ESPN insider -Amare

[elindholm]

1. Stoudemire's opt-out isn't an issue. He knows he's not going to get another long-term deal right when his microfracture clock is about to strike again.

2. D'Antoni is much, much easier to replace than Stoudemire. If they are incompatible, the choice should be easy.

 

[Mainstreet]

1. Stoudemire's opt-out isn't an issue. He knows he's not going to get another long-term deal right when his microfracture clock is about to strike again.

2. D'Antoni is much, much easier to replace than Stoudemire. If they are incompatible, the choice should be easy.

In regard to #1, I'm not sure of Stoudemire's value. On one had fans say he is the franchise player and he is first team All-NBA. Then on the other hand fans worry about his microfracture clock and ability to get another long term deal. There seems to be some conflict in these analysis. I wonder which is true? Amare's value should theoretically be through the roof.

In regard to #2, I think D'antoni is still growing as a HC and last year it should be remembered how he persevered without KT and Amare. I think D'Antoni is leading the new wave of HC's into the future. I don't think the Suns could easily replace D'Antoni without going through some losing seasons to find a replacement. I just don't think D'Antoni is given enough credit. All many fans see is run and gun basketball but not the brilliant strategy behind it. Also the Suns showed in the playoffs that their defense is getting better as well.

 

[azirish]

1. Amare is not going to be traded. When he fully recovers from his microfrature, he's going to be pretty good.

2. At some point we will find out how much of D'Antoni's coaching is about his style and how much is about his personnel.

Two years ago, everyone was convinced that D'Antoni doesn't care about defense. Yet somehow once he got KT, Bell, and Jones the team played better defense.

This year the biggest issue is his short bench. Is this because there are great players who are just not allowed to play or is it that the guys they picked up simply did not play very well?

The theory that guys need to play a lot in games in order to become effective is a popular theory, but not really all that well substantiated. The coaches see guys in practice which suggests the deep bench guys were not impressive.

I'd like to see some changes to the Suns half court offense, but some of this may simply evolve from playing together and becoming more experienced. But some may reflecting a need for some personnel upgrades. Replace Jones with Lebron at SF and this would be an unstoppable team.

 

[elindholm]

In regard to #1, I'm not sure of Stoudemire's value. On one had fans say he is the franchise player and he is first team All-NBA. Then on the other hand fans worry about his microfracture clock and ability to get another long term deal. There seems to be some conflict in these analysis. I wonder which is true? Amare's value should theoretically be through the roof.

I agree that his current value is very high, but that's much different from believing that he'd find a taker to give him a new maximum extension in another year or two.

In regard to #2, I think D'antoni is still growing as a HC and last year it should be remembered how he persevered without KT and Amare.

Yes: By the skin of his teeth, and with heavy reliance on the timely contributions of a player who was then flicked to the curb like a wad of used chewing gum. Let's not forget that the Suns closed the 2005-06 season struggling to play .500 basketball and were only .500 in the playoffs as well (10-10).

I don't think the Suns could easily replace D'Antoni without going through some losing seasons to find a replacement.

That's ridiculous. I could have coached this year's Suns to 50 wins.

D'Antoni's main strategy is to let Nash run the show. Other coaches would struggle with that because they need to be more controlling and feel an obligation to impart knowledge. There would be an adjustment period with a new coach, and I would expect to see the W-L record suffer a bit, but they'd have it together by the end of the season.

I just don't think D'Antoni is given enough credit. All many fans see is run and gun basketball but not the brilliant strategy behind it.

Other coaches have brilliant strategies too. D'Antoni is by no means in a league of his own.

 

[azirish]

I would be curious to see how Don Nelson would do as the Suns coach. I'm not sure he would do better, but it would be interesting.

 

[fordronken]

The thing people don't seem to acknowledge is that this team is fairly fragile at times. They have a small margin of error between playing great and playing mediocre. I suppose you could argue that D'Antoni is holding them back from greatness, but I tend to believe that getting rid of him could knock the team down to mediocrity.

That being said, I do think that if we had a great defensive coach that this team would be very succsessful in a totally different way.

 

[azirish]

The thing people don't seem to acknowledge is that this team is fairly fragile at times. They have a small margin of error between playing great and playing mediocre. I suppose you could argue that D'Antoni is holding them back from greatness, but I tend to believe that getting rid of him could knock the team down to mediocrity.

