nixluva wrote:The team falling apart may be too much for MDA to survive, but if they are .500 and make the playoffs, he's not going to be fired. I'm convinced that this franchise wants a full set of swings at this next season. The plan was to give D'Antoni a title contending team to coach and so far we haven't finished that process. IMO talent is more important than coach. You do need a competent coach to get over the top, but no great coach can will his team to a title if it doesn't have the talent. You could probably switch a dozen NBA coaches with Phil Jackson and the Lakers would still be a top team based on talent alone. Winning titles is a different argument, but winning in the regular season is mostly about the talent on the floor. I'm not talking about incompetent coaches, but the better coaches in the league will likely give you similar results during a season.
MDA is a competent coach. I expect Donnie and Dolan want to give him a chance with a roster that has some further enhancements to make it more competitive on the higher levels.
Talent is directly related to coaching, especially when that coach has a special system and likes to play a certain way. Around the league, any player that is better than the one had is an improvement. Here in NY with D'Antoni, only a few players fit his criteria and his style of play, and that subject gets touchy when talking about big men since he won't play anyone but those with certain characteristics. This is why some here, myself included, are worried about D'Antoni and fear having him for another season.
We fans are closer to the 90's Knicks than the new style we play. We won in the 90's (not the championship, but were contenders) and we know that style is successful. That style may have died down but isn't completely gone since contenders like Boston, L.A. and San Antonio play a similar "grind out" play. Now, D'Antoni's style is intriguing, but the fact that defense seems secondary and the roster is used in unconventional ways scares many, especially when you have serious pieces to compete for a championship.
What good does bringing talent do when it may not be used or used to fit a system rather than to take the best out of that talent? You can't simply make a list of all the 7 footers, for example, that could help our team without considering how they would fit in D'Antoni's offense. The fact that D'Antoni himself has expressed and shown his love for the small lineup, even with big guys on the team, and has used them against big teams is enough reason to be scared of D'Antoni down the road.
It isn't in fans' imagination that defense isn't the priority of the coach because it has been discussed and with strong arguments from guys that have been on a D'Antoni team or have seen him coach/practice. It isn't a secret that the center position is a touchy issue with him. It's also no secret that while D'Antoni is around, talent will be secondary to talent that fits his system. That is scary for anybody that isn't convinced in this system, especially in its defensive shortcomings and especially when the goals start to get bigger.
