Post Game: Bobcats 118, Knicks 110

January 4, 2012 | 10:27pm

The theme of tonight’s game was defense and the lack of it. The Bobcats had six players in double figures led by Boris Diaw’s 27 points on 12-15 shooting. Gerald Henderson also torched the Knicks for 24 points on 10-13 shooting. Charlotte put on a clinic from the field shooting 55 percent overall and 64 percent from downtown.

The return of forward Amar’e Stoudemire and guard Iman Shumpert wasn’t enough but both put up big numbers. Stoudemire had 25 points and 12 rebounds while the rookie Shumpert provided a spark off the bench scoring 18 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing three assists, and playing harassing defense with two steals. Carmelo Anthony dazzled the Madison Square Garden crowd with 32 points as well.

Despite the gaudy numbers put up on offense the Knicks struggled on defense. The additions of assistant coach Mike Woodson and center Tyson Chandler haven’t yielded results up to expectations. Fans booed the team’s lack of defensive effort on the court. To make things worse, Chandler appeared visibly frustrated with his teammates lack of rotation as the Bobcats scored numerous uncontested baskets in the paint.

The final blow came when Shumpert limped off the court towards the end of the game after re-injuring his knee. Shumpert immediately went back to the locker room. Mike D’Antoni said the injury would be okay.

The Knicks have one day to address their defense before hitting the road to face the Washington Wizards. The Wizards come into the game winless with six losses to start the year. The Knicks enter the game with a 2-4 record.

Follow me on Twitter: @MikeAScotto

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Fact or Fiction: The Knicks Should Fire Mike D’Antoni

March 31, 2011 | 11:46am

ESPN asked four bloggers and one national writer on the Knicks and Nets to answer some questions in the form of “fact or fiction”. 

After a roller coaster ride of a season, Mike D’Antoni has been in the hot seat. Does he have the aptitude and intelligence and the right style of play to ride this team to a championship? Should he be fired?

To that question, all five writers who answered (Brian Cronin, Caleb Hellerman, Devin Kharpertian, Sebastian Pruiti, and Chris Sheridan) gave a resounding no.

D’Antoni’s tenure with the team has almost reached three years and he has amassed a 98-141 record, while two of those years came from teams that had no hope or potential to make playoff runs.

Now though, with a squad with two bonafide scorers and a skilled veteran point guard, there are increased expectations. The holes in the rotation, though, remain the same, and it’s hard to force the shoulder of blame on D’Antoni for that problem. 

D’Antoni Knows Implications of Increased Expectations

February 28, 2011 | 12:55pm

“This is a big step… This is still one game. I know New York is going to get excited, but calm down a little bit, and take this a little bit at a time.”

~Mike D’Antoni on victory over Heat

With the trade for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, D’Antoni realizes that New York expects the Knicks to make a run in the playoffs. I’m assuming that he will remain with a feeling of uneasiness until he knows his job is intact. I expect the former Italian baller to be on the sidelines for years to come however there’s no denying that the Big Apple creates a false feeling of assurances surrounding the team.

D’Antoni has been given the players this season (with a lack of depth up front) to succeed and has turned them into a 30 win team, with 25 games left to play. If the Knicks go 13-12 from this point forward, they’ve managed to make the playoffs and win 43 games this season. That’s success. Coming into the season, many felt how D’Antoni does right now: uneasy. It was also uneasy as the Knicks lost on Friday night to the worst team in the NBA.

So while D’Antoni is looking out for himself when he says “calm down a bit” to New York, he’s speaking the truth. The Knicks are an exciting team, but they haven’t done anything when it matters the most. I’m interested to see what New York can do against a tall and talented Orlando squad, led by none other than Dwight Howard.

The Closing of One Door Opens Another

February 22, 2011 | 8:50am

Closure. It’s sometimes the most beautiful thing in all of sports. And in case you were sleeping under a rock for the past 12 hours, that’s exactly what you got last night.

Carmelo Anthony will officially wear Knickerbocker blue and orange. There’s really no better feeling. Maybe winning a championship is, but many fans have yet to experience that joy ride.

Meanwhile, Mike D’Antoni is about to enter the most stressful 28 game period of his life. If he cannot somehow find a way to make this group work over othat time, his job is just about gone. Keep in mind that this won’t come easy. The Heat started 8-7. If the Knicks put up similar results, New York will be in a state of pandemonium.

So while many (fans, media, players) are thankful this is finally over, it’s about to start all over again. Not with a player this time, but with the team. People will finally be interested in New York Knick basketball again. That is the good part.

The potentially difficult part about this process is that D’Antoni is on the clock. The door that closed was Melo’s. The one that opened was D’Antoni’s. It’s up to him what to make of this team and the results, however good or bad they may be, are not fully in his control by any means.

What will tomorrow bring?

One thing is for sure, a basketball game will be played. Worrying about the little things like the number on the back of Anthony’s jersey (don’t worry, we’ll do that here today) are not essential to what goes on at 2 Penn Plaza for each Knick home game for the rest of the season.

Part of what makes sports so great is the closure that comes after the end of an event. Yesterday provided the closure that every person surrounding basketball needed, but little did they know that a new journey will be popping up from under our eye, starting tomorrow night at the Garden.

Mike D’Antoni, for the first time with his stint in the Big Apple, is undeniably under the City’s bright spotlight.

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D’Antoni: “We Want Melo” Hurts Team

February 13, 2011 | 9:01am

“It’s not good. There’s no doubt about it… It affects some of the players without a doubt… I hate it for them… Because you’re banged up and hurting and trying to push through certain things. Psychologically, it’s not the best thing at times… They have to harden up and harden their skin up and know that, ‘I’ve got to play well.’”

