D'Antoni's tenure in Phoenix over

[SpiritualPorn]

Link:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jack_mccallum/04/30/suns.dantonio/index.html?eref=T1

SAN ANTONIO -- Mike D'Antoni, the NBA's Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season and the man credited with reinvigorating fast-break basketball in a league gone stale, will not be back to coach the Phoenix Suns for the 2008-09 season, SI.com has learned.

D'Antoni deferred questions about his job status after the Suns were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.

"I'm just really proud of my guys," D'Antoni said after the Spurs' 92-87 win that marked the third time in four years that San Antonio has ended the Suns' season.

D'Antoni did not address his own situation. But sources within the organization confirm that D'Antoni feels he does not have the backing of upper management --specifically owner Robert Sarver and general manager Steve Kerr -- and considers the situation irredeemable.

The Suns have long been one of the NBA's model franchises, and both D'Antoni and Kerr, for whatever differences they might have about the direction of the team, are respected around the league. It's hard to believe, then, that D'Antoni's situation would devolve into an ugly, protracted war, New York Knicks style.

How exactly the scenario unfolds depends largely on whether D'Antoni gets another job offer. The most palatable scenario for all in Phoenix would be this: Team A asks the Suns for permission to talk to D'Antoni, who has two years left on his contract; Suns say OK; D'Antoni interviews and is hired.

One landing spot for him would seem to be Chicago, where general manager John Paxson has not yet replaced Jim Boylan, who himself replaced Scott Skiles (now in charge in Milwaukee). The Bulls underachieved this season under both coaches but would seem to have the kind of offensive nucleus (Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni) with which D'Antoni could build.

One other possibility is New York, where new president Donnie Walsh is taking his time making a head-coaching decision despite speculation that the hiring of former point guard Mark Jackson is a done deal. There has also been whispers of D'Antoni's taking over in Toronto, where Sam Mitchell's coaching future is an ongoing discussion and where Bryan Colangelo, D'Antoni's former boss in Phoenix and still a close friend, is calling the shots. But Toronto doesn't seem as comfortable a fit for D'Antoni as Chicago or even New York. Don't look for that to happen.

As is the custom with all NBA teams, D'Antoni will meet soon with Sarver and Kerr, together or separately. Kerr said before Sunday's Game 4, which turned out to be the Suns' lone series win, that D'Antoni's departure was not a fait accompli as far as he is concerned. He would not comment on D'Antoni's status after Game 5. But a source said that Kerr would make a few demands in the postseason debriefing: that D'Antoni devote more practice time to defense; have more confidence in his bench players, i.e., go to an expanded rotation; develop a clearer plan for a point guard to back up Steve Nash; and get more planned touches out of Amaré Stoudemire in post-up situations.

D'Antoni, sources say, believes that the situation has been festering all season and that nothing would be accomplished in the meeting. Whatever the circumstances of his departure, it will probably be presented as as a rift between coach and GM, and to a large extent that's true. But when Colangelo left for Toronto, mostly because he and Sarver were doomed not to coexist harmoniously, D'Antoni lost his biggest booster in the front office, as well as a friend. It's what happens in the NBA and in all pro sports.

Over four full seasons D'Antoni racked up a 232-96 record, made the Western finals twice and changed the way that observers both in and out of the league thought about the game. Management might have some legitimate gripes about his defensive coaching, and remember that D'Antoni was a bigger booster of the trade for Shaquille O'Neal than Kerr was.

But Suns management now faces one extremely formidable challenge in l'affaire D'Antoni: finding someone better.

 

[ShadyPat]

lol at hate looking at those faces he makes on the sideline...i don't blame him though it's the managment that messed them up and traded for shaq...the best has a lot of flaws that just keeps them been a great regular season team, For example Steve Nash their best player can't play any real Defense.

 

[Yogi Bear]

lol at hate looking at those faces he makes on the sideline...i don't blame him though it's the managment that messed them up and traded for shaq...the best has a lot of flaws that just keeps them been a great regular season team, For example Steve Nash their best player can't play any real Defense.

