He wasn't the right choice in my opinion. He had no use for some of the teams assets (i.e. Marbury's contract, Nate ...) and cast them aside because he did not want to deal with them despite what was best for the team. In the draft I believe his influence led to the Knicks picking players that fit his system (08) or character profile (09) rather than getting a center and point guard for a team that desperately needed them. I think as a coach in a rebuilding situation where most of the team was not going to be around the following year he needed to play the lottery pick and other first round pick. Again a significant asset was devalued and traded away. There has been a lot of talk about how if the Knicks won this year and got into the playoffs they would get LBJ's attention. D'Antoni's mantra for much of this year has been that the team was trying to make the playoffs. If that was the goal the team should have left training camp prepared, and ready to play instead of going 1-9 to start the season. His communication issues have created alot of drama. I remember reading a former Suns player said that he hated confrontations. I think that is accurate and he avoids them by not communicating why he benches guys. This has backfired for him in NY, created alot of unneccessary drama, and has forced the GM to protect him and trade guys and get less value back. I also think his fear of confrontations has led to roster decisions that have hurt the Knicks. Jason Williams, Tinsley, A. I., and Brandon Jennings were all available for the Knicks and passed over. I think D'Antoni's difficulties in dealing with players that might need him to be an authority figure, set limits and occasionally have a confrontation are why none of these guys were acquired to take minutes from Duhon. D'Antoni's player rotations in NY seem to be based on playing guys that are vets with high character that will not put him in a position where he has to confront them. Talent, youth, and height are all non factors in determining who gets to play for him. I am very concerned about how he develops young players and I think with a rebuilding team that is an important part of the job. I don't think he is a good game coach especially in the final 2 minutes.
I think there were a lot of red flags regarding D'Antoni that would indicate a rebuilding job in a city like NY was the wrong job for him. D'Antoni had trouble with media criticism in Phoenix. D'Antoni's ego caused him to leave the perfect roster for him because he was being asked to change and emphasize defense more. Some columnists have written about how D'Antoni didn't like practice and Grant Hill was quoted as saying that the Suns, "sometimes practice for twenty minutes." I don't think D'Antoni prepares his team for individual opponents defensively but instead focuses on perfecting his offense. In my opinion, there is no way that a team can win a championship with a coach who has that philosophy.
