Obviously Walsh didn't want to gamble that he'd get a marquee coach in 2010 so he nabbed what could be the right coach, but at the wrong time. The results have been predictable. Yet rather than fixate our frustration on the piss poor job Walsh did contructing a team, we're crying about how D'antoni wasn't able to turn crap into kaviar.

Those who would fire D'antoni now are the same people who would cut their noses off to spite their faces. Now is when we should have been looking for a marquee coach if we had done what I wanted in 2008 and just hired some bozo to babysit for two years. But we got him. His name is Mike D'antoni and I don't know if he is a good coach. I only know he is probably one of the best liked coaches in the league for players to want to play for, which is the very thing we will need most this offseason since Walsh has pissed all of our other assets away.

Blame Walsh if you must. Blame him for what is going on now and these last two years. But calling for the coaches ouster is not the answer.

kam77 wrote:We should never have hired him two years ago because you could pretty much assume two years of suckitude. Why put him through that? Why put a coach who had averaged 58 wins over four seasons through the mob mentality of the NY Press and the impatient NY fans? Clearly many fans thought D'antoni was brought here to win games and compete, but i was never dumb enough to fall for that jive. I never wanted Walsh to hire D'antoni two years ago. I said it was stupid at the time. I said that the time to hire a marquee coach would be in 2010.

Obviously Walsh didn't want to gamble that he'd get a marquee coach in 2010 so he nabbed what could be the right coach, but at the wrong time. The results have been predictable. Yet rather than fixate our frustration on the piss poor job Walsh did contructing a team, we're crying about how D'antoni wasn't able to turn crap into kaviar.

Those who would fire D'antoni now are the same people who would cut their noses off to spite their faces. Now is when we should have been looking for a marquee coach if we had done what I wanted in 2008 and just hired some bozo to babysit for two years. But we got him. His name is Mike D'antoni and I don't know if he is a good coach. I only know he is probably one of the best liked coaches in the league for players to want to play for, which is the very thing we will need most this offseason since Walsh has pissed all of our other assets away.
Blame Walsh if you must. Blame him for what is going on now and these last two years. But calling for the coaches ouster is not the answer.

As far as his success it is directly linked to his time when he had the best ball handler and leader in the league running his team on and off the court. D'Antoni lost in Denver, he lost in Phoenix pre Nash, and he has lost in NY. His formula for success is to have the best ball handler leader in the league playing with two other all stars. Players like this win despite his inept coaching, worthless training camps, gimmicky style, and lack of leadership. He needs to be in a situation where he just needs to stay out of the way and not mess things up.

nixluva wrote:Well we have some pieces that I already like. Gallo, Chandler & TD, Walker, and if we keep him Lee. Being able to add even better players to that core is a great feeling. I want to have a guy like MDA here when we have those guys. When he's talking in the ear of a highly motivated stud, I guarantee you that you'll see better results than we've see here over the last 2 yrs. That's why DW brought him here. I'm sure that DW thought MDA could scratch more out of what we had, but now we know that wasn't the case, but it doesn't change the fact that MDA is great with talent. The guy came real close to getting to the finals and that team was good, but not the most awesome roster we've ever seen.
Heck aside from Nash, no one here is clamoring for adding guys like Amare or JJ3, or Marion. I think he's shown he can get great results with good talent.

if Amare were still himself at his absolute prime before major injuries, he'd be 1 of the top targets on everyone's wishlist right now... JJ3 & Marion were never max level talent, which is why no one's clamoring to get guys like that right now... those types of players we could have gotten this summer w/o having to make the T-Mac deal.

But we fired him cuz he sucked.

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:Larry brown was the best coach for the last two years.

But we fired him cuz he sucked.

Brown was fired because he was trying to get Isiah's job.

Yup both Isiah and Dolan wanted him back but Brown went nuts in the meeting. Even he thought he should have stayed after all was said and done.

CrushAlot wrote:This quote is from a Berman article shortly after the start of D'Antoni's tenure in NY when he spoke about what happened in Phoenix.

Things began to unravel toward the completion of the opening round against the Spurs," D'Antoni said, still grieving the Game 1 loss. "Had we won, it would've changed the complexion of the series. But five or six minutes to go they hit a killer 3 when someone didn't switch out and then [Tim] Duncan hit that unbelievable three, his first of the season, I believe, to put it into overtime Then we get crushed in [the] second game."

Next thing you know, D'Antoni was being criticized from within for the first time and he admittedly was feeling the pressure.

"At that point it kinda got out in the papers that an internal difference of opinion and philosophies existed concerning defense and discipline.[b][/b] Between Games 3 and 4 I started to think seriously it was over. I was not definitive about leaving. But after we got knocked out I reassessed everything and felt it would be fair to no one to try to put it back together again."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/item_EratP4H5cwwdtpMdO0alIN#ixzz17851M3Vi
I have to say that it sounds like things haven't changed.

TMS wrote:

nixluva wrote:Well we have some pieces that I already like. Gallo, Chandler & TD, Walker, and if we keep him Lee. Being able to add even better players to that core is a great feeling. I want to have a guy like MDA here when we have those guys. When he's talking in the ear of a highly motivated stud, I guarantee you that you'll see better results than we've see here over the last 2 yrs. That's why DW brought him here. I'm sure that DW thought MDA could scratch more out of what we had, but now we know that wasn't the case, but it doesn't change the fact that MDA is great with talent. The guy came real close to getting to the finals and that team was good, but not the most awesome roster we've ever seen.
Heck aside from Nash, no one here is clamoring for adding guys like Amare or JJ3, or Marion. I think he's shown he can get great results with good talent.

if Amare were still himself at his absolute prime before major injuries, he'd be 1 of the top targets on everyone's wishlist right now... JJ3 & Marion were never max level talent, which is why no one's clamoring to get guys like that right now... those types of players we could have gotten this summer w/o having to make the T-Mac deal.

Amare is playing at his peak levels again starting last yr. He got the surgery and missed most of that next season, which as Ive pointed out MDA still guided the team to a winning season and the WCF's. Amare only had one down year and then got back to playing at his previous peak level in 05-06. The last 2 yrs have been solidly Amare yrs but people have this assumption that he's not as good. The numbers don't bare that out. He's just not what people want him to be. Amare is kind of a finesse power player. He plays with aggression on offense but no real force on man D. He's improved his shotblocking this year tho. IMO he's a better option than Lee but somewhat similar. The one big diff is shotblocking is better for Amare and Lee is more focused on the boards.

Just remember MDA pretty much kick the crap out of the league without a C. If we can put together a roster with C that fits the type of guy MDA looks for I think we could get over the hump and win a title playing his style. We cam play small but not 100% of the time. A Brad Miller or Memo Okur type. Heck even a Camby would be right up MDA's alley. Along with a Bosh or Amare at PF would be the perfect bigman core. They never quite had it in PHX. Add in a PG that not only score but defend like TD or Felton. If DW can really focus on two way players this could work out great.

Nalod wrote:Larry brown was the best coach for the last two years.

But we fired him cuz he sucked.

How is Larry the best coach the last two years...last year he went 35-47 and this year he is around .500 ball...They have a true center and a decent point guard and one all star ....They should actually be better than a 35 win team...

TMS wrote:if he can't win with the players he wants, then he has no business coaching this team... if Donnie fails to get the players he was hoping to get this summer, then him & MDA both need to be shown the door.

agreed on both counts. we gotta wait and see. nothings happening before July 1.