Knicks Hire D'Antoni

The Knicks have hired Mike D'Antoni as their new head coach. The deal may or may not be 4/24, but it would seem to mark an end to the half-court sluggo ball that the Knicks have been playing more or less since Michael Ray Richardson got swapped for Bernard King. This should be very good news for players like David Lee, Nate Robinson, Randolph Morris, Jamal Crawford, Renaldo Balkman and Wilson Chandler. To some extent this leaves everyone else, including Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph in team construction limbo.

There's some concern that D'Antoni doesn't focus enough of D, but the numbers don't really bear that out. That said, it's important that someone on Coach D's staff be a defensive techinician, because the Isiah Knicks they will be inheriting don't really know anything about playing D.

In all, it's an interesting move, but the future of this team right now depends more on how fast Walsh can get them cap flexible, and what number they get in this year's lottery, than it does on who is or isn't coaching.