“…It was eight days ago when Mike D’Antoni hinted that struggling Larry Hughes might be losing his grip on a spot in the Knicks‘ rotation, suggesting the veteran guard needed to “step it up.” Four days later, when Nate Robinson was back on the court against the Hawks and Hughes was left on the bench, D’Antoni was asked if Hughes understood the move.
“What is there to understand? That’s the way life is,” D’Antoni said Saturday. “I think everybody understands we’re trying to win…”
“…The Knicks are amidst their best 17-game stretch (11-6) since 2004. D’Antoni is coaching defense like never before. The coach swallowed his ego, slowing down the offense. D’Antoni has carved out a wonderful defensive role for Jared Jeffries — key to the resurgence.
“The biggest positive is our defense has stayed consistent,” All-Star candidate David Lee said. “There hasn’t been a game where we’ve fallen apart defensively, so most times we’ll have chance to win.”
It would be shame if all of D’Antoni’s good work — and Walsh’s good work in clearing $26
million in cap room — is tainted by the simple concept of communicating with your players…”
A coach’s job is to make sure players are on the same page, at least that’s what I always thought. Could it be that the NBA is different? Does D’Antoni owe anything to Hughes, a player who really played well during a stretch about a month ago?
I guess that’s why the coach has that big office.
Now, do I think that this has ANYTHING to do with a certain free agent’s decision come this summer?
Absolutely not.
Also, a great post from Dan from knicksfanblog who followed an ESPN chat.
I’ll simply point to a tweet from BT to yours truly, who believes the opposite of those several professional writers have branded the young Italian.
“…just saw Gallo slam–sweet. The whole package: IQ (pump fake), handle (cross-over), hops, strength and guts (in traffic) per @TommyDeeTKB…”
Ok, so, right now, the biggest concern about the Knicks is whether or not Larry Hughes (yes, Larry-frickin-Hughes) feels DA hasn’t communicated enough why he’s losing playing time?
Mark it down: the Knicks have turned the corner. Hallelujah.
People just don’t get it. It is very simple to me. I watched this whole season and watched every player on the roster struggle including the coaching staff. So if DAntoni’s best explanation is that Hughes is out of the rotation because he is struggling, that is stubborn, and stupid as his seven second or less offense. Believe me Hughes will be needed soon and his shot will fall again. Nate robinson should not effect Hughe’s minutes at all because they both should be coming off the bench and playing together. Hughes is a shooting guard and nate is a pg/sg. Hughes can also pass the ball well. I would find it hard to play for a grown man who behaves like a stubborn child. It sounds like I’m talking about nate but it is a shame that I’m talking about the head coach. He has his favorites on the team that can do no wrong. Duhon is a major reason for the 1-9 start and he did not change direction with him. Lee has less blocked shots than most shooting guards in the league and yet he is still our center. He can make any changes he wants but as a grown man he should have the balls to talk man to man to a vet out of respect.
“The biggest positive is our defense has stayed consistent,” All-Star candidate David Lee said. “There hasn’t been a game where we’ve fallen apart defensively, so most times we’ll have chance to win.”
I will vote for David Lee to represent AllSTAR weekend but the last thing I want to hear out of him is that the Knicks is playing defense well because he surely has not contributed to the defense playing well.
When hes needed again, he should be ready to play like Nate was. Im not really understanding your argument…first you are saying lee shouldn’t be our center because he can’t block shots and then you are voting him to the allstar game, because of his play all year as a center. Hughes was shooting like 14% since he came back over 5 games, and we lost to the Nets, then nate took his minutes and we won 2 straight, so he is out of the rotation.
Lee has been great offensively but is a horrible defender. He makes up his lack of defense by working hard on the boards. But i seriously doubt he will be playing center if he is voted in. I am a Knick fan so I have to vote for Lee because he has played well or I wont vote at all.
Hughes shooting 14% has nothing to do with us losing to the Nets. The lack of defense and a true center to stop lopez from having his way and easy access to the paint was.
Nate and Hughes should be playing if DAntoni wants to win.
“All D’Antoni’s hard work will be tainted by his failure to communicate” what a joke? If D’Antoni has a problem it is that he treats his players like men and not children. Cannot believe a veteran like Hughes let a sports writer bait him into a statement like ” how unhappy I am that coach does not communicate with me that I am not going to get the minutes because I am not helping the team to win” You really cannot make this stuff up. The team is winning. The players should all be happy just like us fans. It has been a long time since we had a team of winners. Let’s not change this new culture. Any supporters?
+1
The Jazz are willing to move anyone on their team…. except Deron Williams.
DAMN so close.
Larry Hughes is the culprit considering the fact that he has been a liability on the floor since returning from injury (a 7 days injury that is). He doesn’t need anybody to tell him that 2.2 points per game, 0.13 FG%, 1.4 turnovers per game (last 5 games) isn’t good enough.
But Marc Berman is 100% right, D’Antoni doesn’t communicate well with the players and the GM. I mean he needs to understand that his reputation is not untouchable and the fact that Leon Rose is Eddy Curry’s agent and Larry Hughes is LeBron James’ friend could potentially jeopardize the whole plan. Obviously these guys are not good enough to get minutes right now, but Mike D’Antoni should be more careful and at least have dialogue with the players (Eddy Curry and Larry Hughes).
I think he’s doing a great job from a pure basketball standpoint but his stubborness could hurt the Knicks in the long run. Mike D’Antoni doesn’t essentialy have to justify the benching, but considering Larry Hughes’ friendship with LeBron James, he should have been more careful.
Good/well-balanced article by Marc Berman.
Agreed.
While D’Antoni may not owe Hughes an explanation due to his recent performance, it is absolutely his job as a head coach to manage the egos of his players, regardless of their performance and tenure with the team.
Winning is great, but it should not be used to cover up unprofessional behavior on D’Antoni’s behalf. Like you said, if luring LBJ is as a delicate a procedure as it seems to be, things like this are just as important as salary cap and the opening day roster.
He IS managing their egos: the team is winning remember?
What did he do that’s unprofessional? Bench a player that’s struggling? Are any of you proposing that he bench Nate and give his minutes back to Hughes right now? No.
Coaches don’t explain their benchings to players in the NBA. Especially marginal never-a-major-contributor players. Almost never. This is just the NY media trying to create an issue where there is none.
The team is winning people. We almost broke the team record for margin of victory and all I’m reading is junk about how our coach has a problem? Get real.
I agree on the front that this is all nitpicking, but that’s the purpose of the media.
I never said the benching itself was unprofessional. Hughes deserves to sit based on his performance, and it’s highly possible that Hughes is saying these things out of frustration/spite. In either case, whether we like it or not, the media has a hand in the portrayal of this franchise. You are correct in stating LeBron has his own relationship with D’Antoni and that will remain unaffected by this, but he isn’t the only player we will ever sign again.
Like Mucha said, a 2 minute sit down would more than suffice. Unrest among players does matter, especially in a shifting rotation like the Knicks have. While Nate handled his situation like a consummate professional, it was outrageous that D’Antoni offered no reason as to why he could not perform his job for almost 20% of the season.
