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“Bad Rookie” Hill “Understood” Time on the Bench

by Tommy Dee on March 21st, 2010 at 7:44 pm

Mike D’Antoni made waves before the game in talking to the media with this quote given to us by Zags:

“…D’Antoni became defensive Sunday when told that former Knick and current Houston Rockets rookie Jordan Hill said he wasn’t given “the opportunity” to play during his tenure in New York. Hill was dealt to Houston by the Knicks during a three-team deal Feb. 18.

“I don’t like to play bad rookies , I like to play good rookies,” D’Antoni said before Houston met the Knicks Sunday at MSG…”

The response was in regards to a comment from Hill from this piece from the Houston Chronicle:

“…Coach D’Antoni, he relies on his veterans more than rookies. He feels like his rookies need to learn more their first year so they could get everything down pat. I understood. I just wanted to wait patiently until my time was coming…”

The headline from the NY Post?

“…HILL: D’ANTONI BURIED ME ON THE BENCH…”

Where did he say that?

Hill needed time to develop. Some fans thought Hill was a bust. Others thought he would have played a ton of minutes next year. If they kept him, he’d be playing now. The Knicks traded him and got cap space.

Can we all just move on?

“…Under normal cirumstances you would not do that [trade a rookie],” D’Antoni said. “This is not normal. This is where we are and we’ve gone through the last two years to put us in a position where we could get to where we wanted to go. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do what you think is best. I think what [Knicks president] Donnie [Walsh] did was definitely the best thing to do.”

As for the loss of Hill, D’Antoni didn’t sound broken up.

“I do like Jordan,” he said. “I think he’ll be a nice player in the league, but that’s as far as it goes…”
  • HaS

    _’antoni exemplifies class.

    “D’Antoni became defensive…”

    The only time he does is when he’s questioned by the media, _avi_ had a good teacher.

  • oscar f

    I hope he didn’t really say that I don’t play bad rookie comment because that is not a classy or professional thing to say. The coach needs to mind his mouth. He is starting to develop a bad reputation for his self with his mouth..

  • oscar f

    Hill is a bad rookie?

  • joetheknick

    For the past two seasons we have witnessed total unmaking of a roster for the purpose of securing maximum cap space on July 1st. This was and has been the plan. The plan has made for an extremely unstable roster. Under these circumstances, I do not understand why the sportwriters ignore the obvious and continually ask about the satisfaction with and happiness level of the players. The dissatifaction and the unhappiness seems so obvious. Hopefully all will forgotten when the rebuilding begins.

  • Knicks4life

    “Can we all just move on?”

    Would you prefer that we focus on the Knicks record or lack of defense? Not much positive has happened this season except additional cap space. Trading away your lottery pick a half season into his rookie season is pretty unprecedented. Are we not supposed to discuss it?

    ““I don’t like to play bad rookies , I like to play good rookies,” D’Antoni said”

    We what does that say about D’Antoni and Walsh’s drafting here in NY thus far?

  • BigDaddybluesman

    This is just another D’assholi statement that proves what a terrible coach he is.

    You never say something like that.

    And the list of players who say the same thing goes on. It doesn’t even matter at this point if the player is a good one or a bad one. When so many players say the same thing then you have to think about what they are saying. So far in 2 years this moron has alienated so many players instead of trying to work with them and get them to play good basketball.

    That’s because this moron has a bigger ego then the players and thinks he’s more important. It’s all about D’Antoni, he’s the star not the players.

    Screw him I can’t wait for this phony fraud to get fired!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Knicks4life

    We = Well

  • HaS

    _’antoni really needs to get a star here next year so he can remove the “coach”‘s foot from his mouth.

    I hate this coach.

  • oscar f

    Thats the problem he feels he is more important than the players. Why he feels that way ? DW! That has to change or he will cause FA’s not to come here.

  • Knicks4life

    Man there is no excuse for how bad the Knicks have been the last two years. I understand completely that the Knicks were reshaping the roster but was Walsh completely incapable of bringing in a PG and C that D’Antoni would play?

    If the Knicks can sign two max FAs, I’ll be happy, but there were significant mistakes made the last two years that for whatever reason people don’t want to acknowledge.

  • ds2488

    I already said this earlier, but completely classless and despicable, while Jordan Hill took the high road and let his play on the court do the talking. It was all worth it though…we played intangibles Jeffries to show how flawed of a player he was and we had to give Bender his minutes because veterans need to be looking for their next contract…HAHA the only 25 win team in history to not feature their youngsters consistently and not even be able to play their lottery pick so they could futilely push for the playoffs. Completely absurd. Dantoni should be ashamed of himself for that crap.

  • BluEandOrange

    Our coach is an a__hole. Seriously.

    Someone put a sock in D’Antoni’s mouth. Play bad rookies? Throw people under buses much Mike?

    We need Ewing or Action Jackson as coach ASAP.

  • SilentJay

    That’s what you get when you have the reputation of being “liked by stars”: you get to be the smug, unhappy little guy he is. During the past two years he’s shown the type of coach he is when he doesn’t get his way: a complete idiot who doesn’t know how to handle tough situations (even if they’re made up, misunderstood or anything else) and make moronic statements, that once again are there to be heard around the NBA, GM’s, agents, players, etc.
    Fantastic PR job he’s doing to reel the big fish in.

