MarburyAnd1Crossover wrote:No, MDA doesn't have to 'bend' a little. He doesn't have to bend at all.He was hired by the Knicks based on his performance in Phoenix and the run-and-gun Raw Balls Hoops style he had there.
He took the job based on the expectation that he will run the same offense here.
Then you jerk the guy around for FOUR YEARS and in the final year of his deal you want him to "bend a little" for a player and team he never wanted.
No. More power to D'Antoni for sticking to his system, the way he wants to run, for not bending like a little bitch to satisfy a coddled MELOBURY DIVA.
In my book, D'Antoni was a success here. The 8-1 Lin Run was pure MDA Ball, and it worked beautifully; this board was HYPED! over that stretch.
The TRAGEDY in this situation is that you didn't give the guy the team he thought he would have when he signed his contract.
MDA, you deserve the right to say "FU" to Dolan, to Melo, and to all the fans that want MDA to "bend a little" to satisfy a coddled MELOBURY.
He took the job because he was offended that management in Phoenix wanted him to place more emphasis on defense and that Chicago wanted the same. He also was offered more money in NY. He was a disaster his second year and created a lot of unneccesary drama. Expecting fans to ignore the past 4 years and long for the guy that was successful 5 years ago is a bit of a reach in my opinion. Asking for a guy who has coached almost 300 games in NY to be judged on 9 games or 9 + 53 games is asking for a lot of losing and mistakes to be ignored. Its the players, its management whatever. The reality is that star players win in the NBA and are hard to come by. You could make a convincing argument that the Knicks stars are not truly stars but I think you would be hard pressed to make an argument that D'Antoni isn't a guy that is a roster specific coach. The tragedy of Mike D'Antoni is the rigidity that prevented him from realizing how special his Phoenix situation.