But for some perspective, I think the killshot in this thread is the very first comment. If this is our biggest concern right now, I am elated.
where is the evidence of this “relationship” between the coach and Lebron..
Lebron seems like the type of personality that wants to be everything to everyone..
So they went to China together (with maybe 50 other people on the Olympic Ball team) and Lebron may have said that he wants to play for him.. ?
Couldnt you see Lebron saying that to more than one guy?
I bet he would say it to Coach K too if K was in the NBA..
I get the whole NYC global icon angle.. and the desire to pump up the stats.. and win rings.. But i highly doubt Lberon coming to NYC has anything to do with D’Antoni.
Lebron can come her and install his high school coach from Akron if he wants to… or coach himself (obviously over the top but u get the point)
40% New York
40% Gallinari, Chandler, maybe Hill + capspace
20% Mike D’Antoni (maybe 10%)
50% New York
50% cap space
in my opinion.
I know you have stated that you hate this coach before, but I think your hatred has begun to interfere with your logic.
0% coach?
A large part of LeBron’s decision will be where he believes he can win a championship. Do you really believe the coach has 0% effect on that? If you do, then why do you even care who the coach is at all. He doesn’t matter right? If that’s true, complaining about the coach is like complaining about the guys that mop up the court between plays. All you need is cap space and a big city right?
I think you have to adjust your numbers.
if you give Lebron a blank slate he can do bring anyone he wants to NYC with him.
thats the ultimate.
Lebron knows that hes gonna be stuck with D’antoni for at least a couple of years
Exactly, Lebron can’t fire D’antoni right away and he knows that. So, at least for us, the coach matters more than 0%. Sorry Biggie. A team like the Nets may be a different story.
What Larry Hughes thinks, now that has a 0% influence. And yes, I know they text each other.
If he loved larry so much he wouldn’t have let him leave Cleveland, like Jeter did with Posada on the yanks a couple of years ago.
you bring up a good point about he Nets..
The MAY be able to have enough space to make two significant offers and dont have the burden of the Lee cap hold to get around..
AND they can go to Lebron and say chooe your own coach.. we’ll be in Broklyn before you know it
July is gonna be interesting.
I never said their relationship meant that he would necessarily come here. Just that he knows him personally, and has to some extent even played for him, so probably won’t be overly swayed by other people’s opinions.
However, contrary to what you are saying, I do think who the coach is matters in terms of luring Lebron. He probably wants to go somewhere where he likes the coach, and thinks it’s a good coach, it’s only natural, and right. When you interview for a job, if you have several offers will you choose the one where you hate your new boss? No. However I am not saying he definitely likes Dantoni. For all we know maybe he thinks his style can never win a chamionship, we’re not inside his head. However, I think it is likely that he does like Dantoni. There are definitely more elite coaches out there, like Jackson, but IMO Dantoni is in the top 5, and he plays a style that most players enjoy.
your argument is fading ast..
Lebron “knows D’Antoni personally?”
is D’Antoni over his house for X mas?
Was D’Antoni at Lebron’s wedding?
Is he the godfather of his child?
Lebron went to the finals with Mike Brown as his coach.. Lets get over this nonsense that Lebron is coming here to play for D’Antoni..
There is simply no evidence of it.
i believe they were on the same team during the Olympics. I assume they were introduced and had more then a few conversations about the game of basketball along with other various topics.
“is [sic] D’Antoni over his house for X mas?
Was D’Antoni at Lebron’s wedding?
Is he the godfather of his child?”
I doubt it… but I have many friends and people I know very well who I have not done any of those things with. They say they know each other. They didnt say they were best friends.
You actually have no argument. You are simply a hater.
johneco said they know each other personally.
you are the one makign this about me.. not the topic at hand
if you have nothing to add on that move on..
Remember, Kobe supposedly luved Isiah too! lol
It’s called being smart and ANY smart player would keep their options open to help run up the price in negotiation. Lebron will make max money no matter what but he might be able to get some other perks or demands.
D’Antoni was an Assistant coach of a bunch of Olympic stars and his only focus was on the offensive end. Kinda of like now! So if you’re saying PHX was a bad deal for him and he only needed to have ALL the stars from the NBA to win, then you might have a pt.
I do.
Trust me, the head coaching thing clearly isn’t an issue to Lebron (see: Brown, Mike).
However, he isn’t my concern and maybe the “concrete relationship” I assumed isn’t well placed at all. I think familiarity may be a better term. Signing players that don’t have this with D’Antoni would be ones I’d be worried about if reports are out that he does not communicate with them.
Again, this is all very overblown in my eyes. But not enough that it doesn’t deserved to be brought up for future concerns.
if lebron comes it’s for the city an money
danni boy has nothing to do with him coming here
i said that alot of times before
Agreed but how hard is it to walk over to Hughes who has played pretty well for the season and been a good soldier…”hey we’re going in a different direction with Nate but be ready, things can change…” That’s really all it takes.
I like D’Antoni, think he’s an excellent coach but that seems like a pretty easy thing to do, it’s unclear to me why he wouldn’t see it that way. No communication in this instance is far more problematic because it can be (and clearly has) been misinterpreted by the player.
That said, this is SMALL potatoes, another silly NON-TROVERSY by the beat writers. I guess the “we’re starting to win” angle ain’t that exciting.
Excellent coach? NO ONE who has a team that can’t get to at least .500 in the awful East should be considered “EXCELLENT”. Lift your expectations dude!
CORRECT.
he is more of an exawfulent coach
lmao
the cat is out of the bag.. Say what u want about the players who are complaining but where there is smoke there is fire..
What Hahn and Berman missed was the communications gap between the coach and GM with respect to the usage of a certain player at the beginning of last season..
Walshie looked like a deer int he headlights when the media asked him what the deal was — like he had no idea there wasnt a clean slate.
Hey guys did any of you read the ridicules article in the daily news today by flip bondy (corny name) how do guys like this get a job doing what they do?? So a team should not make every effort to go after the best player available because he is a mama’s boy?? You have to be kidding me with this guy!!
dudes name is filip.. like Philip except with an F.. not Flip .. like Wilson
C’mon people, since when did NBA coaches explain all their actions to bench players? Can you imagine Pat Riley explaining anything to his 9th man? I can’t.
It’s not like Larry Hughes was ever one our best players. Yes, he helped us break out of our miserable start, but that’s his only contribution to this team. And he’s also getting paid $12M per – if the team was allowed to they would drop him in a second. He will def be gone next year. So while his word carries slightly more weight than jokes like Eddy Curry and Marbury, basically who cares.
Lebron doesn’t care about Hughes’ complaints, or about Curry’s via Leon Rose. He has his own relationship with Dantoni. And anyway, to suggest that a coach should change his behavior and basically suck up to some loser player just because they’re friends with Lebron is shameful. I think the Berman article is pathetic. I do like the Hahn article.
“to suggest that a coach should change his behavior and basically SUCK UP to some loser player just because they’re friends with Lebron is SHAMEFUL”
Don’t exaggerate.