  • bob go knicks

    You guys overreact to everything that D’antoni says,yer all like Jr.high school girls in the lunch room.who gives a shit if he dissed Jordan Hill?

  • EQ1217

    I guess Jordan is ready to move on…

    “@jordanchill43: Giv me da opportunity and ill make da most out of it…DA GOOD ROOKIE!!! ; )”

    Unless this coach alone can bring LBJ, Wade or Bosh then he needs to go. His in game coaching has been atrocious and his games have been equally bad.

    I wish someone can pick Donnie’s brain and find out if he regrets bringing him here over Avery.

    This coach thinks hes bigger than the game or the players. If they lose everyone else fault. If they win I can see him tooting his own horn.

  • BigDaddybluesman

    It says that Walsh is incompetent and D’ass is an egotistical omnipotent buffoon.

  • SilentJay

    He should be ashamed for being outcoached so many times throughout the year, either by entering the 4th with a double digit lead or just misunderstanding what to do during the last minutes of many games. To that, add failiing to see his mistakes and keep repeating them.
    Statements like this are just his trademark moronic actions. He should have a patent for all those things.
    I can’t believe Walsh, with all those years of experience, isn’t capable of dealing with this guy’s bullsh*t. It’s absurd.
    The worse thing of all, is that should DW want to let him go, he probably couldn’t because of all instability it would cause to a franchise going into the FA.
    Or maybe it could be a way to say, “Hey, Lebron who do you want?, I’ll have him in a sec”.
    Yeah, right.

  • BluEandOrange

    This is Mike D’Antoni, not Ozzie Guillen. And last time I checked bob, NY still hasn’t won anything. So that type of arrogance is unsubstantiated.

    bob, you can’t go runnin your mouth like that and not expect payback.

    Next thing you know, Jordan Hill is an incumbent All-Star a la David West and D’Antoni still has nothing.

    Its called being humble yet passionate. Like Tim Duncan. Not flashy, but gets the job done.

  • BiggieSmalls

    I love how this smug imbecile tries to justify his stupid comment by saying he had to get DARKO minutes.. Huh??? Is he kidding me???

    Iis it clear now to everyone the emperor has no clothes

    Hill tweeted
    : Giv me da opportunity and ill make da most out of it…DA GOOD ROOKIE

  • HaS

    13 points 5 rebounds in 25 minutes and a +/- of +24.

    I told someone here to wait until Sunday.

  • SilentJay

    Bob, it’s about showing your professionalism. That’s it. Diplomacy shouldn’t be so hard if you’re a coach. Handling the press should be a walk in the park for anybody who’s constantly in teh spotlight.

  • starksoakmase

    Poor choice of words by MD. I wish I could have heard what prompted that comment.

    does anyone in here want to play bad rookies?

    Md probably should have just said. “Hill wasn’t ready for major minute, which is why he didn’t get them. end of story.

  • HaS

    “Iis it clear now to everyone the emperor has no clothes”

    Unfortunately, I think the “Smartest fans in the world” need a little more time Big.

    SMH

  • starksoakmase

    Avery? he totally screwed up a very good Dallas team.

    I was more of a Charlile, O’brien guy myself, but still want to see what MD does next year. MD is on a short leash next year. No doubt about it.

  • Hydr0

    Can we hire someone to teach D’antoni how to speak to the new york press already? He obviously needs it. What a nitwit

  • starksoakmase

    perfectly right about how everyone in here reacts to this coach, I kind of like his fiestiness. But I just hope he doesn’t develop a bad rep for dissing players. Having said that, other than getting LBJ, Wade or Bosh, getting FA’s is all about the dough.

  • Mucha

    Mike D’Antoni’s explanation doesn’t make sense.

    I have the impression that he was very disappointed with Hill’s lack of professionalism. In hindsight it was really scandalous : 1. He came to Las Vegas out-of-shape 2. He laughed during a blow-out loss in Miami 3. He tweeted during a game 4. He didn’t play hard the night before he got traded. I always tried to give him the benefit of the doubt considering that he was “our” lottery pick but – now – I can understand why Mike D’Antoni didn’t like him (“I do like Jordan, I think he’ll be a nice player in the league, but that’s as far as it goes” shows that he didn’t like him in my opinion).

    But Jordan Hill should have been given some PT before the trade deadline – the Knicks needed to raise his trade value. I don’t criticize Mike D’Antoni because he didn’t WANT to play him anymore – but he NEEDED to. Jordan Hill is a good player, the Rockets didn’t need to ask for 2 1st round draft picks, but they had leverage considering that the Knicks didn’t even try to raise his trade value before the trade deadline.

  • SilentJay

    How did AJ ruin the Dallas’ team? By getting them to the finals in his second year as head coach?

    I’m coming with my pitchfork right to MD’s house if the guy doesn’t show me results after 20 games.

  • Mucha

    Exactly.

    I think MD’s over-confident.

  • BigDaddybluesman

    We have to figure another 2 years of dumb and dumber then by then maybe Dolan will hire someone, to hire someone, to hire the right people.

