SMF - Just Installed!
D'Antoni on hot seat? No, but temperature rising fastDan BickleyThe Arizona RepublicApr. 25, 2008 12:00 AM Welcome to the edge of the cliff, where your basketball team is in a spot of trouble. Chances are, so is its head coach.And now, Mike D'Antoni is facing the most critical homestand in his roller-coaster reign as head coach.If the Suns win these next two games at US Airways Center, they erase all the bad stuff that went down in southern Texas. They put all the pressure back on the defending NBA champion Spurs, and it could be a prelude to D'Antoni's greatest triumph. That would help his image tremendously. But if the Suns lose one of these two games, the Spurs can close it at home in Game 5. That kind of first-round debacle could be considered enough of a tail thumping for D'Antoni to lose his job, through early termination or mutual agreement.Technically, D'Antoni has two more years left on his contract. But there have been whispers of discontent inside the walls, mainly about his refusal to use more players. One sentence, six of his words - "We're not here to develop players" (i.e. - develop a bench) - seem to ring in damnation, almost nullifying the 232 regular-season victories D'Antoni has collected since the beginning of the 2004-05 season. Suns General Manager Steve Kerr would say only that it's "a non-issue" and that "Mike and I are both focused on the playoffs," (hell of a vote of confidence) and that everything else will be evaluated when the season is over. But this much is certain: Just like the current president, D'Antoni's approval rating among the general population is at an all-time low. The dissenters have grown so loud that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rushed to D'Antoni's defense late in the season, calling the fans "ridiculous," "silly" and "ignorant." And the Game 2 loss in San Antonio seemed to be the tipping point of the whole non-bench issue.Typically defiant, D'Antoni was ready with the one-liners on Thursday. "To those people on the ledge, go ahead and jump," D'Antoni cracked. "We've got 6 million people. We're fine. It was a little overcrowded anyway."Then, turning serious, D'Antoni said he understood the panic:"You know what? I can understand it. I'm ready to jump out, too. I'm on the ledge with them, but I'm not going. I'm going to crawl back in and we're going to play Friday and we're going to bust them and that's our mind-set. And we still don't have any doubt that we can win this series . . . "But he knows the problems are getting thick.For instance, the Spurs' Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are attacking the basket at will. At this time of year, most NBA teams would respond with some very physical counterattacks at the rim. D'Antoni can't employ this strategy because his team can't absorb unnecessary fouls - because he never groomed a full bench.D'Antoni also was unprepared for Popovich's Hack-a-Shaq strategy against Shaquille O'Neal, so much that he frowned in disdain at the Spurs coach during Game 2. In fairness, even Kerr was relatively surprised at the desperate tactic, thinking his former coach was above that kind of stuff.Yet D'Antoni can't even match the gamesmanship. He can't purposely foul Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen, both highly erratic from the free throw line, because his team can't afford to absorb unnecessary fouls - because he never groomed a full bench.Maybe the blame belongs above D'Antoni, on cost-cutting personnel moves that stripped this team of its best role players (Kurt Thomas, James Jones). D'Antoni is a far better coach than most fans believe, an asset to the community, and is easily seen as potential replacement in Toronto (if Bryan Colangelo fires Sam Mitchell and asks the Suns for permission to talk with D'Antoni) or in Chicago, where his name just surfaced as potential new coach for the Bulls.D'Antoni deserves another year regardless of what happens here, but only with the pinkie promise to use more players and develop Alando Tucker. Yet it seems like the coach's greatest trait is becoming a liability. He so affable, friendly and non-confrontational that you wonder about his authority over the group and whether he can ever put his foot down and demand a level of excellence (like Popovich often does), particularly with Amar? Stoudemire. You wish this were all unnecessary, that D'Antoni could become just like Popovich, win a few championships and stick around for as long as he wants. But this four-year quest for a championship has been full of exhilarating highs and heartbreaking lows. During this time, the Suns have spawned a massive, captive audience, and now it wants results. Some overzealous fans went so far as to e-mail death threats to Kerr through the team's main Web site after the controversial trade for O'Neal. Now, the temperature is hotter than ever. The Spurs have roared back in each of the first two games after making halftime adjustments, leading to a strong undercurrent among Suns fans that D'Antoni is getting badly outclassed and outfoxed by Popovich. One can only imagine the heat and the consequences if his team can't rise to the challenge, making a series out of this mess with the Spurs.Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Check out his online column at azcentral.com.
Anybody catch the news that Larry Brown resigned his current administrative position because he want to coach again? Either the Suns or Mavs would benefit, IMO he is a perfect fit for the Mavs.