It didn't matter the same end result happened anyway. They were not going to win the way they were and will not win now. The Shaq thing was a gamble and it didn't work.

Dallas is in the same boat.

 

[RunawaySlave]

Shit, the Nets need a good coach

 

[cranrab]

d'antoni's not out yet, but avery johnson is:



Report: Johnson out as Mavs coach
FOXSports.com

Updated: April 30, 2008, 1:21 PM EST

Avery Johnson is out as Dallas Mavericks coach, the Dallas Morning News reported on its Web site, citing unidentified sources.
The move comes a day after the Mavs were eliminated from the playoffs. The Hornets beat Dallas 99-94 on Tuesday to take their first-round series 4-1.

 

[RunawaySlave]

Avery out after what?? Two seasons? Riley (finally) falls on his sword. People want D'Antoni's head even though the only team he can't beat are the champs. Isiah out after 2 years as coach, Sam Vincent got NO chance to establish himself.......


Yet Little Lord Lorry remains as the Lord of New Jersey



Where is MY annoucement?? Rod?? You are there??

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

Avery out after what?? Two seasons? Riley (finally) falls on his sword. People want D'Antoni's head even though the only team he can't beat are the champs. Isiah out after 2 years as coach, Sam Vincent got NO chance to establish himself.......


Yet Little Lord Lorry remains as the Lord of New Jersey



Where is MY annoucement?? Rod?? You are there??

..and Karl still has a job.

 

[LordSinister]

Fuck Dyke Man Toni!! Let Slavery Johnson whip the Suns into contenders, oh and then trade nash for Kidd.

 

[RunawaySlave]

..and Karl still has a job.

Yeah, but at least Karl did was he was hired to do. Get the Nuggets to the playoffs. And in 2 years no less. Maybe he can't take them any further, but you know you'll at least be semi-competitive and fun to watch (until you-know-who starts chuckin)

Lord Lorry been on the job for about 5 years now and all we've done is regress each and every year under this fool. Nets have gone from a TITLE contender (actually a pretender with that stiff mcCulloch and the bum Collins at center), to once again being a lottery contestant

We've gone full circle under this fool and he still has a job after 5 years

No comparison

 

[DiamondDeuce]

Yeah, but at least Karl did was he was hired to do. Get the Nuggets to the playoffs. And in 2 years no less. Maybe he can't take them any further, but you know you'll at least be semi-competitive and fun to watch (until you-know-who starts chuckin)

Lord Lorry been on the job for about 5 years now and all we've done is regress each and every year under this fool. Nets have gone from a TITLE contender (actually a pretender with that stiff mcCulloch and the bum Collins at center), to once again being a lottery contestant

We've gone full circle under this fool and he still has a job after 5 years

No comparison

Man those fools first concern right now is NOT winning. Actually they probably prefer to lose...so that they can stay in the lottery and pick up draft picks.

Remember they are moving to BROOKLYN. The organization is focused on the logistics of that right now. I predict that there will be a new coach once the move is made.

 

[money24]

shit my warriors need avery or d'antoni...

don nelson's alcoholic ass dont have control over steven jackson or b diddy...

maybe avery or d'antoni can turn monte ellis into a fuckin monster..if he isn't one already...

 

[RunawaySlave]

Man those fools first concern right now is NOT winning. Actually they probably prefer to lose...so that they can stay in the lottery and pick up draft picks.

Remember they are moving to BROOKLYN. The organization is focused on the logistics of that right now. I predict that there will be a new coach once the move is made.

Not to change the topic, but the New Jersey Nets are owned primarily by the Steinbrenner family. Who is no stranger to NY or to NYers. And his concern is ALWAYS winning. No way they want to move back to NY as a loser. Otherwise, they don't spend all that money resigning Carter or Jefferson. They would've signed Kidd as well, if he hadn't wanted out.

 

[domino]

Lord Lorry been on the job for about 5 years now and all we've done is regress each and every year under this fool. Nets have gone from a TITLE contender (actually a pretender with that stiff mcCulloch and the bum Collins at center), to once again being a lottery contestant

We've gone full circle under this fool and he still has a job after 5 years

No comparison

The Nets were in the playoffs for 6 years. He should've got fired for this year Kidd was the only one who liked him.

D'Antoni could work in NJ if they trade Wince Harder.

 

[cranrab]

i think people aren't giving coach d'antoni enough credit. that's not to say i care for his style of basketball (the euro O approach).

what i DO mean is that when you are given a team of offensively gifted players who aren't known for D, then you have to highlight and play up to those strengths.

ask yourselves, if you have a team 1-15 who can't play D, are you going to try and build that team around a defensive philosophy? NO. of course not, you're going to assess the talent you have, and devise a game plan that works for THAT squad.

did coach cheeks devise a philosophy based on low post or half court O? of course not. his personnel wouldn't be a good fit.

 

[LordSinister]

i think people aren't giving coach d'antoni enough credit. that's not to say i care for his style of basketball (the euro O approach).

what i DO mean is that when you are given a team of offensively gifted players who aren't known for D, then you have to highlight and play up to those strengths.

ask yourselves, if you have a team 1-15 who can't play D, are you going to try and build that team around a defensive philosophy? NO. of course not, you're going to assess the talent you have, and devise a game plan that works for THAT squad.

did coach cheeks devise a philosophy based on low post or half court O? of course not. his personnel wouldn't be a good fit.

Man, anyone can learn to play defense, team defense. I'm not talking about shut down "d" but proper rotation and closing lanes and shit.

Dyke Man Toni's teams don't play good team D.

 

[domino]

PHX was mostly euros so they got with the program.
The Matrix wanted out Amare would have been next if they didn't get Shaq.
Now it looks like the coach or the point are gone.

Amare & Shaq don't need Nash as much as the media wants you to believe.

 

[cranrab]

Man, anyone can learn to play defense, team defense. I'm not talking about shut down "d" but proper rotation and closing lanes and shit.

not everyone can learn to play D. only players that WANT to learn D can learn to play D. only players that want to PLAY D can learn to play D.

take the dallas mavericks, for example. it was said that coach johnson was going to emphasize D instead of concentrate on O like they did under coach nelson. so what happened?

opponent FG% went UP, not down. coach johnson can preach D, coach johnson can keep a D guru (coach harris) on his staff, but they didn't want to learn it.

 

[SpiritualPorn]

PHX was mostly euros so they got with the program.
The Matrix wanted out Amare would have been next if they didn't get Shaq.
Now it looks like the coach or the point are gone.

Amare & Shaq don't need Nash as much as the media wants you to believe.

I never knew the liability Nash was until this years playoffs.

Before he could at least kill with the 3 and assists.

Now..

It was like 5 on 4 on the D end when teams have the ball against Phoenix.

 

[RunawaySlave]

I never knew the liability Nash was until this years playoffs.

\


Shawn Marion made up for alot of his deficiencies.

For a PG, defense is not his most important attribute. As long as you have bigs that can knock a shot out of the sky that is. With Marion and Amare together, PGs might be able to go past Nash all day, but they'd still have to contend with those two once the got past him

Shaq can do it, but not at the level of those other two. Not at this stage of his career

Also, to reiterate what Cranrab is saying, not everyone has the desire to play defense. But Amare Stoudamire is NOT one of those people. Problem with him is that he never had to learn it. Remember, he came straight out of high school. And once he got to Phoenix, it was never really stressed there either.