Mike D’Antoni could/should have been more careful, that’s it. We don’t want him to offer his daughter’s hand or something, just to have a short meeting with the players (Hughes and Curry). 2 minutes would have been enough.
Not if that’s not the way he likes to coach. If that’s not his style, and he never has short meetings like that, and he were to do it now just because those players have some connection to Lebron, that would be sucking up. I would lose all my respect for him.
I don’t want him to do anything different. I’m impressed by his coaching so far and want him to continue doing whatever he thinks is right. We’re winning more than I thought possible.
So you “want him to continue doing whatever he thinks is right”… where’s your opinion? The Knicks are over-achieving because Mike D’Antoni’s doing a great job from a pure basketball standpoint, but I’ll not wear a blindfold and advocate wrong decisions because he’s a great coach!
Let’s be pragmatic. The fact that we’re talking about it shows that this situation is problematic. 2 minutes with Eddy Curry and Larry Hughes = no smoke.
Stubbornness is not a sign of intelligence and success in the process called natural selection. Mike D’Antoni should be smart enough to understand that the Knicks need to entice LeBron James and LeBron is probably the main reason why Donnie Walsh hired him.
2 minutes.
Over Achieving? Are ya MAD? We are still 6 games under .500 in the awful East. We are beating teams that we should and that is good but over achieving would be us beating all the best teams regularly or Jerry’s Kids having our record.
Jared Jeffries, Chris Duhon and two kids are in the starting line-up. They found a way to beat the Hawks twice. I call that overrachieving – or good coaching.
dont forget Josh Smith only played 12 minutes the first game..
keep it real.
Still Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Marvin Williams and Al Horford > Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari, Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler and D-Lee.
Yikes! Look at our overall record dude. Each yar this teams beats some good teams but it’s not consistent or we usually lose to teams that we should beat.
It’s a 82 game season and of course you can can teams at opportune times.
To call 6 games under .500 with the types of teams we played in December is mindboggling.
Thing about it, ANY coach that has their team NOT playing defense should be scolded! Just because our Knicks are now making a small attempt to play defense now does not make the coach a genius.
We should expect that as a normal part of the job. Remember, this coach is in his 2nd year coaching this team now.
you are so on point lately..
LOL @ “lately..”
Shots?
JK
Mucha is on point a lot of times and even when I don’t agree, he usually has a legitimate argument. You too Big.
Others here? Not so much.
Still can’t believe people went to the Tommy to complain about other people’s opinions. Smh.
lmao.. u missed the thread yesterday..
Mucha was en fuego.
that was ridiculous.. such is life. .. dont let that keep u down.
en fuego? In the David Lee or the Larry Hughes thread? I don’t even remember what I said lol.
im still laughing at that multiple stomachs comment
lol I see
its always the “in donnie we trust” guys who complain.isnt that apprepeaux?
“just to have a short meeting with the players (Hughes and Curry). 2 minutes would have been enough.”
How do you know this didn’t happen? D’Antoni hasn’t chosen not communicate through the media, so all you have to go on is the players point of view. For all we know D’Antoni could have communicated with these players just as you suggested, but there was a disconnect because the players chose to hear what they wanted to hear.
bee cause Hughes went to the press and said it didnt..
And the GM didnt know a thing about what was going on with the clean slate that wasnt really clean..
there is a history here.. i dont know why you guys cant just see it..
Tommy Dee — the biggest D’Antoni supporter out there — sees it and just says it wont affect Lebron coming here..
just leave it at that ..
Just because Hughes says its so doesn’t mean its the gospel. Using that logic means that most people in prison are wrongly convicted, just ask them. Hughes is using the bully pulpit of the media to push his agenda. Fine, that’s his right. In fact, he may be telling the truth 100%, but chances are that he is telling the truth the way he sees it. My point is that I prefer to get information from all sides before forming an opinion, not just one side.
There are always two sides to every story. I’m not ready to disregard concerns about D’Antoni’s communication; however, I’m not going to get overly excited either. These stories about a lack of communication are being expressed by players (or their agents) who for the most part are disgruntled or have an agenda to push. I scratch my head at how quickly some fans are willing to form an opinion without all the facts or considering the big picture (that fact that the Knicks are playing as a team and winning).
This story will not go away because D’Antoni will not share information about his conversations with players or his coaching rationale with the media (which is proper approach). So all fan have to go is what the players are saying.
Instead of celebrating the Knicks resurgence, hailing the players (many of whom are working under a one-year contract) for coming together as a team, and praising D’Antoni for adapting his coaching style, some fans continue to focus on silly issues as this to complain and comment on. Maybe the Knicks have been so bad for so long that some fans simply can’t accept success.
amen
Really? We have beat mostly teams we should beat. N8 came off the monthly benching to win the Atl game nearly by himself.
These are good things but RESURGENCE? Some Fans expectations are so low for this team that they accept ANYTHING as promising.
We had Isiah and his team made the playoffs in the 1st year. Should he have a banner hanging from the rafters?
YIKES! Communication with your team is not a silly thing especially if it keeps coming up each year. Remember, it’s not 1 or 2 players that has made these comments. Also, the GM has contradicted some of D’Antoni claims.
Great Post!!! The communication issues started last season not only with Steph, (who was the best PG and player on the roster) and with Donnie Walsh who had no idea what was going on. Players on the team knowing Steph’s fate before his boss and the player himself is inexcusable and unprofessional! This just can not be overlooked.
Are you talking about the vaseline eater? Let’s give the whole Starbury thing a rest folks, there was a vote and he lost 30-0. Every NBA team passed on him. Next…
The Knicks started off 3-14 and have been 11-6, I would call that a resurgence. Why is it so terrible to celebrate some success. The Knicks remain a flawed team and have a long way to way to go in its rebuilding, but give credit were credit due.
By the way, don’t give me that garbage that the Knicks beat team during the 11-6 streak that we should have beaten. The Knicks have been the doormat of the league for sometime and after the 3-14 most people held them in little regard, so how exactly did the Knicks become the assumed favorites? Now that they’ve shown improvement and improved their game, I have no problem with raised expectation, but don’t put the cart ahead of the horse.
As for communication, Walsh has always been supportive of D’Antoni and never expressed issues with his communication, so any reference on your or others part is pure speculation. That leaves complains from Marbury, Robinson, Hughes, and Stackhouse, which goes back to my original argument that we are only hearing part of the story.
A resurgence involves making the playoffs. Is it a possibility? Absolutely! But that 3-14 start could also be the reason the Knicks don’t make it as well.
Say What? WE’RE STILL 6 GAMES BELOW .500! I’ll say it again
WE’RE STILL 6 GAMES BELOW .500!
Resurgence? YIKES
Do you realize we have one of the highest payrolls? We are the Mets of basketball! Now look what you’ve done! I’ve just trashed my other over achieving team .lol
D’Antoni is not a rookie coach so why do you expect so little from him or this team?
If this teams gets to .500, those like you will go out and buy a championship jersey ahead of time.