~Mike D’Antoni, on “We Want Melo” chants

I’ve had some great banter in the past couple of days on this topic, and I tend to agree with D’Antoni. Sure, fans pay for a seat at MSG, but when you chant for someone on a different team, you are effectively rooting for the player and not your team. You are cheering for somebody who has punched a Knick in the face. You are shouting for someone that represents Denver, not New York.

Booing is fine in my book. You’re not disrespecting the players on the court, and there’s no other way to show you are unhappy about purchasing your ticket however cheering for Melo only hurts the team as a whole.

Since the Nets pulled out of the Melo Drama (January 19), they are 7-7. Since entering then, the Knicks 5-8. The “We Want Melo” chants are obviously not helping in any capacity.

Now, with all that being said, I’m not opposed to the Knicks acquiring Carmelo Anthony. As a fan, how could you be? But the sticking point remains, no matter how poorly the team is performing, it’s very difficult for me to cheer for someone who’s not on the roster.

What do you think? Should fans chant “We Want Melo” at the Garden?

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Is Sloan the Right Option For Knicks?

February 11, 2011 | 1:15pm

Twenty-three years is a long time. The majority of head coaches don’t last for five, let alone ten seasons. Twenty or more though?

That’s ex-Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan for you. Sloan was fired (technically, resigned) because, reportedly, he and Deron Williams, a coveted possible 2012 free agent, got into numerous oral arguments throughout the season.

In 2008, Mike D’Antoni was hired as the Knicks head coach for a $24 million deal. His goal was simple: to lead New York until 2012.

It’s understandable why fans have trouble accepting D’Antoni. He’s a brash, sometimes biased head coach, who never messes with his rotation. Those against D’Antoni cry out that he hasn’t won a title. Worst of all though, he’s a coach that’s associated himself with two years of losing.

Jerry Sloan, on the other hand, hasn’t won a title either, in his 23 years of coaching. He’s remembered for his success with Stockton and Malone; even though they never won it all, Sloan has somehow warmed the hearts of America.

New York, as I’m sure you’re well aware, is in America as well. And just recently, with Sloan’s firing, the presumption that he could possibly be the head coach for the New York Knicks has been spread.

Well, let’s shoot that one down. It’s unrealistic.

While I do think Sloan will be coaching again, it won’t be in New York. The media spotlight is too bright. The organization already has the utmost confidence in one man. Simply and clearly: the Knicks have their guy and it Sloan isn’t it.

If the Knicks make the playoffs, Mike D’Antoni will be on the Garden sidelines next season for 41 games.

After that, who knows?

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Possible Choices For a New Coach

November 19, 2010 | 12:13pm

I refuse to think there is a legitimate chance Mike D’Antoni gets fired anytime soon. Don’t mistake that for me defending the “Seven Seconds or Mess” system, just realistically talking to people around the organization, it seems like Mr. Three Ball himself will be sticking around… for better or for worse.

Before the second quarter Wednesday night against the Kings, calling for his head was a common occurrence throughout the interwebs and there’s reason for it – the Knicks were not coming to play.

But winning is the best silence, especially when your team are in the middle of a six game skid.

Let’s assume though that the Knicks continued playing the way they did in the first quarter in Sacramento. They now see “L7″ next to their Win/Loss Streak in the standings. Are we still talking about replacing D’Antoni? Probably. So who are actual choices? Let’s be realistic here, folks.

I’ve heard Jeff Van Gundy thrown around among the fans, but that’s not realistic. Gundy would be awesome. Just would a great way to bring back tradition and style back to this Knicks franchise. I’d be pumped for sure.

But that’s not going to happen.

So who might be considered?

Mark Jackson is one man hated by New Yorkers from the 90′s, but is an actual possibility. He was a great basketball mind in his playing days, so whats to say he can’t transfer that to the sidelines? His primary flaw though is his lack of experience as an NBA head coach. And word on the street is he’d want to bring in his own staff, which would be detrimental to the team.

Someone else who was thrown around (especially on The Knicks Blog Radio) is Mike Fratello, who hasn’t coached a team since 2004, but is known for being basically the opposite of D’Antoni. He stresses defense, wants players to hold the ball for long amounts of time to tick time away from the shot clock, and from what I hear, is actually a solid guy to have sitting on the bench.

Again, I’m not sure this is something Knicks fans really need to be seriously worried about, but I’m sure you guys will be anyway. I know the hatred toward D’Antoni is at an all-time high, but would like to see him make adjustments throughout the season, rather than just judging him off the adjustments he makes in specific games.

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Why It’s Too Early To Talk About a New Coach

November 13, 2010 | 1:35pm

Tommy Dee wrote a post today on The Knicks Blog throwing around some coaching suggestions but mainly telling Knicks fans the cold, hard truth: Mike D’Antoni is not going anywhere. I think that’s something many do not want to hear right now and it’s part of the reason why I refuse to talk about potential candidates when the season is only nine games in.

D’Antoni has not proved he can win in New York yet, but let’s keep in mind this is Year 1, not Year 3, of D’Antoni’s reign as coach. This is the first time he has the roster he wants and can actually do something. After such losing in the past, the only thing D’Antoni can do to win the heart NYC is win. And provided the slow 3-6, winning, and D’Antoni out, are two things that seem far, far away.

The problem is with criticizing the coach is that he’s won elsewhere. Saying something like “this coach has never won and never will” (which I’ve heard in the past week) is something that only has a nine game sample size. In other words, we don’t know what he’s capable of, other than blowing fourteen point leads at halftime.

The Knicks need this Italian more than ever in the upcoming stretch (between Houston, Denver, and the west coast), and if he manages to find a way back to .500 for the rest of the season, just once, I’m sure he’ll already have fans on his side.