After seeing this new team live, it is incredibly obvious ... WE need A new Coach.

Ill list it like this being that i was literally 20 yards away from the knicks bench last night, and noticed the body language, the communication structure of the team top to bottom in terms of ignoring the coach during and after time outs. It was actually sad to watch in person, I felt like something took my heart, walked it gently out to center court and stepped on it with a pair of throw back ewings.


1) On TV it looks like players blow past the knicks defenders

false.

on more occasions than I can count on 10 hands knicks players literally "stepped" let me repeat "stepped" out of the way to let pacers players take lay ups.

2) Mike D's offensive schemes are terrrrrrrible for the personel we have now, we dont have jump shooters, we have guys who want to attack. The pacers just waited in the paint for Melo to barrel down the lane, for Amare to gyrate to the rim and just fell down. Not once did I see a change in the game plan despite several intimely time outs to attempt to rotate the ball and have amare cut weak side for easy buckets, Forcing stuff after stuff by hibbert on amare.

3) Mike D's body language is terrible, similar to Eli manning, with out the super bowl; Dantoni is a reflection of the team,and his attitude is terrible, if there could be a camera focused on only him all game, you would find a man who does nothing but complain for 40 minutes, and construct alterations to his game plan for maybe 8 minutes. He literally paced the side lines grimacing over blown ref calls, or sat with his arms folded sour pussing with no clip board in his hands.

4) Dude wastes half a time out every time out standing 20 feet from the bench talking to his assistant coachs, and then re enters the huddle, claps his hands a few times as if to say lets go etc. and send his players back out there like wtf is wrong with this dude.

5) WE never ever come out of time outs playing better than we went in. Every time the pacers made a run, it wasnt time outs or game plans that would keep us from getting blown out, it was chuck 3 pointers from walker or shawne williams, followed by air balls from douglas and billups, and what do we do keep chucking threes while melo sits on the bench and amare stands around wondering why the ball isnt coming to him ( while he just sits there instead of setting a pick or rolling to the basket for ohhh heres a novel idea a REBOUND).

6) Mike D's offense forces Amare to play 17 feet away from the basket, he has been doing this more and more as the season has gone on, basically to open up the floor for more open threes because amare can put the ball on the floor and create more space going to the hoop for every one else when he gets doubled and triple teamed, now on the offensive end thats fine, but it also forces out power forward to never be in position for put backs, and limits his opportunity for rebounds, as well as forces Amare to be the first man back on defense many times making it easy for other teams to push the ball in transition and blow right by Amare.... several instances this happened last night if you were watching closely.

7) Mike D is stubborn, I get this idea that he is saying to all of us we can win my way, my way is how we can win, I just have this feeling he is fully capable after spending his whole entire life on the court or on the side of it, fully capable of preaching and teaching defense, but I believe his in game focus is so stuck on offensive idealogies that hell never fully commit out of not wanting to be proven wrong.

8) His mid half rotations are terrible. COmplete decimating the starting line up by bringing in your entire bench half loaded with players who wouldnt crack any top 10 teams rotation is ridiculous. I find myself wondering why, if he is going to play a line up for half a quarter that includes, douglas,walker,s williams, turiaf and roger mason, which quite possiblly is the worst 5 players in the NBA in terms of bench production; why not start one of those players to allow landy fields to come off the bench for more offense. It makes me laugh that he would bench wilson chandler for offensive spark with the second unit; while starting amare at center, yet now we have melo, and landy fields as our best two guard, and we start Jefferies at center and leave no one on our bench who can score. Explain to me how Jefferies at center, and no one coming off our bench is good coaching ?, when you can put amare at center, bench jefferies, and have fields coming off the bench, let turiaf start hes better than jefferies. blah blah blah blah blah blah

getting tired of bashing this guy

but in truth he is a terrrrrible coach for "this team" not terrible for every team, but for this team who has no steve nash and diaw, and marion in his prime , and raja bell in his prime, and grant hill and shaq and blah blah blah.

we need a coach that is gonna slow things down, put players in the right positions, execute defensive game plans for when shots arent falling and allow our role players to do what they are supposed to do, mix in with our stars and play defensive, instead of putting all 5 role players on the floor in the second quarter to get blown out.
 

nuckles2k2

Superstar
Welcome to the club Derek.

