Faulting D'Antoni is misguided, unfair

[Sec24Row7]

Faulting D'Antoni is misguided, unfair
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
May. 20, 2007 12:00 AM

It's not easy being a nonconformist in a bandwagon town. It takes guts, conviction and really thick skin.

Mike D'Antoni is going to need it all in the coming months.

Although it is natural to blame the coach when things don't go well, it's always hotter in Phoenix, isn't it? The latest playoff disappointment has Suns fans madder than a nest of wet hornets. Amaré Stoudemire conspicuously blew off his exit meeting with the coaching staff Saturday morning, sending bad vibes through an already forlorn community. And with every postseason failure, the rap sheet on D'Antoni seems to get a little longer:





Too stubborn. Doesn't use his bench. Doesn't make in-game adjustments. Doesn't develop players. And then there's the system, a fast-break brand of small ball that is cherished when it works and scorned when it doesn't.

D'Antoni hears it all, and he hears it all the time. And guess what? He still won't budge. I admire that.

"The criticism would bother me only if guys in the dressing room started to do it," D'Antoni said. "If there was any kind of resistance from them over the way we play, then I need to go away. But right now, the players love it, it's a great product and we win a lot of games."

Unless Stoudemire is about to ask for a trade - and, really, who in their right mind would want to leave a point guard like Steve Nash? - we really need to lighten up a little bit. After all, in the days that followed the NBA's harsh ruling, one that significantly altered the Western Conference semifinals, there were (a) reports of a bogus bomb threat to the Spurs team hotel; (b) video of a water bottle thrown from the stands at US Airways Center, one that landed between Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan; and (c) Brent Barry claiming that a little old lady actually flipped him the bird.
So let's stop this crucify-the-coach routine before it gets out of control.

Besides, you want the scorecard? D'Antoni is more than a competent in-game coach. He is one of the best at drawing up plays on the fly. But strangely, the affable personality we all love actually hurts his image as a strategist. When he could be drowning us with X's and O's, he usually is poking fun at himself, talking about how little he knows and how little he does.

He can be very smart off the court, nearly in the class of Phil Jackson, but for much different reasons. D'Antoni is a natural optimist who keeps practices short, whose mood never brings down the room. He also is smart enough to give all the credit to the players, and secure enough to never ask for any on the side.

Like everyone else, D'Antoni has faults. Some players don't appreciate his small circle of trust. His emotions can get the best of him at times, where his desire to win can make him blind to his own bench. But in my book, the flaws pale by comparison.

"Look, I don't want to just play six guys, seven guys, eight guys," D'Antoni said. "We need depth. We know that. If you want to say we need more players, I'm with you. I'm on it."

Yes, the lesson here is pretty obvious, and it has not escaped D'Antoni. The Spurs are more than just a nemesis. They have re-emerged as the team to beat in the Western Conference. And with their nucleus of stars - Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker - under contract through at least 2010, they are going to be a force for a long time.

But at the end of Game 4, and even when they were scrambling to get back into Game 6, the Suns showed a defensive effort that made the Spurs squirm. The Suns rebounded, hustled and swarmed. Their energy was electric, and they looked like the much better team - one that actually was reaching for the ring. It was both inspiring and infuriating.

After all, the 2006-07 Suns wouldn't do that naturally, consistently or comfortably. That has to change, and that has nothing to do with any system. That simply means new players, and I'm guessing the only untouchables are Nash, Stoudemire (even with his defiant no-show Saturday), Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa. And it all begins after the NBA draft lottery Tuesday, where the Suns will learn what assets and leverage they have, and how they can atone for last year's abysmal off-season.

But that's about D'Antoni, the acting general manager. This is about D'Antoni, the coach. And in Phoenix, I think we're pretty lucky.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Here is a interesting question for Spurs fans......

who do you dislike more, George Karl or Mike D'Antoni? :lol

One bonus about GK is that he has an absurd amount of respect for the Spurs. Im not so sure about D'Antoni, he had no qualms stating over and over that the Suns were better than the Spurs.

