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发帖数: 3041 | 1 ORLANDO – With the New York Knicks losing eight of the last 10 games,
coinciding with the return from injury of star Carmelo Anthony, and
disgruntlement from players seeping into the news media, coach Mike D'Antoni
abruptly resigned Wednesday, according to a person close to the situation
who requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.
Carmelo Anthony's disgruntlement is thought to be a factor in why New York
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni resigned Wednesday.
D'Antoni, coach of the Knicks since the start of the 2008-09 season, had
been reveling in his team's play during Anthony's absence because of the
emergence of point guard Jeremy Lin. With Lin spurring the Knicks to a seven
-game winning streak, D'Antoni even remarked it was fun again to call a play
and have it run.
There has been no fun of late, with the Knicks (18-24) on a season high-
tying six game losing streak entering Tuesday's home against the Portland
Trail Blazers and having dropped into a tie with the Milwaukee Bucks for the
eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony has been unhappy about his role of late and was particularly upset
about the past two losses, to the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls.
D'Antoni gave no inkling of what was to come when he put the Knicks through
what he said was a good a morning shotaround Wednesday. He certainly was
aware of the media circus created by the slump and player disgruntlement.
"You battle against it and I think we're cohesive enough to battle through
this and we expect to do that," he said then. Only hours later, he resigned.
D'Antoni went 121-167 with the Knicks and led them to one playoff appearance
(2010-11) in his three-plus seasons with the team. He was in the final year
of a four-year deal and was essentially coaching for an extension.
Since Anthony joined the team last season in a trade from the Denver Nuggets
, the Knicks have gone 25-34 — 12-20 with him in the lineup this season, 6-
4 without him, including five games missed with a strained right groin.
The Knicks are 2-8 since Anthony returned Feb. 20, and statistics reveal the
Knicks have been a better offensive and defensive team with Anthony on the
bench.
Knicks assistant Mike Woodson will coach tonight's game, but a source close
to the situation who requested anonymity does not know if Woodson will
finish the season as interim coach.
News of D'Antoni's resignation apparently did not get communicated in a
timely fashion to the Knicks' marketing side. Shortly after word of D'Antoni
's resignation reached the news media, Knicks fans, according to CNBC's
Darren Rovell, were sent e-mails about preparing to buy their playoff
tickets.
"There is nothing like the excitement of Knicks Playoff basketball at The
World's Most Famous Arena and we are pleased to share your 2012 Playoff
Information," the email began, Rovell reported.
Interestingly, only minutes after Yahoo Sports first tweeted D'Antoni's
resignation, Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari— a former NBA head
coach who many believe will be back in the league — tweeted this amid his
preparation for his team's first game of the NCAA tournament Thursday
against Western Kentucky:
"As I've said before, I have the greatest job in basketball at any level.
Why would I be interested in another job?
"I love being the coach of the commonwealth's team. To the #BBN & all the
recruits that are coming or want to come, I will be at Kentucky."
The day began with a New York Post report that Anthony wanted out of New
York, that he was unhappy with D'Antoni and the coach's up-tempo, pick-and-
roll system. Anthony prefers more isolation plays and a slower tempo.
But Anthony's agent, Leon Rose, told USA TODAY that his client was not
seeking a trade.
After the morning shootaround, run by D'Antoni, Anthony even said he
supported the coach "100 percent."
Anthony's role in D'Antoni's system was a concern among some Knicks
executives when New York acquired the forward in a deal with the Denver
Nuggets just before the trade deadline last season.
However, there were enough positives to convince people it could work.
The Knicks had made the playoffs, then acquired center Tyson Chandler in
free agency after the lockout ended. Point guard Jeremy Lin's unexpected
emergence as the starting point guard in February gave the Knicks a glimmer
of hope.
Yet the longer the D'Antoni-Anthony experiment went, the more it became an
untenable situation — and one had to go. Usually, it's the coach, not the
star with the $85 million contract.
New York averages 109.8 points per 100 possessions with Anthony on the bench
and 97.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, according to NBA
.com's advanced stats database. The Knicks also allow 107.1 points per 100
possessions with Anthony on the court, and 95.1 points per 100 possessions
with him on the bench.
The coaching change produces ripple effects for the Knicks for this season
and beyond.
Considered a lock to make the playoffs at the start of the season and a
potential top-four team, the Knicks are fighting to stay ahead of the Bucks,
who acquired guard Monta Ellis from the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
The Bucks already were playing decent basketball without center Andrew Bogut
, who was dealt to the Warriors.
Looking ahead, the Knicks face multiple decisions. How does forward Amar'e
Stoudemire, who has long thrived in D'Antoni's system, including when coach
and player were with the Phoenix Suns, fit into the Knicks' plan? What about
Lin, who was cut by the Warriors and Houston Rockets this season before
finding a perfect match for his game in D'Antoni's pick-and-roll offense?
During All-Star weekend in Orlando, Lin addressed his perfect fit with D'
Antoni.
"I know there's the theory that it's just a perfect system for me, and I
agree it is a perfect system for me," Lin said. "I'm thankful that I play
for coach D'Antoni because he really is an offensive genius, the way he
designed his system. So it's very suitable for me, and I guess somewhere
down the road if I play in another system, we'll be able to answer better
that question of can I play in another system."
He might find the answer to that question sooner than he expected. | d***8
发帖数: 2039 | | D********n
发帖数: 1595 | 3 这个已经是银河系以外来的了。
【在 d***8 的大作中提到】
: 火星人？
| e***t
发帖数: 14386 | 4 有少许新内容
【在 D********n 的大作中提到】
: 这个已经是银河系以外来的了。
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