CAn Dantoni get credit???

[Knicksfansince92]

You can talk about strength of schedule or w/e you want.

But we're playing as a team. We're not forcefeeding guys like we were early in the season. the PnR from Felton & Amare actually can work and we're doing this without our best interior defender.

Too many guys panicked early in the season calling for heads.
The culture for this team has changed. We don't mope around anymore. Sure, we took some tough beats and losses, but let's be honest here: This team, under D'antoni has some swag, character, and fortitude. You can't say that about any of our three previous coaches.

This might be a bit premature, but you guys gotta really give D'antoni some credit here.

[RunningJumper]

I'm not mad at him now that we're driving a lot more. The problem with me is, it's not just that he wanted to shoot so many threes every game, it's that he should have NEVER been doing that since being here. I don't know if we would have made the Playoffs the past two seasons, but I think we might have had a much better chance.

[SSj4Wingzero]

I think D'Antoni just needed a slightly better roster and a glimmer of hope at the playoffs and that's what fixed things.

On last year's team there was nobody who could really take charge and call the team out on their performance. Of course this year Amar'e has done just that and D'Antoni's used the Felton+Amar'e duo to great effect.

There's only so much D'Antoni can do when Chris Duhon is his starting point guard. He's barely a second stringer on a playoff team.

[RunningJumper]

Duhon should not have have been starting over Nate the past two seasons. Playing a pass first PG doesn't mean you're better off.

Duhon gets time over Jason Williams for no good reason. It's a conspiracy.

[BleedOrange&Blue]

I have no problem giving D'Antoni his due. He is working the same magic he had in phoenix but with Felton instead of Nash. He also made Duhon look like a decent player fpr a little while and made David Lee into an All-Star. He also had the guts to start Fields. But most of the credit goes to Landry Fields for being way better than expected and Felt and Amar'e playing like All-Stars together. Like the other posters on here, my beef is with the threes and his inability to use personal t their full potential. He has made Gallinari into a statue, a spot up shooter instead of a dynamic screener and post player that other coaches might use him for. Cant be angry anybody tho. Donnie and Mike D are offering a much better product with the potential to be a hell of a lot better in the coming years.

If Gallinari or Chandler can give the Knicks a consistent stretch, look for this team to be scary

[SSj4Wingzero]

I mean people like to talk about the coaching but let's be honest the quality of the roster is just as if not more important

No coach was winning anything with Duhon as starting PG and Larry Hughes and Al Harrington as scoring options...

But yes D'Antoni deserves credit. He's managed to get the team moving the ball much better, he's emphasizing enough Defense to the point where they can at least get some critical stops here and there, and the Felton-Amar'e Pick and Roll looked terrible in Game 1 is now looking close to unstoppable

[pat]

I wouldn't say that we play bad defense, sometimes our guards are to too aggressive playing the passing lane which leads to defensive breakdowns, however, the fact that we are giving up many points does not make us a bacd defensive game. It's just that at our pace opponents get more shots than they usually would. In my opinion is that we lost a lot of these games in the 4th earlier because we did not play fadt enough. Dantoni does not rely on sketched 4th quarter plays because the rationale is wearing the opponent out and slaughtering them in the 4th. If they are not playing pedal to the medal from the word go this -- of course -- is not going to work. as soon as the opponent is tired becasue they are not used to this style of play. Turnovers and misses are starting to pile up.

I know this from experience. My team is playing in a ridiculous gym in which the court is about 33 ft longer than normal. By the time the fourth quarter is near there is not much most opponents can do to stop us on the break.

[KBlack25]

Honestly...

When things go bad the coach gets too much blame.

When things go well the coach gets too much credit.

Fact is, the TEAM is the one out there playing the games. But I think STAT has these guys buying into D'Antoni, buying into the system, buying into the team. STAT is not going to LET this team lose. He will not LET them be complacent in LOSING.

That Hornets game last night is a game that tells the tale.

We get a good team in their house, and I'm watching the first half while at dinner watching them fall behind early and I think, like I had for the last decade, "Well, this is going to be a blowout" (including the last 2 years with D'Antoni).

I forgot these aren't the same Knicks. They fought back and they beat a GOOD TEAM (minus David West, which there's nothing you can do about) in THEIR BUILDING.

These Knicks are no joke. I think its partially to do with the coach, but a lot of it is the players buying in. You see it happen a lot in the NFL, if a team (like the Cowboys or Vikings) do not buy into a coach (Wade Phillips or Brad Childress) they start losing. I think this team has bought into D'Antoni.

[abcd]

I'm not impressed with D'Antoni. He still sucks.

This is D'Antoni's 3rd year with the team.

It's playoffs or bust.

I don't care what D'Antoni does. If this team doesn't make the playoffs, he sucks. Bottom line.

I'm not going to give a guy who got paid 24 million dollars 5 years to improve the team.

If the Knicks make the playoffs, I will support D'Antoni. If the Knicks don't make the playoffs, even if it's because the team breaks .500 and loses the tiebreaker, I'm still not supporting him, because honestly, the Knicks have had the easiest schedule of any team in the NBA thus far.

Even last night's game against New Orleans came without David West and with an injured Chris Paul who missed the first 5 minutes of the 4th quarter.

I give Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Landry Fields props for playing well, and I'm happy the Knicks are winning games.

But I don't give D'Antoni any credit.

[TR1LL10N]

I'm not impressed with D'Antoni. He still sucks.

This is D'Antoni's 3rd year with the team.

It's playoffs or bust.