I keep saying over and over, that the problem with these high schoolers is that that haven't completely learned the game. That once they leave school and go pro, that their games will not improve any more than where they are now. They will never learn the nuances of basketball

Go down the line of players and you will see that each and every one of them has some major flaw in his game that keeps him from becoming that player

Garnett
McGrady
Kobe
Amare
J. O'Neal
R. Lewis
Kemp


The only one to overcome the flaw in his game was Moses Malone. But he overcame them by outhustling the competition

 

[RunawaySlave]

Damn, you can add Josh Smith to that list. After his game 7 [STEPHEN SMITH]DEBACLE[/STEPHEN SMITH], everyone should be able to see it now.
If he can't jump over you, he is lost

 

[shaddyvillethug]

LOL @ that List ^^^

 

[DiamondDeuce]

\


Shawn Marion made up for alot of his deficiencies.

For a PG, defense is not his most important attribute. As long as you have bigs that can knock a shot out of the sky that is. With Marion and Amare together, PGs might be able to go past Nash all day, but they'd still have to contend with those two once the got past him

Shaq can do it, but not at the level of those other two. Not at this stage of his career

Also, to reiterate what Cranrab is saying, not everyone has the desire to play defense. But Amare Stoudamire is NOT one of those people. Problem with him is that he never had to learn it. Remember, he came straight out of high school. And once he got to Phoenix, it was never really stressed there either.

I keep saying over and over, that the problem with these high schoolers is that that haven't completely learned the game. That once they leave school and go pro, that their games will not improve any more than where they are now. They will never learn the nuances of basketball

Go down the line of players and you will see that each and every one of them has some major flaw in his game that keeps him from becoming that player

Garnett
McGrady
Kobe
Amare
J. O'Neal
R. Lewis
Kemp


The only one to overcome the flaw in his game was Moses Malone. But he overcame them by outhustling the competition

Ok what is the flaw in KG's game at the Forward position?
Defensive player of the year.......and a great offensive skill set.

How can you but Kobe on the list? Has mad all NBA defensive team.......and is always in the top 3 in scoring in the league Has an array of moves and is a clutch player.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

Ok what is the flaw in KG's game at the Forward position?
Defensive player of the year.......and a great offensive skill set.

How can you but Kobe on the list? Has mad all NBA defensive team.......and is always in the top 3 in scoring in the league Has an array of moves and is a clutch player.

Honestly? KG has a tendency NOT to step up in big moments of a game. Game 6 was an example. Ray Allen was cold and Pierce was in foul trouble. KG kept passing up shot and causing turnovers. Magic said this back when he was in Minnesota. He has to play big the WHOLE game, and it would help if KG developed a money move that he could go to.


Anyway:


Kerr Will Let D'Antoni Talk To Bulls, Knicks
May 5, 2008 - 4:30 am
Chicago Tribune -
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni has been granted permission to talk to the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks , the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

Citing a report by KTAR-AM 620 in Phoenix, it appears that Suns GM Steve Kerr has had a change of heart, after previously declining to allow D'Antoni to talk to other teams.

 

[RunawaySlave]

Ok what is the flaw in KG's game at the Forward position?
Defensive player of the year.......and a great offensive skill set.

How can you but Kobe on the list? Has mad all NBA defensive team.......and is always in the top 3 in scoring in the league Has an array of moves and is a clutch player.

I refuse to turn this into another Kobe thread. And sorry to RF for changing the topic.

DD, just go to any Kobe thread if you want to read about the flaws in his game.

And please understand that EVERY player has flaws in their game, but the all time greats of the game UNDERSTAND those flaws and work around them and win REGARDLESS of their flaws. It may or may not be due to the education they all received while learning the game while attending college.

The players I listed don't seem to have the understanding it takes to learn from their own mistakes. If they did, they would mnopt CONTINUE to make the same mistakes over and over, year after year.

Watching Josh Smith, a left handed player, drive to the RIGHT and try to lay the ball up lefty OVER AND OVER only reiterated this theory to me. If he had any brains, he would've tried something else.......


or just passed


I know Cran likes to use this guy



About KG, somebody hit the nail on the head about him in the KG vs. Duncan thread on the main board

KG gets the ball on the low post.....turnaround jumper
TD gets it on the low post.....4 titles

 

[RunawaySlave]

Ok what is the flaw in KG's game at the Forward position?
Defensive player of the year.......and a great offensive skill set.

