The Kings fired Westphal and the Wizards fired Saunders already this year. It seems the short year has left coaches with short leashes. So when the supposedly stacked Knicks have struggled, the whispers are already beginning about the head coach.
Report: D’Antoni’s job with Knicks safe. For now at least. | ProBasketballTalk
Apparently the Knicks are not planning to end the Mike D’Antoni era any time soon. Then again, Flip Saunders got a direct vote of confidence from his owner just a couple weeks before the axe fell. But as of right now, there are no plans to make a move — but D’Antoni’s fate could rest with Baron Davis, reports Sam Amick at Sports Illustrated. Which should make D’Antoni sick to his stomach.
Of course this leads me to the logical follow up question. What's Phil Jackson up to these days?
Phil Jackson Is Seduced by the Energy of New York - NYTimes.com
"I have no desire to coach," he said. "You never say never, right? I mean, there’s always something that might change my mind — but I just don’t see it.
"Without a doubt, New York is special," he continued in a vein a little more encouraging for Knicks fans. "Why wouldn’t it be? When I was there, it was one of the greatest times to be in New York. I mean, the Mets, Jets and Knicks won championships all in one year."
So, Mike D'Antoni's job is safe and Phil Jackson has no desire to coach. So why do I think that Phil Jackson will be coaching the Knicks within the next 8 months or so?
0 recs | 9 comments
He's a goner...
Hope phil doesnt go to NY
GreenSlime - January 29, 2012
westphal not adelman
duqe2 - January 29, 2012
thanks
for some odd reason I mix them up all the time
Jeff Clark - January 29, 2012
D'Antoni dealt a bad hand with the Melo trade
Melo and Amare is a really bizarre combination. I don’t see how that could ever work unless everyone else on the team is all-star good to cover up that incompatibility.
guava_wrench - January 29, 2012
D'Antoni is one of the most overrated coaches of the past decade
The only way two great players aren’t able to compete together is if they play the same position. Melo and Amare don’t, so they should be able to compete. A good coach should be able to work around that problem, and it should be a joy for him to do so.
For some reason, D’Antoni made Chandler the main ball screener this season, even though Amare is much better in the pick and roll, and better offensively altogether. Having a more capable PG will help, but their record should be a lot better and it’s the coach’s fault that it’s not.
KY Celts fan - January 29, 2012 via mobile
it is very hard to believe
this team won’t start winning games at some point. that trade impacted them more than i thought it would, other than gallinari i didn’t think any of those players were more than marginal starters.. but melo has been and will probably be again among the top 3 players in the league
but i also think the players on that team just don’t suit D’Antoni’s style.. who are the 3-point shooters? can baron davis really be a good point guard again? inexplicably he was making it work with Felton but Davis has really declined in recent years.. anyways it still would not surprise me at all if they finished ahead of the C’s, although I still think the C’s would sink them in the playoffs.
JunkyardDawg - January 29, 2012
My fondest desire
Is for D’Antoni to be available and the Heat to fail so badly in the playoffs that Lebron James is able to force Spolestra out and, looking back fondly at the 2008 Olympics when he played with Bosh and Wade, successfully insist that D’Antoni, an assistant coach for the national team that year, is hired as the new head coach.
LooseCannon - January 29, 2012
I was just starting to become interested in this team
before the Carmelo trade (I live in New York so I have no choice but to keep up on them). Felton, Galo, and Wilson Chandler were playing really really well and Stoudemire was unquestionably the heart of the team. They seemed to have great chemistry and could have made some noise this year if they could’ve added pieces (Chandler?) to that core.
I hate Carmelo and what he’s done to this team. Maybe a different coach could have helped these guys mesh better, and yes, it’s hard to win with literally no point guard, but mostly I blame Carmelo: ball stopper, crummy defender, boat rocker. I do think you can win with Carmelo, but you’d have to build the team around him, according to his strengths and weaknesses (like the best AI Sixers teams). Obviously, the team is not built that way.
Tugboat - January 29, 2012
I hope they don't fire him before Feb. 3.. (Celtics vs Knicks)
Rany - January 29, 2012
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of CelticsBlog to post a comment.