Donnie Walsh
Donnie Walsh made his intentions quite clear when he came to the Knicks: Clear cap space and remain competitive.
He failed with the second goal, and the LeBron James sweepstakes now has fans outraged because it is a total crapshoot.
But what is more: Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni are on two different two pages, and have been since the start.
Walsh probably hoped D’Antoni could turn the mediocre team into a playoff contender, but D’Antoni has not. Instead, he has shown a level of arrogance and very peculiar moves. So what happens now when LeBron meets with the two in July?
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Chris Duhon
Mike D’Antoni kept Chris Duhon on the bench for the entire second half of the Knicks’ home game versus the Wizards Wednesday night.
Nate Robinson started in Duhon’s place and propelled the Knicks to a 107-85 victory. Robinson led the team with 23 points and added 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals with only 2 turnovers.
After the game, D’Antoni indicated that Robinson could start the next game, which could mean that Duhon has played his way out of the rotation.
Larry Hughes, who had been complaining publicly about his lack of playing time, saw action and had 11 points.
Real GM
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Jared Jeffries
Coach Mike D’Antoni said the Knicks continue to search for trade opportunities before the deadline, but with the club starting to fall out of the playoff race, they might be more inclined to do a deal that opens up more 2010 cap space.
D’Antoni said the 2010 free-agency plan is a major factor in any deal, and the Knicks continue to shop Jared Jeffries.
Whether a Jeffries trade turns into a roster upgrade is debatable because he is having a good season.
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Mike D'Antoni
The Mavericks defeated the Knicks 128-78 on Sunday afternoon, handing them their worst-ever loss at Madison Square Garden.
The 50-point loss was the second-worst in team history. The Knicks suffered a 62-point loss to the Syracuse Nationals on Dec. 25, 1960.
Dallas had seven players in double figures and stretched their lead to 53 at one point in the fourth quarter.
“They took our heart out of us,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said.
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Larry Hughes
Knicks guard Larry Hughes has not been loving life since coach Mike D’Antoni removed him from the rotation.
That lack of love manifested itself yesterday in Hughes supposedly walking out of practice.
Hughes was the only Knick – other than the injured Knick Eddy Curry – who was not out on the floor taking shots an hour into practice when reporters were let into the gym. A PR flack for the Knicks said Hughes was taking a “bathroom break,” but the shooting went on for another 35 minutes with no sign of Hughes.
Unless he had something pretty nasty for breakfast, it appeared that Hughes was too angry to work with the team right then.
Yahoo Sports
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Larry Hughes
After the Knicks’ 43-point win over the Pacers, Larry Hughes complained to the media about Mike D’Antoni’s decision to remove him from the rotation.
With his 41-point explosion Friday night, Nate Robinson has taken Hughes’ spot off the bench.
Hughes said D’Antoni’s changes to the rotation are “not a good way to play the season; I mean, going back and forth. This is my second or third time now; it’s getting old.”
He also complained that D’Antoni did not communicate with him.
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Tracy McGrady
Mike D’Antoni threw the Knicks’ hat into the ring in the Tracy McGrady sweepstakes.
D’Antoni acknowledged for the first time publicly the Knicks are interested in pursuing the former superstar, McGrady, saying the Rockets swingman has enough left in the tank to be a leading man and calling the issue “an intriguing thing that will be evaluated.”
“It’s a name Donnie [Walsh] I’m sure will analyze and look at and see if it makes sense,” D’Antoni said.
Inside Hoops
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Jerry Stackhouse
Jerry Stackhouse was very critical of Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni recently.
Stackhouse, who tried out for the Knicks this past summer but did not receive a contract offer, blasted D’Antoni for being stubborn and his treatment of guard Nate Robinson.
“I know Nate has to be obviously frustrated,” Stackhouse said on his regular spot on Sirius Radio with Chris Russo.
“To be an NBA coach, you’re a control freak. You really are a control freak just because you think about all the things coaches have to manage – from the players, to practice, to the media…”
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Nate Robinson
“Nate-Gate” was reaching a head last night when Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni benched Nate Robinson for the seventh straight game, though backup guard Larry Hughes was out with a strained groin.
In light of D’Antoni’s latest stance the past 24 hours, Robinson’s representatives, the Goodwin brothers, were poised to spring into action and have increased their dialogue with Knicks president Donnie Walsh over their concern their client is getting the shaft because of a personal vendetta.
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Nate Robinson
According to a source, the final straw in Nate Robinson’s banishment came in the hour before last Wednesday’s game in Orlando, when Mike D’Antoni caught Robinson yukking it up during the pregame with his slam-dunk contest foil, Dwight Howard.
That night, Robinson received his first DNP — the first of four straight after receiving another one last night.
According to the source, D’Antoni felt Robinson was not being serious enough during pregame preparations, fraternizing too often with opponents. The Howard incident was the backbreaker, the source said.
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