  • ds2488

    I agree with some of that and don’t agree with other parts. I think it was absolutely terrible for Hill to show up to summer league admittedly out of shape..that should never happen. Along with the in-game tweet, that does show a lack of professionalism. Hill had to be playing..I have no idea how much Dantoni hurt this franchise by not playing him in the Tmac trade.

    I don’t blame HIll for his performance the night before he was traded..He was a guy who never got a fair chance, was being constantly criticized by everyone for being drafted ahead of Jennings and not being able to crack the rotation, and admittedly was disturbed by all the trade rumors. It wasn’t that he wasn’t putting in the effort, he was just completely out of confidence because of our coach and the media.

  • starksoakmase

    he said Darko was ahead of hill on the depth chart. Whats wrong with that. Darko was better than Hill in the beginning of this year. As was Lee Harrington and JJ. The philosophy is not the problem here. It’s that he should have handled the situation with more tact, but its really not a huge deal.

  • SilentJay

    +1

  • HaS

    I’m trying to see where you’re coming from Mucha, but I don’t know. I think you’re reaching. To call Hill immature is one thing, but I don’t think I saw a blatant lack of professionalism in him.

    Other than showing up to camp not in shape, you’re reasons are incredibly isolated incidents and more than forgivable when talking about a rookie.

    2. He laughed during a blowout loss – veterans do the same thing all the time, it’s not like the atmosphere of “this year doesn’t matter” helps. 1/82 games.

    3. He tweeted during a game – immature, but the kid was pretty buried on the bench behind 5 guys according to _’antoni. Inexcusable, but you penalize him and move on.

    4. He didn’t play hard the night before he got traded – I think this is the most unfair of them all, he’s a rookie and never dealt with the business side of the NBA before. Many players have let trade rumors affect their play, even the hardened veterans.

    The team stank defensively. Hill could have contributed. So could have Darko and Douglas. Period.

  • starksoakmase

    that was still Nelson’s team. They went downhill pretty fast after that. From what I understand his players weren’t very fond of him.

    I thought he had 30 games? Did this comment bother you that much?

    If they have a losing record after 20 games I will be pretty pissed.

  • HaS

    The Knicks PR team needs to hire some of you guys. There’s a “explanation” and an “excuse” for everything this guy does. I don’t get it.

  • HaS

    Nelson has never been to the Finals.

    Avery Johnson took the Mavs out of the West.

  • HaS

    Sorry man, didn’t mean to make that sound so confrontational. Just frustrated with this “coach”.

    No shots.

  • dino2008

    Jordan Hill is a bum. The guy came into camp out of shape. if that doesnt say antyhing about his work ethic then i dont know what does. he should have played i agree, but really the guy does not give two flying …. who the hell if given the opportunity to play in the NBA would show up out of shape. glad he is gone. hell be a nice player, but he does not have the WORK ETHIC clearly to take his game to the next level. mike is right on this one.

  • ds2488

    Its so funny to think about this whole series of events, because if there is anything that epitomizes the Knicks of the past decade it has been a tragic lack of competence and ridiculous situations like this. Consider this:

    The Knicks are trying to trade Jeffries and his ridiculous contract. The whole league knows this: There are 2 ways to accomplish enhancing his trade value:

    1)Play him limited minutes as a an off-the-bench harasser who goes on the other teams best player for 10-20 minutes per game. This is his only role on a good team, likely the type of team that would take on such a bad contract to try and put them over the top. To add to this..Jeffries is an amazingly flawed player, the more minutes he plays the more his weaknesses such as dribbling, rebounding, finishing, shooting, any basketball related skill start to show.

    2) Use another player to trade him. This involves enhancing and increasing the value of another player, of which it would be easier to do since they would have a reasonable contract and actual basketball skills. Lets say this player was Hill..Play him a ton of minutes give him the ball a lot, make sure his stats are there. Now you can just give up Hill and probably get rid of Jeffries without being forced to give up draft picks.

    3) This is what Dantoni actually did. He played Jeffries close to 30 minutes a game, which highlighted his ridiculous lack of basketball skills and offensive ability. He did not play Jordan Hill at all, which dropped his trade value as low as possible. Now DW is forced to give up 2 more draft picks just to get rid of Jeffries, who would have had an expiring contract next year anyway and not been that hard to get rid of.

    Consider: Jordan Hill now plays a big part of the Rockets rotation, a good team that is above .500. Jeffries is completely out of the rotation and useless, as anyone who has seen him play knows. Question: Could the Knicks and Dantoni have gone about this situation any worse? Would it even be possible to get each respective person’s (jeffries and Hill) value any lower if they had actually tried to do that? Does this general type of incompetence not sum up the past decade of mismanagement? Its tough to really comprehend for me.

  • dino2008

    the first excuse is the only what the matters anyway. he will NEVER be a great player, which he has the POTENTIAL to be because of his poor work ethic and lack of motivation. he can tweet all he wants about getting the opportunity, but if you do not take advantage of the opportunity because of your poor work ethic it means nothig. mike is right.

  • JustinCharles

    You have to be good to improve your trade value through stats. I know everyones jizzing there pants over Hills game but, overall, for the Rockets, he hasnt been that great. I’m sure his value is not much higher than it was before.

    When he played for us, I used to make sure I watched every minute. I defended his POTENTIAL on here up until the day he was traded. On the court he still looked lost – on both offense and defense, struggled to even catch the ball, and then seemed to panic every time he touched it.

