So, Mike D'Antoni is leaving the desert to coach the Knicks. Four years, $24 million - more power to him.
Considering the Knicks horrendous record this past season, he almost can't fail. They are bound to show improvement, and he will look like a genius - just like when he came to the Suns.
I'm glad he got a good deal, I hope it works out for him. Truth is, I will probably miss him, despite the lack of post-season glory. He brought us a style of basketball which, when combined with Steve Nash, was fun to watch. It was a true team sport (if that team didn't have any players on the bench), it was fast, it was exciting.
True, he had no defense. He didn't seem to hold players accountable. He had a short memory for when a player went cold and would continue to play him, despite having a pretty decent line up of bench players. He needed to work on some things and seemed completely closed off to constructive criticism. Perhaps our new coach will alleviate those problems.
But, I doubt it will be as much fun to watch.
Basketball is about entertainment and with the Suns the last few years, I have been reintroduced to a sport I loved as a child growing up around the corner from Alvan Adams*. And I have been heart-broken. And excited. And frustrated.
But always entertained.
* I also share my birthday with #33...me and the Suns, we go way back. ;-)
Posted by Vox at May 10, 2008 02:18 PM | SportsI wish him well, too. It still angers and frustrates me, though, when fans would express the standard complaints about him (short bench, no defense, lousy adjustments, fear of confronting underachieving players) and he would say, basically, "I'm an NBA coach and you're on your couch drinking beer. See God's plan at work? Now quiet down and let the grown-ups do the coaching."
Well, it turns out that many of the fan complaints were dead-on. I mean DEAD on. And I mean dead on for a few years running.
In my view, therefore, Mike is very fortunate to be failing upward. I still wish him well, but I think he might actually grow a bit as a coach if he were less arrogant, less stubborn, and more open to criticism. (And I'm not sure his fairly laid-back personality and style are going to mesh well with the New York media.)
Posted by: Special Agent Johnny Utah at May 10, 2008 02:29 PMHe had trouble with the Arizona media, the NY media is going to chew him up.
Posted by: Vox at May 10, 2008 02:32 PM