"Give me a gun an' I'll kill 'em both"

MattSuspect - forget public opinion. perhaps the better question is what qualities make the Godfather (Donnie Walsh) enamored enough to trust the "never-ever" Mark Jackson (Michael Corleone fresh from the military) to grant him an interview (or consider him as head of the family)?

Some jobs you simply grow into. Basketball coach is one of them. If Mark Jackson IS hired I suspect he will assume the position with enthusiasm and find his voice along the way. Not his announcers voice, but the voice of a head coach with memories of Looie ringing in his memory.

Mark Jackson has exactly the same type of experience Paul Westphal, KC Jones, Butch Beard, Willis Reed, Bill Sharman, Gene Shue, Matt Goukas, Bill Russell, Wes Unseld, Kevin Loughery, Scott Skiles or Al Attles brought to the position. An experience shaped primarily from a perspective shaped ON the court as opposed to one shaped from a distance.

Mark Jackson is a perfect fit for the Knicks opportunity and I have a sense Donnie Walsh feels the same.

I'm Cool wit dat.

Hold UP

MS - "I was saying that Chandler is lost on defense, absent minded like the rest of the players on this team"

Hold up, I can take tolerate arbitrarily calling the Knicks players thugs and I can even tolerate the idle chatter over whether Mark Jackson's potential interview is a clear sign that the game has passed Donnie Walsh ... but this...?

To deliberatly, and with malice, and without watching The Mayor actually play on defense... to recklessly insult his effort, intelligence and productivity in such an abusive manner...

well

this is going too far.

(loading pistol) I demand an apology suh!

Don't get it confused VMart. The man behind Detroits Championship Was/Still Is Joe Dumars

Rick Carlisle ain't all that. Otherwise he'd be working someplace. He seems to be one of those coaches who quickly wears out his welcome. The Knicks need someone who will be able to both inspire, mold and empower young players.

Knowing the difference, and how to build confidence despite their imperfections, while simultaneously setting expectations is a nuanced art form best left to someone with patience and flexible leadership skills.



"Although Jackson has been portrayed as the front-runner, Walsh has signaled to people around the league that he is open minded and intends to be thorough in his search. He has said publicly that Jackson will have to address his lack of coaching experience, and how he plans to overcome it.

If Walsh waits long enough, the field of qualified candidates could grow in the coming weeks as teams are eliminated from the playoffs. Dallas Coach Avery Johnson could be in jeopardy if the Mavericks lose their first-round series to the New Orleans Hornets. The same goes for Flip Saunders in Detroit and Sam Mitchell in Toronto. All three lost their playoff openers last weekend.

Mitchell, in particular, bears watching. Like Jackson, Mitchell is a former Indiana Pacer who maintains a good relationship with Walsh, the former Pacers president. In fact, Walsh wanted to interview Mitchell for the Pacers’ vacancy last year. But the Raptors kept him with a four-year extension, and Indiana hired Jim O’Brien instead.

A quick exit by the Raptors, who were a disappointing 41-41 this season, could prompt a reassessment in Toronto and open the door for the Knicks to interview Mitchell.

Walsh could reach out to three other assistant coaches who interviewed in Indiana last year: Brian Shaw of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chuck Person of the Sacramento Kings and Johnny Davis, a former Pacers assistant now with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Other highly regarded assistant coaches could be considered, like the Mavericks’ Mario Elie, the Pistons’ Terry Porter and the Celtics’ Tom Thibodeau and Armond Hill.

Boston Coach Doc Rivers has received requests from teams to speak with Thibodeau and Hill, according to The Boston Globe. Rivers said they would be granted permission to interview for jobs, but preferably between playoff series. He also told The Globe that they could not be formally hired until after the Celtics were done, which could be in late June if they make the finals.

Walsh can afford to take his time. Jackson does not appear to be highly in demand, and there is only one other vacancy at the moment, in Chicago. Last year, Walsh did not hire O'Brien until May 31."

- Howard Beck NYT

Posted by islesfan:

Posted by misterearl:

VMart - who is the best candidate in your opinion?

Oh boy, here we go with the "Who else is there?" garbage.

Just to remind everyone, misterearl did the same garbage with Isiah, as if nobody out there was better than Isiah when in fact everyone was and still is.

In all honesty, I'm really having a hard time understanding where you are coming from here. Where did earl even hint at what you seem to be suggesting was implied with his question? I don't care if he said Isiah was the second coming of Jesus and we don't believe him, I feel that your comments are uncalled for and disrespectful in this case.

We all have different views. Isn't that part of being human? We don't all have to agree and we shouldn't be insulted and treated with a lack of respect for trying to engage in debate that doesn't cross those lines. I'm sorry if earl's point of view drives you crazy, but why engage in attacking his character if you are right? If he's wrong we don't need you to insult him or anyone who supports him to make the point.

Vmart countered earl's support for Jackson as coach by saying the team should hire "the best candidate" and not "local," so earl asked who that candidate was.

It's just very hard to see anything particularly wrong with such a question and how it has anything to do with earl's view of Isiah Thomas.

[

[Edited by - PresIke on 04-22-2008 12:20 AM]

What grade would you give Isiah for his 4 years, Earl?

yeah I'd prefer Carlisle, also Avery Johnson if available and the former JVG assistant Thibodeau.

I just cannot warm up to having Jackson as coach

Window Dressing

... especially in New York, perception is directly linked to how the head man decides to relate to the media.

They can either support him, or use their arrows to slay him.

Posted by misterearl:

The Answer Man Loves Slow Pitch Softball

Q. bonn - What grade would you give Isiah for his 4 years?

A. Piece of cake. F. Next question.

Wow, I'm impressed. You were giving him high grades until the middle of this season, though! I guess once even the MisterEarls of the world disapprove of the GM, then even Dolan realizes it's time to make a change.

[Edited by - bonn1997 on 04-22-2008 08:57 AM]

knicksbaby - that's the purpose of the interview with the new president ce n'est pas?

Trying to evaluate Mark Jackson's potential responses to fan suspicions from a distance is impossible, and based primarily on available images and second-hand reports.

The only way to restructure the Knicks "from the top" is to have Bill Bradley buy the franchise and the last time I checked that ain't hap'nin.

Shortcomings are only shortcomings if the value of "experience" is limited to bench experience wearing a suit or with a whistle around his neck at practice.

Bill Rusell didn't have any experience at either and he got a shot at head coach and won a championship.

knicksbaby - perhaps the more relevant question is how accurately Mark Jackson can impersonate Looie Carnesecca, toss a towel in a blind rage and pick up an intentional technical foul just to get the refs attention and change the tenor of a third quarter run by an opponent by whipping the Madison Square Garden faithful, and his team, into a comeback frenzy.


the whole world is a stage and the Knicks play on Broadway