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Suns.com: D'Antoni 3-25-2004
Talk to the Coach
Posted: March 26, 2004
KTAR’s Kevin Ray tracked down Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni in New Orleans for the 620 Sportsline’s “Talk to the Coach” segment Thursday night. Much of the time was spent discussing Antonio McDyess, who’s more than filled in for an injured Jake Voskuhl as of late.
Dave Burns: Tough one in Philly last night. The first three quarters, we’ve talked for so long that these guys are getting it… The lights are going to come on. They put up 123 points against Milwaukee. They come up with another victory in Cleveland to start the road trip. The first three quarters against the 76ers, a 15-point lead. You have to be pleased.
Mike D’Antoni: We’re playing better. With Antonio McDyess coming in, he gives us some veteran leadership. He’s been good. And the other guys are feeding off him. In Cleveland, the first three quarters we’re moving the ball well. We had 19 assists in the first half and ended up with 25 or 26. In Philadelphia, we were moving the ball and we kicked the game away. We were 10 points ahead with six minutes to go. For whatever reason, they upped their defense, they got physical, they got calls, we got frustrated and the ball just didn’t move. I showed them the tape today, and that was a game we should’ve won. Hopefully we’ll learn from it.
Burns: We’ll avoid talking about the officiating too much.
D’Antoni: That’s a process that we have to play through. Understand how a game is being officiated, and requires even more ball movement and get better shots and easier shots. If you force anything obviously you won’t get the calls. Knowing how to win games even when things are against you. That’s a process, if we want to be a good team, we’ll have to master.
Burns: A coach can talk about this all he wants. A teammate can talk about this all he wants. You have to go through this fire to get an understanding: “I’m frustrated, but I have to put that to the back of my mind and continue to play.”
D’Antoni: It can’t become a personal vendetta. It’s ball movement, seeing the open man, playing the game and competing on every possession. It’s not getting caught up in personal stuff. Anytime the “I” word comes out, it makes it tough to play. We’re doing better. Overall, we’re happy with where the team is going and guys stepping up and playing the right way
Burns: One of those guys stepping up, Jake Voskuhl goes down and Antonio McDyess inserted into the starting lineup. Last week he said he didn’t know what the team had planned for him. Right now, the plan is to keep Dice on the floor I assume.
D’Antoni: He’s going to play. Jakes’s still hurt. The biggest thing is we were able to give McDyess a block of time that he could get feel comfortable with. He just kept working. That’s a good lesson to everyone. Things weren’t looking great for him, but that doesn’t mean he just gave up. He worked hard at practice everyday, working on his game. He was getting better physically and showing his stuff in practice where we were comfortable going with him when Jake went down. It doesn’t change what we want to do in playing Lampe or being sure Amaré’s on the floor a lot. Antonio’s gotten his chance and he’s making the most of it.
Caller (John in Phoenix): Do you think there’s a chance we’ll go after UConn’s Emeka Okafor?
D’Antoni: Depends on the ping-pong balls. We’re trying to get as many as we can. That’s not exactly what we want to do, but yeah, he’s going to be one of the top picks. It depends where we end up in the lottery.
Caller (David in Mesa): How do you take a young team like the Suns and keep them from becoming like the Clippers who have perpetually been young and inexperienced but never been very good. Is the answer to have some veterans like McDyess?
D’Antoni: Definitely we need some veteran players. We have the cap room to do that this summer. We aren’t going to throw money at people we don’t think are the right fit. We want to be careful who we give the money to. The Colangelos have always stepped up to the plate, and when there’s the time to hit the home run, they’ve hit it. We like our nucleus. We have to add to it. We’ll build around that. You can bet on it that the Colangelos will do the right thing.
Burns: The Bulls have been the greatest example of a team that was too young and put together all wrong. I’ve said it before, but if McDyess continues to play well, based on the money he’s made and his love of the organization and what he brings to the table. He brings a sense of calm to these guys and that’s key. Chemistry is significant.
D’Antoni: Antonio is one of the good guys in the league. The younger players respect him. He doesn’t talk a whole lot, but when he does, they’ll listen. They like him as a person and his work ethic. The way he does things rubs off on the young guys. He’s a great influence right now.
Caller (Debbie in Gilbert): Antonio has a calming effect on the team. When he goes out, everything changes. Is he felling okay? Is he signable again?
D’Antoni: He does have a calming effect on the team. He helps Amare on defense. He’s a tough guy and again he’s very likeable. His knee is pretty good. That’ll always be a question. It depends what he wants to do. Next year he’s a free agent. Depending on how he sees the future, he’ll have to make some decisions. That’s another great reason why we’re playing him. How good can he get and how much rust can he get off his game and see how he stacks up. The only thing is when he gets hit on the knee. He has those two pins in there and he says when he gets hit, the pain just explodes in his knees. He was almost in tears couple of times last night, and then 30 seconds later I get word from the bench he’s ready to go. He’s a warrior and hopefully he can hang in there physically.
Major injuries, it takes a year to get over them. He started playing again in December. He’s ahead of schedule and he’s doing a great job.
Burns: Let’s talk about Maciej Lampe. Nineteen years of age and he takes an attitude of a guy who’s been in the league for five or six years. Mixing it up with Jahidi, mixing it up with Amaré, that aggressiveness and quirkiness is something this team can use.
D’Antoni: He’s a talent. He can be very good. Again he’s only 19. He’s got a lot to learn. He’s going to have to go through some trials and tribulations. He’s going to get knocked down a few pegs and get himself back up again. He’s doing all the right things. He says he’s going to work out here all summer. He’s a great complement to Amare. It’s early. We don’t want to put too much on his plate. He has to go through his process of maturing to become a good player.