    Go watch the tapes, thats how he played here. Those types of games would not have improved his value much. I still dont think it was the right move to trade him to get rid of Jeffries, but Im not going to sit here and say he should have been played more.

  • BiggieSmalls

    Exact quote

    “we had Al, jared, David lee, I tried Darko for a while, so I had five guys a head of him and there was no reason to get him minutes when we are trying to thread the needle for the playoffs”

    really ??? Really??? Five guys?? No reason ???

    Stop it now .. There’s no defending this guy

    colossally stupid comment all around. Could have just said he wasn’t ready and ended it. But he comes off as a smug, back peddling, fumfurring moron

    tick rock. Can’t wait for him to get superstars that can cover up his inadequacies

  • HaS

    Tommy defended his work ethic more than once. Said he looked good in practice and he stayed after to get extra work in with the other coaches.

    Was he lying?

  • starksoakmase

    yea. that was pretty much his first year since he coached in only 17 reg season games the year before.

    After losing in the finals to a decent Miami team, he lost in the first round two years in a row. Including as a 1 seed to Nelson’s Warriors.

    He had a sick team and underachieved overalll.

  • HaS

    Mike is always right I guess.

  • starksoakmase

    I’m not excusing him. Poor choice of words. Just not a big deal.

  • BigDaddybluesman

    Your logic is great, the answer is that D’assholi is a buffoon and Walsh is not on the same page. Walsh is just going about his business without any regard for what D’ass does.

  • BiggieSmalls

    I’m amazed this guy even remembered Darko was on the team

  • http://tharealestproductionz.blogspot.com/ DaGawD_KnowLedge

    come on HaS danni boy is the worlds greatest coach
    check is record.
    u gotta luv the southern honky guy.

  • dino2008

    tommy can defend jordan’s work ethic all he wants. the bottom line is he came into camp out of shape, that is disgusting. mike is not always right, but i wouldn’t play someone who came in out of shape, a rookie no less when jeffries and al looked great coming in physically. same reason why darko did not play, even though mike claims he did, the guys a bum.

  • Mucha

    2. Because bums like Chris Duhon laughed in a blow-out loss as well means that Knicks fans should give Jordan Hill a pass? Come on HaS – Jordan Hill laughed during a blow-out… it was the SEASON-OPENER.

    3. The fact that he tweeted during a game is scandalous – TD did EVERYTHING to prove Mike D’Antoni WRONG. Jordan Hill did everything to show that he was RIGHT.

    4. I disagree. With LITTLE BIT of PRIDE he’d have tried to send a message. The crowd booed him at one point because his lack of effort was so OBVIOUS… I didn’t do it I could understand why many other fans did it.

    NO EXCUSES HAS – I know that you hate Mike D’Antoni but don’t give Hill a pass because Mike D’Antoni didn’t want to play him. You’re better than that.

  • SilentJay

    He didn’t have the best role models in Hughes and Duhon either. I just thought with decent PT all those little details that didn’t go overlooked wouldn’t have happened in the first place to begin with.

  • dino2008

    btw alan hahn was not a fan of jordan hill at all. im not sure if you consider hahn a good source.

  • starksoakmase

    I’m not excusing him. Poor choice of words. Just not a big deal.

    OK 4 guys ahead of Hill. I wanted MD to try and make the playoffs. It’s easy to say now that it was the wrong choice

  • HaS

    When the “coach”, face of the franchise and your number one reason to lure potential free agents can’t keep his foot out of his mouth, maintain a professional and classy image it is very much a big deal.

    When Nate Robinson was in exile here Nate handled the situation more professionally than the “coach” did, that pretty much says it all.

  • BiggieSmalls

    Poor work ethic ?? When he was here all we heard was how hard hill was working before, during and after practice.

  • Mucha

    “I don’t blame HIll for his performance the night before he was traded..He was a guy who never got a fair chance, was being constantly criticized by everyone for being drafted ahead of Jennings and not being able to crack the rotation, and admittedly was disturbed by all the trade rumors”

    Which implies that Jordan Hill is weak mentally!

    Knicks fans booed Danilo Gallinari more than Jordan Hill – and he was injuried which means that the pressure was heavier when he came back. He did everything to prove Knicks fans wrong – the same goes for Toney Douglas by the way. I was very disappointed with Jordan Hill’s attitude/body language/lack of effort the night before he got traded. I believe that special people become stronger in the face of adversity… J. Hill didn’t. I wish him the best but I really don’t miss him.

  • HaS

    Like I said, the only thing on that list that would have made me give pause to actually playing the kid was him being out of shape. Everything else you reprimand him and move on.

    How he handled the trade rumor, which was obviously a lot more than a rumor, I just can’t get behind.

    I understand the whole “proving a point” angle, but I think the kid actually wanted to play here. Remember how “great it is to play in NY”, you know the main (and probably only reason at this point) reason that everyone thinks LeBron would be crazy to turn down a chance to come here?

    Maybe the kid genuinely was heartbroken about having to pack his bag and cross 2 time zones mid-season.

  • Mucha

    He didn’t have the best role models?

    What about Toney Douglas and Gallinari?

  • BiggieSmalls

    I been saying since last year “threading the needle to get in the playoffs” was ridiculous .