I don't care what D'Antoni does. If this team doesn't make the playoffs, he sucks. Bottom line.

I'm not going to give a guy who got paid 24 million dollars 5 years to improve the team.

If the Knicks make the playoffs, I will support D'Antoni. If the Knicks don't make the playoffs, even if it's because the team breaks .500 and loses the tiebreaker, I'm still not supporting him, because honestly, the Knicks have had the easiest schedule of any team in the NBA thus far.

Even last night's game against New Orleans came without David West and with an injured Chris Paul who missed the first 5 minutes of the 4th quarter.

I give Amar'e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, and Landry Fields props for playing well, and I'm happy the Knicks are winning games.

But I don't give D'Antoni any credit.

So predictable...copied from last night in game thread:

Great win!

**countsdown to when so called Knick fans make West not playing an excuse for the win**

Never mind that our best defensive player has been injured, just continue to make excuses why a team you claim to be a fan of is winning. Oh, and claiming we have had the easiest schedule so far in the league is yet another assertion masquerading as fact that you pulled from your ass. Haterade on tap huh?

[KBlack25]

Never mind that our best defensive player has been injured, just continue to make excuses why a team you claim to be a fan of is winning. Oh, and claiming we have had the easiest schedule so far in the league is yet another assertion masquerading as fact that you pulled from your ass. Haterade on tap huh?

Easiest schedule or hardest schedule, doesn't matter. A win v. the Lakers or the Heat counts the same as a win v. the Raptors or the Clippers.

Fact is, for the last decade...we HAVEN'T beaten the teams we should beat. In this league, there are usually between 3-6 top dogs, teams just better than everyone else. If you can put up a decent record v. the other 24 teams, including winning games you should win, that's a recipe for a .500 record at the LEAST.

[KING~POETIQ]

Never mind that our best defensive player has been injured, just continue to make excuses why a team you claim to be a fan of is winning. Oh, and claiming we have had the easiest schedule so far in the league is yet another assertion masquerading as fact that you pulled from your ass. Haterade on tap huh?

Well I don't think abcd is trying to hate on the team, he's just trying to back up his claim on how much d'antoni sucks... which I personally agree with...

[KING~POETIQ]

Oh and kblack is right ... for all the hate d'antoni was/is receiving, he will get the same amount of love once he gets us on the winning path (which is slowly but surely happening)

[abcd]

So predictable...copied from last night in game thread:



Never mind that our best defensive player has been injured, just continue to make excuses why a team you claim to be a fan of is winning. Oh, and claiming we have had the easiest schedule so far in the league is yet another assertion masquerading as fact that you pulled from your ass. Haterade on tap huh?

lol at this D'Antonisexual screaming in defense of his husband.

Unlike you, I have a brain.

So when the Knicks play against sub .500 and crippled teams for 18 of their first 20 games, I don't assume that that means the team is going to the playoffs.

If there's anyone in here who isn't a Knick fan, it's you.

It's funny how you're speechless when I criticize or praise the Knicks, but you're always opening your fat, sperm infested mouth whenever I mention D'Antoni.

Get D'Antoni's dick out your colon for once in your fat, unhealthy, cholesterol filled life.

Even KBlack, your ally, admitted that the Knicks had an easy schedule.

He said a win's a win. And I agree.

A win is a win. The Knicks have played well, THUS FAR.

But this is an 82 game season, not 20.

You're a *****.

Stop getting so defensive because someone is sharing their opinion.

It's funny how I seldom have problems with any of the posters in here, except you and a couple of others.

Maybe it's because they don't moan and scream whenever someone has another opinion.

Get a life, fatboy. And lay off the one eyed snakes.

[NYKnicks15]

Wow.. Still read every day and post only in significant matters as of late. This seems to be one.

First off were all intelligent people here or I'd like to think. Why do we go straight into that child like mentality when someone doesn't agree with us? Someone's gay because they don't agree on a coach sucking? haha really guys? Abcd you've been posting here since we started basically, you're better than that.

We all have different opinions let's live with it and argue regarding facts and topic instead of personal attacks.

Now that the after school administrator speech is done...

I am a fan of Mike D'Antoni. Will I follow him to the depths of hell? no. Will I support him when he has this team playing smart and winning? yes. Our problem as Knicks fans tends to be being pessimistic. We're winning! Should we be oblivious to certain facts?? NO! be skeptical that's fine but at the end of the day Mike isnt going anywhere no matter how angry we get. Look at Isiah.. he only left cause he felt some woman up.

Mike has a decent team now. Not great, yet we're winning. If it's easy schedule. Amare. This or that it doesnt matter. He has us playing as a team. He has put Amare in the leader role and it's working. He has the minutes distributed to help this team. He's keeping people on the bench he doesnt think can help us. He has us in a position to win and make the playoffs. Does he have flaws? YES! We saw that in the earlier part of the season. but seems to have worked through it.

This whole thing with not having the right players and any coach could win with any players stuff is garbage. If you don't have the players that fit your system you wont win! it's like those old child games where theres blocks in different shapes and holes of the same kind. you can try to fit the square into the circle hole all you want.. its not gonna work. Duhon, Nate, Hughes, Harrington, Curry all squares in Mike's circle.

Now as far as his ability goes. He does often opt for the three a lot. And he sometimes lives and dies by it. Yet for the first time in a long time Mike is adapting to a new style to make a team work. And we're reaping the benefits. I dont care if he has had Nash or Amare his whole career. We praise Doc Rivers time and time again and he has had atleast 4 hall of famers he has coached.. and guess whose winning percentage is better.