Mecca of basketball my a-s-s!
Sorry if I got your panties in a bunch X…
My definition of resurgence is different than your, so grow up and get over it. I have no rose colored glasses on when it comes to the Knicks. I don’t see this them as a playoff team, although since they are playing in the weak East, anything is possible. What I do see though is a different attitude throughout the organization. Teamwork on the court and off. I see this team lift out of its long term slump. I see optimism for the future. Simply put I see progress. To me that is a resurgence. Like it or not, I will acknowledge their improvement in the short term, but expect a lot lot more in the months and years to come.
lol, No Problem dude! They’re not my panties anyway!
We sucked last year and we’re 6 game below .500 now and you see all this greatness!
Teamwork off the court! Did you see Curry sharing his twinkies with other players or something?
Isiah really did a number on many of ya! You folks would accept s-h-i-t on a stick and say it’s corn dog!
Sit back and watch the games in January!
You admit that you don’t see this team as a playoff team but then what do you see them as? If they are not a playoff team, then why not play the rookies and young players?
I wish you would go pull out some PHX Suns tapes and watch D’Antoni basketball in its purity!
Greatness is a bit much, I just see improvement. To what degree is debatable…maybe I’ve its been so long seeing futility with the Knicks that I’m being overly optimist.
I do see teamwork, although I love the Curry-Twinkie line. I’m going to steal that from you if you don’t mind…LOL!
As for this year, I always saw this season as a 36-46 year. I didn’t expect the lousy start, but am surprised by their latest run. To be honest, the playoff talk annoys me because if I ran the show, I would be playing the rookies and young guys more. However, with that being said, there is the argument of putting a good product on the court for free-agent recruitment (and the fans).
Having watched the Knicks from the 80′s, I would die for a pure D’Antoni system here in NY. The fans would revolt since they cling to the defensive mindset of the 90′s, but the ball D’Antoni coached in Phoenix was amazing. Nevertheless, I understand his adjustments here in NY. He just doesn’t have the personal to run it like he did in Phoenix. Maybe next year. We’ll see.
LOL, sure it all yours! I see we agree about this not being a real playoff team and we should be playing the rookies and young more.
As for D’Antoni system being brought here. I could surely live with that if it had attention to DEFENSE added with it.
That’s all many of us are saying. We like Offense but NOT at the expense of making defense an after thought. Besides we don’t have the b-ball IQ to run a pure D’Antoni system.
Not two sides.
Three…. Yours, mine and the truth!
people always ask who i would have hired as coach other than D’Antoni.
just got an idea..
what about Paul Westphal?
* He was available at the time,
* plays an uptempo game,
* actually Played for the knicks
* coached in college and the pros.
* Actually took a PHX team to the finals (something this coach hasnt done) — and he did it in his first year as coach with Barkley, KJ and a creaky old Danny Ainge.
I think Mike D’Antoni’s doing a great job considering the roster he’s been given. We’re a very good defensive team despite the fact that Lee, Duhon and Harrington (almost 120 minutes per game) are allergic to playing defense. Chris Duhon, Jared Jeffries, a 21-year old sophomore and a 22-year old player are 4/5th of the starting line-up.
The fact that the Knicks are fighting for a playoff spot is a miracle – Mike D’Antoni has done a GREAT job so far.
What I don’t like is his lack of communication skills and his unwillingness to play Jordan Hill.
this.
I wish he would give Tony D a little more burn. The only complaint I have is when he had the really short rotation during the week we played Chicago. That 6 man rotation one game was crazy.
Other then that he has been absolutely awesome.
“The fact that the Knicks are fighting for a playoff spot is a miracle…”
The East has been worse than anyone could have expected. _’antoni and the Knicks have benefited greatly.
Washington, Detroit and Philly have been awful.
If not for injuries I would have thought New Jersey and Indiana would have taken a step forward this year also.
good point re: the competition
Still,after the 1-9 start,for the Knicks to be even sniffing around the playoff picture is a small miracle and as much as it makes me sick,you have to give D’antoni SOME credit for the last 18 games .(what is it 12-6 ?)
yeah, whether you like him ot not you’ve got to give him credit for that.
i expected the Knicks to be mostestly improved this year
we won 32 last year and i thought we’d win 35-38 this year just by way of the improvement of our young guys and a coach being in his second year..
interesting you say we are improved defensively but agree three of our main cogs are still awful in that area..
I think th improved offense is a function of pace and Jeffries really coming into his own.
our blocks and steals arent really reflecting any improvement in defense.
Yes but the fact that three of our main guys are terrible defenders shows that THE COACH made the right adjustments and knows how to create a good defensive system with poor defenders. Quite an achievement.
He also sacrified his sacrosanct offensive system.
I think he definitely deserves credit.
the kings have a 14-19 record. He must be awful.
the Kings are much much better than expected..
And they Beat Denver with out Tyreke and lost to the Lakers by a point without him,.. so its not all about Evans.
You can say the very same thing about the Knicks.
I would bet money if Mike D went to Chicago and had them playing with the same passion the knicks are playing with, you would be saying how we should have hired him.
you’d lose that bet
Oh yeah and love that “Ill Communication” album and pretty much all of the Beasties’ stuff! Haha!
i feel bad for many the co-workers of many people who post on this blog. It must be hell trying to work with you guys.
First off, Hughes has not been banished. He has not been cast off. The same way nate was not banished. Hughes has not even been benched! He has just gotten a couple DNPs after playing very poorly since coming back from injury. If hughes would have played in the Indiana game, I would have been shocked! Maybe he was planning on putting Hughes into the game but when we got to such a big lead he figured to give him more rest. Considering it really looks like he isnt over his injury. Maybe if Hughes were to talk to him after the game instead of a reporter he may get some answers.
The fact that the only people who are complaining about Mike Ds lack of communication are Hughes and Curry (along with an agent) makes the fact that this story is getting so much press baffling. I hear stephen jackson has some problems with his communication too, FIRE COACH!
What about the Nate situation? How bout Steph’s banishment? It’s not only with the players, Walsh has been left out of Coach’s decisions as well. This is inexcusable considering he is the one that has to deal with the agents of these players. Since you want to bring up the work analogy, if we made huge company decisions without involving our bosses, we all would be fired!!! Get real!!!
If you really believe that Walsh is “Left Out” of the decisions then I have a bridge to sell you.
Dude that was so lame! You can come up with a better way to cop out of a debate.
Btw, still waiting for an answer with the lack of communication with Steph, then Nate…
Stephon Marbury is a nutjob. Lack of communication with him? Whatever. I dont care. He was a cancer to the team the entire time he was here and showing up to preseason in shape (something he should be doing anyway… is this really what we have lowered ourselves to?) does not guarentee playing time. He feels he was what… disrespected by coach? Whatever. He was disrespecting me as a fan for years. I blame the lack of communication on the lack of any brains in Stephs head.
I dont remember nate ever complaining. his agent had some words, but it sounded like there was some disconnect between agent and player there. Can you link to me or show me some time where Nate was complaining about the lack of communication?