    Now we can further quantify The costs.

    Last year we migt have has steph curry or Ty evans irteaded Nate and Lee for picks

    this year we gave up our 8th pick and another 1 for the shot to “thread the needle”

  • HaS

    Hey guys, I give up.

    Micheal D’Antoni = Jesus Christ.

    Donald Walsh = God.

    I’ll let you guys figure it out at your own pace.

    Meet you on the darkside.

  • HaS

    I thought Hahn was an admitted Hockey guy?

  • BiggieSmalls

    Additionally, if it wasn’t for this guys fustratingly short rotation there would be plenty of minutes to give your 8th pick 2nd best big man in the draft who “is doing everything right before during and after pracctice by working hard” 10 minutes a nite

  • SilentJay

    Decent Miami team? I’m sorry dude, but the way Wade took over that series was ridiculous man. The first year, I’ll grant they shouldn’t have lost, but they couldn’t have done anything against NO, they were on a roll. They were just a better all aroun team.

  • ds2488

    true. Thats part of the reason why Gallo is a great prospect and why I think he will be such a great player.

    Hill never got enough of a chance to prove the fans wrong. Gallo got to play the 20 minutes a game for 28 games in his 1st year. Hill barely got to play. Now he is getting consistent minutes and producing consistently. Young players need playing time.

  • Mucha

    He was a blue collar in college and he was known for his work ethic. But there were conflicting reports on Jordan Hill’s work ethic with the Knicks – He didn’t play hard in practice according to Marc Berman and Alan Hahn, he did according to Tommy…

    Let’s say that his effort was inconsistent lol.

  • SilentJay

    Gallo at least had time to adjust to those clowns, and, like I’ve said before, Douglas may be a more professional and mature player.
    This guy was a lottery pick in his rookie year and he got quickly buried on the bench without getting many opportunities to prove his coach that he could play, he was out of it. It was nothing some decent playing time wouldn’t have fixed.

  • Mucha

    I’m not even trying to bash the kid – but I don’t think we should be looking for excuses.

    I think J Hill is happy to be in Houston – he plays with Chase Budinger and he’s not far from Arizona… I’ve yet to hear somebody say “I hate NY” anyways, of course it is “great to play in NY”. I wish him the best but I don’t miss him.

  • SilentJay

    Totally agree with you. Let’s hope this next year a new roster brings about a cleansing period. Nothing better than a bunch of W’s to changing this team and roster’s face.

  • Mucha

    You have a point and I agree with the notion that J Hill should gave been given more minutes. You know what my opinion is.

    If Mike D’Antoni didn’t like him, he should have played him to raise his trade value. The playoff run was an illusion.

  • SilentJay

    It’s a great way to reflect the horrible communication between a GM and the coach he spends so much cash on. At the same time, seems to me that Walsh should be keeping tabs on a reckless coach. After all these years, you’d expect more from him.

  • Mucha

    “When Nate Robinson was in exile here Nate handled the situation more professionally than the “coach” did, that pretty much says it all.”

    True.

  • SilentJay

    So wait, Duhon played like crap, while being out of shape, and he still got the starting job for like 50 games or so? I’m not even enering into his famous night life. Larry Hughes was a bitchy, prissy bum who busted his coach and still played, yeah that’s consistent coaching for you.
    Unbelievable that judgement is bestowed upon a player who didn’t see more 200 minutes as a part of this team and was mostly criticized without seeing decent minutes in the NBA.
    Damn.
    How about judging the GM who made up the roster or hired the coach?
    Both compliments and judgements should be made equally.

  • ds2488

    Exactly. I couldn’t agree more.

  • Mucha

    I think Avery Johnson is a good coach.

    The Mavs eliminated the 2nd best NBA team of the past decade – the Spurs with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili.

    The Mavs became a respectable defensive team under Avery Johnson. The 1st round series agains the Warriors did traumatize this franchise – GS was just match-up nightmare.

  • gianthinker

    I honestly dont think D’Antoni was wrong with his explanation.

  • gianthinker

    Anyone know the exact date that free agency starts?

  • gianthinker

    July 1, 2010…..found it!

  • SilentJay

    July 1st friend. Keep that date in your mind.

  • SilentJay

    No diplomacy, tact or professionalism. Wide open to the public, agents, GM’s, etc.
    Great way to avoid from being the league’s laughingstock. I can see the press already: “The franchise that ruined an elite coach forever”.
    What everybody else didn’t know, that he didn’t know how to coach normal players. Oh, pardon me and one reserve, via Dolan all-star.

  • PipeDreamin

    I agree that we’ve had holes at the C and PG positions, but don’t forget that Walsch DID try to fill them…

    1. Last year around this time he signed a C from the D league who D’Antoni didn’t play.

    2. Then over the summer he drafted a PG (Douglas) and a C (Hill… He’s a C in MD’s system)… neither of which got playing time apparently because they were “BAD ROOKIES.”

    3. The he traded for Darko who was gonna “fit perfectly in MD’s system” but also got zero playing time.

    4. They signed Bender who is near 7 feet tall, but MD played him at SF.

    5. Then he brought in Sergio who got a quick look but has since been relegated to the bench.

    So don’t say Walsch didn’t try to bring guys in. He did. But none of them really got a shot. And don’t forget it’s gotta be tough to bring guys over without adding to the 2011 salary.

