Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 9:10 am  |  69 responses

Steve Nash Defends Mike D’Antoni


As the New York Knicks’ slide in the standings continues, head coach Mike D’Antoni’s seat only becomes hotter. But according to Steve Nash, who the Knicks are rumored to be chasing next summer, it’s not all his former coach’s fault that the Knicks are awful. Per ZagsBlog: “The Knicks (6-8) have dropped four straight, with their latest loss coming to a Suns team that had lost five in a row, including Tuesday night’s game in Chicago … ‘He’s in a tough position,’ Nash, a two-time NBA MVP who entered averaging 14 points and an NBA-best 10.0 assists, said of D’Antoni. ‘They’ve constantly changed and brought in new people and now that he’s got all these new pieces he hasn’t really had the point guard he’s wanted…so for me it’s been a constant transition and a constant waiting game. Waiting for the Melo trade to happen and free agency they gave away their point guard [Chauncey Billups] to get Tyson [Chandler] and fill up their frontcourt and they have a guy to guard the interior. Now they’re waiting for Baron [Davis] to get healthy, so you know that’s tough. It’s tough not to have that balance full of roster, so I do feel for him.’ The Knicks could get Davis back next week and D’Antoni is basically ready to hand him the starting point guard job as soon as he debuts. ‘If Baron’s healthy he can be the answer for sure,’ Nash said. ‘He’s a terrific player. Very skilled. Can facilitate and score. When he’s healthy, he can play at as high a level as anybody. That’s the big key, if Baron can get healthy he’ll be great here.’ Of course, by next season the Knicks will be in the market for a point guard and Nash, who turns 38 next month, believes he can play at a high level for a few more years. ‘I bet I can play a long time, depending on what role,’ Nash said. ‘I physically feel about as good as I’ve ever felt, so I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t play at this level for a couple more years. It just becomes harder work. It’s a full-time job to stay at this level physically and to recover but as far as just playing in the league, I think I can play for a long time.’ D’Antoni, who clearly longs for the days when Nash, and not rookie Iman Shumpert or past-his-prime Mike Bibby, was his point guard, agrees.”

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  • Da-Meat-Hook

    But what makes Melo and A’mare 1 way players? I say it’s lack of accountability.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    And my bad butchering Amar’e's name, I’m going on like 3 hours of sleep.

  • http://www.uhlife.com/basketball/profile.aspx?PlayerID=3356&SeasonDivisionID=30 nbk

    Considering neither has ever even shown a hint of being a good defender at any level higher then HS, I think its just they don’t have it on that end. Not the mind for it, or work ethic, or whatever. Doesn’t really matter what the reason is, they will never figure it out.

  • http://www.uhlife.com/basketball/profile.aspx?PlayerID=3356&SeasonDivisionID=30 nbk

    I’m off too lunch, so i may take a while to get back to you if you respond.

  • ash

    Short season no full training camps or practices, new players. He needs another year to determin if, he can coach New York.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    You hit the nail on the head with “work ethic” on the defensive end. Which is why coaches like Phil Jackson would bench talented players like Toni Kukoc(not comparing him to Amar’e or Mello) until he displayed the rebounding and defensive intensity that met Phil’s standards. All I’m saying is that it’s a coaches job to demand excellence/effort on both ends of the floor. Some do it better than others. Is D’antoni an elite coach? I don’t think so. I think the top 40% of NBA coaches could have put up similar win totals with the amount of talent he’s had over the last 8 years.

  • http://www.uhlife.com/basketball/profile.aspx?PlayerID=3356&SeasonDivisionID=30 nbk

    The amount of talent he has had is overrated. There were more talented teams at the time getting less wins. (Nets and Heat come to mind off the top of my head). To say almost half the coaches in the league would have done the same thing is absurd. I don’t think there are more then 5 coaches who would have recognized how to win that many games with a roster with that many glaring weaknesses. They were winning 50+ games every season without the ability (or personnel) to effectively guard Point Guards or Big Men. Which is why, in the playoffs, when they played elite teams, with elite (or even just pretty good) players at those positions they struggled. Tim Duncan ate Phoenix, yearly. The Mavericks dismantled Phoenix behind Dirk and Devin Harris. (and guess what? those are the only 2 teams to beat Phoenix in the playoffs)

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    I think we just have different mentalities when it comes to D. I think players like Mello and Amar’e have the capacity to become good if not solid defenders. You feel that Amar’e lack of basketball IQ made him prediposed to being a liability for life. But isn’t that a coaches job? To encourage players to be more cognitive and demand maximun effort?
    If you can say D’Antoni squeezed out every last drop of potential out of Amar’e and Nash’s defense, than yes, the Suns never had a chance . . . But I see offensive players with limited athletic ability like Dirk, Jet, and Barea go hard on D(max effort), partly because Carlisle was successful in getting them to buy into playing D.

