Yes! and the Foul

Praying that the 2010 plan pays off

Posts Tagged Mike D’Antoni

Is David Lee better than…?

Feb 11

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, Recaps | No Comments

During Tuesday’s miserable loss (or comical loss if you’ve stopped taking the Knicks playoff aspirations seriously), my buddy asked me if I thought Mike D’Antoni is a good coach.  I said, “Definitely, he just doesn’t have that much to work with.  Plus the 2010 situation doesn’t do him any favors.”  The Knicks went on to blow the game with remarkably poor execution down the stretch (First, Duhon dribbling out the shot clock for a last second fadeaway three that missed and forced overtime.  Second, Jared Jeffries hoisting a 3 in OT when behind by 2 with 30 secs left, in some desperate attempt to get a 2 for 1).

But, still I can’t help but think it’s the players inability to execute more than it’s D’Antoni.  There’s NO way D’Antoni drew up those above mentioned plays.  The plays breakdown too easily because D’Antoni doesn’t have a guy out there who commands a double-team, and actually in this case had 2 players on the court (JJ and Du) who are so offensively inept that defenses can’t just sag off them and dare them to beat them.  But, really who else is Mike going to put on the court?  Hill played poorly in the 1st half.  Gallo injured his arm.  Yes, the Knicks should have found Chandler somehow on those plays, and I think those plays were designed to eventually get the ball in his hands, but Chandler was a marked man and didn’t get himself open. Coach has to work with what he’s got and that ain’t much.

I guess the toughest indictments I can make about D’Antoni is: 1) He treats his players like adults who can choose to self-motivate or not.  I actually think this is a good thing and like this about coach, but it isn’t the best approach for this team.  But, that’s just the way it is.  He isn’t an emotional galvanizer like Pat Riley, whose players I’m sure were convinced he’d strike them down with a thunderbolt if they didn’t give it 110%. And, 2) The short rotation bites him in the ass when his team isn’t playing well.  He runs himself out of options.

Anyway the discussion led to some thoughts I’ve been having about David Lee, whose emergence as a team leader (mostly in his own eyes it seems) has coincided with the Knicks’ downward spiral.  Despite his gaudy offensive numbers, Lee’s defensive effort has been abysmal.  He’s getting killed on the defensive glass.  He absolutely refuses to take a hard foul to prevent a basket.  He doesn’t make life the least bit difficult for his man, being unable or unwilling to stay in front of his man or play physical defense.  And, I have to think it’s ‘unwillingness’ considering his ability to attack the offensive glass.  Basically, Lee saves his effort for the offensive end of the floor, and doesn’t want to take fouls because he doesn’t want to risk being taken off the court.

His constant bitching and moaning clearly doesn’t do him any favors either with the refs or his teammates.  Lee’s constantly complaining to refs after every miss, after ever foul called on him, just everything.  Half the time he gets beat down court because of his incessant whining.  It just reeks of a player who thinks he’s better than he is and is more entitled than he is.  And, additionally, for a dude who bitches, he never bitches on behalf of his teammates.  For example, say Jared Jeffries steps in front of someone for a charge (something Lee would never do), and gets called for a defensive foul instead.  Lee never advocates for his teammates or challenges the refs for decisions if he isn’t directly involved in the play.  Think Rasheed Wallace (complainer-in-chief) is going to keep his mouth shut when that happens.  No way.  He’s going to let the ref know it.  But, he’s also letting his teammates know it, too. When a guy only complains for his own plays it makes you think he’s only looking out for himself.  And, Lee really seems to be playing with an attitude that says, “I’m getting my numbers so it isn’t my fault if we lose.”

But, despite all of this, yes, Lee’s the best player on the team.  And if Lee is the best player on your team, how good can your team really be?  I asked my buddy, “On what other team in the league would David Lee be the best player on the team?”  It’s pretty grim, but let’s go down the list for sub-.500 teams:

  • Nets (4-48) – best player who has played (not including injured players) – Is Lee better than Brook Lopez?  It’s close, but Yes (1 vote).
  • Minny (13-40) – Al Jefferson or Kevin Love.  Is Lee better?  No.
  • GS (14-37) – Is Lee better than Monta Ellis?  No.
  • Sacramento (18-34) – Is Lee better than Tyreke Evans?  No.
  • Washington (17-33) – Is Lee better than Antoine Jamison? No.
  • Indiana (18-34) – Is Lee better than Danny Granger? No.
  • Detroit (18-33) – Is Lee better than Ben Gorden? Yes (2 votes)
  • Knicks (19-32)
  • Philly (20-32) – Is Lee better than Andre Iguadala? No.
  • Clips (21-31) – Is Lee better than Chris Kaman? No.
  • Milwaukee (24-27) – Is Lee better than Andrew Bogut? No.
  • Chicago (25-26) – Is Lee better than Derek Rose? Nope.
  • Miami (26-27) – Is Lee better than DWade?  Nuh uh.

