New D'antoni news

[silencer1515]

just got a text alert from ktar that si.com is reporting that D'antoni has just interviewed with new york and chicago.

 

[AZ Shocker]

He will WIN an NBA Championship in which ever job he accepts in NYC or Chicago.

Think about it....two HUGE markets want D'Antoini??? Yeah Stern hates the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had opportunities, but not in a "fixed" league. The NBA and Stern will be happy to have a "run and gun" stlye in either of those two markets. Heck...I bet Stern even allows one of those teams to win a NBA Championship cause it's so exciting to see a D'Antoini coached team. God forbid that style be accepted by the NBA in Phoenix though. I think Colangeo really upset Stern a long time ago. He must've cause Stern has NEVER "helped" the Suns. In contrast...I bet the owner of the Spurs and Stern take family vacations together.

 

[green machine]

He will WIN an NBA Championship in which ever job he accepts in NYC or Chicago.

Think about it....two HUGE markets want D'Antoini??? Yeah Stern hates the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had opportunities, but not in a "fixed" league. The NBA and Stern will be happy to have a "run and gun" stlye in either of those two markets. Heck...I bet Stern even allows one of those teams to win a NBA Championship cause it's so exciting to see a D'Antoini coached team. God forbid that style be accepted by the NBA in Phoenix though. I think Colangeo really upset Stern a long time ago. He must've cause Stern has NEVER "helped" the Suns. In contrast...I bet the owner of the Spurs and Stern take family vacations together.

I'm pretty sure Stern "helped" the Suns when he didn't dock them any picks or anything for their back-door dealings with guys like Danny Manning and Rex Chapman.

 

[mojorizen7]

He will WIN an NBA Championship in which ever job he accepts in NYC or Chicago.

Think about it....two HUGE markets want D'Antoini??? Yeah Stern hates the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had opportunities, but not in a "fixed" league. The NBA and Stern will be happy to have a "run and gun" stlye in either of those two markets. Heck...I bet Stern even allows one of those teams to win a NBA Championship cause it's so exciting to see a D'Antoini coached team. God forbid that style be accepted by the NBA in Phoenix though. I think Colangeo really upset Stern a long time ago. He must've cause Stern has NEVER "helped" the Suns. In contrast...I bet the owner of the Spurs and Stern take family vacations together.

Not with a seven man rotation playing small ball he won't.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

I hope he goes to Chicago and absolutely rapes the entire conference.

 

[mojorizen7]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3383366
From ESPN's Mark Stein

Suns coach D'Antoni talks to Bulls, moves closer to leaving

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)





Updated: May 6, 2008, 3:03 AM



Mike D'Antoni's strong interest in coaching the Chicago Bulls emerged last week. Now it's being officially reciprocated.
NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday night that Bulls general manager John Paxson came away from two interviews with D'Antoni in Phoenix impressed and seriously interested in the coach who wants to leave the Suns in part because of a tense working relationship with Paxson's good friend Steve Kerr.
Sources in both organizations openly expect D'Antoni to wind up in Chicago now -- with one Phoenix source going so far as to describe a deal as "imminent" -- but it's believed that financial complications account for the one obstacle that could derail his move from the desert to the Windy City.