[jag]

DA is a good coach, you'd be stupid to think otherwise. He's done good things with this team....that being said, he bitched the entire series and set a bad example for his team...take that how you want.

[michaelwcho]

His main fault is probably his whining..sets a bad tone for his team. He has a lot of strengths. He stands behind his team and has their back; he doesn't take credit and gives it to his players (see Larry Brown and George Karl for counterexamples); he doesn't backstab his players in the media (see LB, GK, and Phil Jackson on Kobe).

Defense wins championships, and he's doing his best to try it the other way... who knows, a couple breaks here and there, maybe. It's sure easier to find talented small men than big men.

I wouldn't be surprised to find, eventually, that Stoudemire is a locker-room cancer. They need to ship him out for KG.

[ChumpDumper]

You can't blame D'Antoni. He told the team to "go" during the timeout.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

You can't blame D'Antoni. He told the team to "go" during the timeout.
:lmao

[timvp]

O'Antoni is a great regular season coach.

[Sec24Row7]

It's kind of interesting...

I see a lot of similarities in not necessarily personel... but situation between 90's Spurs and 00's Suns...

Same can be said for 90's Spurs fan and 00's suns fan...

They are still falling for all the crazy propaganda getting thrown around... still think they are just unlucky... think the only reason the other team wins is because it cheats etc...

[nkdlunch]

who do you dislike more, George Karl or Mike D'Antoni? :lol


tough choice. I'd say both equally.

But D'antoni is more amusing, the way he throws his hissy fits on the court LMAO

[Jockularity!]

I lived in Arizona for awhile, I feel like Dan Bickley is from Bizarro World. Randy Johnson throws a perfect game, Bickley leads the charge to run the guy out of Phoenix. D'Antoni gets completely outcoached in every facet, Bickley calls the detractors "misguided." Phoenix is the strangest damn sports city.

[Sec24Row7]

tough choice. I'd say both equally.

But D'antoni is more amusing, the way he throws his hissy fits on the court LMAO

I think if they ever met each other in the playoffs they would both bitch so much about each other bitching that it would rip the space/time continuem

[Jockularity!]

I think if they ever met each other in the playoffs they would both bitch so much about each other bitching that it would rip the space/time continuem

The universe would suck itself up, leaving only a vast nothingness...and in that vast nothingness, the echo of "we're more talented!" can still be heard.

[jag]

:lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao
The universe would suck itself up, leaving only a vast nothingness...and in that vast nothingness, the echo of "we're more talented!" can still be heard.
:lmao :lmao

[ducks]

suns have big things to do this season
do they fire the coach?
do they trade nash and give up and get a younger point and get someone for nash?
(by then amare will be ready in 2 years t win)
do they trade marion?
do they trade amare?
do they keep everyone pay the tax and play the rookies?
they have got to to play a 10 man rotation in oct-jan

[TDMVPDPOY]

antoni is like jack nickolson in the tom cruise movie, "a few good men":
you cant handle the truth.

[misterx91578]

who cares the suns are gone

[judaspriestess]

another coulda, shoulda, woulda article. NEXT

[WalterBenitez]

WHo is Mike D'Antoni? :oops

[blaze89]

Brent Barry claiming that a little old lady actually flipped him the bird.

You gotta watch it with those little old ladies.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Here is a interesting question for Spurs fans......

who do you dislike more, George Karl or Mike D'Antoni? :lol

One bonus about GK is that he has an absurd amount of respect for the Spurs. Im not so sure about D'Antoni, he had no qualms stating over and over that the Suns were better than the Spurs.

The only coach I have a really strong dislike for in the NBA is Pat o'Rielly because he won;t give up the damn ghost already.
Phil* Jackson is a close runner up.

[CharlieMac]

Yeah, I think I hate Phil more. He just sits there when things go bad and people call that great coaching.

[ca®lo]

well.. in fairness to phil.. that style of coaching made him win all those championships.