So, basically, there are 2 other teams that Lee would be the best player on.  ONLY 2!  Considering that in the NBA success is largely driven by the talent you have on the floor, the Knicks are probably overperforming with the 8th worst record in the league.  So let’s give coach D’Antoni a break, because he’s has the Knicks playing a lot better than we should’ve expected.

UPDATE: Howard Beck at the Times has a similar take on the Knicks lack of talent: Knicks Find That Talent Is Hard to Beat [ NY Times ].  Good read, as always.

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D’Antoni parties like it’s 1989!

Jan 19

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter | No Comments

I’d be negligent if I didn’t post this truly historical moment in Knicks history. And party history.

Mike D’Antoni and Danilo Gallinari’s dad. My my my. Any chance the Gallinari family used this ‘compromising’ video to blackmail D’Antoni and the Knicks franchise into drafting Danilo? They sure had some groovy dance moves, right up there with those crazy Czech brothers on SNL. The only thing missing from this video is a scene of Donnie Walsh with his shirt unbutton to his navel and gold chains working the room.

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Damning D’Antoni at an odd time

Dec 23

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter | 2 Comments

Mike D has been getting a pass from most non-NY bases media. Which makes this article all the more odd. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-dantoniknicks122209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Woj basically asserts that D’Antoni’s ego drove him out of Phoenix and he landed in NY for the money – pure and simple. Worst of all he regrets not taking the Bulls job, whose lineup was more promising and ready to play his style of hoops. And now, Mike is leaning on his record in Phoenix as an excuse for the Knicks subpar record.

There may be some truth to it. Yes D is stubborn. He proved that with Steph, and is doing the same with Nate (though it could also be said that Nate has had plenty of chances under Mike). My biggest criticism is his unwillingness to go deep into the bench and develop some of his youth and rest his starters.

But in his defense, D’Antoni is compromising his offensive philosophy a bit to fit his roster. He also is the only guy on the team who HAS a record of winning. So if he had to pull that card earlier in the season – as mentioned in the article – I don’t see anything wrong.

I also buy Mike’s rationalization that he felt comfortable with Donnie and the rest of the Knicks organization. Phoenix was so cheap, and I think the Bulls had proved to be stingy, too. The Knicks clearly were willing to spend.

There is also the not so small factor of Mike’s wife prefering NY.

Whatever the case, Mike has the Knicks on the right track right now.

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D’Antoni is Walsh’s best asset / Knucklehead Nate

Dec 3

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, Recaps | 3 Comments

I’ll start with some belated thoughts on beating the Suns:

Thanks to Andrew, I was in attendance for the Knicks win vs. the Suns — truly a bizarro world experience, as Steve Nash was turning the ball over left and right, and the Knicks were making their threes.  The only thing that kept the game close in the first quarter were a number of missed free throws, but fortunately these didn’t come back to haunt the Knicks.  Here’s what I took away from the game.

  • Larry Hughes’ 10 first quarter assist made him look like the best PG on the team.  He pushed the ball, made the easy pass, and kept his options open.  He also made sure to look for Gallinari who got off to a quick start.  All this in contrast to Duhon who shuts down the first option (to run), and only seems to look for David Lee in the post.
  • D’Antoni (and Hughes) exploited Amare’s terrible defense, perfectly.  Throughout the first quarter, the Knicks were running plays to get the ball inside, with Hughes often finding players in the paint for WIDE open layups.  Amare looks incredibly lost on the defensive end.  As bad as Eddy Curry.  Worse than Zach Randolph.  No amount of athleticism can make up for his lack of awareness.  Basically, I don’t think you can have Amare be a franchise player (or 2010 free agent target) because his D is just THAT bad.
  • Jared Jeffries had a great game.  Blocks.  Deflections.  Defense.  Ball movement.  He made a real difference.  And fans still booed him when he missed a contested layup in the third quarter.  Come on, fans, are you even watching?  Boo Jared when he’s playing terribly if you’re going to boo at all.
  • Wilson Chandler D’ed up Nash at the top of the key in a zone like defense worked really well.
  • Darko is done.  Clearly his heart isn’t in it.  I’m sure this story didn’t help his cause. But, no PT in this season’s first extensive garbage time seems to spell the end.  Fans were even chanting for Darko at the end.  Really depressing.
  • Finally, Gallo’s great game has to be mentioned.  He did everything. His two best plays were probably the ferocious block in the third quarter, and the straight on 3 point bomb from about 5 feet behind the line.  Good to see Gallo blow the game open for the Knicks.

In other news:

Good read from Ian Thomson (SI) about how D’Antoni is still Walsh’s most valuable asset moving forward.  Most interesting in the article, though, is Walsh addressing the perception that some holdovers in the scouting department may not have been willing to stick their necks out for fear that they aren’t part of Walsh’s plans moving forward.  Seems that it’s not just the players suffering from the 2010 cloud.