It's easy to make fun of MDA's complaining and bitching when watching on tv, because you figure that the camera cut to him to show it. But when you attend a game (or almost a season's worth of games) you notice that complaining, whining, bitching, and not coaching is his demeanor and attitude at all times.
And when the team is handling another squad, he just sits back. Those same "blown calls" don't quite upset him as much.

This team has no structure, and establishing structure and holding EVERYONE accountable is on the coach. That's where winning starts...the Xs and Os come afterward.
 
Let me be honest. I really expected the Garden to chant 'Fire D'Antoni' with 4-5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. We desperately needed this win, we have 3 superstars now and all we do is keep choking against below .0500 teams.
We needed a stop to have a chance in this game and what happened? We allowed dunks and layups. Tyler ****ing Hansbrough looked like Kenyon Martin in his prime and on offense we either isolate Melo against 2 or 3 defenders or send Amar'e his way into the paint where 1-2 big men await him to take a charge.

D'Antoni is just horrible in realising potential. It seems like he can't even organise our offense these days. We all knew that we suck defensively, but since the trade we've had 3 horrible offensive games already. With the best 1-2 punch in the league this season we really shouldn't struggle on offense, but D'Antoni doesn't have a clue how to synchronise Melo, STAT and Billups. Involving Fields offensively wouldn't hurt either.

Best thing would be to part ways with D'Antoni and his assistans from Phoenix during the offseason and hire a coach with a more balanced approach (offense and defense) and an actual playbook that consists of more than 3 plays.

My number 1 option would be Jeff Van Gundy, because he knows NY well, had success with this franchise and he's an offense/defense coach who is crazy and loud enough to get the players fired up.

Jerry Sloan would be a good option too, should he decide to continue in coaching. The man is a great coach who knows how to handle a superstar duo (Malone/Stockton).

I think Mike Woodson, Mike Brown or Mark Jackson are no option, because I can't see Amar'e or Melo respecting them. Jackson is too inexperienced and Woodson/Brown don't have a standing amongst players.
 

moneyg

Starter
Welcome to the club Derek.

It's easy to make fun of MDA's complaining and bitching when watching on tv, because you figure that the camera cut to him to show it. But when you attend a game (or almost a season's worth of games) you notice that complaining, whining, bitching, and not coaching is his demeanor and attitude at all times.
And when the team is handling another squad, he just sits back. Those same "blown calls" don't quite upset him as much.

This team has no structure, and establishing structure and holding EVERYONE accountable is on the coach. That's where winning starts...the Xs and Os come afterward.

being at a few games not that close to the bench, but close enough to see whats goes on....

he is selling fools gold......

O'antoni.....not smart enough to fool me.. but smart enough to fool a fool....
 
I'd rather see Bill Laimbeer get a shot. He's currently an asst coach somewhere in the league. Has won championships in the league as a player and in the WNBA. He played for a team almost as nasty as those Ewing/Oakley Knicks lead squads. I think he'd be perfect for NY...
 

YungMelo15

Benchwarmer
I watched the Magic vs. Suns game yesterday and Mark Jackson said what I have been thinking for quite some time.

Mark said "I hated playing the lower echelon teams because they make good teams develop bad habits".

He also said it take the coach to get they guys together for those type of games to make sure those bad habits are done away with.

Itsall fine to win game like the Miami game, but whe you look at the teams we should be on a nightly basis that we lose, the fingercan only be pointed at the coaching.

I study basketball, and being of fan of the knicks it hurts me to my stomach to see us losing those games and we "SHOULD" be contenders to be the best in the league, but we are beig embarrased by sh*tty teams. Excuse the language.