[ducks]

Amare Stoudemire’s Spurs Comments
A lot was written recently regarding Amare's comments about the Spurs being a dirty team. Now, I don't know what his reasoning was behind those comments without talking to him but I do know that some guys say things as a personal motivator. When I was playing, I never said anything about the other team, pro or con, because I didn’t care what they did. That was Red’s philosophy as well. I knew what I was going to do. The only time I would talk about the other team, if at all, was in our locker room to my teammates.

by Bill Russell Advice for Amare

[GhostofAlfrederickHughes]

This quote from the TrueHoop column on ESPN sums it up best:

Mike D'Antoni really does not exude leadership in big moments. That screaming is appropriate if a car is parked on your foot, and maybe if your pants are on fire. I love the guy, but it's nuts after a measly iffy call. I could put a camera on him, and a camera on Gregg Popovich, and show you the two tapes. Anyone who watched both tapes would know that Popovich's team was better prepared to win. Winning is, on some level, an attitude -- a confidence, a poise. Phoenix gets that attitude from Nash more than D'Antoni.

[SAGambler]

This quote from the TrueHoop column on ESPN sums it up best:

Mike D'Antoni really does not exude leadership in big moments. That screaming is appropriate if a car is parked on your foot, and maybe if your pants are on fire. I love the guy, but it's nuts after a measly iffy call. I could put a camera on him, and a camera on Gregg Popovich, and show you the two tapes. Anyone who watched both tapes would know that Popovich's team was better prepared to win. Winning is, on some level, an attitude -- a confidence, a poise. Phoenix gets that attitude from Nash more than D'Antoni.

But then Nash finally reverted to whining about every call (or non call). I know it was at a desperate time, but I think he started to convey to his team, they couldn't win against the Spurs.

[exstatic]

well.. in fairness to phil.. that style of coaching made him win all those championships.
Actually, picking two jobs with the players already in place, and teams that had already been to the conference finals made him win all those championships. We're now seeing him "coach" for the first time, and frankly, he's been exposed.

[CubanMustGo]

Accountability.

Apparently it doesn't mean much, but in a pro franchise it starts at the top and that is Carver and D'Asani. These guys never own up, it's always someone else's fault when PHO loses. You would think that with all the blown chances over the years they would learn to suck it up and say "it's on me" by now.

Look at AJ in Dallas. When the Mavs lost to GS he took full blame for the loss even tho it was primarily MIA Dork who was at fault.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Accountability.

Apparently it doesn't mean much, but in a pro franchise it starts at the top and that is Carver and D'Asani. These guys never own up, it's always someone else's fault when PHO loses. You would think that with all the blown chances over the years they would learn to suck it up and say "it's on me" by now.

Look at AJ in Dallas. When the Mavs lost to GS he took full blame for the loss even tho it was primarily MIA Dork who was at fault.

I completly agree.
one of the reasons why, as much as it may be the 'in' thing because he coaches the Mavs, I just can't hate on AJ. I really respect him.

And thats where my dissapointment in the Suns as an NBA fan comes in. There is no accountability over there. And no humility. They never "just lost" or will have to "work harder". nope, it;s never thier fault at all.. it;s luck, or they are "just as good" but the damn hand of the basketball gods is against them.

erg. Just nut up and accept that there is a flaw in your system, acceptance is the 1st step to recovery.

[Hook Dem]

Actually, picking two jobs with the players already in place, and teams that had already been to the conference finals made him win all those championships. We're now seeing him "coach" for the first time, and frankly, he's been exposed.
I agree with this!

[ATRAIN]

Amare Stoudemire’s Spurs Comments
A lot was written recently regarding Amare's comments about the Spurs being a dirty team. Now, I don't know what his reasoning was behind those comments without talking to him but I do know that some guys say things as a personal motivator. When I was playing, I never said anything about the other team, pro or con, because I didn’t care what they did. That was Red’s philosophy as well. I knew what I was going to do. The only time I would talk about the other team, if at all, was in our locker room to my teammates.

by Bill Russell Advice for Amare


We need to find a player on the Jazz that we can chant DIRTY DIRTY too when he is at the free throw line.....hahahah

[DarrinS]

"Let's go men. Hustle out there. Energy, energy, we need more energy."

