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.

Houston is Back With the Knicks

The Knicks will be opening up training camp on Tuesday.  The news about if Stephon Marbury will be there has been well documented already.  However, it has been reported by the New York Post that longtime Knick Allan Houston has also been invited to training camp as he tries to make one last comeback attempt.  It has been reported by the Post that Houston has accepted the invitation and will be there on Tuesday.  

Houston’s last comeback attempt did not go well and he was done after just one week.  However, Houston is trying to tell us that this year will be different.  He believes that his knees are in much better shape this year and that he will be ready to go.

Here is Jamal Crawford from his blog on how Houston is looking at the workouts: “He’s back and looks a lot healthier than he did in his last comeback attempt last season…I think he may have rushed that one a little bit, but he looks a lot better this time! AND of course we all know his jumper is razor sharp!!!!!!! I can learn a lot watching him.”

I have no problem inviting him to camp since he is a veteran that is a good character guy and maybe he has some advice for some of the younger players on the team.  However, I am not expecting his comeback attempt to last into the regular season.  I think deep down we all know that his body will just not allow it to happen.

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Photo via Getty Images

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.

Youtube It

After the Olympics, I think most Knicks fans are bored waiting for the NBA season to get under way.  Training camp starts in about a month.  So today I started browsing Youtube trying to find some highlights from last year.  They were definitely hard to find during what was an awful season.  I was able to locate a video of the best dunks of last season by the Knicks.  Enjoy.

We’ve also got the Top 40 dunks from around the NBA from last year:

Finally the Top 10 ankle breakers with appearances by Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford: