By Greg Hutchins

With all due respect to Coach of the Year winners Mike D'Antoni & Avery Johnson, both men are best served working somewhere besides Madison Square Garden next season. While both are accustomed to coaching teams loaded with star power, they would inherit a New York roster devoid of marquee talent and coming off seven consecutive, sub .500 seasons.

Under D'Antoni and Johnson, the Phoenix Suns & Dallas Mavericks combined for a total of 447 regular season wins since the 2003-04 season. Considering the Knicks have won a mere 151 contests during the same span, conventional wisdom would suggest hiring either one would immediately improve the fortune of the franchise. Unfortunately, coaches are not primarily responsible for wins and losses. While there is no doubt that both are two of the better X & O men in the profession, a great deal of D'Antoni & Johnson's success is attributed to the recipients of 3 of the last 4 MVP awards.

Prior to D'Antoni's arrival in Phoenix, he served as head coach of the Denver Nuggets for the 1998-99 season. His Nuggets team featured a healthy Antonio McDyess, Chauncey Billups & Nick Van Exel. During the lockout shortened season most remembered for the Knicks magical run to the Finals, D'Antoni led the Nuggets to a 14-36 record. D'Antoni would get a second crack at a head coaching job in the valley of the sun in 2003 with a new core of Stephon Marbury, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion & Penny Hardaway. D'Antoni's record after his first year with the Suns was 21-40. The following season, the Suns used the cap space they gained from Isiah Thomas' inept trading skills to sign Steve Nash and finished the 2004-05 season with a record of 62-20. D'Antoni would be named the Coach of the Year and heralded as the innovator of the most prolific offense in recent history. As for Johnson, he served as Don Nelson's assistant coach for 5 months before taking over the team in 2005. The ex-Mavericks point guard was able to compel his former teammates to increase their defensive intensity which resulted in a Western Conference championship, but the team's pension for folding under playoff pressure cost Johnson his job.

Mike D'Antoni & Avery Johnson are clearly attractive coaching prospects, but the notion of them experiencing the same level of success at The Garden is far-fetched. Their success was due in large part to inheriting All-Star players who were willing to buy into their system. Essentially, both men have followed the Phil Jackson playbook of riding superstars to victory. Jackson's 11 championship rings come courtesy of playing with Walt Frazier, Willis Reed & Earl Monroe and subsequently coaching Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryant. Combined, these greats have won 8 MVP awards and are regarded as some of the best to ever play the game. This season's Coach of the Year, Byron Scott appears to be following the same playbook. Scott rode All-Star Jason Kidd to the Finals twice while calling plays for the New Jersey Nets and now has MVP runner-up Chris Paul & the New Orleans Hornets poised for a trip to the Western Conference Finals. In today's NBA, coaches are only as good as the talent on their roster. Larry Brown's two consecutive trips to the Finals with the Detroit Pistons, followed by a dismal 23-59 season in New York solidify that argument.

Although D'Antoni & Johnson have yet to win a title as head coaches, both will receive handsome new contracts before the postseason concludes. Donnie Walsh may even prepare an offer for one of them, but will face stiff competition from teams with far more talent on their roster.

Rather than hiring a hot commodity, Donnie Walsh's best option continues to wait patiently for the call while analyzing playoff games for ESPN. As Mark Jackson works alongside fellow Knick alums Jeff Van Gundy & Mike Breen this postseason, it's safe to assume he'll accept the Knicks head coaching job if offered the role. Like Avery Johnson, Jackson was a longtime floor general who executed his coaches’ gameplan with precision. Considering Johnson had only 5 months experience holding a clipboard before becoming head coach of Mark Cuban’s team, hiring Jackson to run the post-Isiah Knicks suddenly doesn’t seem like such a risky proposition.

Johnson may have Ben Jobe's endorsement, but Jackson has the support of three coaches who have won big at Madison Square Garden in Lou Carnesecca, Rick Pitino & Jeff Van Gundy. It's time for the Knicks to stop renting big names & start building a new identity. Mark Jackson is ready for duty and there’s no question he can handle calling plays at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

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