  • HaS

    “I think J Hill is happy to be in Houston…”

    I bet part of that reason is he’s actually playing for an NBA coach who doesn’t sit on his hands waiting for star players to fall into his lap.

  • HaS

    “He didn’t have the best role models?
    What about Toney Douglas and Gallinari?”

    Duhon is the “Captain”.

    You can’t make this stuff up.

  • prettyToney

    Man this Hill situation is incompetence of the highest order. I cant even get my mind around how bad they f-d this up. We couldn’t afford to screw this draft pick up and that’s just what Walsh and Dantoni did and on top of that they traded away more picks. I know its all about 2010 and the cap space but its definitely not looking pretty right now.

  • PipeDreamin

    wait… Darko Millicic was on the knicks? this year?

  • Mucha

    I agree.

  • SilentJay

    Yup, too bad too. I think to say “He had a sick team and underachieved overall” is a bit harsh.
    The guy is known for being a tough discipline minded coach. I like that about him. I can also understand how it can cause problems with some players who think that their ego is more important than their team and clash with the coach for being a hard ass.

  • ds2488

    yeah. Duhon is as much of a “Captain” as all those guys in the Captain Morgan do what the Captain would do commercials.

  • bob go knicks

    these guys are just stupid JOCKS!Sure,theyre put up there for all to see,but in the end they are all just stupid jocks and millionaires.there are barely any guys in all of sports that even know how to act in the proper.And if Jordan Hill is an incumbant all-star? so what ! its all a little too late.Ive been pissed since they signed D’antoni,but ya know what ? Nobody ever asked me who i wanted as coach.Eff D’antoni,EFF JORDAN HILL E3FF LBJ,EFF DONNIE WALSH

  • http://tharealestproductionz.blogspot.com/ DaGawD_KnowLedge

    i use to know all this stuff real good but once the nba got weak i stopped following.
    i think thats the date teams can start talking to free agent but can’t sign them until like a week or 2 later

  • http://tharealestproductionz.blogspot.com/ DaGawD_KnowLedge

    it’s been the darkside the question is will there be any BRIGHT spots

  • BluEandOrange

    Okay bob….

    Valium?

  • x-man

    Yep, D’Antoni = Jesus Christ Superstar!

    Now we have money to get 2 more Superstars!

    I knew little White Isiah would take us to the promised land! Who knew it is the same destination as Black Isiah! lol

  • x-man

    Mucha is sooooo concerned about Hill laughing during a blowout! hahahahahaha

    The whole team laughs during loses on this team!

    This coach laughs during the post game interview after every team comes here and some one on that team puts up record numbers.

    Do you think no one can laugh on this team but Coach Krusty?

    Mucha, you’re treading very close to DVJ country! lol

  • bb_dot

    it’s simple. D’Antoni has no idea.
    1. He doesn’t know how to instill confidence into young players.
    2. He cannot fix a rotation to stabilize some basic role play.
    3. He doesn’t understand the concept of “giving a foul”
    4. He doesnt manage timeouts well
    5. He is bad with in game adjustments
    6. He routinely blows leads in the final minutes.
    7. He disgruntles his players by yanking them on and off the bench
    8…hm.. and that little think called D

    now, can anybody argue against this? He simply sucks. He rode a perfect storm in Phoenix with Nash, Amare, JJ, Barbosa, Diav, etc. That team clicked and could have coached itself. But when push came to shove they also failed.
    I disclosed before that I was excited to get D’Antoni here. I had only followed Phoenix at Playoff time and wasn’t aware of all of D’Antoni’s flaws that now are so obvious. But this very Knick team coached by Adelmann or vG or the admiral would be a 35 win team (and not only in DVJ’s dreams). Not that I think that 35 wins are great, but what does it tell you about your coach if he so blatantly under-performs when the objective was apparently playoffs rather than player development?

    DW made mistakes as well. First drafting Hill and then trading him ranks high on my list. Not because I think Hill is so great. I dont. But as mentioned here by a lot of you, Walsh should have gotten more for him (or lost less) in the Houston trade. But Walsh has another day to fight and that day comes this summer… before that, I won’t crucify him..

  • http://tharealestproductionz.blogspot.com/ DaGawD_KnowLedge

    WORDS from MUCHA
    u sounds like ras kass.
    lmao.

    danni boy is the alpha an omega
    i’m trying to figure out what is the old guy by the name of DONNIE.
    so far he looks like the fool who wanted gold for silver.

  • http://tharealestproductionz.blogspot.com/ DaGawD_KnowLedge

    traded gold for silver

  • harris

    lol-what exactly is it that this coach does well?

    +1

  • SilentJay

    You forgot to mention that D’antoni doesn’t know how to handle the press. I can already see him getting into a bar fight with a beat writer after a 5 game losing streak.
    DW knows when his time will come, D’antoni’s shown he can’t generate discipline or organized defence and set a creative offense with an average/below averge roster. As long as DW lives to see another day, so does Mike D. I don’t see him getting fired, much to my regret. The only way is that he does crap with whatever squad is formed during the summer.
    Everyone wanted a PG in the draft, but when it didn’t happen I just wanted Hill to get as much pt as possible to get him involved with what supposed to be the “team core”, which is now down to Gallo, Will and Toney D, who seem to be the ones that will receive the newcomers. Whether Walker stays it’s up to DW. I don’t know if Giddens is the right guy. If DW plans to draft, I’d rather give them the minutes (if the coach wants to give them time to play that is).

