[Daily NY] D'Antoni as the Next Rockets Coach

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-21/news/32779785_1_jeremy-lin-linsanity-rockets


Mike D’Antoni will take the coming NBA season off, but we can see him returning the following season and landing in Houston to reunite with Jeremy Lin.

In fact, it makes all the sense in the world. Now that the Rockets are committed to going with Lin as their top playmaker, they should have D’Antoni’s phone number handy. Nothing against their current coach, Kevin McHale, but if the Rockets really believe that the former Knick sensation can be a crucial part of their renaissance, then there's no better system to put him in than the one used exclusively by D’Antoni, as the sporting world saw much to its amazement last season.

“For 20 games, he was one of the best in the league and he was dominating from the headlines to even the basketball court,” D’Antoni said in England, where the former Knick coach is assisting Mike Krzyzewski with the U.S. Olympic team. “So you can’t discount that he’ll never be able to do it, because not only did he do it, he did it at the highest level possible.”

When Linsanity was at its all-time high, it came when one or both of the Knicks’ stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, were sidelined by injuries or personal issues. Have you checked the Rockets roster lately? It’s about as unimposing as the Knicks’ lineup when Lin dominated the ball and had the entire spotlight to himself. Lin made his greatest impact with D’Antoni allowing him all of the freedom he gave to Steve Nash, a two-time MVP, in Phoenix. True, he had his ups and downs, but the Rockets should remember that they’ll get Lin at his best when he’s playing in D’Antoni’s offense.

Content to sit out this coming season, D'Antoni is looking to get another head coaching job in 2013-14, according to several league sources. In the meantime, the league will be watching what McHale gets out of Lin with his pick-and-roll offense. Whatever happens, remember that while many other coaches and GMs view Lin as no more than a solid backup, D’Antoni is still a big believer, maybe the biggest in the NBA, in his development into a major player.

“Houston could find themselves a very, very, very good basketball player,” he said. “At least he’s going to be a good player. The guy’s got quickness and determination, so he’s going to be good. Now it depends on what level, nobody knows that, but I wouldn’t bet against him.”

It will never be Linsanity in Houston, not the way it was in New York. But the Rockets are expecting their new $25 million player to generate the same appeal for their brand in Asian markets that Yao Ming gave them when he came to the team as the No. 1 pick in 2002 and developed into a five-time (second- and third-team combined) All-NBA center. Clearly, the Rockets have bought into Linsanity, starting at the very top with owner Les Alexander.

“I think we are going to be on national TV now because of Jeremy,” Alexander said. “Free agents want to be on a team that is in the national spotlight. So I think from a basketball standpoint, we will really improve our negotiations with many, many free agents.”

Can Lin do that? If so, he’d become the first player with a limited resume who served as a magnet for attracting quality talent. Then again, it could all blow up for the Rockets if he doesn’t play up to his new team’s grandiose plans, a point that Alexander did not dispute when asked about the risk in tying the team’s off-court financial fortunes to Lin.

“If you don’t win, what difference does it make?” he admitted. “If you get him, and he’s not a very good player, you look like a fool. How does that help you in any way?” It doesn’t help, which is why the Rockets should have Mike D’Antoni’s phone number nearby, just in case.


Rest of Article not Houston related

EXECUTIVE BRANCH Brooklyn’s ability to put a playoff team on the court and the Mavs’ failure to remake their team into a title contender may have come down to Atlanta making a critical change in its front office only a week before Deron Williams was free to leave the Nets.

The Hawks planned on staying the course, with Joe Johnson headlining their team, if Rick Sund had decided to commit to a new long-term deal to stay on as general manager. Despite his team’s inability to win more than one round in recent seasons, Sund thought his core group of players, led by Johnson and Al Horford and with several others hitting the prime of their careers, could have gone deep into the postseason in 2012-13. But when Sund declined to stay long-term, the Hawks brought in former Cavs GM Danny Ferry to replace him as their chief decision-maker, with Sund now serving as Ferry’s adviser. Ferry was willing to make changes and that’s the only reason Johnson became expendable.

“If the Hawks don’t make that change, then there’s a very good chance that Deron Williams would be in Dallas and Dwight Howard might also be on his way there,” said one NBA executive. “The Nets were very fortunate that Johnson became available, and in the end it probably killed the Mavs’ plans.”

It’s rare when fans of both teams celebrate a trade, but this is one time it’s happened. Johnson’s move to Brooklyn was hailed by Nets fans because it gave Williams a reason to stay, other than the maximum $100 million contract he was able to receive. It’s also still being celebrated by Atlanta faithful who looked past Johnson’s six straight All-Star berths and held him responsible for failing to get the Hawks past the second round. He became an easy target, with his max-money deal that still has four seasons left at almost $90 million. SLAM DUNKS NBA revenues went down by about $400 million due to the lockout-shortened, 66-game regular season. With the loss of 20% of its season following the five-month lockout, the league expected the losses after pocketing $3.8 billion in 2010-11. NBA owners left the Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas happy in one regard: The long-awaited move of putting advertising patches on jerseys becomes official in two seasons, meaning the league is going to find a new way to fill its coffers. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver projects the ads will contribute $100 million per season, with the revenue expected to be split 50-50 between owners and players, since it will be part of the basketball-related income pool. Patches will measure two inches by two inches and will be stitched onto the jersey’s shoulder.

* Tim Duncan’s new three-year deal with the Spurs isn’t for $36 million, as was first widely reported. According to numbers provided by the NBA Players Association, he will earn $30 million, with the third year, at $10 million, at the future Hall of Famer’s option. ... It’s really no surprise, but the Bulls are having no luck trying to move Richard Hamilton, whose $5 million in 2012-13 is fully guaranteed. ... Jerry Sloan was offered the Portland head coaching job, but turned it down. He still hasn’t found a job he thinks is as good as the one he had in Utah. ... Only the first two years of Jamal Crawford’s five-year, $21.4 million deal with the Clippers are fully guaranteed, at $10.2 million. … Regarding Marcus Camby’s three-year, $13.1 million deal with the Knicks, if the Knicks decide to get rid of Camby after his second season in the Garden, they’ll only have to pay him a $1 million exit fee for year three and his deal would end up paying him $10.3 million. If he sticks for his third season, he’ll get all of his $4.2 million.

 

sorry didnt realize this was an old ariticle.. i was surfing the web and saw it. lock if need be