Defense and Discipline are two words that every chamionship team need to not only know, but understand, and live....that is if you want to stay champions.
Mike D'Antoni is a friend of neither, so please do me a favor and stay away from the NY Knicks. If Chicago has any sense, they'll pass on him too. Don't fall for the biggest and latest flash in the pan coach to hit the NBA. His four seasons in Phoenix have attracted all the attention, yet gathered none of the hardware. So these owners and GM's need to ask themselves... which do we want more?
The whole 7 seconds or less philosophy will NEVER get it done in a league where you have teams that thrive on defending and having poise and discipline. They just can't all full exist together. A nice mix will always be a positive direction to move in....but we all know that the 2 D's are so very important. If you had a nice Cadillac Escalade...brand new...low miles...best engine with the best transmission and everything...it sounds great and runs great...you take it on the streets to show off and everyone loves it.....that is until you find yourself going 80 miles per hour and realize you never serviced your brakes, you don't have a working airbag, and your seatbelts are faulty.....imagine that wreck of a scene.
that's exactly what the Suns' organization is facing with D'Antoni at the helm. They are primed for being totalled, as they were against the defending champion Spurs, losing 5-1...this after they specifically designed the team to do just the opposite. Well they forgot to add the 2 D's to that sketch, and even if they made it passed San Antonio, there's no way they would've handled the collision with CP3 and the Hornets. The Suns would be DOA!!!
So now D'Antoni imagines he'll take his high wire act on the road and impress some other unsuspecting city. I guess it might not be too bad for a city like Memphis or even Charlotte. But please...stay away from the New York Knicks. That's my team, and as sorry as we've been...we still need defense and discipline.
Note to Donnie Walsh: Please don't hire 'Antoni....he has no 'D'
While D'Antoni's style over the past few years had relative success with the Suns, it obviously hasn't translated into a title. I do think that the Bulls will be the best fit for him. They're a young team that would do well to run. But winning a title without being able to consistently score in the half-court set will be his demise.
What's funny was, as a Gator, I really was hoping the Suns could draft Joakim Noah. While not guaranteeing a championship by any stretch, he was a big man that could run the floor a la D'Antoni style.
D'Antoni to the Bulls could open up Noah's game nicely.
i like Joakim Noah. he's scrappy and he hustles. every championship caliber team needs a guy like that. but D'Antoni can not survive in a half court set where defense is a must. the eastern conference is all about that. i'm not so sure he would be successful there either.
