Mike D’Antoni Interview

Recently the new head coach of the Knicks, Mike D’Antoni, sat down for an interview with NYKnicks.com.  You can read my take on the hire of Coach D’Antoni here.  

Here are some of the interesting things that he had to say:

NYKnicks.com: When you first got hired, you said one of the main reasons you decided to come to the Knicks was the opportunity to work with Donnie Walsh. How has that relationship been working out for the last few months? 

D’Antoni: It’s been great. He’s a good guy, and he’s fun to be around first of all. You know, he’s one of the best (executives) in the league, and just the day-to-day relationship we have with each other, it makes it very comfortable to work. 

NYKnicks.com: Let’s name a few players on the roster, and if you can just say the first thing that pops into your mind, starting with Quentin Richardson, whom you already know from having coached him in Phoenix. 

D’Antoni: He’s a guy you want to go to battle with. He comes up with big plays. 

NYKnicks.com: How about Jamal Crawford? 

D’Antoni: He’s a very, very talented basketball player. 

NYKnicks.com: Eddy Curry? 

D’Antoni: Big. He’s one of the better centers in the league. 

NYKnicks.com: Nate Robinson? 

D’Antoni: Nate … He’s fun to watch. Very exciting. And an unbelievable talent. 

NYKnicks.com: David Lee? 

D’Antoni: He works hard. He’s everybody’s favorite … and he’s definitely a coach’s favorite. 

NYKnicks.com: Zach Randolph? 

D’Antoni: Zach is a 20-10 guy who is one of the two or three guys in the league that can do it. 

NYKnicks.com: How about Wilson Chandler? He’s a player you might not have known a lot about before you came over here. 

D’Antoni: He’s got unbelievable potential. The same with (Danilo) Gallinari. He also has unbelievable talent and can really make others around him better. 

NYKnicks.com: Is there anybody who has surprised you so far from what you’ve seen? 

D’Antoni: Jared Jeffries. He’s surprised me. He’s been a lot better than I thought. 

NYKnicks.com: When training camp starts next week, what are some of the things you are looking to establish? 

D’Antoni: Um, running. Playing together. Just doing the right thing and see where we are and where we can go. I’m excited to get on the road and see the direction where we all want to go to. 

NYKnicks.com: We have been asking players this question, so we’ll put it to you, too: If you have one thing you want to tell the fans about the Knicks this year, one single message, what is it you want to tell them? 

D’Antoni: That we’re going to be exciting. We’re going to be a lot of fun to watch.

You can read the entire interview here.

Youtube It: Danilo Gallinari

Here is some video proof of why I think Danilo Gallinari will be a good swingman in the NBA for the Knicks.  He has a good handle, a good stroke, and can really create.  Enjoy.

Danilo Gallinari Interview

Danilo Gallinari, the young centerpiece of the franchise, recently sat down with NYKnicks.com for an interview.  For the record, I thought that the pick of Gallinari at #6 in the draft was the right move.  The Knicks desperately needed a good swingman, especially if they are going to play at Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo pace.  I love Danilo’s handle and stroke.  I also like the love that ESPN’s international basketball guru Fran Frischilla gave him at the draft.  I also like that in Italy he was already competing against grown men in the professional league.  I think this will make the transition to the NBA a little bit easier for him.

Meanwhile, here are some of the interesting things that Gallinari had to say in his interview:

NYKnicks.com: How’s your back feeling?

Gallinari: It’s better, it’s better. I think I will be fine for the season.

NYKnicks.com: What else did you do over the summer to get ready?

Gallinari: I tried to clear my mind and not think about coming over here. I’m going to have enough time to do that. I was thinking about myself and my family and enjoy them. I want my mind free for the season.

NYKnicks.com: You said before you got drafted that you wanted to be in New York. It’s a few months later, and now you have been in The Garden and are wearing a shirt with Knicks across the chest. What’s that like? So far, has it been everything you hoped?

Gallinari: It’s a great feeling. The most exciting night was the night of the draft. After the night of the draft, my excitement and emotion were going away a little bit because I went back to Italy. I couldn’t wait to get back to New York. I love New York.

NYKnicks.com: You played that one game in Summer League where you really played well. How was that?

