D'Antoni admits the obvious: Bulls are "better"
Tribune buddy KC Johnson has been in Beijing (only employees from the mothership get the good trips) and he did a story about the Chicago Bulls strange and meandering coaching search that included Mike D'Antoni and resulted in Vinny Del Negro.
D'Antoni talked to KC about being romanced by both the Knicks and Bulls in that wild two-week courtship in May.
"I think the roster in Chicago is better and they've proved that," D'Antoni said in his typical straight-shooting manner. "For me, working with (Knicks President) Donnie Walsh was a plus." D'Antoni is quick to say he had no problems with Bulls management and says "they were great too."
"But New York is a great place and exciting and I just came to the conclusion for me that it's the best choice. Now we can argue and there was a list of do's and don'ts and all that. But at the end of the day, I just wanted to accept the Knicks' challenge."
That is consistent with what D'Antoni admitted when he chose the Knicks over the Bulls on May 10.
"I wanted to be in New York," he said at his introductory press conference. "We’ll see if that was the right decision. It was a gut feeling and Donnie played a big part in it and also the city of New York and the lure of Madison Square Garden."
* *
Just to touch on the information "Laurel" shared regarding Zach Randolph's contract. A look closer at the details shows the $2 million all-star incentive would only kick in if Z-Bo made the all-star team in each of his six seasons, which he has already failed to achieve. So the original $86 million value is actually $84 million.
He did have 30 percent of the deal deferred when he signed the extension in 2004. Chad Ford reported at the time that the Blazers had 30 percent of the $84 million ($25 mil) deferred. The payments on the deferred portion will be made over a six-year span beginning in 2012.
The actual contract expires after the 2010-11 season and the full amount of the contract, regardless of the deferment, counts against the cap. The fact that the Blazers deferred some salary was just a means of making it affordable for the franchise. It really doesn't have much impact on cap situations and, if anything, could make the contract a little easier to move because a team doesn't have to make the big payments right away.
However, it's also somewhat of an albatross for the bookkeepers because you're still on the hook to pay Z-Bo another six years after the contract expires.
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Comments (23)
Chicago had a better record last year and looks better on paper than the Knicks as well, but it seems that they've been actively rebuilding forever - since Elton Brand anyway. They're kind of what I hope the Knicks don't turn into - a group of decent players that aren't good enough to contend but without the cap flexibility to take the next step. The backcourt has problems with Hinrich, Sefolosha, Hughes and whatever comes of Gordon - all have their plusses, but none is the ideal fit beside Rose. Up front there are similar issues with Nocioni, Gooden, Thomas and Noah - no matter who gets the minutes at what positions, I can't see a rotation that scares the top teams in the league. I just don't see Deng as a franchise guy, and they're going to have tough decisions when it comes to opening the pocketbook for Thomas and eventually Noah - too talented to let walk, but not franchise guys either. Maybe Rose puts them over the top - I don't know.
Zach's contract is awful however its disbursed. It was a huge part of Portland's joy in cutting ties with him (even if they are still on the hook for deferrals).
Re:Pete's comment re:Zach's contract. It's the kind of contract that you get when you are a 20/10 guy, are still valuable in the NBA.
In D'Anotini's system Zach will move the ball or sit.... I think he will. Every body makes the Knick player poor play a result of character flaws... maybe it was just BAD coaching.
Isiah had Curry the focal point one year as he played 'inside-out' and then last year reversed it.... The KNicks changed style from night to night.
pete, portland's not on the hook for the deferrals, the full value and responsibility of the contract travel wherever zbo goes.
Like I said in that post, the money still counts against the cap so what does it matter. For a tight wad owner it may make taking the hit a little bit better, paying it later rather than paying today, but for a GM he is stilling killing your cap space past 2010 and not allowing you the flexibility you need to make your team better.
Bulls and Knicks are the same on paper to me. A bunch of pieces that just don't fit and no superstar on the roster to bring it together. If you go position by position, without looking at the team concept, the Knicks actually have the advantage. The major difference is that the Bulls have a PG of the future who could turn into Chris Paul in Derrick Rose. We have a rooster that got hit by Traylor and now has a broken back.
Last post at 12:56 was mine, and venom at some point players have to also take responsiblity for being career losers (Marburry, Zach, Crawford, Curry) last year was terrible but the players, including Zach, stopped playing hard which is inexcusable.
wait a sec.. woudlnt the team that employed Zbo during each year of his contract defer the money each year??
so the knicks kick in 30% of last years and the blazers kick in for his portland years.. then whoever is blessed withhis presence next year kicks in 30% and zbo has an annuity to take care of all those chillin and ckickies when he's unemployed.