I also dont know where this inherent right comes for a player to have to be told everything the coach is doing. You lace up your shoes and be ready to play. Period.
And I say it again. If you really think that Walsh and Mike D do not talk about what is going on, I dont really know what to tell you. I guess you believe every quote that gets reported in the paper as gold.
Steph was the best option at PG and great fit for Coach D’s system. If there was no intention of playing him then he should have been traded or bought out of his contract before the start of the season. Why would Walsh not want to get something of value back for Steph in the final year of his contract? Walsh was blindsided. I’m pretty sure Nate complained to his agent just like any competitive athlete would. It moved his agent to action. Dwight Howard who shares the same agent also complained about Nate’s benching. If you don’t believe Nate complained then he must look like the Pope to you. I could honestly care less about Larry Hughes or any player that will not be a part of the future. But a player that is in the rotation does have the right to know if he will be playing or not. That argument is a lil weak. If the entire locker room is not on the same page it disrupts the chemistry.
Marbury’s a knucklehead, honestly the lack of communication between him and D’Antoni didn’t bother me. But the communication gap between D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh was disturbing.
The communication skills of Mike D’Antoni to the players are not great, this isn’t news. However you take the Marbury situation and expand it and he purposely does this stuff. Donnie Walsh was kept out of the loop on the Marbury situation initially but Quentin Richardson knew? If Mike D’(ecepticon)Antoni doesn’t want to tell a guy something he won’t; sucks to be that guy I guess. See Larry Hughes initially, then Jordan Hill/Toney Douglas, Nate Robinson, then Hughes again this year alone.
Donnie Walsh doesnt seem to tell anything to the press.
if you were watching back then when the press came to Donnie to ask about his thoughts on the Marbury situation he looked completely taken aback and said he had to go talk tot he coach first and get his thoughts on the situation before commenting.
Its not press spin or anything.. Donnie was on the pregame show many many times early on last year.
Walsh looked like he had no idea what was going on.. and he said as much when asked about the situation.
Its not about Marbury.. the coach has a long history of communications problems.
Donnie is just as phony as D’antoni. I understand he looked as if he had no idea what was going on.but if i knew what was going on ,then Donnie Walsh def knew!
Larry Hughes and Eddy Curry should STFU and look in the mirror despite Mike D’Antoni’s lack of “flexibility” though.
Both parties deserve criticism.
I agree…who is Eddy Curry and Larry Hughes really? I read it here somewhere else also but think about it, they’re just role players that think they’re stars. D’Antoni or any coach for that matter doesn’t need to give them a reason as to why they’ve been benched if they’re role players. If they’re superstars like Lebron and Kobe, I can understand wanting an explanation. Just because they were given bad contracts doesnt mean their stars and deserve star treatment. Good for D’Antoni about benching Eddy Curry. He sucks. Larry Hughes just needs to be professional and not say a word like he did earlier in the season and just wait for his number to be called.
Its funny how all the players this keeps happening to are bums with their own agenda. In fact, the only non-bum this has happened to is Nate, who shockingly handled it like a professional. Wow thats crazy there. You have Marbury and Hughes, who just are bums who have completely overinflated senses of their own value(Mr. Im the Best PG in the league and Larry Im gonna take the whole team one on one when I have Lebron James playing next to me) and just 2 plain bums in Darko and Curry. I have been on Dantoni for his communication skills for a while, but the truth is its a small nitpicky issue. Even Berman admitted in his article that most of the locker room “looked over at Hughes and was confused by his comments”. And Dantoni has done a great job this year basketball wise. I dont know what people expect from this team, but it is a team full of expiring contracts and 6th men. Harrington and Nate- career 6th men. Duhon and Jeffries- career backups. Wilson and Gallo- young guys coming off of injuries. Hughes- awful in Cleveland, buried on the bench on a young Chicago team and complaining his way out of there too. I just don’t really understand what people expect from this team, I personally think even the Nets with all their injuries are more talented than we are.
STOP! TOO MUCH REASON & LOGIC!
I’m happy D’Antoni is taking it upon himself to do whatever he needs to do, and ignoring players who whine. Three players have been banished to the bench in the last 2 years, marbury, Hughes, and Nate. marbury and hughes are both widely known to be yappers, and they both complained about being benched… Who cares… We don’t need hughes, obviously, and he clearly isn’t being a professional.
nate kept his mouth shut, was professional about it, and now he has another chance to shine.
The coach knows what he’s doing, and he’s not a softy and he’s trying to create a culture of order, discipline, and most importantly winning, and since he tightened things up 17 games ago, we are playing the best ball in over 5 years. That is the only real news. And i suspect that will continue to grow.
If you look at the big boys like the cavs and the lakers, there are no players every talking trash about the coach… no one ever complains, even if they are permenantly relegated to the bench. Everyone has a very professional disposition both on and off the court, and in the media. Everyone on the team is tightly nit… That’s the type of culure they’re trying to create and there’s no room for (pardon my french) dooshes like Hughes to be complaining when they aren’t good enough to play.
Jeff- you are very reasoned.
How do you explain the communications gap with Donnie Walsh?
Where is this “communications gap” documented?
Are you referring to the Hill pick? Or the re-signing of nate? Because that is really all speculation on your part. nate was resigned because he has potential, and if he can improve the aspects of the game that coach wants him to improve, he is a huge asset. He’s back in the rotation now, so that story isn’t finished yet.
And we know the Hill story hasn’t finished yet… So really, where are the communication gaps? DW hired d’antoni to win, and he’s going to try to do that, no matter what it takes. DW will; try to give him the best chance to do it. That’s really all there is to it IMO.
I and others here have poited to it countless times..
Ill just cut and paste:
Comment by BiggieSmalls
2010-01-05 14:05:24
if you were watching back then when the press came to Donnie to ask about his thoughts on the Marbury situation he looked completely taken aback and said he had to go talk tot he coach first and get his thoughts on the situation before commenting.
Its not press spin or anything.. Donnie was on the pregame show many many times early on last year.
Walsh looked like he had no idea what was going on.. and he said as much when asked about the situation
That could have been acting.
But even assuming it wasn’t, so what? Walsh hired D’Antoni and promised him he would have full discretion to make all coaching decisions as he saw fit. So D’Antoni made a coaching decision without telling Walsh. Why is that necessarily a problem?
Jeez, I’ve been hearing about this for over a year now, who cares, what’s the big problem? Marbury was a washed up loser. Walsh has never had anything but support and praise for D’Antoni. But no, you guys know better, you KNOW there’s a problem….
its a lack of communication with a 20 plus million dollar asset..
Did the coach know he was going to do this the moment he walked in the door?
Did he discuss Marbury with Walsh during the interview process?
Did the coach lie to Walsh like he did to the Bulls when he told them he would NEVER take the knicks job?
its just a pattern of deceit and a lack of straight forward communication that is becoming the hall mark of this coach.
lack of communications * with respect to * a 20 mi asset.. not *With*
“What is there to understand? That’s the way life is,” D’Antoni said Saturday. “I think everybody understands we’re trying to win…”
I think that explains everything right there.
