MVN - Most Valuable Network

What is up with Mike D’Antoni

Mike D’Antoni is in a precarious position. He has three potential options for next season. He can stay with the Phoenix Suns in quite possibly a lame duck scenario. Neither owner Robert Sarver, nor new guru Steve Kerr hired D’Antoni, as he was a holdover from the Colangelo regime. It would be tough to walk back into that locker room after interviewing with the enemy. It appears that both Kerr and Sarver are resigned to the fact that they will bring in a new head coach for next season. Rarely are coaches that were granted permission to talk to another team allowed to come back. With that said, Phoenix is not a top option.

Mike D’Antoni is also in the running for the Knicks job. It’s between D’Antoni and Mark Jackson, with a decision due in a week potentially. With Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph and Stephen Marbury they are certainly not the proto-typical running team. On the plus side, it’s rumored that if he went to New York, he would be treated with a great contract and a two week honeymoon. Another big plus with New York Knick coaching job is that although people call it a laughingstock today; the coach that turns the lights back on the garden will be immortalized if they possibly win a championship. That plus 25-30 million dollars over 5 years makes this a great job. D’Antoni is scheduled to make 4 million next season and 4.5 five million the year after that, so the numbers certainly click favorably.

The key to whether or not D’Antoni goes to New York, is how strongly does Donnie Walsh believe that he can duplicate the success he had with the Suns. New Yorkers would love the up-tempo. After watching the team walk it up the court and play boring offensive basketball for so long; this could be a welcome relief for the Knicks. However, the players just aren’t there right now, and it’s not like they have players that can be easily traded or cut.

They can’t add a free agent because they are over the cap, so they are stuck using the mid level exception, which has netted them Jerome James and Jared Jeffries, so Jim Dolan (Knicks owner) is not that hip on the MLE market. They have a top pick this year, and if the lottery gods treat them right, a Derrick Rose of which to build a D’Antoni dynasty would be perfect, but the draft lottery is eleven days away, and I’m not sure how much time they have to make a decision.

Another option for Mike D’Antoni would be the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are interested, but as usual; do not want to bring in someone with a large contract. The Bulls are smart enough not to low-ball D’Antoni, as they remember all the bad press they got for the contracts they offered Phil Jackson back in the day, but this is the best fit for him-money aside of course. Chicago is young and players like Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas would benefit from the fast break game. They were solid two years ago defensively, so with some tweaks to the offense and another high pick, they are much more turn-key then the Knicks.

In the end, I see Chicago seeking a cheaper alternative. Someone that Paxson could bring in under his wing so to speak. Instead of paying 5-6 million a year, I bet they pay two million or less per year. Tom Thibodaux could probably be had for that amount. This brings me to the conclusion that if Mike D’Antoni doesn’t get offered the Knicks job, that he might have to consider going back to the Suns, but then I thought of something. What if the Cavaliers get swept or lose in 5 games to the Celtics? Would Mike D’Antoni be a perfect fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are doing everything possible to convince LeBron James to stay in Cleveland? Danny Ferry is a desperate man these days, especially if the Cavs have a bad series. Look for D’Antoni to remain patient to see where the Knicks pick, what other jobs open up and if the Bulls will make a serious offer.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Police, Georgia, Brian Cook, Andrei Kirilinko, Valdosta Daily Times, DJ Mbenga, Maurice Lucas, Wes Unseld, Rick Mahorn, Rony Turiaf, Amare Stoudamire, Pacific, Portland, Jerry Buss, Chris Mihm, Charles Oakley, Oden, Kings, Greece, NBDL, Elton Brown, ed ziti, Lee Riley, The Winner Within, Dallas, New Orleans, Stu Lantz, Aaron Jay Sapiro, Mavericks, free throws, Shaun Powell, Josh Tucker, referees, fouls, Javaris Crittenton, Jordan Farmar, Maurice Evans, Hornets, Bob Nightengale, Church, Willis Reed, Bets, Don Marbury, Vladimir Radmanovic, line, Betting, Colorado, Gambling, Larry Bird, Knicks, Smush Parker, Leandro Barbosa, Sacramento, Larry Brown, Grant Hill, Pau Gasol, New York, NCAA, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Eddy Curry, Isiah Thomas, Rockies, Mike Dunleavy, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, Reggie Theus, Pat Riley, DJ Strawberry, Jackie Butler, Rick Adelman, Sasha Vujacic, Coby Karl, Trevor Ariza, Mitch Kupchak, Lakers, Ira Newble, St Johns, Don Nelson, Jerry Sloan, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom, Baron Davis, Avery Johnson, Derek Fisher, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, Devean George, Los Angeles Lakers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.