That being said, I do think that if we had a great defensive coach that this team would be very succsessful in a totally different way.

I agree that a great defensive coach would help, particularly with Barbosa and with players learning not to double off of shooters. However, I doubt that all the coaching in the world would eliminate the problem the Suns have with not having an extra long shot blocker.

 

[Mainstreet]

That's ridiculous. I could have coached this year's Suns to 50 wins.

D'Antoni's main strategy is to let Nash run the show. Other coaches would struggle with that because they need to be more controlling and feel an obligation to impart knowledge. There would be an adjustment period with a new coach, and I would expect to see the W-L record suffer a bit, but they'd have it together by the end of the season.

Sorry Elindholm, I do not trust you to coach the Suns to 50 wins.

D'Antoni is very intelligent to let Nash run the offense. Nash is like having a coach on the floor who can make decisions on the fly which a coach on the sideline cannot do. I give coach D'Antoni credit for realizing this. Now when Nash is not on the floor the Suns do have problems. The Suns almost need another smart PG to relieve Nash that can read the defense. I almost liken the PG position to a good QB in the NFL that reads the defense and makes changes at the line of scrimmage.

I guess I have just seen too many bad coaches to take a good coach for granted.

 

[elindholm]

Now when Nash is not on the floor the Suns do have problems. The Suns almost need another smart PG to relieve Nash that can read the defense.

Uh, or a coach...

I guess I have just seen too many bad coaches to take a good coach for granted.

I think coaches matter, but I don't think they can cost a team 20 wins. You were talking about a 61-win team undergoing "some losing seasons."

 

[HooverDam]

That's ridiculous. I could have coached this year's Suns to 50 wins.

I'm sure you are just being silly, but if not, this statement shows a level of extreme ignorance and cockiness. Basketball coaches (D'Antoni and everyone else too) get the least amount of respect from fans. As if they roll the ball out onto the court and say "go to it," thats simply not the case.

 

[elindholm]

I'm sure you are just being silly, but if not, this statement shows a level of extreme ignorance and cockiness.

I'd have to rely heavily on my staff, of course. No, I don't presume I could do it alone. But when a head coach goes on hiatus, it's not like the team suddenly falls apart. Worst-case scenario, I'd have to resort to getting myself kicked out of every game in the first quarter.

 

[HooverDam]

I'd have to rely heavily on my staff, of course. No, I don't presume I could do it alone. But when a head coach goes on hiatus, it's not like the team suddenly falls apart. Worst-case scenario, I'd have to resort to getting myself kicked out of every game in the first quarter.

Well we'll agree to disagree then, but that made me wonder an interesting question...

is there some sort of technical foul limit on coaches? I guess no coach has ever really encountered this problem like a player like Rodman/Rasheed have, but do they coaches start getting suspensions after a certain amount of technicals?

 

[buttsR4rebounding]

Interesting.

With Amare & Kobe praising each other like long lost brothers, it wouldn't surprise me at all that he ends up on the Lakers. Add that to other comments & stuff like skipping the exit interview, not playing the position (4) HE thinks HE should play........?? Like I said - wouldn't surprise me.

Of course, if he didn't play out of position he would not have made any all-NBA team.

 

[azirish]

I'm not convinced Eric would be much of a head coach (hard to win with everybody mad at him ), but I think his main point is sound. Most NBA type coaches have a lot less impact on teams than is generally assumed. The NBA is a player's league and the team with the best players typically wins.

Take Larry Brown (please!). He is a huge success in Detroit and a massive flop in New York. Did he spontaneously forget how to coach or did IT simply put together a really awful team?

I tend to look at coaches like jockey's. A great jockey may be difference between winning and losing a close race, but won't make a bad horse a winner or keep a great horse out of the money.

Like the jockey, the coach needs to be a good fit for the team's personnel. Don Nelson is a hall of fame level coach, but totally flopped when trying to coach Patrick Ewing's Knicks. The players simply revolted against his style. In Dallas he had a chance to put together a team that fit his style and had a lot of success, but had the bad luck of coaching against an unstoppable Laker team.

Would a different coach do a better job with the current Suns personnel than D'Antoni? Perhaps Nelson, although Don has his share of blind spots to match D'Antoni's. I can't think of anyone else who could do better with this collection of players - but I can name numerous guys who would do worse.