[Feigen] D'Antoni emerges as front-runner for Rockets job

is that a promise or a threat? :grin:

 

Not even one interview with a defense first coach...

 

This is the darkest timeline.

 

I wouldn't be surprised either. Really though it wouldn't be because of MDA, it would be because Morey failed to get more talent. MDA's style only really matters in the playoffs. He's competent enough for rotation and x's and o's to get us to the playoffs but only if we have the talent.

 

I want to come back to this "D'Antoni made Steve Nash" idea that several have floated.

At the end of the 2003-2004 season, D'Antoni had a career record of 35-76. Then the Suns traded for Steve Nash.

Nash was coming off a four-year run with the Mavs where his PER over that time averaged 21, and his four year averages per 36 minutes were reliably about 17 points, 8.5 assists. Let's face it, he was a fantastic point guard.

In Nash's next four seasons, with Pringles, his assist percentage went up, he averaged 2 more assists per 36 minutes with D'Antoni (and a bunch of good spot up shooters), his PER averaged well north of 22, (even getting near 24 once), and his scoring ticked up one point or so on average.

This was no Pringles-mediated revolution. It was an enhancement.

Meanwhile, Pringles had his coaching career made. In those first four years together, the Suns won 70% of their games.

Since those magical four years, Pringles hasn't sniffed more than 42 wins in a full season as head coach, and he topped out at 55% winning w' LAL. Most of his post-Nash work has seen losing seasons, actually not far from his pre-Nash record.

I am not saying Nash made D'Antoni. But Pringles hasn't done much without Nash.

And more than anything, we have to completely put to bed the myth that D'Antoni completely made Nash, who was somehow a forgettable player before moving to Phoenix. Nash wouldn't have ever been an MVP without that system, perhaps, but he was a damned good player kicking ass before he ever met D'Antoni.

 

We've got the Texas Medical Center... Can we gene-edit Steve Nash back into Steve Nash again?

 

I said the same thing in response JayGoogle at the beginning. You give Nash guys like Stoud, Diaw, Barbosa, Bell, Marion....that's going to make more of a difference than Prings.

 

These points can't be stressed enough - this whole situation reeks of an out of touch owner who doesn't have a good understanding of what is wrong the team AND who hasn't realized the league has changed in a way that makes D'Antoni far less inventive or unique.

...not to mention the fact the roster doesn't have the personnel to implement a D'Antoni lineup and D'Antoni has struggled heartily adapting his style for other rosters. We won't be horrible, but clearly this is NOT the right choice for this roster and will not address many of the issues that made last year's team such an embarrassment AND clearly this type of meddling is going to push one of the top GMs in the league away from us.

For Houston fans, this is the worst possible news for the future of our team. Get ready for middle of the road playoff team/not serious contender, Morey leaving, Harden getting out of town, hiring Sam Hinkie for a rebuild and viola we are the Sixers South....

 

Don't forget young Joe Johnson too. Not exactly Ariza and Brewer. SMDH.

 

I mean the same argument works the other way though. Outside of PHX, Dantoni has basically worked for bad organizations with bad or broken down rosters.

 

Sounds familiar. He never gets the most out of bad rosters either, he always checks out. He's a snake charmer and Les has been charmed.

 

Woj: Rockets bring in Stephen Silas for second interview

 

this.

 

You're not being fair to D'Antoni.

His alleged poor record in Phoenix before Nash came on board? He was a midseason hire in Phoenix the year before Nash arrived. You can't possibly fault D'Antoni for having a 21-40 record as a midseason replacement coach for an injury-riddled team. He won coach of the year in his first full season as head coach in Phoenix.

You also conveniently neglected to mention that after D'Antoni left Phoenix, he took over rebuilding a 23-59 Knicks franchise in the immediate aftermath of the Isiah Thomas era. He had the thankless task of spending the first few seasons waiting out bad contracts to expire, so they can rebuild in free agency. Once again, you can't blame him for having a couple of losing records in that scenario. And rebuilt them, he did. The Knicks finally reached the playoffs on back-to-back seasons, after having gone nearly a decade without even a regular season winning record.

As for the Lakers disaster, there's no question D'Antoni underperformed. But it's not like he had a perfect situation there. Kobe missed the playoffs in his first year, and the entire season next. The less said about Steve Nash's injury woe as a Laker, the better. Then you had Dwight's back surgery in that first year too. Those teams were riddled with bad injuries and bad chemistry. D'Antoni could've done a better job, but don't lay all the blame at his feet. Most of it was just bad luck. People forget D'Antoni led the Lakers to a 28-12 finish and a Coach of the Month award in his first season as a Laker. Kobe's injury derailed everything though.

D'Antoni gets far too much hate, and most of it is undeserved. He'd a good coach; probably the best coach the Rockets have had since Adelman & JVG.

 

Nash talks about how Cassell helped him when he was Rook

Rocket River

 

Bump. Sometimes you have to listen to the fan base. See results.

 

Being better than McHale and JBB is not exactly a high bar.

 

Spoiler

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u-RCNCcGSgQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Push back!