What an assclown.

http://static.flickr.com/139/324414035_7a8f3f004e.jpg

[easjer]

Obiwan nailed it.

I think between D'Antoni and Karl. . . I dislike Karl more. Karl actively throws players under the bus for Karl's mistakes. At least for all his whining and complaining and entitlement, D'Antoni supports his team.

However, this article is dillusional. I don't know that I would fire D'Antoni yet. I'd give him one more season to prove himself and allow him to utilize his bench and seehow it goes. He showed some willingness to improve his defense by bringing in some defensive players (but they really need to learn some team D, but I guess that would ruin their style). Give him the chance. But seriously, D'Antoni is one of the biggest things wrong with the team.

[easjer]

Also, Pop was right. Amare is young. And that youth is the thing causing him to throw temper tantrums. He needs to grow up.

[SRJ]

The biggest problem D'Antoni has is poise.

There are moments in every game, every series when things are going to turn against you. Handling those moments without coming apart mentally is what poise is all about. In this Spurs-Suns series, it seemed that every time the Suns experienced those difficulties, they bitched in the media or pitched a fit on the sidelines.

It's all very well and good to feel wronged, but expending energy on it is destructive.

D'Antoni deserves another year - he's got a great system for that personnel - but if I was the owner, I would make it clear that our team needs to demonstrate greater mental toughness. Losing in the playoffs is acceptable; defeating yourself in the process is not.

Then again, if I was the Phoenix owner, I'd have an ass where my head is.

[41times]

B.S. !

If i am a Suns season ticket holder i would be livid again and be asking for a new coach, specifically the recently fired Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy

The Suns have under achieved now 3 straight years. How many more tries does "3firstnames" get? They have had the best overall talent of anyone in the league 1-6 and have yet to even make it to the Finals.

Look at their lineup:
2 of the top 5 players
Another All Star
6th man
A top defensive player
2 time MVP

I mean what more do you need????

2 things:

1. A good coach
2. 3 players off your bench that can play. And they only have 1 or 2.

He did not develop his bench and he does not coach defense.

FIRE HIM! or don't and we all will love it because we know they can't go all the way!:)

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

How many chances did Kurt Rambis get? How many chances has D'Antoni had? And Rambis had the better mustache.

[Soul_Patch]

I sincerely believe if D'Antoni would have actually coached in the last few minutes of Game 1, rather than bitch and cry and moan about whatever it is that was going on other than the game at hand, they would have pulled it off.


His team was lost when nash went down, and d'antoni was too busy crying, no one knew where to go or what to do.


His crying seeps into his team and into its ownership. He breeds a looser mentality in phoenix. Never own a loss or a failure, its always the pitty party.

[Capt Bringdown]

"The criticism would bother me only if guys in the dressing room started to do it," D'Antoni said. "If there was any kind of resistance from them over the way we play, then I need to go away. But right now, the players love it, it's a great product and we win a lot of games."

There you have it in a nutshell: a loser's complacency. Both coach and players are happy being losers, they lack a championship mentality.
Look at the shameful way they whine and make excuses. Winners and champions take control of their own destinies, they don't look for sympathy with victim antics.

[longrod]

At this stage, I prefer to let Phoenix wade in their own little puddle of shit.

[Findog]

do they fire the coach?

No


do they trade nash and give up and get a younger point and get someone for nash?

No



do they trade marion?

Probably


do they trade amare?

No


do they keep everyone pay the tax and play the rookies?

No, this team as currently constituted will never beat Duncan's Spurs. They would have to hope that somebody else knocks off the Spurs. Only the Shaq/Kobe Lakers and Dirk's Mavs have done that. One of those teams don't exist anymore. Like the Mavs, the Suns need to shake things up, but they don't need to go nuclear and blow the whole thing up.


they have got to to play a 10 man rotation in oct-jan

Agreed.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Too stubborn. Doesn't use his bench. Doesn't make in-game adjustments. Doesn't develop players. And then there's the system, a fast-break brand of small ball that is cherished when it works and scorned when it doesn't.

