The NY Columnists Love Affair With Mark Jackson
NBA May 12th. 2008, 12:15pm
Mike D’Antoni averaged 58 wins over the last four years in Phoenix. (The Knicks last won 58 games in 1993.) The Suns played the most exciting basketball in the NBA. Three straight times in the postseason, the Suns were bounced by a team that reached the Finals. Which is why we’re a bit perplexed the negative New York media is already anti-D’Antoni. A sampling of weekend headlines:
FACE IT: WALSH BLEW THIS CALL (NY Post)
Bringing in Mike D’Antoni wrong move for the Knicks (NY Daily News)
While Mike Vaccaro proved to be one of the few voices of reason on this topic, he’s sadly outnumbered by a bunch of screamers who would rather have a local kid around, probably for two reasons: 1) they were frequently in touch with Jackson, who attended St. John’s and was a Knicks’ fan favorite for years and 2) they feel D’Antoni’s easy-going nature might not make him the disciplinarian this motley crew needs.
Problem is, Vecsey and Lawrence are only palatable when they’re throwing mud at one another. They’re already crowing that small ball won’t work with the 23-win Knicks because everyone’s fat, lazy, or both. Mind you, free agency hasn’t begun, and the draft is still over a month away (the Knicks pick fifth).
Have Vecsey and Lawrence forgotten that the Knicks play in the East? The same East where the Hawks made the playoffs despite being eight games under 500?
Expect D’Antoni to Defy Expectations (NY Times)
42 Responses to “The NY Columnists Love Affair With Mark Jackson”
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May 12th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Success is overrated.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Why D’Antoni will work.
1. this roster will be gone in 2 years anyways, one way or anyother…except Crawford, Lee and Balkman.
2. how do you get fat people thin? make em run
3. theyll now have 20% more possessions to jack up shots early in the shot clock.
i like it.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
They think it’ll be the same Knicks team. It won’t.
D’Antoni and Walsh will get in there and buy out or trade whatever they can to get a group D’Antoni likes.
I’m sure he didn’t sign on thinking he’d be coaching that same group of droogs for the duration of his contract.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
He’ll be gone in 2 years anyway because they won’t win enough as would anyone who signed.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
NY Media is overrated
May 12th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
@YYSA
Well said
May 12th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
They hate him because he’s white.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
maybe the Knicks can get Kevin Love with the 5th pick. Who knows
imo, i think D Antoni isnt that great of a coach. i would of liked to see Avery Johnson get this position and turn the franchise around
May 12th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
the knicks taking kevin love 5th? a coach who prefers small ball and up tempo ball?
May 12th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
David lee is no Amare
May 12th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
The NY media is atrocious. This coming from someone who has been exposed to it all of my 21 years. Frank Isola wrote a ridiculous article yesterday ripping the move, but clearly it had all to do with him being treated like shit at the garden and nothing to do with bringing in one of the best coaches in the NBA.
As a die hard knick fan I love it. The argument that he doesn’t fit with this roster is stupid, because no one fits with the roster. Walsh will maneuver this thing around to Mike’s liking and we finally have a direction after about a decade of hell.