  • Mucha

    I criticized Mike D’Antoni when I saw him laugh after a loss.

    And I criticized Chris Duhon when he did it as well.

  • Mucha

    4. Bender has always been been a SF – he was not a post player in Indiana.

    5. Sergio Rodriguez doesn’t play defense. David Lee doesn’t either but at least he’s a great offensive player.

  • bb_dot

    damn. I thought I forgot something..
    you’re right, he is terrible with the press. I couldn’t believe his pissy, defensive attitude when talking about Hill. I mean, come on, grow up! Hill is a kid and was misquoted anyway and Mike reminded me to the mean kid in high school who has to slip in another punch just to make a point..

    but yes, Walsh leaned to far out of the window for this coach. He is not going to fire him without loosing face unless he has not other choice.. which will be 25 games into next season…

    thinking of having Hill, Gallo, Will and TD as a core would have been nice. Well, thats history. I dont think either Giddens or Walker will play a big role for this team in the future. Walker was running on fumes the first couple of weeks. He has come back to earth..

  • harris

    Unless Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell are coming out of retirement, I’m not sure there are any superstars that can.

  • SilentJay

    Well, in his defense, he has been playing heavy minutes after being a 2nd and 3rd stringer in Boston, so I guess the kid gave it all when he arrived. Who knows what’ll happen.
    One of the reasons I wanted Avery Johnson on this team is because the guy’s a hard ass who works on D and focuses always on team discipline and practices heavy team play. The guy respects the collective effort on both ends and will not rest until he sees every guy running for his life in the court, not th P&R against the the rest of the other team or the usual Chuckets vs the world run at hoop that ends up in an offensive foul. Anyway, what’s done it’s done.
    Now it’s time to move on, keep on watching the younger kids and wait for the draft and the FA. But to think that this coached has gained value is just ridiculous, imo.

  • harris

    Hill wasn’t even misquoted-it came down to some copy editor from the New York Post blowing up a headline to make Hill’s statements seem more acerbic than they actually were.

    D’Antoni should have just taken the high road. He could have simply said he likes the kid, but that the Knicks organization had to trade him in order to try to accomplish their goals for the summer. Simple as that. Nobody would have criticized him for that. Why this guy couldn’t figure this out is beyond anybody’s comprehension.

  • bb_dot

    no way! The NY Post would do such things??
    I totally agree. Take the high road or shut up. You are the coach, it’s not your role to get into player’s heads you didn’t give a chance to play in the first place..

  • Knicks4life

    I’ve made the same point before about Walsh bringing in people who played the position.

    Why I wrote “that Mike D”Antoni would play” because there has to be communication between GM and Coach. If Walsh talked to Mike before the moves and D’Antoni just refused to play these guys, well then Mike D is just a psycho.

  • bb_dot

    I like Avery too. But he seemed a bit too much of a nut on the Dallas bench. Not sure if he is a good guy to build confidence in young players. The veterans turned away from AJ, which is never a good sign…

    FA is the only thing I’m waiting for..

  • SilentJay

    As a journalist, we’re taught to base our news on direct sources and to use in them to adress the the truth to readers, but after many years, those teachings have taken a misinterpretation that lead to what it’s done nowadays, which is basically take a quote, turn it inside out, and present it to the antagonist to his his/her reactions.
    As a coach, MD should’ve known how to handle the situation, but he didn’t, just like when he got pissy when asked about his dubious defensive strategies. In any case, he could’ve answered a simple “I tried to do the best I could with the guys I had and Jordan couldn’t get the minutes he wanted” or his classic “I was just trying to win and played the guys I thought would help me get that W”. Instead, he went for the agressive retort (but trying to sound witty, oh how clever) and it backfired on him imo.
    In any case, I just hope that next season, when he gets a better squad, or the guys he wants he’s able to bring in the results as well as good management of his locker room.
    If I was DW, I would’ve hired any other coach 2 years ago and entering the FA I would’ve told LBJ that by coming here I would get him any coach he wanted. I think that’s way more attractive to have a coach “liked by the stars” do squad and devalue himself for 2 years.

  • Knicks4life

    I hate the +/-. Such a meaningless stat.

    Hill showed some flashes for the Knicks but D’Antoni just refused to play him consistently. He must have thought we were the Lakers or something.

    And Hill has handled this whole situation with class. His quote was taken out of proportion by the Post and it obviously enraged D’Antoni.

    Not a big deal though. Just not much else to talk about during a down season.

  • Knicks4life

    Adelman is a great coach.

  • bb_dot

    I’m pretty sure Walsh will put everything on the table for LBJ including new coach..
    just imagine the scenario that we sign LBJ and Mickey D’s reaction a couple of days later when he gets fired. priceless..

  • Knicks4life

    Wait you criticize Mike D for laughing after a loss but then validate him not playing Hill because Hill laughted after a loss?

    I understood most of what you wrote up until that point.

    I just find it ironic that you were the biggest proponent for Hill to play up until the trade and now you are justifying D’Anonti not playing him. Strange.

