Mike D'Antoni Decides $24 Million Is Worth Putting Up With the Knicks

Mike D'Antoni is apparently, like most people, a big fan of lots and lots of money.

After tweaking the Bulls and Knicks into a two-way race, and after a late-night conference call with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf that apparently dissolved the need for further talks, D'Antoni has made a verbal agreement to become the next head coach of the New York Knicks.

Apparently the sticking point between the two was, predictably, the matter of cold hard cash. The Bulls were rumored to be willing to extend the same amount of control to D'Antoni as the Knicks were, but were hesitant to dish out a huge sum of money to acquire his services. The Knicks, of course, have never really shown such restraint. At least with Donnie Walsh at the helm, the Knicks appear to be committed to throwing around money for the right reasons.

The Knicks deal will play D'Antoni $24 million over 4 years, making him the third highest coach in the league behind Los Angeles' Phil Jackson and San Antonio's Greg Popovich. While the Chicago roster is obviously in better shape than New York's, D'Antoni will be able sleep on a bed of money and still have more control than he would have had in Phoenix.

At the start of the week, the Bulls were supposedly the frontrunner for the position, but it would seem that Reinsdorf's refusal to pay what a former coach of the year earns in this league will leave the Bulls coachless for a while longer. Meanwhile, the Knicks rebuilding process just got a huge jumpstart. While the roster still needs a massive retooling and there's a lot of faith to instill in a burned fanbase, the Knicks are off to a great start with a GM who knows what he's doing and a coach that can put people in the seats and win games.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-10-2008 @ 5:18PM

mo russell said...

I do not blame Mike D for taking the NY job and all that money...but I predict he will not last 4 years there....He does not seem to be interested in defense and does not have the players or time to put together an good offensive running team. This will be a mixed blessing for the Suns. Larry Brown would have been a nice option for the Suns, but he is gone. Alvin Gentry might be the best guy right now....mo

5-10-2008 @ 6:01PM

Matt Young said...

Well, he certainly got paid. The Knicks don't have as a good of a team as Chicago has, but they were willing to pay him a lot more. The long term salaries for the Knicks don't look that bad though. And I expect them to make some off season moves for players that fit into a D'antoni system.

The Suns are still screwed though. They have the same team for the next two years, and the chances of a trade are probably slim. No other coach out there really fits into the Suns system. And with the West being ultra-competitive, I don't see the Suns being successful in the new future.

nickstoli said...

Hopefully, he won't change his coaching style. Yeah, the Suns didn't win it all, but they were fun to watch. I'd rather have watched them then the Spurs.

5-10-2008 @ 7:51PM

bobaganoush said...

I am from New York and live in Phoenix and all I have to say is thanks to the Knicks brain?trust for getting this one-sided offense-only coach. The Suns
who, on paper are a better team than the Spurs were totally outplayed and outcoached in this years playoffs. Do you really think that this hot-headed coach will be able to put up with the boo-birds in the Gaaden? What happened to Mark Jackson running the show? I think this is a pure case of severe A.D.D. on the part of the management for the Knicks.
The thing they need right now is someone who can get the job done. Clearly, Mike D'Antoni is not that person. VERY BAD MOVE for the Knicks, great move for the Suns.

5-10-2008 @ 9:21PM

caborn said...

To me, D'Antoni is the Jeff Van Gundy of offense.

5-10-2008 @ 9:28PM

Home Based Travel Agent said...

Wow that is a lot of money

5-10-2008 @ 9:30PM

Self-Help Ebooks said...

I used to live in NY..too bad Ewing never won.

5-10-2008 @ 10:42PM

frank said...

Take the money and run, like Larry Brown;
Remember , the Dolans have so much money they don't know what to do with it;
Remember that woman that suit Isiah ? She is giving some money to charity ?
Remember Jerome that played 2 or 3 games only ? 50 Mil guarantee.
Remember Marbury ? 80 Mil and still have to go another 2 years in the bench ? maybe.
What a circus, courtesy of the Dolan family.

5-11-2008 @ 12:56AM

LB said...

The losses and the media will make M'Antoni regret the decision during the next two years.

5-12-2008 @ 11:51PM

LA Lawyer said...

I am wondering if his coaching style will change. He was a run and gun type of offense with Steve Nash leading the charge. Phoenix was one of the leading scorers in the league because of this. D'Antoni is a great coach.

5-11-2008 @ 11:38AM

GARY said...

HERE'S THE DEAL PEOPLE. FOR THE D'ANTONI STYLE OF BASKETBALL, PLAYERS MUST BE READY TO MAKE THE EXTRA PASS. HAVE A FLOOR GENERAL LIKE STEVE NASH. PLAYERS MUST THINK TEAM FIRST. ME SECOND.

STEPHON MARBURY AND THE OTHERS ON THE TEAM WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!!!

5-11-2008 @ 1:18PM

anny said...

Is he insane?! I understand that D'Antoni had differences with Kerr and Sarver, but does he really think the Knicks will be better? I thought he was smart. This is going to kill his career. Yeah, the money is great, but he doesn't have a Nash in New York. Who is going to run his offense? I didn't want to see him leave Phoenix, but I just can't imagine that Kerr and Sarver were so bad that he would go to a team that is such a disaster. Good luck Mike. My god you are going to need it.

5-12-2008 @ 12:31AM

Dimitri said...

I think Eddie Johnson could make a good coach for the Suns.

5-12-2008 @ 1:35PM

bilko said...

It's a good move. Suns never recovered from having the title stolen from them by Stern last year. They are a team going downhill. Amare can play with anyone, but all of the rest of them need Nash and he's slowing. The Shaq decision was a disaster. Marion was a cancer, but they could have gotten someone decent. D'Antoni will start from scratch as he did in Phoenix.