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So the recruitment of one of the NBA's=20
brightest coaching minds was done with a tantalizing lure. Donnie Walsh =
couldn't=20
sell the present to Mike D'Antoni, but because of the well-known
Come hell or high loss totals along the way, Walsh =
will get
"They wanted to play for Mike," the person said. And =
Walsh is=20
banking on this to be just another reason for LeBron=20
James to seriously consider making the Garden his home if he =
declines a=20
player option and becomes a free agent in 2010.
It would take a =
lot of=20
payroll maneuvering in the meantime and, perhaps, some tough decisions. =
As the=20
roster stands, the Knicks will have just $28 million against the cap =
going into=20
the 2010-11 season. It's the perfect storm; the best player on the =
planet is=20
available and the richest team in the league has cap =
space.
![3DNewsday=20](3D"http://www.newsday.com/images/branding/masthead_subpages.gif")
=
May 12, 2008
Can the D'Antoni hire lure LeBron James to =
Knicks?
If the=20
Knicks can get under the salary cap by 2010, they'll be in excellent =
position to sign Lebron James when he becomes a free agent.
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"I think those thoughts are very prominent in the =
front=20
office," said a person with knowledge of the situation.
D'Antoni, =
who=20
will be officially introduced as Knicks coach either tomorrow or =
Wednesday, had=20
a two-time MVP in Steve=20
Nash running his high-octane offense and all-stars Shawn=20
Marion and Amare Stoudemire as key pieces in his system with the =
Suns. And=20
he is salivating at the mere potential of inserting the versatile James =
into his=20
very versatile system on basketball's grandest stage.
One person =
with=20
knowledge of D'Antoni's thinking suggested he "would probably use =
[James] at the=20
four spot [power forward] ... He would fit in anywhere."
James is =
the=20
mold of the ideal player for the D'Antoni system. "Ideally," the person =
said,=20
"you would have a bunch of 6-9 guys who can handle the ball and shoot=20
threes."
But this is all hypothetical. Right now, D'Antoni is =
taking over=20
a team that won 23 games last season. There is a prevailing belief that=20
D'Antoni's loose, freewheeling style is not the right fit for the Knicks =
as they=20
are currently constructed. But those who have worked with D'Antoni over =
the=20
years insist he can and will adjust to the personnel he =
has.
"It's a=20
block of clay, and they're working the clay right now and trying to =
decide what=20
the possibilities are," said Memphis Grizzlies coach Marc Iavarone, who =
spent=20
the previous three-plus seasons as an assistant with D'Antoni on the =
Suns'=20
coaching staff. "They are not married to anything as of right now, that =
I would=20
think. They would probably be talking about what can we do that will =
move this=20
one step at a time; whether it's a roster move, whether it's a style =
move,=20
whatever it is."
Make no mistake, the style will eventually be =
what we've=20
seen in Phoenix, where the team lived by the "Seven Seconds" mantra, =
which=20
encouraged players to look for their shot in the first seven seconds of =
a=20
possession. It is a philosophy that leads to more possessions and, =
therefore,=20
more opportunities to score. It also means there are fewer passes within =
an=20
offensive set, which results in fewer turnovers.
"Most coaches =
believe=20
defenses are more vulnerable late in the shot clock, that you can get =
them out=20
of position with a lot of passing," D'Antoni said in a Sports =
Illustrated=20
feature in the Oct. 31, 2005 issue. "We think defenses are most =
vulnerable=20
before they get set."
According to 82games.com, 43 percent of the =
Suns=20
possessions this season resulted in a shot within the first 10 seconds =
of the=20
24-second shot clock. Only 10 percent came with more than 21 seconds =
left. By=20
comparison, the Knicks took a shot in the first 10 seconds 37 percent of =
the=20
time, and 15 percent of their offense resulted in a shot with more than =
21=20
seconds left.
Opponents of this style say there is too much =
emphasis on=20
offense, and defense is an afterthought. D'Antoni plays to outscore you, =
not to=20
stop you, and, as shown by the Suns' playoff failures, that style =
doesn't win=20
championships. Even Walsh had long believed the traditional way -=20
half-court-based, inside-out offense and an in-your-face defense - was =
the way=20
to go.
"He and I have had numerous philosophical conversations =
regarding=20
the new Suns-like style versus the classic style; the Heat with Riley, =
the Spurs=20
and Boston," said one league executive who has been a longtime Walsh =
confidant.=20
"We usually ended up in the same place: the classic style teams seem to =
be=20
sizing for rings.
"That said, the Pacers hired a new-style guy in =
[Jim]=20
O'Brien last season. and I know that Donnie liked the =
selection."
As the=20
story goes, D'Antoni came upon this hot new style out of basic need. =
During his=20
first training camp as coach of the Suns in 2004-05, he looked at his =
roster and=20
realized he did not have an experienced, traditional power forward. The =
only=20
player who filled the role was a rookie named Jackson Vroman.
So =
D'Antoni=20
thought that instead of inserting an inexperienced, somewhat overmatched =
player=20
in his starting five, why not just add another swingman? So unwittingly =
began=20
Marion's career as the smallest power forward in the NBA. But it worked =
like=20
magic. With an extra athlete on the floor, the Suns scored a league-high =
110.4=20
points per game that season.
"That's one of the things he =
believes in,=20
and I don't think he would mind me saying this, is that you put your =
five best=20
players on the floor," Iavarone said. "He's probably the antithesis of =
having=20
that sixth-man concept. His theory is, why am I waiting to bring in one =
of my=20
best players?"
Marion eventually soured on the idea of playing =
out of=20
position - in reality, the Suns' offense doesn't have set positions, but =
on=20
defense, Marion was often in difficult matchups - and that's where =
things began=20
to crumble for D'Antoni in Phoenix. But despite his issues this past =
season with=20
Marion, who was eventually traded for Shaquille=20
O'Neal, and Stoudemire, D'Antoni still is considered to be a =
players'=20
coach.
Copyright =C2=A9 2008, Newsday Inc.
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