D'Antoni hears it all, and he hears it all the time. And guess what? He still won't budge. I admire that.

"The criticism would bother me only if guys in the dressing room started to do it," D'Antoni said. "If there was any kind of resistance from them over the way we play, then I need to go away. But right now, the players love it, it's a great product and we win a lot of games."


This is very telling. Apparently, D'Antoni's standard of excellence for coaching is whether your players love your system and whether you win "a lot of games". Well, it seems he has both. Only one thing missing: a trip to the Finals and a shot at the trophy. He hasn't really even come close to that. Not even a game 7 in the WCF.

A good coach would be a leader, not a pleaser. He'd show toughness, not introspective whininess. He wouldn't call out his team for blame in the media (as he did after game 1).

Another quote from D'Antoni is to the effect that his team has better talent than the Spurs. Maybe so. How does that reflect on the coach?

I think the Suns' failures are, exactly, all about the coaching.

[DDS4]

Accountability.

Apparently it doesn't mean much, but in a pro franchise it starts at the top and that is Carver and D'Asani. These guys never own up, it's always someone else's fault when PHO loses. You would think that with all the blown chances over the years they would learn to suck it up and say "it's on me" by now.

Look at AJ in Dallas. When the Mavs lost to GS he took full blame for the loss even tho it was primarily MIA Dork who was at fault.


Huge 2nd.

From Amare, Marion, and D'antoni's public comments of being "better" than the Spurs, they moreover blamed the suspensions and referees.

[Extra Stout]

On a team with Steve Nash and that much talent around him, a blind squirrel could coach the Suns and win 55 games.

D'Antoni is a fraud, and is the biggest obstacle between the Suns and a championship.

[Extra Stout]

Also, Pop was right. Amare is young. And that youth is the thing causing him to throw temper tantrums. He needs to grow up.
Tony Parker wasn't throwing temper tantrums at 23 years of age. He was winning a second championship.

Amare seems to be developmentally retarted. He has the maturity of an 11- or 12-year-old.

[DarrinS]

On a team with Steve Nash and that much talent around him, a blind squirrel could coach the Suns and win 55 games.

D'Antoni is a fraud, and is the biggest obstacle between the Suns and a championship.


True. And he has also given his players a sense that they are ENTITLED to win. I wonder how much of D'Antoni's "philosophy" has rubbed off on Amare. Had Amare played for Pop, I wonder how much different his attitude would be.

[GSH]

But right now, the players love it, it's a great product and we win a lot of games."

Great product and they win a lot of games. If that's his measure of success, then keep running small ball, run-and-gun. Screw defense, it's boring. Way to go Mike, you're a huge success. Enjoy the product, and enjoy winning those regular season games. Just don't cry like babies when it doesn't win a championship.

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: "There's a reason the cheetah isn't the king of the jungle."

[ObiwanGinobili]

Tony Parker wasn't throwing temper tantrums at 23 years of age. He was winning a second championship.

Amare seems to be developmentally retarted. He has the maturity of an 11- or 12-year-old.

then again Tony had the chance to mature in Timmy's lockeroom, in DRob's lockeroom.
I don;t see Nash exuding that kind of leadership and maturity. On the court yes, he;s the leader... but otherwise he seems ot come off as a buddy-buddy teamate kinda guy.

[41times]

On a team with Steve Nash and that much talent around him, a blind squirrel could coach the Suns and win 55 games.

D'Antoni is a fraud, and is the biggest obstacle between the Suns and a championship.

Anybody on this board could coach that team to 55 wins. If Pop or Riley or Brown or Avery or Van Gundy had that team for 2 years they would at least 1 Title.

