Page 1 of 1
Mike D'Antoni
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 7:10 pm
by 3rdside
Suns fan here hoping someone's old enough to answer a question about this guy. That's no reflection on who post's here by the way as I've never been here before..
Why do you think he had the bum season in 98-99?
My superficial diagnosis says he didn't have the talent (Van Exel, Billups, McDyess and Fortson is only okay), he had Billups playing out of position at SG, Fortson was an immobile tank, the opposite of what a run n gun MDA needs, and LaFrentz got injured meaning proper scrubs filled in the gap.
Any other input would be much appreciated.
Re: Mike D'Antoni
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 8:49 pm
by The Rebel
D'Antoni was just not ready to be a head coach when he was in Denver, after he was fired here he went to Europe and perfected his system.
ONe thing to remember about those teams in 98-99 was that very young.
Re: Mike D'Antoni
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:11 pm
by NuggetsWY
3rdside wrote:Suns fan here hoping someone's old enough to answer a question about this guy. That's no reflection on who post's here by the way as I've never been here before..
Why do you think he had the bum season in 98-99?
My superficial diagnosis says he didn't have the talent (Van Exel, Billups, McDyess and Fortson is only okay), he had Billups playing out of position at SG, Fortson was an immobile tank, the opposite of what a run n gun MDA needs, and LaFrentz got injured meaning proper scrubs filled in the gap.
Any other input would be much appreciated.
We welcome Suns fans, especially those willing to trade Booker for two ball boys and a third round pick. lol
The Rebel wrote:D'Antoni was just not ready to be a head coach when he was in Denver, after he was fired here he went to Europe and perfected his system.
ONe thing to remember about those teams in 98-99 was that very young.
Have to just say: I agree with Rebel - he was ahead of his time but his ideas were ahead of his ability --- and if you want a more extreme example, look at Paul Westhead's tenure in Denver.

Re: Mike D'Antoni
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:48 pm
by 3rdside
He's not a guaranteed future all star just yet as his shooting stinks this season for some reason, but if I was to put a bet on it i'd be fairly certain it'd pay off. No deal in other words
Thanks for the heads up anyway - I'm comparing the merits of MDA vs our current coach Watson, who I think isn't very good even though the players definitely seem to like him and seem to play hard for him. Doesn't seem to have a system - it's all iso ball and pick and rolls, loves the vets too much at the expense of our rookies (although we're probably gonna trade Tucker so Bender can get some time) and has somehow coached Brandon Knight to become the worst player in the league (no joke, check out +/- for this guy).
I miss MDA big time.
Re: Mike D'Antoni
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:40 pm
by NuggetsWY
Yeah but I think D'Antoni wants to stay with Harden - they were made for each other.