Biggie – I like Paul Westphal and everything, but that was a weak western confrence and he had three hall of famers. D’Antoni had Nash, maybe Amare but had he not been suspended they’d have made the finals. I think D’Antoni’s relationship with the modern players, if for nothing else, makes him that much more valuable.
Houston had Dream in his prime and won 55 games.. Seatlle had Shawn Kemp in his prime and won 55..
The Suns had Barkley .. (who were the other 2 hall of famers?) and won 62 in WEstphal’s FIRST year as coach..
there are excuses and good players every year.. Westphal got further than this coach ever did.. thats a fact.
Barkley, KJ, and a 33 year old Tom Chambers. Plus a still productive Danny Ainge, Dan Marleje in his prime, a young Cedric Ceballos. It’s not like he was patrolling a bunch of stiffs out there. Give the Knicks a 26 yr old KJ right now and see how we fare in the playoffs. The guy was unstoppable.
Yes, there were two other good teams that year. But, only 6 team played over .500 ball and the Suns matched up against a 39 win Laker team in the first round. It was not a tough road to the finals.
The “he got further than him” argument doesn’t mean anything to me. There are tons of coaches that inexplicably took teams to the finals. You have to look at things in perspective man. You cant just make everything so black and white. You give too much credit to Westphal for leading a team with two surefire HOFers in there primes, and a great supporting cast to the finals, and not enough to D’Antoni for consistantly putting the Suns deep into the playoffs. I mean, say what you want about excuses, an outdated panic rule took out an All Star power forward and cost the Suns the Western Conference Finals. If he doesnt get suspended, does that much D’Antoni a supremely better coach? No. Thats why you cant just matter of factly talk about stats like one makes another better. You need to look at circumstances.
Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers are in what hall of fame exactly?
The Hall of Fame of the future…I guess I should have said Hall of Fame caliber. The point I was trying to make, was that it’s not like he walked onto some crappy team and made a great run. He took a team with a bunch of great players to the finals in a weak conference.
D’Antoni was with Phoenix for 5 season, and missed the playoffs only in his first. He made the conference Finals twice, and I know you dont want to make excuses, dealt with injuries and BS suspensions to key players in the playoffs. Not to mention the fact that his owner was building the roster to stay under the luxury tax, going so far as to sell lottery picks and players. The guy achieved a lot. Just give the man his due. He’s a good coach, give the man his due.
D’Antoni has his accomplishments.
He is just the wrong coach for New York. I would not have hired him and was asked who I would have considered if not him…
I offered a name that was probably not interviewed.. im not sure if Walsh took the time to interview anyone but D’Antoni and maybe Mark Jackson.. That is unacceptable.
Hey guys how do you feel now with N8 exploding first game back about the point I was trying to make a while back about how guys like N8 Lee and Harrington can fetch us more then one first mid to late 1rd draft picks?
I know everyone wants to resign Lee now but the question with that is there will be plenty of money freed up for 2010 so what is he worth? and if you think he will get an offer that stops you from doing other things do you go for him?
Or if you stick to the plan of two stars do you trade him at the deadline while his value is at an all time high? Harrington for a 1rd pick and Sam Young or maybe both mid 1rd picks? All these are questions that will need to be answered as the deadline approaches so guys who go’s who stays and what are they worth?
Good point but Lee and Nate will veto trades to teams that are not contenders. So we would not be looking at a mid to high 1st rounder. There was a deal with Memphis for Marcus Williams and a pick but Nate rejected it. Harrington might be able to get us something but will it be enough? Other than Chicago, who wants Al?
Harrington is just what the Grizz need off the bench scoring punch! So if we can get that first rd pick and Sam Young or both of those mid first rd picks from them that would be a hell of a move!! Now if only we can get Zeke to do our drafting!!! lol
The biggest reason for the knix improvement is Dantoni.
But, I don’t necessarily mean that entirely in a good way–because the flip side of that is the 1-9 start was all about him, and his refusal to adapt to the players he had to go to war with, not the players he would like to have. He finally started to do that, and they started to win. Good coaches create a system that will work with the players they have-and then they make them better.
Look at Pat Riley coming from Showtime with Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, etc, to Slowtime with Mason, Ewing, Oak, etc. Did he expect Ewing to play like Kareem? Or Chis f’ing Childs to play like Magic? To fit into the Showtime ‘system’ he was used to? No, of course not- and what he did instead was he helped CBA guys like Starks and Mason, and very limited guys like Oakley and even (’5 fouls to give’) Dudley reach their potential–actually much beyond what their potential really might have been with another less creative coach.
That said, the fact that Danantoni did finally adapt is a good sign, a sign that he can perhaps learn and get better himself. Maybe. But communication seems to be another area where he really does need to get better.
From the Chad Ford chat. Looks like someone at ESPN is finally paying attention.
james (indy)
Blazers send Blake and Outlaw contracts to NY for Jeffries and Gallo. Can this happen? How about swap Gallo for Hill?
Chad Ford
(1:16 PM)
Knicks aren’t trading Gallinari for more cap space. Have you seen him play? He’s pretty good and the only thing they really have going for them right now. David Lee is an unrestricted free agent next year. Jordan Hill hasn’t shown much. They aren’t letting go of Gallo.
Finally.
A lot of interesting things being written about the Knicks now. From NBA.com John Schumann: http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/john_schuhmann/12/31/numbers.game/index.html
“Still, the Knicks have been the 10th best defensive team in December, pretty amazing when you think about it.”
Also in terms of point differential Knicks are 2nd most in improvement to Memphis with a +10.3 diff. from Oct.-Nov. in December with an overall +3.1 for the month. Of course, as he points out the schedule has been easier but still an improvement nonetheless.
Kevin Pelton also has an interesting examination of the Knicks newly found good play.
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=847
A lot of interesting things being written about the Knicks today. Kevin Pelton has a good examination: http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=847
And at NBA.com John Schumann looks at the most improved teams of December, and the Knicks are 2nd in point differential and were shockingly ranked 10th in defense for the month. Of course, as he mentions, the Knicks schedule was easier but for anyone who wants to be a little optimistic its nice I guess. But 10th on defense really is amazing to me, thats a very impressive stat with David Lee as your center and Chris Duhon as your pg.
There’s alot of comments about how people don’t like how Walsh and D’Antoni have handled the Knicks. My thing is, if we didn’t have them don’t you think we’d be worse off if we still had Isiah Thomas as the GM and coach? He would’ve made more trades to get big contracts and trade away draft picks.
The choice to be made isn’t bring Isiah back or this?
Isiah was let go for good reason and it should have been made earlier.
Yet, expecting our Knicks to have a good plan or a coach that makes defense a priority is NOT without merit.
Isiah brought about some of the same confusion as this coach has. Are we developing our young players/rebuilding now or what is the game plan?
If 2010 is the suppose to be the key year, then it make sense to put down the foundation for that to occur now.