Teams like San Antonio dontget embarrased by those teams, why? Because they're coaching is IMMACULATE! Hope our coaching gets even close to that good!
 

tiger0330

Legend
we need a coach that is gonna slow things down, put players in the right positions, execute defensive game plans for when shots arent falling and allow our role players to do what they are supposed to do, mix in with our stars and play defensive, instead of putting all 5 role players on the floor in the second quarter to get blown out.
Fits JVG to a T. Don't think we can get him, he seems real comfortable with that TV analyst job and I think Dolan still holds a grudge from when he bailed on the team in 2001. I wanted his disciple Thibs as well, I agree with Obama that he was a great hire for Chicago.

Great analysis from being at the game, so many things you don't see on TV or being in the nose bleeds that you can see up close.
 

skisloper

Starter
Please take Sloan off the list.....he has not won a title and he is too old to be our Coach to takes us to a championship.....

Van Gundy is the way to go and I would love to see him back here....

The Cleveland games and this Pacer game are inexcusable.

U do not lose all three.....2 in which the Knicks looked like lost souls on the court....

I think if we do not come back and beat INDIANA tomorrow then that is the last straw....

As much as I appreciate all Walsh has dine he too has to make a bold decision to find us a coach and realize D"ant is not the coach for us.....
 
Can we start a campaign or something to get Jeff Van Gundy back?

Spread it on Twitter, Facebook etc.

Chant 'We want Jeff' at the Garden and make banners with 'Jeff Van Gundy 2 NY' on them next time we're on national TV. They might show it on camera and Mike Breen will ask Jeff about it.

We need to work on this to get it done. Unfortunately I'm not living in the States atm so I can't do anything at the Garden or on TV.

Time to get Van Gundy and repeat or even overtrump our 99 coup.

We're going nowhere with D'Antoni....not even with Billups/Melo/STAT.

4-1 Miami if things don't change.
 
see even with my rant of a post, which to me isnt a rant but a logical explanation, I have to hold the players culpable as well; but regardless of who is held culpable the bottom line, is even on off nights the coach makes his point clear of what he expects. Dantoni has never really showed us what his "point" or "agenda" is even in pho he never did.

I give this example

If kobe over shoots or plays out of rhythm, or if artest is in a slump

phil jackson lets them know about it, and we are talking about a legend in kobe being lambasted by his coach why ?

because his coach COACHESSSSSS


another example

When the knicks demolished the spurs

POP sat his 3 super stars when the game was still in reach, to hold them accountable, that if we cant beat teams like this, then why show up at all

why ?

because Greg POP COACHESSSSSS

The bulls lose one big man, another comes back, then another gets injured and the team doesnt miss a beat

why ?

because regardless who gets hurt or who is playing the message is if we play defense and allow our stars to be stars and our role players to be role players we will win more than we will lose

why ?

because TOM THIB COACHESSSSSSS

the 76rs are a bunch of misfit role players with out a true pg and one of the worst starting centers in the league in hawes, there best player doesnt score over 17 a game and yet they have been and continue even since the knicks trade to move up there winning percent every week since december

why ?

because COllins COACHESSSSSSS


i can go on and on and on

all that i have seen is a knick team that if they didnt have one streak of 13 out of 14.

started the season 3-8 and after that 13 out of 14 game winning streak have gone 18-22.

so thats 21-30 ( terrible ) with a 14 game hot streak in the middle.


since the trade we havent beat a sub 500 team, which means all of our victories were player related ( meaning, when melo and amare score 30 each, we are going to win; and hot streaks lead to intensity which leads to better defense ) if our shots arent falling against these terrible teams, we stop playing defense, and try and chuck our way to victories.... that equals


terrrrible coaching.
 

nyk_nyk

All Star
Good observations DFDH. Ever since the Melo trade its become obvious that we are more suited as a 65% half court and 35% fast break team. Our game has slowed down with Melo and Billups but Dantoni never seems prepared for games like that. I will say that not having a true center hurts the team but it no excuse for not hustling and lackluster defense. Dantoni seems to yell more for offensive production than defense.