And finally:

Nate was benched last night in the loss against Orlando.  Alan Hahn has the best take on it, asserting that Nate’s clowning around and showmanship are a disruptive and destabilizing force on a team that clearly doesn’t have much sense of ‘team’ or understanding of how to win.  Hahn goes on to say that Nate could help a team with a strong veteran, winning culture, and though Nate would have to approve any trade due to his one year contract, it’s hard to imagine him blocking any trade to a winner.

Frank Isola has another worthwhile take on the Nate situation.

And, finally an article from Hoopsworld where Nate and Al talk about the frustration of losing this season.

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If Donnie doesn’t sign Lebron he should be fired.

Nov 15

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter | 3 Comments

After hearing that Brandon Jennings had 55 points tonight – 55!!!! – can it be any clearer how badly Donnie has been screwing up.  As far as I can tell, he’s betting everything on signing Lebron.  Between, building a roster completely unfit to play for Mike D’Antonio (as Donnie called him when introducing him as Knicks coach – did he even know who he was hiring as coach?!), and completely screwing up the 2009 draft, it seems pretty obviously he isn’t paying attention to anything else.

How did Donnie not draft Jennings?!  It was so clear to anyone paying attention to the Knicks last year that Donnie should draft a PG this past summer.  And, I just can’t get over the fact that Donnie, as he’s unbelievably admitted – didn’t get a chance to see or scout Jennings, aside from the workout.  What a joke.  I think the average Knicks fan scouted Jennings more than Walsh.  You know, I would bet just about anything that Isiah would’ve drafted Jennings.  With this season turning out as terribly as it has, the Donnie Walsh era might actually be worse than the Isiah era.

Here’s what Donnie’s done:

  • Signed Chris Duhon for 2 years to run 7 Seconds or Less?  Huh? (yes, he was spectacular for the first half of last season, but he has looked like the terrible, old, slow dude in a rec league who doesn’t give a crap ever since) — BAD
  • Drafted Gallo.  I wholeheartedly approve, even over Eric Gordon. — GOOD (maybe made me overconfident in Walsh’s judgement)
  • Traded Crawford for Harrington.  You know what?  Last year, I’d have said this trade was a wash, but not anymore.  Harrington is the most frustrating player I’ve ever watched.  I’d rather have Jamal Crawford.  But, Donnie saved the Knicks 2010 cap money. — BAD
  • Traded Randolph for Tim Thomas and Mobley.  The way I remember it, Randolph was playing surprisingly well for D’Antoni and even seemed to be sharing the ball a little bit more.  His defense sucked, but not any more than our defense sucks now.  Even after Mobley’s injury/condition was discovered and the Knicks had a chance to rescind or restructure the trade, Donnie didn’t want to take the chance of not being able to get rid of Randolph’s albatross of a contract and clearing up 2010 cap space. Knicks lose any realistic chance of making the playoffs — BAD
  • Traded Tim Thomas, who became a versatile, productive, glue guy on the team, for Larry Hughes because we had no guard depth after the Mobley retirement.  Hughes was completely lost and the Knicks coincidentally collapsed for the rest of the season. — BAD
  • Traded Malik Rose for Chris Wilcox.  No impact. — WASH
  • Going into the 2009 draft, desperately needing a PG or a defensive presence in the middle, in a draft full of PG’s but completely lacking in big men, Donnie fails to move up to secure Curry or Rubio.  Fails to sufficiently scout Jennings and passes.  Doesn’t select Ty Lawson, a quick, winning, 3-point shooting PG.  Doesn’t move back in the draft.  Instead selects PF (pretend C) project Hill, a classic big man reach, as insurance to losing Lee.  I guess.  Or in the hopes that he’ll figure out how to play D in the pros… Or something…  I still don’t f’ing get it! — HORRIBLE!  (No offense to Hill, I think he has promise, but he absolutely shouldn’t have been the pick)
  • Also in the 2009 draft: Buys LA’s 29th pick for $3 mil, selects Toney Douglas.  We’re sold on his being a PG (just like being sold that Hill is a C), but despite being a small SG, Douglas has been a contributor and competitor and a keeper — GOOD (Though I should note, we could’ve picked Jennings with the #8, still bought the #29th pick and selected super productive #37 pick Blair instead — that would’ve been great)
  • Traded Q for Milicic.  Seemed like a good trade, but D’Antoni doesn’t give Milicic much of a chance.  Q loses a ton of weight and becomes a valuable piece for the Heat. — WASH
  • Failed to make any signings or trades this summer, despite a need to shake things up.  Works out a bunch of over-the-hill PG’s.  Wait, I thought Donnie was going to get a PG in the draft?… — BAD
  • Signed Lee and Robinson to 1 year deals.  Thank god he had the sense to not overpay for guys that didn’t have any offers. They definitely don’t look like the money they were asking for. — GOOD

So, Donnie had two goals when he was hired: 1) To make the Knicks competitive enough to compete for a playoff spot. Grade: FAIL. 2) Clear enough cap space for Lebron or some major free agent signing(s).  TBD

All I know is: I’ve never been more sick to be a Knicks fan.  This franchise is a laughingstock and there is only one thing that can save us.  To quote Fox Moulder, ‘I want to believe’

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