You mean the same guy who drafted Lee late in the draft and trade for N8 and again picked Chandler late in the draft? Isiah never had the “Blow it up” option His hand was forced by a $hit head owner demanding “win now Fill the seats make money” from Isiah. So while every move made by him was not great realize the circumstances & that the young guys who are helping us win now where his picks and had he been given the option to blow it up from day one thing may have been different!! Oh by the way he would of drafted Jennings bet that!! Good coach no! but once again the knick downfall did not start with him and all in all he made us better then he found us and the young talent that’s winning he drafted except for gallo.So lets focus on the future and if your going to throw dirt on a man put all the facts out there and not just $hit on him to make someone you like look better!! So if we must bash start with culprit #1 the owner!!
Rafer Alston just got bought out by the Nets. Should we go after him?
He’s a scrub.
Chris Duhon is better than Rafer Alston.
Don’t forget the playoffs and the finals last year…he was clutch for Orlando in place of jameer and when jameer came back that’s when things started to crumble…this may be reaching a little but I think orlando could have pushed it to 7 games or might have even won had Van Gundy not played with the chemistry that was built in the playoffs and just let Alston continue to do his thing in the finals.
I agree but I think we need insurance in case Duhon ends this season like he ended last season (or started this season.) He’s probably the best pg option out there unless the Heat wave Arroyo.
waive
Once again, what is the realistic expectation for us this year? Do we need to go after Alston at the expense of giving Douglas PT?
This is what drives me crazy in that IS THIS A REBUILDING YEAR OR NOT? The answer to this question should impact decisions made.
Having some say we’re resurgent and on the other hand, we have poor talent and yet not play the young players is quite confusing. Do we expect to make the playoffs or make noise if we get there? If not, get real, give the young players pt and assess who we can keep or trade!
Anything else is uncivilized or just being Isiah!
Signing Alston to a one year minimum deal is NOT an Isiah move, we’re not trading future first rounders for him.
Douglas has yet to prove he can run the point. Alston would be insurance for Douglas as well as Duhon. And it’s possible to rebuilding and try to instill a winning culture, we can walk and chew gum.
I do hear ya but how will Douglas EVER get the playing time? Isn’t next year we suppose to get Superstars and compete for the ring?
Then how will the young players get PT then when we can’t find them PT now?
The reason I asked the initial question because it really gets to the heart of what are the expectations of this team for THIS YEAR.
Winning Culture? Winning a hand full of games more at the expense of NOT developing our young players or assess our players for trades and keepers I would argue is very counter productive.
There is NO better year than this year to stop worrying about stop gaps that doesn’t help us overall.
We have to be strategic for once!
Excellent point.
But I don’t want to see him get minutes over Toney Douglas – even though I’m not a TD fan.
I hope his $1 mill salary will not haunt the Knicks next summer. Every penny will count.
He better be good enough to contribute in case Duhon breaks down.
I do think Douglas deserves a significant chance to prove himself at the point, but outside a couple of summer league games he hasn’t proven much in the PG department as of today.
If Duhon breaks down, I’d rather leave the offense in the hands of both Alston and Douglas, not just Douglas. But I think Douglas should get first crack.
Alston can’t run the point either, he’s just a veteran point guard. He’s a flashy scorer with nice handles. He never really ran an NBA team. He just can bomb it from three and, well, used to be speedy.
Makes no sense to add him. TD and Nate do the same exact thing, and are much better at it.
have you all seen the new NBA commercial – Where defense happens?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXHOy6W3CSg
Gotta get Big C on a Knicks remix of that.. with Lee, Harrington and company getting schooled.. Someone I dont envision this coach being a part of that spot.. ever.
I guess the NBA doesnt focus on defense any more … SMH.
Man, you’ll take any opportunity to take a crack at this coach, won’t you? This one was a stretch, kinda like taking shots at Nate after the 40pt blowout over the Pacers…
thats the response?
didnt we have a 150 plus thread on how defense isnt important in the NBA anymore just 2 days ago?
http://www.theknicksblog.com/2010/01/03/im-reading-about-defense-and-mike-dantoni/
My response is that using a meaningless marketing campaign as a premise for your argument is, quite frankly, beneath someone of your intelligence. You’re just going out of your way to put down D’antoni. It just smells like a smear crusade. Yellow bloggerism.
no offense but that is a bit of a cop out..
its not meaningless.. notice every one of the teams in that video are the top teams in the league..
If you read the book about the coach and listen to his words the coach’s definition of defense is scoring more points than the opposition.
Its a fundmental flaw in his philosophy that I just cant get by.. even if he has slowed things down a bit this year and packed the paint with a zone defense..
i saw that video and had to put it out there.. winners focus on defense. that is how it ws and always will be int eh NBA.
I think this is a rebuilding year, and a year to try and make the playoffs, wrapped up into one.
Chandler and Galo are really coming along very, very nicely, and Lee has become an allstar, pretty much. Hopefully we will be able to resign Lee, and if we make the playoffs, watching those three pieces attempt a playoff-basketball series will be the final page of our rebuilding chapter, prior the the 2010 bananza.
Yes, we have to play guys like jeffries to help us win, (and maybe to trade him), but that doesn’t mean we aren’t rebuilding.
Do i think we should sign alston? no, that wouldn’t help us win really, IMO, and it would take away any minutes that are to be had for TD.
But i still like the direction we are going in.. We have a very good chance to make the playoffs, so we need to do whatever is necessary to accomplish that, because that is the best thing that could happen to our young, developing players.
Oh and x-man: the whole “D’Antoni doesn’t require or care about defense and the knicks deserve a coach who does” is completely overplayed, and entirely false at this point.
How do you explain starting 1-9, and then inserting Jeffries into the starting lineup and playing him near 40 minutes a game,even though he sucks on offense?
Since december, we have improved drastically on defense because of the changes the coach made… There are numerous statistics i can give you to back this up, but i don’t need to.. You can look them up yourself. The reason for this turn around is the slowing of the pace combined with a devotion to defense.
Yea d’antoni just wants guys to go in and chuck threes and score as much as possible… which is why Jeffries is his most utilized, most important player in this turn-around…
i agbree about the pace of play.. but the turnaround had more to do with Duhon turning it around and actually looking like an NBA player than anything the coach actually did..
I give the coach credit for making some adjustments.. only took him 100 games to do it.
I disagree.
look at out points in the paint.. for and against.. that is a telling stat regarding this teams defense.
protect the paint.. this team just doesnt do that.. other than Jeffries taking charges.
Look at our roster, Biggie. Please just look at it.
what does that even mean?
Lee is incapable of protecting the paint?
Harrington is incapable of playing strong man defense ( He was pretty good at it a few times in his career) ?
Darko? he doesnt get off the bench.. Hill too//
You can lead them to water Biggie but you can make them think! lol
To accept a team not putting out the effort to play decent team defense at least is mindboggling. These are the best athletes in the world and they won’t focus on defense if the coach don’t make it a priority and tie it to PT.
Every time I let an opposing player go back saying it’s NOT mine, I paid a fine and sat on the pine. With your pockets lighter and NO PT, you really get the message.
ash would be a better defensive players if someone had gotten to him earlier.
