BurningHeart wrote:Miklo wrote:I've lost lots of respect for DA as a coach. I think he can run an exciting system given explosive players but can't coach a playoff team.
And BH nailed it

we could have gotten Thibs at any time.
I haven't lost much respect for him at all. What can you do with this past series when your roster (that was made MUCH closer to what you need for your own system to flourish) was gutted for a ball-dominant dude that doesn't really fit next to your big man? And then what can you do when your big man and point guard get hurt and you have trash around the guy traded for?
I still maintain that the only series D'Antoni was TRULY outclassed coaching-wise was the first round in 2008.
I dunno, first I should clarify - I think he can coach a playoff team, but I just don't see him as a particularly talented coach. He's kind of a novelty in my eyes - he essentially re-introduced a system to the NBA with us so he made a name for himself through that. Since then though, he's proven that he cannot adapt his coaching style to an organization or to a roster. He has to have EXACTLY the right team and FO - this is somewhat true for any coach but IMO, super true for him.
So yeah, he can get a team to the playoffs and coach them through the playoffs somewhat. But I don't put him in the first tier of NBA coaches and in my book, he will always be outcoached at some point if his team hypothetically is to go all the way.
NOW, if we're talking other things like exciting basketball, I see DA in a much better light. It's just my perception of his raw skill level as a coach, where I think he's lacking.