ESPN.com reported Friday that Chicago was the most likely landing spot for D'Antoni if he could convince his owner (Robert Sarver) and team president (Kerr) that it was time to part company. Yet it remains to be seen how much the Bulls are willing to spend on a new head man when they still owe an estimated $6 million to new Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles, according to NBA coaching sources.
What's increasingly clear is that D'Antoni will be leaving the Suns as soon as he can get another job, which would spare Phoenix from paying off the two years and $8.5 million left on D'Antoni's contract by firing him or trying to negotiate a buyout. With D'Antoni determined to move on but not inclined to forfeit the money owed him by quitting, Kerr announced Monday that he was backing off his earlier vow to deny the coach permission to speak with other teams. Allowing D'Antoni to land a new job and thus a new salary would offset whatever the Suns owe him.
"As we have continued to convey, we value Mike D'Antoni as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and would like him to continue leading this basketball team," Kerr said Monday in a statement. "Because he has requested to speak to other teams about their head coaching vacancies, we have granted him permission. We will have no further comment until this process further evolves."
D'Antoni, reached Monday via phone by The Associated Press, likewise declined to elaborate.
"I really can't say anything," D'Antoni said.
Although he also interviewed with new New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh within the last 48 hours, New York is not considered a realistic destination for D'Antoni. Chicago would appear to be a much better match, offering not only a move to the easier East but also an opportunity to work with several players who have been linked to Phoenix in trades in recent years (Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefalosha) as well a budding star (Luol Deng) who was drafted with a pick traded by the Suns to Chicago.
If there's a basketball issue working against D'Antoni's candidacy in Chicago, it's that Paxson -- like his friend Kerr -- is much more conservative and defensively focused in his approach than D'Antoni.
But the bigger uncertainties are what happens if D'Antoni isn't hired in Chicago or New York ... and whom Phoenix pursues as a replacement if D'Antoni does leave this week as widely anticipated.
D'Antoni staying in Phoenix to coach after details of the Suns' in-house discord have been made so public is difficult to envision. The Suns, though, clearly don't want to fire D'Antoni, who likewise won't walk away from his contract without a new gig, raising the possibility of an ominous impasse.
Identifying potential replacements for D'Antoni in Phoenix might be even tougher.
ESPN.com reported last week that recently dismissed Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson -- who's still on the Bulls' radar after they interviewed likely Mavs successor Rick Carlisle and Knicks favorite Mark Jackson -- has already been ruled out as a possibility for Phoenix.
Kerr, furthermore, strongly dismissed recent suggestions that he would be a candidate to move to the bench, reiterating his long-held stance that he wouldn't even consider coaching until his children are out of school. TNT analyst Doug Collins, who resides in the Phoenix area, is bound to be mentioned as well, although it's unknown whether Collins can be lured back to coaching at age 56 after turning down offers from Milwaukee in the summer of 2005 and again last month.
Complicating matters further is the fact that Phoenix would almost certainly need an experienced coach to inherit a team that is still trying to integrate Shaquille O'Neal into its high-octane offense.
D'Antoni met with Sarver and Kerr for more than two hours Friday, with Kerr saying afterward that they all wanted to take a few days to digest what was discussed. Yet Kerr has also stated repeatedly since the Suns' season ended last Tuesday in San Antonio that he and Sarver remained hopeful of convincing D'Antoni that the parties' philosophical differences could be resolved.
But sources close to the situation have maintained for days that D'Antoni does not want to continue coaching in Phoenix if he must implement the changes suggested by his bosses, which include increasing the time spent practicing defense and a more stern approach with younger players such as Suns forward Amare Stoudemire and guard Leandro Barbosa.
Sources say D'Antoni considers Kerr's strategic suggestions to be meddlesome and representative of a lack of support from the front office after the Suns averaged 57 wins over the past four seasons, three of which ended with playoff losses to the execution masters from San Antonio. But some veteran players, sources add, have echoed management's request for more emphasis placed on defensive preparations and seeing the likes of Stoudemire and Barbosa held more accountable for their mistakes.


Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum -- who spent the 2005-06 season as a virtual member of D'Antoni's coaching staff to write the acclaimed book "Seven Seconds or Less" -- reported last week that D'Antoni considers those differences to be "irredeemable."

 

[dodie53]

OMG,
DA is leaving us!!!

 

[sLapzsHaQ]

The championship window for me, is still open, for it's final season I guess. So, a newbie coach won't help. I think DA would be staying. And the Suns are going to hire a better defensive coach.

 

[dodie53]

i think we will have a new coach,

then the offense will be run through amare often,
he will take 25 shots a game.

a trade is going to happen to,
a trade that benefits the suns.

the new coach will find a way to get shaq effective.

and
nash's assist will go down drastically,
maybe from double digits to 6 or 7 a game.

next season is the last chance for the suns (nash era) to win the 'ship.

 

[Phade]

The championship window for me, is still open, for it's final season I guess. So, a newbie coach won't help. I think DA would be staying. And the Suns are going to hire a better defensive coach.

it'd be a miracle to beat LA or NO next year

younger than us and playing way better basketball than us this year..

imagine next..

 

[CaptainInsano]

LOL the championship window still open..

We lost 4-1 to the spurs who are probably going to lose 4-0, or 4-1 to the hornets.

We have no cap flexibility whatsoever, no draft picks except the atlanta and 09 pick. One tradeable asset (barbosa).

Real close we are..

Either we get artest or I am out for a while next year, waiting until 2010-2011 basically.

 

[TJ]

One thing D'Antoni is gonna realize is that he will have some talent from 1 - 12 in Chicago. IMO they are a deep team and have some talent coming off the bench. He is going to have to learn to play more than 7.5 guys.

 

[Mainstreet]

I hope he goes to Chicago and absolutely rapes the entire conference.

He will devour the East and perhaps get the Bulls another NBA Championship. Never fear Suns fans, we still have Kerr.

 

[silencer1515]

jut got another report that money is an issue with he bulls so the knicks are closer

 

[Shzm13]

Yeah Bulls are still paying off Skiles.. So they're hesitant to pay him (at least) $8.5mil/yr


Whatever, i don't care where he goes.. Just **** of Phoenix already you POS traitor

 

[Covert Rain]

One thing D'Antoni is gonna realize is that he will have some talent from 1 - 12 in Chicago. IMO they are a deep team and have some talent coming off the bench. He is going to have to learn to play more than 7.5 guys.

