This is less about D’Antoni’s strategy and more with how he is dealing with the slightest criticism. On Saturday, D’Antoni grew increasingly agitated when he addressed the matter before finally looking at me and saying, “Oh that’s right, you’re undefeated as a coach.”
Good one, Mike.
You’re absolutely correct. I have never had the privilege of coaching an NBA game and have never been in position to earn $6 million by making such life-or-death choices like deciding when or if to foul up three.
Not that it matters, but I do have the ultimate respect for coaches since it is their butt that is on the line when things don’t go right.
But if I were an NBA head coach making $6 million a year I would hope that I would understand that second guessing comes with the territory. (Or did the Garden stop teaching “Hate and Don’t Trust the Press 101” during their wonderful media training classes.)
Seriously, now. D’Antoni has been treated with kid’s gloves for almost two years. Only recently have issues like his lack of communication with the players, his lack of attention to defense and the lack of wins come to the forefront.
That’s why I was a little surprised that he felt the need to make a let-me-attempt-to-embarrass-the-reporter-in-front-of-his-peers remark by sarcastically saying that I was “undefeated as a coach.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2010/02/dantoni-gets-snippy-says-media.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fblogs%2Fknicks+%28Blogs%2FKnicks+Knation%29#ixzz0gsVHF2ie
I think Isola is right on in his take on D'Antoni. It will be interesting to see how Mike handles the eventual increase in media scrutiny that is sure to come with his continued lack of success.
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