I would love a coaching change but not because I hate Dantoni. I'm just used to watching the knicks (during good times) play well on both sides of the ball. Plus you can't get away with not playing defense in this city.
 
Good observations DFDH. Ever since the Melo trade its become obvious that we are more suited as a 65% half court and 35% fast break team. Our game has slowed down with Melo and Billups but Dantoni never seems prepared for games like that. I will say that not having a true center hurts the team but it no excuse for not hustling and lackluster defense. Dantoni seems to yell more for offensive production than defense.

I would love a coaching change but not because I hate Dantoni. I'm just used to watching the knicks (during good times) play well on both sides of the ball. Plus you can't get away with not playing defense in this city.


I happen to like Dantoni, I think hes a chill dude, I like his demeanor his passion, you can tell he works hard and loves to coach; but the truth is in the outcome of the equation and the sum of the parts equals = his passion outweighs his abilities. Problem is, coaching is the one component of sports where passion and hustle cant over come lack of talent; while a player with no jump shot can get burn for being a hustler; a coach with no game plan cannot scream and yell his way into the win column. If you combine the two then you have something to work with; i.e jerry sloan, jeff and stan van gundy, george karl, phil jackson, greg pop; have you ever seen the look on these guys faces during games; there only commitment is to what can i change to win this game. Dantoni appears to be more preoccupied with the referees and his coaching staff, than whats actually happening on the floor.
 

Toons

is the Bo$$
how can you play halfcurt ball without a center?

ps hawes is a thousand times better than jefferies, who is our centre WORST IN THE LEAGUE
 
Let me be honest. I really expected the Garden to chant 'Fire D'Antoni' with 4-5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. We desperately needed this win, we have 3 superstars now and all we do is keep choking against below .0500 teams.
We needed a stop to have a chance in this game and what happened? We allowed dunks and layups. Tyler ****ing Hansbrough looked like Kenyon Martin in his prime and on offense we either isolate Melo against 2 or 3 defenders or send Amar'e his way into the paint where 1-2 big men await him to take a charge.

D'Antoni is just horrible in realising potential. It seems like he can't even organise our offense these days. We all knew that we suck defensively, but since the trade we've had 3 horrible offensive games already. With the best 1-2 punch in the league this season we really shouldn't struggle on offense, but D'Antoni doesn't have a clue how to synchronise Melo, STAT and Billups. Involving Fields offensively wouldn't hurt either.

Best thing would be to part ways with D'Antoni and his assistans from Phoenix during the offseason and hire a coach with a more balanced approach (offense and defense) and an actual playbook that consists of more than 3 plays.

My number 1 option would be Jeff Van Gundy, because he knows NY well, had success with this franchise and he's an offense/defense coach who is crazy and loud enough to get the players fired up.

Jerry Sloan would be a good option too, should he decide to continue in coaching. The man is a great coach who knows how to handle a superstar duo (Malone/Stockton).

I think Mike Woodson, Mike Brown or Mark Jackson are no option, because I can't see Amar'e or Melo respecting them. Jackson is too inexperienced and Woodson/Brown don't have a standing amongst players.
What about Doc Rivers? his contract is up after the season.
 

moneyg

Starter
how can you play halfcurt ball without a center?

ps hawes is a thousand times better than jefferies, who is our centre WORST IN THE LEAGUE


all you need is a post presence.. Amare and melo can do that. all you need to do is force the double team and kick it out.. you dont have to score in the paint to slow down the ball..

Mark Jackson did it with the pacers and he was a point guard...
 

New New York

Quiet Storm
Ill list it like this being that i was literally 20 yards away from the knicks bench last night, and noticed the body language, the communication structure of the team top to bottom in terms of ignoring the coach during and after time outs. It was actually sad to watch in person, I felt like something took my heart, walked it gently out to center court and stepped on it with a pair of throw back ewings.


1) On TV it looks like players blow past the knicks defenders

false.

on more occasions than I can count on 10 hands knicks players literally "stepped" let me repeat "stepped" out of the way to let pacers players take lay ups.