Talk to the Coach
Posted: March 26, 2004
KTAR’s Kevin Ray tracked down Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni in New Orleans for the 620 Sportsline’s “Talk to the Coach” segment Thursday night. Much of the time was spent discussing Antonio McDyess, who’s more than filled in for an injured Jake Voskuhl as of late.
Dave Burns: Tough one in Philly last night. The first three quarters, we’ve talked for so long that these guys are getting it… The lights are going to come on. They put up 123 points against Milwaukee. They come up with another victory in Cleveland to start the road trip. The first three quarters against the 76ers, a 15-point lead. You have to be pleased.
Mike D’Antoni: We’re playing better. With Antonio McDyess coming in, he gives us some veteran leadership. He’s been good. And the other guys are feeding off him. In Cleveland, the first three quarters we’re moving the ball well. We had 19 assists in the first half and ended up with 25 or 26. In Philadelphia, we were moving the ball and we kicked the game away. We were 10 points ahead with six minutes to go. For whatever reason, they upped their defense, they got physical, they got calls, we got frustrated and the ball just didn’t move. I showed them the tape today, and that was a game we should’ve won. Hopefully we’ll learn from it.
Burns: We’ll avoid talking about the officiating too much.
D’Antoni: That’s a process that we have to play through. Understand how a game is being officiated, and requires even more ball movement and get better shots and easier shots. If you force anything obviously you won’t get the calls. Knowing how to win games even when things are against you. That’s a process, if we want to be a good team, we’ll have to master.
Burns: A coach can talk about this all he wants. A teammate can talk about this all he wants. You have to go through this fire to get an understanding: “I’m frustrated, but I have to put that to the back of my mind and continue to play.”
D’Antoni: It can’t become a personal vendetta. It’s ball movement, seeing the open man, playing the game and competing on every possession. It’s not getting caught up in personal stuff. Anytime the “I” word comes out, it makes it tough to play. We’re doing better. Overall, we’re happy with where the team is going and guys stepping up and playing the right way
Burns: One of those guys stepping up, Jake Voskuhl goes down and Antonio McDyess inserted into the starting lineup. Last week he said he didn’t know what the team had planned for him. Right now, the plan is to keep Dice on the floor I assume.
D’Antoni: He’s going to play. Jakes’s still hurt. The biggest thing is we were able to give McDyess a block of time that he could get feel comfortable with. He just kept working. That’s a good lesson to everyone. Things weren’t looking great for him, but that doesn’t mean he just gave up. He worked hard at practice everyday, working on his game. He was getting better physically and showing his stuff in practice where we were comfortable going with him when Jake went down. It doesn’t change what we want to do in playing Lampe or being sure Amaré’s on the floor a lot. Antonio’s gotten his chance and he’s making the most of it.
Caller (John in Phoenix): Do you think there’s a chance we’ll go after UConn’s Emeka Okafor?
D’Antoni: Depends on the ping-pong balls. We’re trying to get as many as we can. That’s not exactly what we want to do, but yeah, he’s going to be one of the top picks. It depends where we end up in the lottery.
Caller (David in Mesa): How do you take a young team like the Suns and keep them from becoming like the Clippers who have perpetually been young and inexperienced but never been very good. Is the answer to have some veterans like McDyess?
D’Antoni: Definitely we need some veteran players. We have the cap room to do that this summer. We aren’t going to throw money at people we don’t think are the right fit. We want to be careful who we give the money to. The Colangelos have always stepped up to the plate, and when there’s the time to hit the home run, they’ve hit it. We like our nucleus. We have to add to it. We’ll build around that. You can bet on it that the Colangelos will do the right thing.
Burns: The Bulls have been the greatest example of a team that was too young and put together all wrong. I’ve said it before, but if McDyess continues to play well, based on the money he’s made and his love of the organization and what he brings to the table. He brings a sense of calm to these guys and that’s key. Chemistry is significant.
D’Antoni: Antonio is one of the good guys in the league. The younger players respect him. He doesn’t talk a whole lot, but when he does, they’ll listen. They like him as a person and his work ethic. The way he does things rubs off on the young guys. He’s a great influence right now.
Caller (Debbie in Gilbert): Antonio has a calming effect on the team. When he goes out, everything changes. Is he felling okay? Is he signable again?
D’Antoni: He does have a calming effect on the team. He helps Amare on defense. He’s a tough guy and again he’s very likeable. His knee is pretty good. That’ll always be a question. It depends what he wants to do. Next year he’s a free agent. Depending on how he sees the future, he’ll have to make some decisions. That’s another great reason why we’re playing him. How good can he get and how much rust can he get off his game and see how he stacks up. The only thing is when he gets hit on the knee. He has those two pins in there and he says when he gets hit, the pain just explodes in his knees. He was almost in tears couple of times last night, and then 30 seconds later I get word from the bench he’s ready to go. He’s a warrior and hopefully he can hang in there physically.
Major injuries, it takes a year to get over them. He started playing again in December. He’s ahead of schedule and he’s doing a great job.
Burns: Let’s talk about Maciej Lampe. Nineteen years of age and he takes an attitude of a guy who’s been in the league for five or six years. Mixing it up with Jahidi, mixing it up with Amaré, that aggressiveness and quirkiness is something this team can use.
D’Antoni: He’s a talent. He can be very good. Again he’s only 19. He’s got a lot to learn. He’s going to have to go through some trials and tribulations. He’s going to get knocked down a few pegs and get himself back up again. He’s doing all the right things. He says he’s going to work out here all summer. He’s a great complement to Amare. It’s early. We don’t want to put too much on his plate. He has to go through his process of maturing to become a good player.
