Rip2137 wrote:moocow007 wrote:D'Antoni is great if he has the perfect players for his team and a superstar PG running things. Without that, he's terrible. He holds no one accountable (he said that his job is not, I repeat NOT, to police the players), he doesn't know defense if it hit him between the eyes after calling him ahead of time to warn him and he makes the absolute worse adjustments in game I've ever seen (and I've been watching games since the early 70's and have seen some gosh awful head coaches in that regards). There's a reason why the Suns team was doing better than his Knicks team despite having probably one of the least talented rosters in the NBA and it's the same reason that he did so well in Phoenix...Steve Nash.
That Suns team surrounded a horrible Amare stoudimire with good defnders. Steven Hunter, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, Joe Johnson(when he cared about defense), Kurt Thomas, Boris Diaw, Shaq to a lesser extent....
The Suns team was successful because they were able to execute his offense which calls for getting the ball quickly up the court before the other team has a chance to setup defensively (makes sense) and take good shots quickly and when you are in position to shoot (also makes sense). However, to execute that to elite level, you need: a) a great true PG whose skill is to get everyone else setup perfectly NOT to score himself by going 1-on-1 and b) a whole bunch of guys who can actually shoot (usually from deep as the logic is the closer you get to the basket the more likely you'll be defended and, as a result, have a lesser chance of getting a clean look). The Knicks have had really neither. Having guys that can kinda defend obviously helps but their defense relied on the individual to be able to do so willingly and of their own volition NOT because of any defensive gameplan or drive to defend as a team.
People talk about D'antoni's D, but again, it was literally ALWAYS better if Amare Stoudimire wasn't there.
That's not true at all. The Suns executed best when Stoudemire was playing because he was great at the pick and roll...an integral part of D'Antoni offense when an immediate shot couldn't be gotten. Pick and roll was also something that Nash excels at. Stoudemire was the backbone for his SSOL offense when you can't get an immediate 3 or long range 2 quickly enough. It's also why he generally put up better numbers in the playoffs for D'Antoni relatively speaking since come playoff times teams aren't going to allow you to run as much and you have to rely on the pick and roll.
And the proof of how Stoudemire works in D'Antoni's offense was evident last season when, sans a real true PG of the caliber of Nash, Stoudemire was feasting at an MVP rate based purely off of pick and roll offense.
the Spurs, every year, would just run a P&R will whoever he was covering and Toni Parker because they knew he would literally NEVER take that step out to slow Parker down or stop the midrange jumper. People would look at the stat sheet and blame Nash. Its always been Stoudimire.
Who blames Nash for Parker? The Spurs beat the Suns regularly cause: 1) they're simply a better team, 2) they were a MUCH BETTER defensive/rebounding team (what wins in the playoffs), 3) Popovich is one of the best head coaches in the NBA at making adjustments and game planing around the strengths and weaknesses of the players he has (NOT forcing round pegs into square holes like D'Antoni), 4) Tim Duncan being one of the best PF's to ever play the game, 5) more balance overall as a team.
D'Antoni has plenty o faults and his stubborness is one of them. His treatment of Nate Robinson and Stephon Marbury was embarassing. But the guy isn't a fan of ISO player, he values ball movement and the ability of everyone on the court to score from 10-15 feet. The Knicks traded away a bunch of players that fit his scheme for one that didn't. That was just dumb. I don't see how you can hire someone to do something then say "Hey, change the very reason we hired you completely and win". Its nonsense. Woody's iso Melo....I wish him the best. i don't think it can possibly work.
10-15 feet? You mean 20-25 feet?
As far as the Knicks trading a bunch of players that fit his scheme? Those players resulted in barely .500 ball (2 games above .500 when the Melo trade happened) so it wasn't like they traded ideal players by any stretch of the imagination.
As far as why they hired him. The reason the Knicks hired him was to try to attract guys like Lebron James and Chris Bosh (and we know how well that went too)...that's widely been the assumption of why they picked him over someone like Tom Thibodeau (who was theirs for the taking).
Overall...D'Antoni was a complete failure in NY...given expectations (fair or not) and salary they paid him. Yes, if he had Nash and a whole bunch of jump shooters then they'd have been better, but you know what? If I had a million in my bank account I'd be better to but that's not happening either.
As far as iso is concerns. It's actually extremely odd that people are making such a big deal out of something that is and has been an integral part of the NBA for decades. I mean it's something that the NBA has been changing their rules to help push iso play. The greatest players in the NBA are the best ISO players. And yet, oddly, when anyone mentions Melo (one of the most dynamic and hard to stop offensive players in the NBA this past decade) the knee jerk reaction is "oh my god, why are they ISO'ing!?!?! They're doomed!!!".
Melo is great at ISO'ing IF you get him the ball in his comfort zone for him to try it. THAT, and NOT ISO"ing in general, was the problem with why the Knicks weren't successful early this season with Melo ISO'ing. George Karl mentioned it about "attacking the basket" and not settling for quick jumpers. Mike Woodson mentioned it about "getting Melo closer to the basket before the ball goes into him". And you know what? It worked in Denver and it's working now (see recent Knick games). Melo...still ISO'ing...but now getting the ball in better situation for him to be able to do something with the ISO. For D'Antoni (another example of not knowing or not being flexible to play to a players strengths) CONSISTENTLY had Anthony get the ball 25 feet from the basket and tyring to rely on him to either: a) put the ball on the floor from that fare out and create his own whot (Kobe Bryant Melo is not) or b) execute SSOL and get everyone else involved (Melo has never been in that role before). THAT...not putting a player in position to be successful was the problem NOT ISO'ing.
As far as Woodson goes, who knows how long this will last and he's obviously no Phil Jackson, but the one thing that he's been able to do that no head coach since Jeff Van Gundy (almost a decade ago) has been able to do is to get players to buy into his system, to defend and rebound and to play hard all the time despite their 2 superstars having been struggling most of the season (PS: both Stoudemire and Anthony have played MUCH better since Woodson took over). That's what Woodson should be congratulated for.
