D’Antoni Headed to D’Garden
In what many are calling the coup of the century, GM guru Donnie Walsh convinced Mike D’Antoni to take over the most dyfunctional clan of outcasts, headcases and overpaid gluttons in all of the Association. Well, I guess it’s not that hard to convince a guy of anything when you give him $24 million.
Still, no one expected Mr. Seven Seconds or Less to wind up on 34th Street when the situation in Chi-Town seemed so ready-made for success. Many though Hinrich, Gordon and Luol could have been a quality JV replica of Nash, Barbosa and Marion, with uber-athlete Tyrus Thomas doing his best Amare impression and human pinball Joakim Noah fitting in just fine. Put Larry Hughes in the Raja Bell role and you pretty much have Phoenix Lite. Plus you have Drew Gooden to stick jumpers, rebound and defend a little, and you have Andris Nocioni to add some blue-collar grit simply by being his douchebaggy self.
Trying to fit D’Antoni’s style into the Knicks roster is a little more square-peg-round-hole-ish. There are definitely a few things D’Antoni can work with. Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Q, who led the NBA in three-pointers made under Mike, will all fit in well (when healthy, in Quentin’s case). David Lee can fit in anywhere. Balkman couldn’t hit water from a boat with his jumper, so that hurts, but he can play some defense and he can certainly fly around in transition. Wilson Chandler looked promising towards the end of the year and may fit in.
“Top Gun rules of engagement are written for your safety and for that of your team.They are not flexible…Nor am I. Is that clear?”
None of these guys are ideal for D’Antoni, honesly, but they can be servicable one would think. The real problem will be the three bozos: Starbury, Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry.
Steph has to be out, right? I mean, it wouldn’t matter who was coaching, I would hope. Donnie Walsh needs to trade his expiring contract away this summer or just suck it up and buy him out. Those are the only two options, right? You can’t let him suit up.
Eddy Curry, while still a good low-block scorer, can’t play in a D’Antoni system. His scoring would probably entice a few other clubs some considering his contract isn’t that bad…but he also can’t rebound. Still, they should be able to ship him somewhere out West, where even non-contenders are going to have to start thinking about how to compete with the Lakers frontcourt, Yao and even a few more seasons of Duncan.
The real problem — per usual — will be Zach Randolph.
Nobody’s taking this guy — not at $47 million over the next four years anyway. So it looks like they’ll be stuck with him. That said, and even with all the negatives understood, he can make 18-footers for days and he, even more than Curry can certainly score in the post. And it’s even possible he can even get up and down the floor a little bit if — a HUUUUGE if — he can be motivated.
Much like this sight, D’Antoni in New York will not be pretty. But it will at least be an improvement and bring hope back to MSG.
Nobody is going to mistake the Knicks upcoming season for the concerto of offense that D’Antoni and Nash orchestrated in Arizona. And those who thought Phoenix’s defense was porous are about to learn a whole new meaning of “soft interior.” But if they can package Curry and Lee or maybe Balkman and Stephon’s expiring deal, they could probably find another piece or two that can be part of the solution.
Anyone hoping for a big one-year turnaround is certainly deluding themselves, but this was a great move for New York. Kudos to Donnie Walsh and even if they are still struggling to make the East Playoffs come next April, at least those New Yorkers paying top-dollar for MSG tickets will have something entertaining to watch.
It might still be ugly, but watching your team lose a 124-116 shootout is at least a little better than showing up only in hopes that you might find out what exactly it is that Stephon knows about Isiah.