Gallinari: It was nice because it was my first game in the USA. I didn’t like the situation that I only played one game. I should have played many more games. I like to play. But we are here now, and it counts and is more important, so I am ready for the season.

NYKnicks.com: Are you going to miss playing in Italy?

Gallinari: Probably yes, but I will not be missing playing in Italy, I will be missing Italy in general. It is my life and my friends. It is always over there. But for basketball this is what I always wanted. It’s a dream for me so I’m excited.

You can read the entire interview here.

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Photo via AP

Gallinari Back Talk

I have to be honest.  I am very concerned about the back of Danilo Gallinari which he injured during summer league back in June.  There have been no reports of any improvement and that is an alarming sign.  However, the New York Times has recently given Knicks fans a reason to smile:

“The back injury that kept Danilo Gallinari out of action all summer will not prevent him from practicing with the Knicks when training camp opens in 12 days, Gallinari’s agent said Wednesday.”

This is the first positive news surrounding his back but two months of inactivity has to raise some red flags.  Let’s hope the cortisone shot does the trick and everything goes along to plan.  The Knicks appear to be acting very carefully with him which is good judgment on their part.  He is just a 20-year old kid.

A Look Back and a Look Ahead: Is Mike D’Antoni a Good Fit for the Knicks?

Last year certainly brought the Knicks to rock bottom.  There were all of the “Fire Isiah” chants and all of the off the court issues, including the embarassing sexual harassment lawsuit.  The Knicks managed to win just 23 games and Donnie Walsh replaced Isiah Thomas as team president.  The burning question at that time was, “Who is the coach that can help fix the Knicks?”  Then Mike D’Antoni had his falling out with Steve Kerr and the Phoenix Suns.  The Bulls and Knicks both pursued him but D’Antoni chose the Knicks and their 4-year, $24 million deal.  Right away there was a lot of criticism accusing D’Antoni of running to wherever the most money was.  The Bulls seemed to have a brighter future and an upcoming lottery pick.  It was also perceived that the Knicks had a roster with a mess of underachievers with bad character issues who many believe do not fit in with D’Antoni’s uptempo style of basketball.  So you heard all of the people who said that this relationship was an awful fit, like the couple that is destined to be found fighting and breaking up every other weekend.  Is he really a bad fit with the Knicks?  Let’s look a little deeper first.

One thing that you cannot debate about Mike D’Antoni is the fact that he has been a very good coach in this league.  All you have to do is look at the numbers and accolades that he has achieved so far.  His head coaching career began slowly in Denver in 1998 as his team went 14-36 in the lockout-shortened season.  He then spent a year as a scout for the Spurs and a year as an assistant coach in Portland.  He joined the Suns in 2002 as an assistant and took over as head coach in December of 2003. 

In four full seasons as head coach of the Suns here is what they accomplished:

• 50 wins in all four years, including two seasons with more than 60 wins.
• Three division titles and two Western Confernce Finals appearances.
• Led the NBA in team scoring for three straight years.
• In 2004-05 they averaged over 110 ppg, the first time that has happened since 1994-95.
• In his first year with the Suns, they won 62 games which was 33 more wins than they had the previous season.

And here are the coaching accolades he has achieved:

• Won NBA Coach of the Year in 2004-05
• Four time winner of the NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month
• Was the head coach for the Western Conference at the 2007 All-Star game
• He is the third winningest coach in Suns franchise history
• His .650 winning percentage with the Suns is second in franchise history

The one thing I remember about the Suns during the “Seven Seconds of Less” days was that I never felt like they were really a great team or legit title contender.  Yet year after year they won around 60 games and continued to have their high octane offense in gear.  Heck you can make the argument that in 2007 they would’ve won the title if not for the key suspensions of Stoudemire and Diaw in their series with the Spurs. 

Mike D’Antoni had a big role in this great success for the Suns.  The best attribute about him is that he finds out what the strengths of his players are.  He then develops a style that fits them best and puts them in the best possible situation for them to succeed.  He did that with the Suns as they went to small and fast lineups that would play at relentless pace and shoot a high percentage.  Also he is a coach that players seem to love playing for which probably helped him get the maximum effort from those good Suns teams he had.

