Gentry: "Tell Mike D'Antoni he's vindicated!'

[JustWinBaby]

Hollinger Defensive Rankings for past Phoenix Suns teams:

03-04 MDA 19th
04-05 MDA 20th
05-06 MDA 19th
06-07 MDA 16th
07-08 MDA 17th

08-09 Porter/ Gentry 25th
09-10 Gentry 19th
10-11 Gentry 25th
11-12 Gentry 23rd

12-13 Gentry/Hunter 24th
13-14 Hornacek 13th
14-15 Hornacek 17th

Why did we continue to suck defensively even post MDA? I thought he was the worst defensive coach in history.

I thought the great Steve Kerr and Robert Sarver laid down the ultimatum. We need to be better defensively, but we got worse.

Could it be a player / roster issue?

Why did the 92/93 Suns finish 18th in points allowed while making in to the finals? That is widely considered to be one the best Suns teams in history. Why didn't Coach Westphal do a better job coaching defense?

SPIN AWAY

 

[Covert Rain]

Hollinger Defensive Rankings for past Phoenix Suns teams:

03-04 MDA 19th
04-05 MDA 20th
05-06 MDA 19th
06-07 MDA 16th
07-08 MDA 17th

08-09 Porter/ Gentry 25th
09-10 Gentry 19th
10-11 Gentry 25th
11-12 Gentry 23rd

12-13 Gentry/Hunter 24th
13-14 Hornacek 13th
14-15 Hornacek 17th

Why did we continue to suck defensively even post MDA? I thought he was the worst defensive coach in history.

I thought the great Steve Kerr and Robert Sarver laid down the ultimatum. We need to be better defensively, but we got worse.

Could it be a player / roster issue?

Why did the 92/93 Suns finish 18th in points allowed while making in to the finals? That is widely considered to be one the best Suns teams in history. Why didn't Coach Westphal do a better job coaching defense?

SPIN AWAY

Who exactly said D'Antoni was the worst defensive coach EVER? All you really did is point out that because there is a piece of poop in your yard, a bigger piece of poop can always be left later. In Pringle's case, he just moved on to fertilize other lawns.

 

[mojorizen7]

Who exactly said D'Antoni was the worst defensive coach EVER? All you really did is point out that because there is a piece of poop in your yard, a bigger piece of poop can always be left later. In Pringle's case, he just moved on to fertilize other lawns.

 

[slinslin]

How so....I thought you liked PER? Besides I am jabbing you slinslin. I know what you are saying about Kurth Thomas but overall D'Antoni's overall track record for defense is horrible.

You bring up full season stats to prove that the Suns did not have the 2nd best defensive rating until Kurt Thomas got injured.

Frankly I am done arguing with you as it is pointless and proven by the discussion you had with phrazbit and others concerning Bledsoe.

 

[Covert Rain]

Frankly I am done arguing with you as it is pointless.

This coming from someone who spreads irrational love to players and has had countless arguments about said players with many on the board.

Ahhhh slinslin....you complete me.

 

[JustWinBaby]

Who exactly said D'Antoni was the worst defensive coach EVER? All you really did is point out that because there is a piece of poop in your yard, a bigger piece of poop can always be left later. In Pringle's case, he just moved on to fertilize other lawns.

Just about everyone on this board would say MDA is the worst defensive coach ever.

 

[Covert Rain]

Just about everyone on this board would say MDA is the worst defensive coach ever.

Sounds like an overreaction on your part out of love for D'Antoni.

 

[Mainstreet]

Just about everyone on this board would say MDA is the worst defensive coach ever.

I just don't think D'Antoni focused much on defense. His philosophy was to wear teams by running at every opportunity. Anything that slowed the game down seemed to hurt his strategy.

 

[mojorizen7]

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[sunsfan88]

Mike D'Antoni Was Encouraged His Style Works By Warriors' Title

Mike D'Antoni was encouraged by how the Golden State Warriors used elements of his offense in winning one NBA championship in 2015 and then winning 73 games in 15-16.

“O.K., this does work,” D'Antoni told himself. “I wasn’t stupid. I wasn’t crazy. You need the right players, the right mentality. But it can be done.”

While away from the game, D'Antoni talked to Alvin Gentry regularly and also touched base with Steve Kerr a couple of times. D'Antoni took mental notes for potential jobs and also began brainstorming ways to replicate Draymond Green.

