicks are a poor defensive team as it is. If you have them just focusing on offense, their D is just going to get worse.
While I do think moves will be made this offseason, the only way to dump a lot of the dead weight is to add more bad contracts, which is what the team doesn’t need.
I know it’s going to take a lot to fixed the mess Thomas made, but defense is what wins. If a great offense is what won championships, Paul Wespaul’s Nuggets in the late 80’s would have been a dynasty.
Hiring a defensive coach to run this squad would be like pounding a square peg into a round hole.