4 Changes Mike D'Antoni Must Make for New York Knicks in 2011-2012

Mike D’Antoni will soon be entering the final season of the four-year contract he signed with the New York Knicks in 2008—provided next season isn’t cancelled by the NBA lockout.

When D’Antoni took the job, it was quite apparent his new team wouldn’t be winning many games any time soon. The Knicks were coming off the Isiah Thomas era in which...well you know how bad that was—if not, Google the words Isiah Thomas Knicks and you’ll start to understand. Last season was D’Antoni’s first real opportunity to coach a Knicks team not destined for the NBA lottery, and they made their franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2004.

Still, numerous Knick fans have been less than content with D’Antoni, to put it lightly. He’s expressed his desire to return in 2012 but isn’t currently provided any leverage (at least, from a fan’s perspective) by his 101-143 coaching record over the past three seasons.

In my opinion, the 2004-2005 NBA Coach of the Year receives too much blame for the Knicks woes. By no means should he be absolved of all of it, but the vitriol directed towards him seems a little much. Posting a 61-103 record in his first two seasons at the helm in New York doesn’t look that bad after dissecting the rosters he had to work with.

Of course, he must still make some changes next season to both ensure the team’s continued progression and increase his job security.

Here are four changes Mike D’Antoni must make for the New York Knicks in 2011-2012. 

Have Faith in Defense

One of the most oft-used statements in basketball is that defense wins championships.

Don’t tell that to Mike D’Antoni.

Ever since the beginning of his coaching career, D’Antoni’s teams have always played with an offensive-minded philosophy mixed with little attention to defense.

Last season, the Knicks had the NBA’s second highest scoring offense but were the league’s third worst scoring defense. If they want to ascend into a championship contender, at least some defense must be incorporated into their game plan.

Recently, there has been some speculation that the Knicks will hire Mike Woodson as a defensive assistant, which could be a great help. Still, D’Antoni will have to allow the former Atlanta Hawks coach the space to perform his necessary duties and also not step on his toes. 

Become Less Stubborn and Admit When He's Made a Mistake

Some coaches in professional sports are quick to note when something they’ve instituted isn’t working, or when they’ve made a mistake. 

Mike D’Antoni is not one of those coaches.

Getting D’Antoni to admit he’s done something wrong is quite rare. You’ve got a better chance of witnessing a shooting star. His stubbornness hasn’t been well received by Knick fans.

Next season, D’Antoni has got to own up to mistakes and be willing to listen to coaching advice that doesn’t just come from his brain alone.

If he shows a newfound submissiveness, fans might be more accepting of his possible return after next season. It could even make him a more attractive assistant coaching candidate if the Knicks decide not to bring him back and he can’t land a head coaching gig anywhere else. 

Maybe he can learn some zen-like calming techniques from Phil Jackson.

On second thought, that probably wouldn't work.  

Make Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire Commit to Defense

Both Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire are capable defenders but don’t usually exude a consistent effort on that end. As SI.com’s Zach Lowe pointed out, the Knicks gave up more points when either one or both of their superstars were on the court last season.

If D’Antoni can somehow change that, the Knicks will greatly benefit.

At least if D’Antoni isn’t willing to make his two superstars play defense then he should allow Mike Woodson (assuming he joins the team) to get on them until they do. 

Don't Allow Stubbornness or Grudges to Prevent Players from Entering the Game

Prior to last season, the Knicks sent David Lee to the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade deal for Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and a future second round draft pick. Not many predicted that Turiaf would be the most utilized in New York amongst those players.

Shortly following the trade, D’Antoni praised Randolph and his tremendous potential. However, Randolph didn’t get used very much as a Knick. Some games he received decent playing time while during others he’d be planted on the deep end of the bench, mainly because of his tumultuous relationship with D’Antoni.

Eventually, Randolph would be traded to Minnesota as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal. One of the throw-in players the Knicks got at the time was Corey Brewer—who like Randolph could have also made a positive impact but received no playing time. Brewer could have provided some much needed height and on-ball defensive skill off the bench but was waived by the Knicks one week after acquiring him.

In baseball, you can’t hit the ball without swinging the bat. In basketball, you don’t know how good a player is, or what he can provide you with, unless you give him a chance. 

Bonus Slide: Improve Acting and Verbal Punctuation Skills

This one is a bonus, since it probably won’t correlate with the team’s success but is probably a good idea for D’Antoni in case the Knicks decide not to bring him back.

Last summer, D’Antoni made an appearance in a two-part skit for the Colbert Report and did a good job. For some who aren’t actors-by-trade, it can be pretty difficult to portray seriousness in a believable way when the guy sitting across from you (in this case, Stephen Colbert) makes bursting into laughter quite easy. D’Antoni does live in New York City, so acting opportunities wouldn’t be too difficult to come by.

D’Antoni could also take a more conventional route and become a basketball TV analyst. He appears to be a well-spoken individual and has a good enough résumé to land either an in-studio or color commentator analyst job.

Maybe he could replace Mark Jackson at ESPN/ABC, or even Kevin McHale at TNT and NBA TV? If I were D’Antoni and had to choose between the two, I’d go with McHale’s old job because replacing Mark Jackson—who has been one-third of the NBA’s most notable broadcasting core over the past couple seasons—will be no easy task. Still, a guy who does things like this and says things like this would almost certainly help foster an entertaining work environment.