The criticisms about the situation with the Knicks are valid.  Eddy Curry has got to want it more, Danilo Gallinari has to get his feet wet, Stephon Marbury is not a leader, Zach Randolph has to play harder (if he isn’t in Memphis soon), Quentin Richardson needs to be in better shape, and Chris Duhon needs to be the guy to help set up his teammates to succeed.  It is true that not many players on this roster would succeed at the phrenetic pace of the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns.  However, I truly believe that Mike D’Antoni will learn what his players do well and develop a style that will help him get the most out of his players.  The truth is he is just a very smart basketball person who knows this game as well as anyone.

I truly believe that the Knicks made the right hire for this rebuilding process.  D’Antoni will get the most out of his roster and will see what he has.  Then it is up to Donnie Walsh to bring in more players that fit into what kind of style D’Antoni wants to play.  Danilo Gallinari and Chris Duhon are a start but there is a long way to go.  Let’s see what they can do.

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Photo via AP

Nate Robinson Interview

Nate Robinson recently sat down with NYKnicks.com to discuss some things as he prepares for the upcoming season.  Here are some of the interesting things he said during the interview:

NYKnicks.com: So what exactly has Coach D’Antoni said that he expects out of you?

Robinson: He said he’s watched a lot of film on me and doesn’t see a lot of weaknesses. He wants me to continue to get better as a person and as a player. For the most part, that means coming in like (Leandro) Barbosa, who was Sixth Man of the Year, or whatever it may be. But most importantly, he said he was going to be disappointed if I don’t win this ball club fifty-something games, so I’ve got a lot of work to do.

NYKnicks.com: A lot of people think you are one of the guys who will to benefit most from his system and really flourish. What do you have to say to that?

Robinson: Well, we’ll have to wait and see, but just because of the way that he plays, it suits guys like me and Jamal (Crawford). But really, I just want to win. And if we succeed by playing that way, then I’m with it. Whatever way it is, I support it 100 percent. I’m behind the team and our coaching staff.

NYKnicks.com: Speaking of Seattle, you have a lot of strong roots there. How sad are you to see the Sonics go?

Robinson: Oh it’s sad, man. I’m heartbroken. Honestly. But the one good thing about it is it shows we are going to have a team come back soon since they kept the name and colors. So that’s a good thing at least. They just moved and relocated, but they will bring the game back to Seattle. But for now, yeah, I’m pretty broken up about it.

NYKnicks.com: You were out in Summer League, so you saw Danilo Gallinari up close and personal. What are your thoughts on him?

Robinson: He’s good. He’s got a lot of potential. A lot. We’ve still got to mold him. He’s still got a long way to go, coming in being a rookie. But the best thing he’s got going for him is that he’s coming into the best city in the country, and that’s New York City. For him to come here now so young and so ripe, some of the veterans like Malik (Rose) can really mold him and set him down a good path. But he’s got to come here ready to play. We’re not going to hand anything to him, you know. A lot of the big guys like Eddy (Curry), Z-Bo (Zach Randolph) and Jared (Jeffries), they want to see him do well so they will push him and push him hard. I think he will respond though. He’s a talent.

NYKnicks.com: You were one of the few players who really stood out and took another step forward last season in your progress as a professional. What did you improve upon last year that you are most proud of?

Robinson: Patience. Letting the game come to me. You know, I had a lot of games where I really didn’t try to do too much, and let the flow come to me. I mean, yeah, I had the games where I put on a little of the ‘Nate the Great’ type deal, but – like my father said, ‘never be afraid of success.’ So, I try to go out and try to succeed in everything I do. And so far, it’s gotten me to where I am today. But that doesn’t mean I just sit back. I’ve got to consistently get better and improve, and I think I did that last year by being more patient.

You can read the entire interview here.

Preseason Schedule Released

Here is this year’s preseason schedule:

October 8th @ Toronto

October 10th @ Philadelphia

October 14th vs. Philadelphia

October 17th @ Boston

October 20th @ New Jersey

October 21st vs. Boston

October 24th vs. New Jersey

Training camp begins September 30th which surprisingly is only 5 weeks away.  Let the countdown begin until the anticipated Gallinari-Bargnani matchup.