How can you but Kobe on the list? Has mad all NBA defensive team.......and is always in the top 3 in scoring in the league Has an array of moves and is a clutch player.

I refuse to turn this into another Kobe thread. And sorry to RF for changing the topic. If you want to read about the flaws in Kobe's game, you can go to quite a few different threads here. Take your pick.

And please understand that EVERY player has flaws in their game. But the all time greats of the game UNDERSTAND those flaws and work around them and win REGARDLESS of their flaws. It may or may not be due to the education they all received while learning the game while attending college. It certainly has something to do with having the time to develop their skills rather than just throwing them to the wolves as they are

The players I listed don't seem to have the understanding it takes to learn from their own mistakes. If they did, they would not CONTINUE to make the same mistakes over and over, year after year. It was sista Isis from X-Clan who said, "only the mind of the weak, keeps tripping on the same rock"


Watching Josh Smith, a left handed player, drive to the RIGHT and try to lay the ball up lefty OVER AND OVER with Garnett in front of him, only reiterated this theory to me. If he had any brains, he would've tried something else.......


or just pass


I know Cran likes to use this guy



About KG, somebody hit the nail on the head about him in the KG vs. Duncan thread on the main board KG gets the ball on the low post.....turnaround jumper TD gets it on the low post.....4 NBA titles

The turnaround, FALLBACK jumper is not a good look for a 7' power forward. It equals 1st round defeats at best. I know this and I've never played one minute of NBA ball, yet KG still does not realize this.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

Knicks Could Offer Job To D'Antoni Shortly?
May 7, 2008 - 5:49 am
Arizona Republic -
Neither the Bulls or the Knicks have made Suns coach Mike D'Antoni a contract offer, and despite reports to the contrary, D'Antoni has not ruled out the Knicks, Ken Berger from Newsday is reporting.

While Mark Jackson still remains a strong candidate for the Knick post, Donnie Walsh met with D'Antoni in Phoenix and then stayed out West to meet with Avery Johnson, who was recently fired by Dallas.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

D'Antoni Wants Knicks To Run
May 13, 2008 - 1:46 pm
RealGM Staff Report -
Mike D’Antoni was introduced at a press conference on Tuesday as the 24th head coach of the New York Knicks .

D’Antoni indicated a desire to implement the same run-and-gun game that was so successful for the Phoenix Suns in recent years.

"We want to run, and we want to be exciting. I just think that’s a great way to play, and the players love it," said D’Antoni.

In response to a question concerning his plans for Stephon Marbury, D’Antoni expressed support for the Brooklyn-native point guard.

"I have no problems with Steph whatsoever," D’Antoni said. "I think he's a very talented basketball player and [I am] looking forward to working with him."

The statement contradicts reports that D’Antoni wants to part ways with Marbury, as he did once already in Phoenix when Marbury was traded to the Knicks.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

D'Antoni Already Eyeing His Favorite Suns?
May 13, 2008 - 9:49 am
The New York Daily News -
One of the first moves Mike D'Antoni is expected to leave his fingerprints on as the head coach of the Knicks is a deal to bring a pair of his favorite Suns to his new team, according to a source close to The New York Daily News.

He is expected to make a push to acquire guard Leandro Barbosa and forward Boris Diaw from Phoenix, where the pair have reportedly fallen out of favor.

D'Antoni would reportedly like to offer Stephon Marbury and his expiring ($22 million) contract as the centerpiece of the deal.

"He loves Boris and Barbosa and he didn't like Marbury when he had him," said the source. "So this is the type of move that can jump-start D'Antoni's program right off the bat. He went to New York with the notion that he will have input and help alter the roster to get his kind of players."