"Just to know when I missed a few shots, he told me to continue to shoot.
I dont mean any harm, but MDA tells everyone to continue to shoot. Hence the problem...
Barnes was actually talking about Don Nelson, not MDA. Don helped get the GSW's of 2007 to beat the Mavs with that kind of an attitude.
There is a lot to be said about confidence and poise in the game of basketball. Having your coach tell you it's ok to shoot the open look can help break you out of a slump. It's up to the player on the floor to decide if he is open. But when he is, with confidence and comfort, he should be able to knock it down. Hell, even jefferies can drain a shot when he's open and in rhythm.
Point of the matter is; With a PG having good court vision, there is nothing wrong with D'ants system. It works well, sets up amazing offensive possessions that result in big time leads. Working from a position of power and with a lead on the score board this system is great.
The issue people have had with D'antoni goes back to his lack of focus on defensive principals and his inability to adjust the system to the players we had. This is a real criticism with merit. Why we had Dantoni for so long without a real pass first PG was dumbfounding for knicks fans. It seemed our roster and our coach just did not match up. Luckily for D'ant the Knicks had one such PG buried on their bench and the circumstances allowed for him to have this coming out party.
It's obvious that D'ant feels that Defense is something you should have learned in grade school and comes with effort and hustle. There's not a ton he feels he can teach players on that end as it simply requires effort. He values offensive possessions and points. With Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert we have some very good defensive players that, coupled with Mike Woodson, harp on the rest of the team the importance of team effort on the defensive end. This is infectious and takes a lot of the heat off of D'antoni to get the guys to play good D. Allowing him to focus on the offensive end is how he thrives.
I think the ceiling on this team just got blown wide open. We don't need a CP3 with Lin here and we can spend the money we would have on him, on sound role players like shump, fields, chandler and others I'm sure we will bring in. Even with the squad we have now I think the Knicks should be able to work themselves into the top 4 in the east and are definite contenders.
Looking at the bigger picture with this team one has to be very encouraged. When we get caught up on the details like "coach doesn't scream about D" or "why is balkman rotting on the bench?" "lin saved d'ant" "Dan't saved Lin" etc. we lose sight of the fact that this team is currently constructed to be a force through out the league. We are destined for some playoff greatness with the right combination of coaches/system, personnel, effort, scoring and defense.
Despite the short comings of coach D'antoni, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth here and continue to call for him to be removed. His system works for the team as it is constructed right now and I'm simply going to enjoy the ride for the time being.
Maybe after we taste an ECF's defeat or two I'll be willing to hop back on the fire d'ant train. But I think we have every opportunity to win it all right now.
:gony:
