Knicks Knacks

There’s enough leftovers from yesterday’s press conference to keep the blog humming along for days and weeks.

Since we aren’t likely to see the current roster show up for training camp, I thought it was interesting to hear a little from Mike D’Antoni about policing the locker room. He’s not known to ride players. The dress code might be out the door with Isiah Thomas.

A bunch of self-starters would do well here.

“I give a lot of autonomy to all my players,” D’Antoni said. “They’re professional and … I figure you don’t win if they don’t do the right thing. I want them to play. They should have a feel for the game also. They can’t be robots. They need to learn how to play. You give more rope to guys who deserve more and you tighten up on the guys who don’t. … I love it when guys can think it through.”

So who on the roster at this point matches up?

I’m letting you fill in the blanks on this one. Fire away.

We got a healthy dose of personality from Mike D’Antoni today, and the whole time I kept reminding myself that Isiah Thomas made one heck of a first impression as well.

There was one important difference.

D’Antoni wasn’t selling anything. He didn’t push any visions of greatness or conjure up images of grateful New Yorkers on subway trains. There wasn’t a single promise made outside the usual pledge to play hard.

There are too many unknowns.

I thought it was impressive when D’Antoni acknowledge the reality of the situation. He might go into next season coaching a roster that’s not significantly different from this past season. And there was no objection, either.

Stephon Marbury could be the starting point guard.

“We’ll see about everything,” D’Antoni said. “Steph is a very talented basketball player that needs to be put in certain situations. He has some strengths that we need to play to and try to maximize that and not worry about the weaknesses. We have to get him to be able to perform at the highest level he can.”

Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph could be side by side.

“I think it’s a little premature for me to jump in here … but that’s who we have right now and I’m going to make the best of it,” D’Antoni said. “Anybody can run. Anybody can get up and down the floor. I don’t buy into the theory that they can’t fit my system or they can’t fit my system. We’ll find a happy medium where we can maximize what they do. Both of them are very capable basketball players, I do know that.”

He likes Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson, and practically complimented this roster.

“They’re mixed a little bit and it’s going to take some work to get them unraveled, but they’re very talented basketball players,” D’Antoni said. “You don’t have a $100-and-some million payroll for bad guys, they’ve all performed somewhere and they’ve done something. We just gotta figure out how they go together, and if we can’t then we’ve got to figure something else out. But the first line of business is how can we make this work.”

Good luck.

My favorite quote of the afternoon came when D’Antoni was asked whether he alone could impact the standings next season.

“I don’t think so, but I’m going to try,” D’Antoni said.

And give Donnie Walsh credit for another dose of honesty as he summarized the most important decision he’ll ever make on behalf of the Knicks.

“I think I’ve made the right hire,” Walsh said. “I think it’ll work. If it can’t, then I’ll be down in Indiana with the cows.”

For all of the world traveling, there’s still a lot of West Virginia in the way Mike D’Antoni speaks.

He even says daggone.

And the personality made the sell a little easier this afternoon. D’Antoni swears he can adjust to the personnel on hand. As for the defense, he made a valiant attempt to diffuse that controversy minutes after he was introduced.

“That’s been a hot topic,” D’Antoni said. “We averaged 58 wins over the last four years, so I know 58 times we were the best defensive team on the floor.”

Of course, there is another side of that story.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh claims it was difficult choosing between Mark Jackson, Avery Johnson and D’Antoni.

“I liked every one of them,” Walsh said. “The problem was, I had to chose one. (D’Antoni’s) been in a situation like we have now and I thought he did a good job.”

Stephon Marbury was here, too, jumping in front of every microphone that was extended, attempting to dismiss the notion the two didn’t get along during a brief run together in Phoenix.

“He didn’t send me away,” Marbury said. “It was a business decision when I came to New York. It doesn’t matter, if I’m here, I’m here. If not I can do it someplace else.”

More later. I have to beat traffic home.

When the Knicks are looking to make a splash, they introduce the new hires at Madison Square Garden.

In a couple of hours, Mike D’Antoni will be on a small stage in the lobby of The WaMu Theater where Isiah Thomas and Larry Brown and Antonio McDyess were put on display. Jerome James was introduced there, as well, but in a hallway where only a small group of non-vacationing writers had assembled.

Basically, it’s a spectacle.

D’Antoni will get a big taste of what it’s like to operate in New York. A smaller version of the same crew will crash down on shoot-arounds whenever controversy pops up. We take a lot of heat for chasing ambulances, but the media horde pales in comparison to the group that chased the Knicks around when the organization was actually winning.

I’m thinking Donnie Walsh is going to have to answer some questions today, as well.

We finally got word a few minutes ago that Mike D’Antoni will be introduced to New York tomorrow during a 1 p.m. press conference at Madison Square Garden.

They wrapped up the deal this evening at some point.

I’m sure there will be a lot of questions about defense and personnel, things D’Antoni can’t really address until training camp opens. The unknowns will persist until we know who’s on the roster, but we’ll keep the digital recorders running anyway.

Next we can move on to assistant coaches and general managers.

Oh yeah, there’s an upcoming event known as the draft where Donnie Walsh knows he can’t afford to make a mistake because getting under the cap by 2010 is going to require throwing a lot of players overboard. Whatever picks he makes in the coming years need to make an impact while still working off their rookie deals.

Any minute now, Mike D’Antoni is going to find out how far $1 million goes in the Westchester County housing market.

We’re not in Phoenix anymore, Toto.

D’Antoni flew in last night and is meeting today with Knicks president Donnie Walsh to finalize the details of that $24 million contract.  I supposed the lawyers will get the last word, and then a press conference will be scheduled to announce the 24th head coach in franchise history.

Next will come the guided tours of the MSG training facility and meetings with all of the folks who are playing a part in the quick transition.

We don’t know yet who’s coming with D’Antoni.

Phoenix let him go without any stipulations, but Steve Kerr might want to keep some of the assistant coaches on hand to help the new sideline boss. It’s probably a wait-and-see proposition. The same goes for the assistant coaches Isiah Thomas left behind. It’ll be interesting to see how much input Walsh has on that front.

I realize he wasn’t the first name on a lot of lists for obvious reasons, but I cannot believe some of the comments about Mike D’Antoni on the blogs.

How can anybody argue he’s not a winner?

Check the standings. I believe D’Antoni averaged 58 wins in Phoenix over the last four seasons. Lenny Wilkens, Herb Williams, Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas averaged 28 wins here over the last four seasons. There was a talent differential, but it’s hard to argue with that kind of success.

It seems our standards might be unduly inflated.

To quote a former Knicks coach, you haven’t won a championship here since 1973.

A 26-25 postseason record with the Suns is undoubtedly the hangup, but it’s not realistic to come down on D’Antoni because he’s never made it past the Western Conference finals. It’s been mentioned here before, but I’ll bring it up again. Michael Jordan was a roadblock Patrick Ewing never got around.

Did that issue make Pat Riley or Jeff Van Gundy any less of a coach?

Tim Duncan has similarly made a habit of holding back Phoenix, and Robert Horry should probably get a big assist.

I’m not saying this was the best hire. There are several very important questions that need to be answered in the coming days and months. I’m guessing a number of high-profile roster moves will follow. D’Antoni will probably have to adjust his style of play in the mean time.

And as many of you have noticed, we have a 13-year-old who thinks racist comments are funny. I apologize for his behavior. We are working to put an end to such nonsense, so hang in there.

I know what a lot of you are thinking.

There is probably a lot of head scratching as fans attempt to figure out why Donnie Walsh settled on Mike D’Antoni, whose formula seems contrary to what many were hoping for. He’s not known to possess any fire and brimstone. And the lack of commitment on the defensive end might be alarming.

Still, he’s a pretty darn good coach.

It’s worth remembering D’Antoni isn’t going to be coaching last year’s roster. And there will have to be adjustments to the system he used successfully in Phoenix unless Steve Nash comes riding into town on a white horse. Don’t even start that rumor, please.

Walsh is making the personnel decisions.

The players he acquires to help speed this latest rebuild will determine the style of play. I’m thinking defense will become more important. Heck, if nothing else, the scores will come down simply because the Knicks will be forced to pass the ball a little more on the other end.

Yes, that’s a joke.

Walsh might be wise to stipulate D’Antoni hire a hardcore defensive assistant. Who got much of the credit when the Pacers used to be a playoff fixture? It was Dick Harter. His job was to make sure the defense was tuned up.

Tom Thibodeau is doing the same thing for the Celtics right now.

No matter how this falls into place, the entire roster better crack open those offseason workout guides right now, because D’Antoni will not tolerate anyone slowing down the offense

Anyway, get in on the conversation. I apologize for the late start, there was a full slate of soccer and Little League games to attend.

Do you like the move? Do you believe D’Antoni will adjust his style of play to fit the Knicks?

I’m starting to wonder if Donnie Walsh isn’t suitably impressed by Mark Jackson or Mike D’Antoni.

He’s conducted enough interviews made enough hires over the years to recognize a good candidate. There has to be a reason why the Knicks don’t have a coach at this point. Maybe they are waiting for a chance to speak with Tom Thibodeau, but there’s no chance of that happening until at least next week. And the Celtics would likely have to win twice in Cleveland over the next three days to open a window.

I think it’s funny to see reports that Jackson would be able to reach Stephon Marbury. There is no way that’s a consideration. Walsh isn’t hiring a guy to coach a contoversial playmaker who’s in the final year of his contract.

So we’ll sit around, waiting.

Chicago might be able to help speed up the process by making a reasonable offer to D’Antoni, who risks sitting out a season or two if he doesn’t get a deal in place soon.

You know those late night phone calls that inspire a shot of who died adrenaline? I get that same feeling whenever a text message from the Knicks buzzes in after hours.

Usually, it turns out to be nothing of concern.

After the vibrations subsided tonight, I read a message stating that Donnie Walsh officially wanted us to know the Knicks have not offered a coaching contract to anyone, contrary to a report. Of course, it did not refute a report about the organization preparing a staggering offer to Mike D’Antoni or anyone else for that matter.

So rest easy. There’s nothing to see. Go back to bed.

Why do I get the feeling something is going on behind the scenes?