5/19/08
Madison Square Garden's highly anticipated renovation project is officially underway. In addition to investing $500MM in a capital improvement design by renowned architectural firm Brisbin, Brook & Beynon, Jim Dolan's decision to allow Donnie Walsh to spend another $24MM for the architect of the Phoenix Suns offense will radically alter Knicks basketball as we know it.

For a team coming off seven consecutive losing seasons, significant changes across the organization were necessary. Advocates for Mark Jackson felt the former point guard was just what the team needed on the bench. Jackson represented a link to the past when defense, physicality & passion were staples of the Knicks attack. Walsh would go on record and say "his heart wanted Jackson", but the allure of The Great D'Antoni was far too overwhelming to pass up.

As Mike D'Antoni stood in front of The Garden's Seventh Avenue entrance to pose for photos as the 24th head coach in franchise history, the look of amazement on his face was priceless. Many believe D'Antoni's sole purpose for coming to New York was to become the next recipient of a substantial cash award from the Royal Bank of Dolan. Walsh's exorbitant contract offer was clearly intended to make D'Antoni end his flirtation with the Chicago Bulls. What John Paxson offered in talent, Donnie Walsh made up for with max-money & a grand stage. In the end, D'Antoni chose the bigger challenge and matching paycheck.

Head coaches coming off four consecutive 54+ win seasons rarely hit the open market. To Walsh's credit, his reputation as a highly respected league executive helped procure the services of one of the top coaches in the league. D'Antoni brings a winning pedigree (60.8% winning percentage in six seasons as an NBA head coach) and high octane offense to a team in desperate need of a new identity. Under Isiah Thomas, the Knicks were neither a good offensive or defensive unit. D'Antoni may do little to restore the trademark defensive effort of the 90's, but his offensive genius is unmatched.

Barring any major trades, D'Antoni will have at least 4 players (Crawford, Robinson, Lee, Chandler) that can play at his pace. The draft should provide a talented young player to run & gun with, but Walsh faces the monumental task of trying to bring in at least 1 All-Star and 3-4 rotation guys that will fit D'Antoni's system. Considering the Knicks have 13 players under contract for next season with a total payroll of $84.8MM, D'Antoni may have to turn in the coaching performance of his career to accomplish his goal of directing the Knicks to the playoffs.

It's been 13 years since the last great offensive mind came to The Garden to overhaul the team's style of play. Don Nelson's tenure lasted only 8 months and ended amidst a clash with management around revamping the roster. D'Antoni's "seven seconds or less" offense is reminiscent of "Nellie Ball" as both styles are wildly entertaining and have resulted in 4 Coach of the Year awards between the two coaches. Unfortunately, neither have led a team to an NBA championship. For a Knicks team struggling to gain respectability, a 41-41 season in year one of the D'Antoni Era may be well worth the investment.

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