  • Knicks4life

    The NBA or the knicks got weak?

  • SilentJay

    I don’t think that’ll happen, but if it does, to your words to DW’s actions…
    Like you said it….priceless. Pringles goes back to Europe to perfect his SSOL offensive innovation.

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  • Knicks4life

    “We couldn’t afford to screw this draft pick up and that’s just what Walsh and Dantoni did”

    Great point. Nobody talks about this though. They just make excuses.

  • Mucha

    I never validated him not playing Hill because he laughed in Miami. It’s a combination of factors – it is obvious that Hill’s lack of professionalism irritated Mike D’Antoni and I can understand why.

    Strange? Ironic? In hindsight I can understand why Mike D’Antoni didn’t want to play Hill considering that he wasn’t taking his NBA lifestyle very seriously. I always tried to give him the benefit of the doubt because he was our lottery pick and I thought the Brandon Jennings lovefest was irritating (to a certain extent). Obviously I couldn’t care less about that after the McGrady/Jeffries deal.

    I was the biggest proponent for Hill to play up until the trade deadline and I am STILL the biggest proponent (…). I did NOT justify D’Antoni not playing him – maybe you should READ my posts and not just the 1st line. Mike D’Antoni should’ve played Jordan Hill even if he didn’t like him to RAISE HIS TRADE VALUE.

  • Mucha

    I thought Jordan Hill deserved to play – and the fact that the 8th pick couldn’t play with the Knicks was ridiculous in my opinion. Looking back, I think Jordan Hill didn’t really deserve to play considering that he wasn’t taking his life as a New York Knick very seriously (coming into camp out-of-shape, laughing after a blow-out loss, tweeting during a game etc) – even though I didn’t want to admit it since he was “OUR” lottery pick (I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt).

    But the Knicks needed to play him to raise his trade value – even if Mike D’Antoni didn’t like him! If you don’t like the kid, give him some PT, raise his trade value and ship him out of town!!

  • http://tharealestproductionz.blogspot.com/ DaGawD_KnowLedge

    the nba isn’t the same anymore i use to be a big fan 90′s an before.

    the nba is softer than the wnba
    an i have been saying that for a while

    i’ll give the nba 20 years before it turns into literally a show like rucker an harlem globetrotters

  • BiggieSmalls

    unfortunately Dolan is “dumbest”

  • Knicks4life

    Ok reading your most recent post . . . .

    “I thought Jordan Hill deserved to play . . .Looking back, I think Jordan Hill didn’t really deserve to play”

    “If you don’t like the kid, give him some PT, raise his trade value and ship him out of town!!”

    It is filled with contradiction. No need to backpeddle, you were right before the trade deadline. You knew all of Hill’s questionable work ethic/issues back then. Don’t let the fact that Hill isn’t a Knick anymore justify D’Antoni’s questionable handling of his rookies.

  • Mal

    Avery got those guys thinking defense what he learned from Pop.

    Avery made 2 mistakes (1) was the Jedi Mind trick Teacher Nelson put on him in the playoffs, Avery played one way all year and come playoffs he changed up his lineup as Don Nelson sat back laughing to himself, matchup or not no way GS should have beaten Dallas but that was Avery’s one mistake.

    (2) He loss Dirk and that what also killed him, you lose Dirk you lose Mark Cuban so then the writing is on the wall.

    OK also there is no way the Heat should have pulled that championship out so I guess 3 mistakes by Avery plus the refs made Wade untouchable

    Some players are soft and touchy mentally and Avery was a screamer and yeller and players couldnt handle it.

  • HaS

    “This coach laughs during the post game interview after every team comes here and some one on that team puts up record numbers.”

    This is so true, he’s done it so much over the last 2 years I’ve almost become numb to it, but this was a big issue to me when he first did it. You should want a coach to take each loss seriously, especially if we’re to be convinced to believe that he genuinely felt the team could make the playoffs. Unreal.

  • gbaked

    2. Then over the summer he drafted a PG (Douglas) and a C (Hill… He’s a C in MD’s system)… neither of which got playing time apparently because they were “BAD ROOKIES.”

    im sorry… i guess i missed the memo that says starting 1/4 of your teams games as a rookie means not getting playing time.

  • bockersORbriefs

    He said it … exactly as reported.. “I don’t play BAD rookies”. It was on the pre-game show clip Sunday. Just like he said he was “playing his guys” last year when he benched Steph & didn’t say a word to him until he thought he needed him. The Steph acted nutty & the rest was history. Her also said he was playing the guys “who could help him win” while he benched N8 for 14 games.

    The point is he says things thatt allienate people then expects them to jump through hoops when he finally believes he needs them. His people skills are terrible … except maybe with his brother and select NBA superstars who have only played for him in the Olympics …

  • Mucha

    I hope understand the difference between contradiction and paradox, don’t be so SIMPLISTIC DAMN.

    I wanted to give the kid the benefit of the doubt because he was a KNICK (+ the BJ lovefest).

    IN HINDSIGHT I can understand why MD didn’t want to play him – assuming that he wasn’t going to be traded – because he didn’t take his work ethic very seriously. But he should’ve played him to raise his TRADE VALUE knowing that he didn’t like him.

    No contradiction.