Venom - the "20 and 10 guy" can be the most misleading stat - putting up those numbers on a 24 win team is totally different from doing it on a 60 win team. Zach got the contract because he put up numbers on a lottery-bound Blazers team at a time when Paul Allen's money was being thrown around like confetti. Having whiffed at contract time, Portland showed a more accurate measure of his value by jumping at the chance to ship him out for Frye and the ghost of Steve Francis.
I agree with you that bad coaching has been a problem, but I'm less hopeful that Zach will ever put up his Blazer numbers for a championship contender - not a character issue, just a limited player. That's just my opinion though - we'll see this year.
The above anon is mine. Ooops.
sec11rowH - I think Biggie is right that Portland is still responsible for the deferrals from the years they had him under contract.
Duhon vs. Rose or Hinrich = advantage Bulls
Crawford vs. Hughes = advantage Knicks (but not by much)
Chandler/QRich vs. Deng = advantage Bulls
Zach vs. Gooden = advantage Knicks
Curry vs. Noah = advantage Knicks
Bench = advantage Bulls
Coach = advantage Knicks
GM/President = draw
Maybe it is just about even after all although the Bulls Bench is better than our bench by allot and the Bulls are also better defensively. The wildcard, as it has been since he got here, is Marburry. If he plays the way he is capable of playing he gives us an edge at that crucial PG spot. But even I'll admit that is fantasy land as Starburry is likely a goner.
As a disgusting sidenote you all realize that 3/5 of our starting lineup is from those terrible Bulls teams that were the laughingstock of Chicago during the early part of the decade!
my predictions
marbury wins mvp
knicks win 70 games
nate wins sixman-might happen forreal
dantoni wins coach of the year
crawford wins defensive player of the year
donnie wins g.m of the year
zeke wins best scout
chandler wins sop-rookie mvp.might happen forreal.
gillan wins the softest player of the year
balkman comes back to the garden an storches the knicks with dunks.
mardy wins most improved..
crawdford wins 3pt contest
gillan wins dunk contest
nate wins skills contest
knicks average 120pts for season giving up 140 per game
stay tuned for more KnowLedge
If you wanna keep posting here...stay off the drugs!
That's why they call it DOPE!
K4l -
Duhon didnt play on a non playoff team until last year
Curry was leading that first playoff team in scoring before sitting out the last few weeks due to his heart ailment
Crawford is the only one of the bunch that hasnt really played on a playoff team but in the end when he was in Chicago they were not about wins but about saving money and getting as many picks as they could .It was never about winning while he was there and now Lee and Nate find themselves in a similar situation to Crawford when he left the Bulls.If we re-sign them and wait on 2010 or even 2011 to try and win games they will have never played on a winning team after 6-7 seasons .
Good points Luke....I don't think anybody here ever thought about that.
Way to point that out.
Well I can't speak for everybody else but I know I didn't think of it.
Zach, Crawford, Curry, and Starburry are career losing players Luke whose teams get better when they leave. Duhon I didn't include in that list. As for Curry playing well for 2/3 of a season, that does not make him a "winner" and that team still made the playoffs w/o him and was just as good if not better after he went to the Knicks. As of this point, Lee and Nate are career losers too. I know I sound like Anonymous but its just a fact.
By the way, when I talk about career losers I undestand that Marburry has gone to the playoffs mutiple times, Zach I think was in the conference finals with Portland his rookie year, and Curry's team made the playoffs one year w/o him playing 1/3 of the season due to his heart condition. But when you look at the bulk of their work their teams do not win.
Lee (#30 pick) and Nate (#21 pick) are role players not franchise players and even though at this point in their young careers, they are career losers too they are not expected to carry their team. Crawford (#8 pick), Zach (#19 pick but max salary), Curry (#4 pick), and Starburry (max money) are supposed to be "franchise players" and the fact that their teams stink reflect on them. These guys aren't 4th year players like Nate and Lee, they are all vets whose teams have been horrible. I'm surprised more people aren't angry at all of these guys for quitting on us last year, I guess everyone's venom was aimed at Isiah and Dolan as opposed to the players who took money but quit on the season. While it may have been prudent for ownership and maybe even Isiah to tank for a good draft pick, watching the effort that these guys, who should be trying to win every game, put out was embarrassing. Watching J. James laugh on the bench during loss after loss, Nate and Zach throwing water and towels at each other during the game, getting blown out by 40 in Boston, watching our "star" player abandon the team, watching 1/2 our team look out of shape coming out of training camp, no practices despite all that salary and losing (I'm talking player held practices because of self-pride), and our head coach almost physically fighting two of his players during a game and actually fighting one on the team plane. I say instead of defending this team which has one of the highest payrolls in sports and one of the worst win percentages, we should be calling for all of their heads for the embarrasment they were to the city last year. But to stay on point, all of those guys you mentioned are career losers to me and we need to make smart moves and bring in a winning mentality. D'Antoni is a good start.