The fans in Phx are stupid for putting up with it. But hey thats okay by me. The longer they keep 3firstnames the older Steve Cash gets and the more their window closes!

[Jockularity!]

Phoenix isn't a very sports knowledgeable city. That's why Bill Bidwill can put out a shit football team year after year and the people there vote to give him a new stadium instead of saying "get the hell out, we'll take an expansion team." That's why the Diamondbacks can give up Randy Johnson when he's still a top pitcher, but bring him back when he's a shadow of himself because of "name value," since a name valueless team doesn't sell out. And that's why when the Suns win 60 regular season games but don't make the Finals, they'll excuse D'Antoni.

D'Antoni talking about how great "the product" is, that's just hilarious. He talks about basketball like it's a television show, and that's Phoenix's problem. Everyone there wants a Michael Bay blow-'em-up movie but they also want Oscars. It doesn't work that way. Phoenix's fans and the team itself confuse defense with being boring. It's moronic.

[Sec24Row7]

No, this team as currently constituted will never beat Duncan's Spurs. They would have to hope that somebody else knocks off the Spurs. Only the Shaq/Kobe Lakers and Dirk's Mavs have done that. One of those teams don't exist anymore. Like the Mavs, the Suns need to shake things up, but they don't need to go nuclear and blow the whole thing up.





Wrong... neither of those teams exist anymore...
The Mavs still have Dirk, but they aren't "Dirk's Mavs".

He lost that team.

[LilMissSPURfect]

there's more to coaching than whining and being sarcastic

[Flea]

True. And he has also given his players a sense that they are ENTITLED to win. I wonder how much of D'Antoni's "philosophy" has rubbed off on Amare. Had Amare played for Pop, I wonder how much different his attitude would be.


I can't imagine Amare skipping the last meeting if Pop was his coach. If I were a Phoenix fan I would be more angry with Amare because his immaturity caused him a suspension and then he skipped the last meeting of the season.

[Jockularity!]

I can't imagine Amare skipping the last meeting if Pop was his coach. If I were a Phoenix fan I would be more angry with Amare because his immaturity caused him a suspension and then he skipped the last meeting of the season.

Thing is, average Suns fan blames Amare for none of it. The rule is "stupid," and should have been ignored. They place ZERO blame on Stoudemire, nevermind the fact the rest of his team and none of the Spurs left the bench. Someone already said it, the keyword is "accountability." That franchise has none, and it starts with Sarver and D'Antoni.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

At this stage, I prefer to let Phoenix wade in their own little puddle of shit.

I think longrod and I share the same thoughts about the spurs and the world

[Findog]

Wrong... neither of those teams exist anymore...
The Mavs still have Dirk, but they aren't "Dirk's Mavs".

He lost that team.

We shall see. He's only 29 years old. Plenty of time to recover from Golden State. But you're right...unless he leads Dallas to a title, or plays a key role on a Mavericks title team, he will never live that down and it will continue to follow him.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Another quote from D'Antoni is to the effect that his team has better talent than the Spurs. Maybe so. How does that reflect on the coach?

The whole thing about his individuals having more talent than the spurs only please himself and stimulate his fans. We know it's not true.

How many times I have to say Many has more rings and medals than the entire suns team combined? Spurs have depth, and not just any depth. It has winners with talent. And there's just about or more talent than the Suns, collectively and individually.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

The whole thing about his individuals having more talent than the spurs only please himself and stimulate his fans. We know it's not true.

Actually, I think that raw talent wise he's probably right. Look at Nash, Amare, Marion, even Bell and Barbosa. They can do amazing things on the court. What's missing is the focus and chemistry and collaboration as a team, and playing the "right way". That's on the system and the coaching staff, not the players.

[bigfan]

I think teams are a reflection of their coaches. Well coached teams like SA, Utah and Detroit have a good attitude. The Suns are talented, he was right about that, but they are a reflection of D'Antoni - crybabies and whiners. The Mavs used to be like that til they got Avery who wont put up with that crap. D'Antoni need to calm down and quit whining, his team will follow.