2) Mike D's offensive schemes are terrrrrrrible for the personel we have now, we dont have jump shooters, we have guys who want to attack. The pacers just waited in the paint for Melo to barrel down the lane, for Amare to gyrate to the rim and just fell down. Not once did I see a change in the game plan despite several intimely time outs to attempt to rotate the ball and have amare cut weak side for easy buckets, Forcing stuff after stuff by hibbert on amare.

3) Mike D's body language is terrible, similar to Eli manning, with out the super bowl; Dantoni is a reflection of the team,and his attitude is terrible, if there could be a camera focused on only him all game, you would find a man who does nothing but complain for 40 minutes, and construct alterations to his game plan for maybe 8 minutes. He literally paced the side lines grimacing over blown ref calls, or sat with his arms folded sour pussing with no clip board in his hands.

4) Dude wastes half a time out every time out standing 20 feet from the bench talking to his assistant coachs, and then re enters the huddle, claps his hands a few times as if to say lets go etc. and send his players back out there like wtf is wrong with this dude.

5) WE never ever come out of time outs playing better than we went in. Every time the pacers made a run, it wasnt time outs or game plans that would keep us from getting blown out, it was chuck 3 pointers from walker or shawne williams, followed by air balls from douglas and billups, and what do we do keep chucking threes while melo sits on the bench and amare stands around wondering why the ball isnt coming to him ( while he just sits there instead of setting a pick or rolling to the basket for ohhh heres a novel idea a REBOUND).

6) Mike D's offense forces Amare to play 17 feet away from the basket, he has been doing this more and more as the season has gone on, basically to open up the floor for more open threes because amare can put the ball on the floor and create more space going to the hoop for every one else when he gets doubled and triple teamed, now on the offensive end thats fine, but it also forces out power forward to never be in position for put backs, and limits his opportunity for rebounds, as well as forces Amare to be the first man back on defense many times making it easy for other teams to push the ball in transition and blow right by Amare.... several instances this happened last night if you were watching closely.

7) Mike D is stubborn, I get this idea that he is saying to all of us we can win my way, my way is how we can win, I just have this feeling he is fully capable after spending his whole entire life on the court or on the side of it, fully capable of preaching and teaching defense, but I believe his in game focus is so stuck on offensive idealogies that hell never fully commit out of not wanting to be proven wrong.

8) His mid half rotations are terrible. COmplete decimating the starting line up by bringing in your entire bench half loaded with players who wouldnt crack any top 10 teams rotation is ridiculous. I find myself wondering why, if he is going to play a line up for half a quarter that includes, douglas,walker,s williams, turiaf and roger mason, which quite possiblly is the worst 5 players in the NBA in terms of bench production; why not start one of those players to allow landy fields to come off the bench for more offense. It makes me laugh that he would bench wilson chandler for offensive spark with the second unit; while starting amare at center, yet now we have melo, and landy fields as our best two guard, and we start Jefferies at center and leave no one on our bench who can score. Explain to me how Jefferies at center, and no one coming off our bench is good coaching ?, when you can put amare at center, bench jefferies, and have fields coming off the bench, let turiaf start hes better than jefferies. blah blah blah blah blah blah

getting tired of bashing this guy

but in truth he is a terrrrrible coach for "this team" not terrible for every team, but for this team who has no steve nash and diaw, and marion in his prime , and raja bell in his prime, and grant hill and shaq and blah blah blah.

we need a coach that is gonna slow things down, put players in the right positions, execute defensive game plans for when shots arent falling and allow our role players to do what they are supposed to do, mix in with our stars and play defensive, instead of putting all 5 role players on the floor in the second quarter to get blown out.


Cant argue any of the other points being that I eithe agree or I have not seen them play live to dispute, but how is players stepping out of the way on defense Mike Dantoni's fault?

Do you think that is what he is telling them to do? I have seen Mike D (again from games I have watched on TV) get after players on blown assignments

Look this loss really really sucks, but we will win a couple in a row and all will be forgotten.

Lets relax a little, we are far from a complete product, so this is what you are gonna get from time to time!
 
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