To say the coach doesn’t care about defense is the biggest red herring in the anti-D’antoni crusade. You obviously weren’t paying attention during camp, that’s all they practiced and all the players talked about.
Dude, the proof is in the pudding. NO D’Antoni team has EVER been accused of putting defense in the forefront. This coach has the Don Nelson philosophy!
Did you watch the Suns those years under this coach? Did you watch last year and most of this year?
In all honestly, our Knicks haven’t stopped playing tough defense since the last years of Van Gundy.
You have to review and observe the philosophy of a coach in how their teams play.
I betcha believe the GOP is really for healthcare reform just because they say they are from time to time. lol
“haven’t” should be removed
I’m sorry, were Lee and Harrington lockdown defenders before D’antoni was there coach? That’s news to me. Do players have no personal accountability in your brand of basketball? Or just when they play well? Let me guess, Lee and Harrington’s offensive strides are all his own but the coach is to blame for his defensive deficiencies? Please…
Put Darko and Hill in and you’ll turn around blaming D’antoni that he doesn’t know how to balance an offensive attack and teach players to score inside.
their*
Lee has had one coach that stressed defense (Larry Brown) and he showed significant improvement under him. He has regressed since then,.
Harrington has had his moments in his career..
Apparently if you are a D’Antoni class favorite you have no accountability on the defensive end..
They played for Isiah who was more awful! If ALL players had this accountability that you speak of then why have a coach?
The coach has to get across his system to the players and hold them accountable to that system.
Our Knicks can score and we’re more of a perimeter team. That is our forte and it falls in line to our coach’s beliefs. If we had that go-to guy, we would be even better from an offensive end. However, we would just be closer to be a knockoff of the Suns. NO D NO RINGS!
For me the real nadir of this team was the Golden State game, which we were never close to winning, and in which if GS made 2-3 passes, they could always find an open jumper, or if Monta drove, as soon as he beat Duhon he was free and clear for a layup. That game was so frustrating, I wanted to break my TV. They gave up 121 points to Golden State!
Biggie is right that the two biggest changes since that game were giving more PT to Jeffries (best +/- on the team) and improvement from Duhon. But others things have happened since then, too: much more ball movement from the Harrington/Hughes types, more driving to the basket from Chandler/Gallo, and team defense and rotating by everyone on the floor. The ball movement, driving, and rotating have to be a direct result of coaching.
The Nate benching also helped. In the GS game he was 3 for 9 with 4 TOs. He needs to know that that kind of play is not excusable. In my mind, all of those changes are examples of good coaching.
you start off talking about the defensive deficiencies against GS then go on to talk about ball movement..
there is still no one protecting the paint.. guards are still driving to the hoop indiscriminantly..
Watch the NBA 30 second commercial i linked to above..
Protect the rim.. thats what defense is.
I do think that things have gotten better. D’Antoni is showing opposing PGs different looks, which he has to do, because Duhon can’t guard anyone straight up. Sometimes Jefferies gets up on them, sometimes he plays a zone, sometimes he sends double teams. There isn’t thaaaat much he can do when two players on the court are Duhon and Lee, neither of whom can move their feet in a rapid, side to side manner.
You’re right that there is no one who enforces in the paint (although Gallo’s weakside D, as well as his ability to man up, ae underrated). Lee is not the long term solution at C, not if the Knicks don’t want guys like Raymond Felton torching them when it counts (two games and counting this year). But that’s not bad coaching. That’s just a lack of talent right now.
Dude, you really need to watch and observe the coaching of this coach. Many of us have been stating from day one that this coach system is like Don Nelson.
Take a look at PHX, All of last year and most of this year. No stubborn real coach should take this long to get across that DEFENSE is what will help give your team a chance to be consistent. You’re not gonna be lethal behind the arc each night and even if you do and don’t stop the opponent, it may not still matter.
Yes, I have noted that this team now pack it in in the paint and challenge teams to beat them from the perimeter. The paint really isn’t that well protected but at least we give the illusion that it is when many feet in or close to it. That’s a start for this coach, I’ll give him that.
But even last year we went on a 8-4 run that fell apart. With 82 games, there should be at least a run or two.
Let’s see where we are by the end of this month! The 1st 3 game losing streak should tell alot.
This chat about D’A's communication skills is a lot of hot air about nothing. Lack of communication does not mean you have bad skills. You suck, you sit. Connect the dots. The coach’s job is to put the best players on the floor and win, and for the last 5 weeks they have been doing that. If players don’t produce they sit. They have known that since high school. D’A's actions and history of winning show me that he communicates b-ball just fine. That’s all I care about. If players are unhappy they can talk to the coach. What’s stopping them?
I surely don’t care if players are unhappy either. The pt is to communicate with your players on what you expect of them and etc. No one is saying the players have to like or accept what the coach has to say.
We played NO defense for a better part of last year and this year. So what do ya think is being communicated to the players? “If you dare guard anyone, you’re sitting?”
correct.
thats why douglas
don’t get time
also hill
cuz they will try an guard players
good point X
The Knicks are playing good defense with poor defenders like Chris Duhon, David Lee and Al Harrington getting major minutes. Why? Because Mike D’Antoni made the right adjustments. Give him credit.
He took advantage of what many people thought would be a handicap : The Knicks have 4 forwards in the starting line-up (plus one of the worst starting point guards in the NBA) : Jared Jeffries, Wilson Chandler, David Lee and Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks are ALWAYS switching defensively (quite unorthodox) and they are playing at a slower pace – which means that Mike D’Antoni was smart enough to sacrifice his sacrosanct system for better results.
The fact that the Knicks are winning and playing good team defense is a miracle, period. And Mike D’Antoni deserves credit – because good individual performances are seriously hard to find on the defensive end.
By the way, David Lee has NEVER been a good defender, he has been under the spotlight since Zach Randolph’s departure and Eddy Curry’s hamburger overdose – that’s why people saw it (his lack of D) last year. He was a fan favorite because he was a nice player coming off the bench – he didn’t have to be consistent.
Leon Rose is taken notice. Dantoni has been very consistent with his disrespectful behavior. Lebron James will no be encouraged to deal with a childish coach who thinks he a comedian. Eddy Curry was asked to lose weight (70 lbs) and he did it . The reward you’re not playing. Larry Hughes helped this team turn it around and now he’s not playing. He only solidified the defense in the back court. Duhon can’t stay with anyone but he still plays.I can’t wait til monday the 11th when Duhon will have to stay with Russell and Gallo will have to switch and pick up Durant. Then we will see some one wanting to talk. The players that have been disrespected with silence need to give it back. Don;t speak to the coach .
Eddy Curry is not playing because he sucks. Being in shape is not enough – the fact that Curry lost weight is not extraordinary – it was the minimum, the guy’s a millionaire. This guy would be homeless right now if he was in the real job market.
Larry Hughes is not playing well enough to get minutes either. He’s a liability from a pure basketball standpoint, period.
I didn’t know Eddy Curry apologists existed.