Lol better ??? bettter??? the bulls are better??
UHH Yea people they are waaaaaaaay better,they dont have cap issues and they have been to the playoffs two out of the last 3 years while we are the laughing stock of basketball...
Gotta fix the cap and then fix the team
Dont say stupid things like we are just as good as them..nobody can be that foolish
Keeping 2010 alive
with some biz nasty bulljive
And this is why you trade Randolph to a poorly run organization, like the Clippers, when they offer a 2nd rd pick straight up for him.
Nice work Donnie, you senile old fool.
that post was a joke if u took it serious your a fool
but on the real side
the knicks don't have the intelligence to get better
old people can't think straight
we need a young g.m like kenny smith give him a chance
donnie has been in the league for many years but his brain can't think like it can 5-10 years ago...
i just got this gut feelin if the knicks let marbury go he will win a ship
as for the other players i would rebuild around chandler
gillanari is a bench player that has been hype up to have a upside as we can all tell he has more downside with a back injury at 19
an whateva excuse u have to make for him be serious 19 an back probs lmao
think b4 u post or do proper research
stay tuned for more KnowLedge
Bulljive -
The Bulls have been to the playoffs 3 of the last ten years while the knicks have been to the playoffs 4 of the last ten years.That aint nothing to brag about .
However the Bulls have had 17 1st rd draft picks on the team over the last nine years and that includes 11 lottery selections and yet of all those players only two have ever played past there rookie deals for the Bulls. Thats Kirk Hinirch and Luol Deng and their is already talk of them wanting to dump Hinrich one year after signing a huge deal .
There is nothing better about the Bulls they are just a different kind of suck.
K4l
first you say Nate and Lee are career losers and then start making excuses for how they differ from the other guys .Since when did Crawford become a franchise player because he was drafted at 8th ? When did these guys become "franchise players" ? For some you have the salary and then for others you have where they were drafted but the only players we brought in that were even mentioned in that tone was Curry and Marbury.This was Crawfords first year with us where he came into camp as the starter every other year hes was backing someone up and they failed and he had to step up. This was Zachs first year and Curry came straight from hs so he was a hit or miss right from the start.
Basketball is a team game and unless you are at the pinnacle of your position your success is very much dictated by the situations you are in ie team,coaches ,players etc .
Id like to see what D'antoni can do with this bunch while they may not be championship caliber I think they are much better than they have showed.
Yeah Luke!!!!
Way to come back with excellent FACTS!!!
Not opinions.
Whoever said Jamal was or is a franchise player is on rocks.
The Bulls suck just as bad as the Knicks.
They don't know whether their going up or down.
Their backcourt is more crowded than ours.
They have a slew of undersized big men.
They always seem to have a top draft pick (thanks Isiah) but they can never get it right.
Donnie will right the ship and you haters will be happy just like us.
From Frankie Ice,
Former Orlando Magic GM John Gabriel has been hired by the Knicks as the club's new director of scouting.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh also hired Misho Ostarcevic to be the team's director of player personnel. The moves come one month after Brendan Suhr's contract expired.
Zeke's is offically gone ...and for the First time I say good!
I believe he may have talked Dolan and Walsh into taking Gallinari...which I believe was Zeke's way of saying F you New York! Leaving the Knicks with
a potenial bust at #6 that may dwarf Fredrick Weis! History will reveal the truth about how deep this draft was in PG"s ( The Knicks biggest need) and when Bayless and Augustin become perenial All Stars, it will Blow up in Walsh and Company's face as we watch Duhon's D-league game become just decent
in New York, nothing significant for our future!
Mike D'Antoni won't admit it but the Knicks are the worst team in the East on paper and chemistry wise too. I don't see how this team wins more then 27 games next year.
Kenny Smith would be Isiah v2.0 as GM
Don't forget that I said that.