"If Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey had a baby, it would be James Harden, running high-efficiency pick-and-rolls at the top of the crib," writes Lee Jenkins. "They formed a holy analytical trinity."

“This,” Harden says, “is probably what I should have been doing all along.”

“We’re convinced we can do it,” D’Antoni said.

Must say, Harden fits D'Antoni's style of play so much better than Melo or Kobe did. And unlike during his time with the Suns, D'Antoni actually has a front office that's getting him the kind of players he needs to be successful as well and its paying off huge dividends. I knew the Rockets would be better but I never thought they would be this successful in D'Antoni's first season itself.

 

[leclerc]

Rooting for anyone but Cavs and Warriors in the playoffs. And the Clippers off course. Can't stand Blake Griffin.

 

[sunsfan88]

Unnamed Head Coach: James Harden Has Become Steve Nash On Steroids

James Harden has simplified his life this season, no longer dating Khloe Kardashian, no longer playing beside Dwight Howard and playing point guard under Mike D'Antoni.

Harden trained at Arizona State in the offseason with longtime sports performance director Rich Wenner, who had introduced him to the Stairmaster as a smooth-faced freshman at Arizona State, and he did skills work with development coach Irving Roland, whom he met at the LeBron James Skills Academy a year later. “I need to get back to what I used to do,” Harden told them.

“I think he wanted to take his fame out for a spin,” says a Rockets source, “and I think he decided he liked it better in the garage.”

“Ninety percent of teams in this league don’t have any alignment at all between the front office, the coaching staff and the players,” says one NBA head coach. “You looked at this team last year and they were all f----- up. You look at them now and they are completely aligned. James Harden has become Steve Nash—if Steve Nash were on steroids.”

Harden also signed a four-year, $118 million extension with the Rockets in July 2016, which will move back his free agency beyond his initially scheduled 2018.

http://www.si.com/nba/2017/02/28/james-harden-the-beard-houston-rockets-mike-dantoni

 

[Chaplin]

I don't know. Comparing James Harden to Steve Nash, steroids or not, seems like blasphemy to me.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I don't know. Comparing James Harden to Steve Nash, steroids or not, seems like blasphemy to me.

he's got to put up a couple more seasons like this to cement himself as PG of Nash's stature, but he is playing out of his damn mind, and if he possibly leads the Rockets to their second WCF in three years... pretty much as the only star of the team, while this year averaging 28/11/8 (which is RIDICULOUS), I can see the argument being made. He's on another planet this season.

 

[GatorAZ]

Harden is Nash on steroids.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Harden is Nash on steroids.

this season, for sure... but like I said, he's got to keep doing it for a couple more years before he gets total credit for the change in his game, IMO.

 

[sdscard4]

God I miss Coach D

 

[Covert Rain]

God I miss Coach D

Not me. Not for a second. He is finally not dismantled a team and doing well. I will save my final judgment for the playoffs.

 

[GatorAZ]

Do ppl really use the Knicks and Lakers tenure against him? How many coaches have those teams had recently?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Do ppl really use the Knicks and Lakers tenure against him? How many coaches have those teams had recently?

A lot of fans on this forum use his Phoenix tenure against him.

 

[GatorAZ]

A lot of fans on this forum use his Phoenix tenure against him.

Well his tenure as GM was pretty damn bad.

 

[sunsfan88]

Harden is Nash on steroids.

Harden is a better scorer than Nash but Nash is a better passer than Harden.

Harden's (and Westbrook's) assist/turnover ratio looks very subpar when compared to Nash in his prime. Nash was an accurate passer and true playmaker while Harden and Westbrook simply throw around passes hoping for assists with no regard for turnovers.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Well his tenure as GM was pretty damn bad.

No doubt although we'll never know how much of that was Mike and how much of that was Sarver, same with Kerr's tenure. I don't think Sarver started distancing himself from the nuts and bolts decisions until he hired Babby.

 

[sdscard4]

Well that tenure produced. Lots of what ifs and we have a championship. Joe Johnson hurt....Matrix Trade...Duncan hitting his one and only 3....Amare and Boris on the court....My point is that tenure gave us the opportunity for Championships. These days it's all last place and potential.

 

[GatorAZ]

Well that tenure produced. Lots of what ifs and we have a championship. Joe Johnson hurt....Matrix Trade...Duncan hitting his one and only 3....Amare and Boris on the court....My point is that tenure gave us the opportunity for Championships. These days it's all last place and potential.

It's funny how if a simple break went the Suns' way how different everyone's legacy would from that era.