Would you Still Fire Dantoni Mid Season/End Season

TakMan

Rotation player
I'm sure you could pull a lot of people saying one thing but it turned out to be another- we could all do that in every sport.

The real issue I'm speaking of is toward those who paint this rosey picture of "pre-melo".

The "facts" pre-melo are:

Terrible on defense
Terrible on the boards
Injuries mounting
Wasting players on the bench
A .500 team

And if we look just at the playoffs there were terrible coaching decisions made sans injuries. Those are the details.

So yeah we might have overachieved in regards to some expectations, but that in no way should take priority over the many little things that weren't great at all.

If I said I can give you a playoff team without gaurantee they will win anything, yet almost last in defense, would you take that? Knowing being almost last in defense means you mind as well not made the playoffs.

And I'm not saying fire Mike, just let's not forget. Let's put tings into perspective.

Interesting gif you've got going there. I notice it names Paul Pierce 'player of the Wee' on the bottom. Just got that little bit better.
 

iSaYughh

Starter
I'm sure you could pull a lot of people saying one thing but it turned out to be another- we could all do that in every sport.

The real issue I'm speaking of is toward those who paint this rosey picture of "pre-melo".

The "facts" pre-melo are:

Terrible on defense
Terrible on the boards
Injuries mounting
Wasting players on the bench
A .500 team

And I'm not saying fire Mike, just let's not forget. Let's put tings into perspective.

Well, I'm all on board with that.

*defense

*rebounding

*potentially useful players getting chances

Those are metrics I've held since last year, to judge the success of this year -- and MDA's coaching -- to.

Especially, defense.

Yo, I don't bitch that Melo-Amare *can't* co-exist. I was one of the first to articulate why I think they could be lethal together.

I don't mention pre-Melo like it was some fantasy, and the good ol' days.

We're a better team now, and it that past shouldn't be glorified -- whether that opens up convenient excuses for D'antoni as coach, or a player.

But you have find it odd that some people who evaluated D'antoni last year, and the entire team, in definitive terms and language said: we would have X, Y, Z as a result -- directly because of D'antoni, and their evaluation of D'antoni's capabilities.

And then X, Y, Z didn't happen.

The same people are acting like that simply never happened? People say lots, like you said, but certain major things have to be held into account when it's still relevant -- if even its, "hey, you were surprised once, maybe you'll be surprised again".

It'd be like MDA and the team tanking the rest of the way, even with Lin playing still reasonably well, but the team never getting its shit together, or scraping into the playoffs only to get embarrassed.

Me? I'd take a big step back on that one, and re-evaluate just how trustworthy my views of MDA had been. Because my assessment of his skills as a coach, compared to the metrics/reality tied to it, ended up whack.
 

jzero29

Rotation player
During this losing streak,

I'd fire him at end of season, Only because I don't believe in firing a coach halfway through a season and replacing him with an interum coach who is also a lame duck. D'Antoni's not a good coach, his system may be exciting and I think could work if he also coached his young players. I think D'Antoni should be the NFL equivalent of an offensive co-ordinator.
I think J-lin. is the sole reason for the turn around.
D'Antoni doesn't teach his young guards like shumpert and Douglas to be PG's. He lets the guys figure out what they should be doing themselves.
It was never more aparent in that one game shumpert was 1-9...while amare and melo had 1 or 2 shots each and he left him out on the floor in the first quarter while the memphis went up by double digits. He should hae benched him and explained, get those guys going, esp if your shots not falling. Distribute, share the ball. Let everyone know, if they get it and give it back, they probably will get it again. Drive...drive drive. Just because a guy stays a couple steps back, doesn't mean that it's always the best play to take that open jumper. Sometimes it is, but not when your 1-9 ended 3-15 in first half and 5-20 at end. should have had the chance to take 15 shots in first half. which was more then amare and melo had at the end .amare 7 shots in game, melo 11 shots in entire game, 18 between them, ...shumpert's 20 out shot both of the studs combined and didn't get benched! he didn't even try! no penetration, no distribution, no sharing, just lazy shots and he wasn't benched...what kind of message is that to a rookie? Lack of direction starts with the head coach. Can be covered up if you have a Floor general, play making PG in this system, Like Nash used to be and like Lin has been so far, hope he continues.
it's as if, D'Antoni, doesn't know what type of guard play to encourage to make his system work, that he doesn't know how to get that sort of play from his players. He just lets TD and Shumpert play, how they always have as shooting guards...while a good coach, would have emphisized sharing, distributing, pick and roll and penetration which are the keys to this offense. TD and Shumpert are no better at those then they were in college, before Mike D coached them.
 
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iSaYughh

Starter
I think J-lin. is the sole reason for the turn around.

:alert:BINGO!:alert:

But *all* that kept getting repeated *before* Lin got here was a million variations on:

"a PG isn't there real problem"

"a PG won't just turn us around"

etc etc etc etc,

Re: all the discussions on a healthy Baron Davis coming, and why we were struggling so much.
 

Crazy⑧s

Evacuee
I don't advocate Mike's coaching M.O. Not at all.

It's unnecessary to reiterate my qualms with Mike, as a lot of others on KO.com repeat those shortcomings like some sort of mantra, in depth or no.

All considered, he's certainly done enough and/or not enough to warrant the boot.

We've all seen the F ups with both the pre Melo and post Melo teams, and Mike has a tendency (or is it a preference) to remain set in adamant about his winning/losing ways. Either way, he's become predictable and limited.

As for the remainder of the season, no, I don't think Mike should get the ass.

Whatever rapport, respect, or niche he's found over the first 26 games will have to be the wave we ride in to the post-season (yes, we will get there) plainly because we can not afford to start again from scratch in this shortened season, with limited practices.. Whatever the circumstance, firing Mike now would be inane.

Let him have his lame-duck year, put him under the scrutiny and pressure of NY's fans and media, and he'll then have played his tune to the last note and be judged. I'm sure STAT and Carmelo would appreciate being afforded the same treatment, overpaid or no.

Will Mike get an encore once that final note's sounded? I doubt that very much. Would I miss his ways and wants? Christ no!

But, as I say, to burn Mike now would set up another transitional period that this team simply can't afford to endure considering its record.

Mike is also not entirely to blame for the debacles this team has meandered through on the court, but has definitely been the whipping boy.

All taken in to account, yes, D'Antoni is/can be a tool, but to evict him now may well conjure up a worse scenario with an interim ring in, as adjustments and growing pains unfold for better or, much more likely, worse.

_________________________

PHIL JACKSON

I don't believe Phil Jackson would walk in and stand at the helm replacing a fired coach if we flash the Bat Signal. I sincerely doubt he'd operate that way, and he's not even had a year off since the Lakers were swept in 4 by the Mavs last year.
 

SSj4Wingzero

All Star
Let Mike D finish the year.

Now that he has a PG, let's see how his system works out when all our players are healthy. I still think it's stupid that Mike D let this kid rot on the bench for so long. How can you be afraid to play him when Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert are averaging more TOs than Assists? Here's a thought for D'Antoni - yes, you're taking a risk with an unproven player who has never started...but...what risk are you really taking? Are you afraid they'll lose the games by a larger margin? What do you have to lose by trying to put the kid in the game?

Answer: Nothing. This bum coach had NOTHING to lose and yet he still went with his crap rotation instead of trying to put a kid in who could actually play PG.
 
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