If he doesn't he won't last long in Chicago.

 

[TheHopToad]

Just read Coro's latest article on DA's interviews:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/05/05/20080505suns.html

Here's the part that has me scratching my head in regards to the Friday meeting between Sarver, Kerr, and D'Antoni:

Some of the topics were predictable and agreeable - more practice emphasis on defense, reducing Steve Nash's workload, using a deeper rotation, a coaching-staff addition for defense and holding Amaré Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa more accountable.

D'Antoni's major issue since the start of the playoffs has been a lack of front-office support and how this would carry into next season.

So they agree on defense, not wearing down Nash, using the bench, and a defensive assistant? But the stumbling block is management support? This makes no sense. If those are the issues most of us agree that needed to be changed, and DA was willing to change those things, it sounds to me like the FO is telling him they are unwilling to spend more to improve the team by making deals or sigining better players.

If this is the case, I can't say I blame D'Antoni for wanting to leave. That's an impossible environment to work in.

 

[cly2tw]

Just read Coro's latest article on DA's interviews:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/05/05/20080505suns.html

Here's the part that has me scratching my head in regards to the Friday meeting between Sarver, Kerr, and D'Antoni:

So they agree on defense, not wearing down Nash, using the bench, and a defensive assistant? But the stumbling block is management support? This makes no sense. If those are the issues most of us agree that needed to be changed, and DA was willing to change those things, it sounds to me like the FO is telling him they are unwilling to spend more to improve the team by making deals or sigining better players.

If this is the case, I can't say I blame D'Antoni for wanting to leave. That's an impossible environment to work in.

It means DA were supposedly aware of all the issues, but felt slighted by being told by Kerr. That ego thing is sure fitting the stubborn image we have of him.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Of course he isnt going to get front office support when he only plays half the roster, and agrees with the FO but doesnt do anything about it.

 

[tobiazz]

I'm pretty sure Stern "helped" the Suns when he didn't dock them any picks or anything for their back-door dealings with guys like Danny Manning and Rex Chapman.

What back door dealings? Didn't JC just promise them future contracts as opposed to Minnesota giving Joe Smith an additional non-basketball contract?

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm pretty sure Stern "helped" the Suns when he didn't dock them any picks or anything for their back-door dealings with guys like Danny Manning and Rex Chapman.

JC had a history of taking care of the players he signed. I think he even signed Manning to a nice contract even coming off a major injury. There was such a thing as loyalty back then to players. I even remember JC gave KJ his word that he would never trade him... and he didn't. I don't think this was allowed in the CBA back then. Players often looked at the Suns track record about taking care of their own when they signed with the Suns. JC is about the most ethical man I can of.

 

[nowagimp]

It means DA were supposedly aware of all the issues, but felt slighted by being told by Kerr. That ego thing is sure fitting the stubborn image we have of him.

You read between the lines, perhaps too much. "No front office support" probably means that DA was not given enough influence in the recent decision making, personnel etc. DA lost his influence when he was removed as GM, and he continued to lose it over this past year. I suspect the clincher was Kerr stepping on DA offensive toes, how to use amare.

If I am DA and have run the most efficient offense in the NBA for 4 years, I doubt I am thinking Kerr(or Jeff Van Gundy) has anything he can teach me. Heck the rules have even changed since Kerr played, and he has been a broadcaster for quite a while. Add to this that the players were selected to play DAs scheme. I seriously doubt Kerrs knowledge of offense, and really doubt this team could be used to play Kerrs vision of offense efficiently. DA took over a team that no one believed could be an elite team and he made them that, in spite of widely acknowledged personnel deficiencies. Bottom line is that if the front office(sarver group) will listen to Kerr over DA on offensive issues, he SHOULD leave.

 

[WildBB]

He will WIN an NBA Championship in which ever job he accepts in NYC or Chicago.

Think about it....two HUGE markets want D'Antoini??? Yeah Stern hates the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had opportunities, but not in a "fixed" league. The NBA and Stern will be happy to have a "run and gun" stlye in either of those two markets. Heck...I bet Stern even allows one of those teams to win a NBA Championship cause it's so exciting to see a D'Antoini coached team. God forbid that style be accepted by the NBA in Phoenix though. I think Colangeo really upset Stern a long time ago. He must've cause Stern has NEVER "helped" the Suns. In contrast...I bet the owner of the Spurs and Stern take family vacations together.

There is some merit in what you say. But I don't think he wins any titles with that style unless he adjusts some, which I think is possible, even though he's insisting it's not.

He's had to learn something from this year, no?!