  • http://www.uhlife.com/basketball/profile.aspx?PlayerID=3356&SeasonDivisionID=30 nbk

    Tyson Chandler, Deshawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, Corey Brewer are all ELLTE. Like top 5 at their position defensively. The Suns had Shawn Marion & Raja Bell. They couldn’t stop PG’s or C’s. — Regarding the Coaches job to help with basketball IQ, do you feel teacher’s fail when they have students who just can’t become intelligent when it comes to math? It’s the same type of thing, if you don’t get it after years and years of doing it, and seeing others be successful at it, then you’re probably never going to get it. Now I understand where you’re coming from when you say he didn’t squeeze out every last drop of potential defensively from Stoudemire & Nash but can you really expect him (or any coach) to get that out of Amar’e at this point? And what about Melo? Who has had many different coaches, and still has not shown even the slightest indication that he can consistently be even a decent defender.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    I actually am a teacher, and I can tell you that not every student passes, regardless of how much effort I put in. I don’t have a problem with dumb students failing my class. I Have a problem with dumb students who put in zero effort and fail my class. I have an even bigger problem with talented students who put in zero effort and fail my class.

    I see what you’re saying with Melo, but D’Antoni inherited a young Amar’e(maybe 20 year old), a raw and impressionable Amar’e who had the strength, length, and athleticism to become an excellent defender. 10 years later, he still leaves his feet too much, still follows the ball on rebounds instead of boxing out, and still blows defensive assignments on the regular. These are basic defensive fundamentals that are taught at the elementary level. D’Antoni’s had about 8 years to instill these basic principles in Amar’e, but we’re still waiting.

  • http://www.uhlife.com/basketball/profile.aspx?PlayerID=3356&SeasonDivisionID=30 nbk

    “These are basic defensive fundamentals that are taught at the elementary level” – D’Antoni shouldn’t have to coach those things. And if Amar’e can’t be mentally strong enough to learn not to jump on every pump fake on his own, wth is anyone else going to teach him? You being a teacher, you know, the first thing a person needs in order to improve is to recognize where it is needed, and apparently, Amar’e doesn’t see the glaring weaknesses in his defensive game that everyone else in the country with eyes can see. Or he just doesn’t have the ability to adapt defensively. It’s more on him then D’Antoni, the coaches job is more about the system then each player’s habits, like you said, those are things you worry about at the elementary level, once you get to the NBA the (head) coaches simply don’t have the time to harp on every little thing a player does.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    You named the defensive stoppers, but my point is Dirk, Jet, and Barea didn’t slack or take plays off the way Amar’e and Nash would. I completely acknowledge that Dallas had better defensive stoppers.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    I’ve been saying the owness is ultimately on Amar’e this entire time. What I’m questioning is a lack of accountability for defensive brain-farts and lack of effort. We both know that regardless of how bad Amar’e and Melo slack on D, they’re both getting 35 minutes of burn and 15-20 shots a game. Right?
    That’s my problem with D’Antoni. Where most coaches will call time-out to either put you on blast or at the very least address the error so it doesn’t happen again, his philosophy is to sprint up the court and take the first decent look the opposing D concedes.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    When asked if he was worried about motivating his players to play D, Sam Mitchell told a Toronto reporter that he controls everything that every player wants. “Minutes”. Again, I’m not saying Mitchell’s the superior coach, but players who aren’t giving you what you want/expect on D shouldn’t be getting what the want on offense.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    NBK is letting D Antoni off the hook some because poor defensive players, like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, have been known to carry out defensive assignments when the coach and best player make those things a priority as Rivers and KG did.
    But he’s right that some players just don’t get it. Like Carlos Boozer. the difference is that Thibs will sit Boozer. DAntoni lets Amare and Nash play, but then bashes Amare to the media.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    And Allen does what Allen does, makes better sense of my thoughts then I know how too. Thanks AP

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    In 3 sentences, allenp summarized what 20 of my posts couldn’t. Great coaches hold all players accountable on both ends, and use playing time as their leverage.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    He doesn’t focus win with defense so there is no reason to hold his best offensive players accountable on that end because that isn’t their role. I think it’s about whether you think his system can win at all. Which I think it can, but they would need a premiere playmaker, which they no longer can afford. And don’t have the pieces to trade and get one while keeping the other essential things they need (a stopper down low and on the perimeter – Shumpert , Chandler) scoring off the bench/general hustle (Douglas, Fields). If D’Antoni had say Nash, Shumpert, Melo, Stoudemire, Chandler, Fields, Douglas, and a decent nothing special backup big then they would compete in the east. Would I bet on them? No way. But with D’Antoni’s system, those scorers, and the right defensive pieces they would stand a chance. So imo the question is more about whether you think his system can work then if he isn’t a good coach.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    on winning*. Sorry from my phone doesn’t bode well with my commenting style lol

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