….and who’s to say D’Antoni can’t adjust his style a little bit either? When Riley came to New York after he coached the showtime Lakers…..he changed his style in a major way.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
…and if the Knicks take love I’ll eat my hat. It has to be Mayo, Bayless, Rose, or Beasely. I have confidence Stern is rigging the ping pong balls as we speak to guarantee us at least a top 3 pick.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I am hit or miss about the hire…you don’t pay $24 million for 4 years for a coach to clean house…He is 57..Walsh is 67 if that doesn’t have win now written all over it I don’t know what does..If he is going to work..Eddy Curry HAS to go…he can get up court..trade him, dump him whatever it takes. Zach Randolph is salvagable, since he doesn’t play defense anyway he can be a force down low. Tell Steph to stay home and get ready to move to Italy. Trade Jamal Crawford for as many useful parts and cap space as you can. Keep all the young legs Isiah brought in (they can’t shoot but hell they can run)and hope you can get the top pick and get Rose..if not find a guy who fits the system. All of what I say should happen but probalby won’t…why everyone is so bitter..and not just the columnists…is this is the same old Dolan bullshit they have done the last 8 years…Over pay Isiah, Over pay Larry Brown, Over pay Lenny Wilkens…Over pay Don Cheney and then not tell him he is fired. Keep jerking around Herb Williams…shut out Partick Ewing completely…it just doesn’t end…that’s why this sucks…that’s why peole are bitter…D’Antoni will not be the coach when this is fixed…guaranteed
May 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
mushnick had a great line concerning jackson:
May 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
@TBL- i just looked up a Mock Draft. the site had Bayless from Arizona going 5th to the Knicks. Why draft another Jamal Crawford type player you know. Eric Gordon isnt that great imo
if they can draft a power forward like Kevin Love, they would be set for the next ten years at that position
oh, they got Brandon Rush from Kansas projected to go to Orlando
May 12th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
@ Roman
how is this the same bullshit? Dolan has never given full control to anyone……ever. Walsh has full control over this situation and is one of the most respected GM’s in the league. We needed someone of that stature to change the culture here and get us back in the right direction. Walsh may only be here for 4-5 years but he will leave the Knicks in a much better situation then in which he found them.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
The Knicks play slow, boring, sloppy, shitty basketball - D’Antoni does not coach that style of play.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
i just looked at the Knicks roster. its pretty sad
May 12th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
On a serious note, these writers seem to think this roster will be exactly the same at the beginning of next season. Idiots.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
The writers here suck. I guarantee at least 4-6 players are off the roster by camp.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Bruce…because who says this is a Donnie Walsh move? And I get the respect for Donnie Walsh…but if he was so great what happened to the great Pacers? This needs an overhaul and Dolan is throwing expensive band-aids at the problem…I have no problem with D’Antoni but he is not the guy for this job…they need a GM who can work the cap…they need to clean house…a babysitter could coach the Knicks for that..pay him a few bucks and be on your way…instead Flashy signing Flashy name and when they are winning 15 games 2 years from now, are we still going to care he is rebuilding…this signing is not rebuilding it is to get to the 8th seed…typical Fucking Dolan.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Lee, Crawford, Randolph and Jeffries need to stay. Everyone else should be traded or cut if i were Donnie Walsh
May 12th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Guys…where are these guys going? They won’t be here…ok who’s going…who are we paying off…how many years does that effect the cap…NO ONE WANTS KNICK GARBAGE. You can pay off one or two..not 6..and the guys people want…David Lee..is the type of guy to start building with…not a star but a player that is versitle…
May 12th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Trust me I understand what you’re saying and I felt that way when they hired that snake Larry Brown…..Walsh is well aware of what this team needs and he wouldn’t of took this job unless he had full control. The only reason that cock sucker Dolan gave him full control was because of the clout Walsh carries…..so let’s all be grateful for that. I would’ve been fine if they hired Jackson, but I like this D’Antoni signing because he along with Walsh is getting in on the ground floor. There is now a plan and an objective in place. We know what team we are trying to be now. Walsh has said a bunch of times already that he wants to shed cap for a chance at the 2010 free agent class. I think we gotta give this thing a shot, before we rip it apart.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Bring. Back. Oakley.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I think they got it wrong. They should’ve brought in Avery for this roster. D’Antoni would’ve been better off with the Bulls. His system doesn’t work with this roster. Remember this quote?
“After the Clippers trimmed the Knicks by nine, I asked center Chris Kaman how he knew when Curry was tiring. Kaman smiled and said, “When you run down court and he’s 30, 40 feet behind you.€
May 12th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
They need to keep Balkman and Nate Rob. Those are useful players.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Also, you can’t just say they’ll overhaul the roster because they can’t. They’re stuck with that bunch for at least until 2010.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Maybe D Antoni liked the $6 mill being waved in his face.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Lee is a role player. Not a building block.
Guys that can be removed easily:
1. Marbury - One year left on his deal. You can pay him to go home if you want him out of there.
2. Jerome James - Has about 12 mill left on his deal. Another buy out candidate. Or he gets buried on IR.
3. Randolph Morris - Contract is up….gone.
4. Fred Jones - Contract is up….gone.
5. Randolph - someone will take a chance on him. I mean fuck Denver almost did at the deadline. 20 and 10 makes him tradeable.
6. Curry - big men that can score are always a cherished commodity. You won’t get dick back for him, but it’s possible he can be moved. You might have to package Lee with him in order to move him.
7. Malik Rose - expiring at 7 mill….if u need a roster spot you buy him out.
The players that most likely will be there next year are Crawford, Nate, Chandler, Mardy Collins (sucks but doesn’t cost anything), Q Rich (maybe he bounces back), Jeffries (unfortunately), and Lee if he isn’t dealt.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
saying their stuck with this roster till 2010 is just flat out wrong.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
i forgot Q rich was on the Knicks. He is damn near robbing the Knicks with his lack of talent. He should of kept Brandy in his life, dumbass
May 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
TBL knicks dont have the 5th pick. At least not yet. The NBA, unlike the NFL, has a lottery to decide draft position. Cmon dude you’re a sports website, you really should know these things.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
How so?
May 12th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
@favrevicodin- i think he knows that
May 12th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I think the Knicks made a great move, and I agree with the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro. D’Antoni is a top shelf coach who can get that team to within striking distance of .500 next season (enough to make the postseason). When Walsh remakes the roster, D’Antoni can get the horses at the Garden to make it berry, berry exciting. Now I get why Walsh seemed to take a long time to not hire Jackson.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I love that one of the reasons is that D’antoni cant work with the roster. Marbury, Randolph, Curry
Like any of those three will be there in 2 years anyway.
So the NY writers want to bring in a coach who can work with these scrubs??? Larry brown couldnt even do it
May 12th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Anyone that wanted Avery Johnson to coach the Knicks is smoking too much crack. You see how Avwry dealt or didnt deal with the media in Dallas?? Imagine that in NY. Would be fun. Also love how he got outcoached in every single series they were in.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
i thought Avery would of been a good fit for the Knicks. God forbid Jake doesnt find it a good fit
May 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
If the Knicks draft 5th or worse, look for Danilo to become an option. The biggest problem on the Knicks actually is their SF, not their PG (though that sucks, too). Nate Robinson is a decent fit for D’Antoni’s system (high 3PT%), and the Knicks can always try to trade Crawford for TJ Ford.
Danilo is a SF who shoots 40% from behind the arc. He’s perfect for D’Antoni’s Euroball. As a Knick fan, I’m not sure I want a potential soft Euro on the team, but Danilo is more likely the 5th pick than any of those players mentioned in the comments (save for maybe OJ Mayo)…
May 12th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
No way Gallinari ends up in NYC. I think that if they can’t get one a potential franchise player with their pick, they’ll package it with [type your lousy overpaid player here]. Seriously, have you seen the rookies development under D’Antoni ? All the picks were traded for financial reasons, and the ones they kept were buried on the bench or in the NBDL (Tucker and Strawberry). And D’Antoni is a stubborn believer in his methods, so don’t ask him to change that in a significant measure.
Plus, for Gallinari, beware. He’d need 2 or 3 more years in Europe, and I’m not sure if his deal with AJ Milano is in buyout reach (NBA teams can not fund more than $500,000 to do a buyout, if I remember correctly). And the arc, in Europe, is closer to the college arc than to the NBA arc. Same goes for Nicolas Batum (projected to be 10-15 pick), who shoots something like 40% from beyond, but who I don’t figure will consistently shoot more than 35%-40% in the NBA on threes.
But, there’s one thing I’d consider if they don’t get Rose or Beasley : Jose Calderon (PG, Toronto) is the perfect fit for D’Antoni’s system. He has pretty much the same international credentials as Pau Gasol, and he’s a free agent. D’Antoni reportedly didn’t have the authorization to talk to Toronto (petty revenge from Sarver/Kerr on Bryan Colangelo), but he would have been a perfect fit for this roster. If Walsh wants to prove his commitment to his coach (apart with the huge and long contract), he’ll put the money down for this guy.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Jihaime, TJ Ford, ironically, is also a nice fit in the D’Antoni system should the Knicks trade masrbury…
But the best thing D’Antoni could do right now is increase the value of the current players by palying to their strengths…
http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/05/14/how-mike-dantoni-can-redeem-knicks-roster-and-isiah/