Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
Double-click any word or phrase in the story to search this site.
July 18, 2008 - 11:19PM
D’Antoni watches his new team beat his old team
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS - It didn’t take long for Mike D’Antoni to lose his loyalty to the Phoenix Suns.
All it took was an NBA Summer League victory Friday by the coach’s New York Knicks over the Suns to do the trick.
“It’s already canceled out,” D’Antoni said after the Knicks’ 85-80 win on Friday. “I’ve moved on.”
D’Antoni, who went 253-136 in five seasons with the Suns, hasn’t coached his new club yet — leaving summer league duties to assistant coach Phil Weber. So far, D’Antoni likes what he has seen of his team while watching from the reserved section on the far side of the court.
New York has gone 2-1, largely behind the scoring of Wilson Chandler, who is fourth in summer league scoring with a 22.3 average, and the passing of Mardy Collins, who is fourth with 5.3 assists per game.
Chandler scored 31 points against the Suns, and Collins added 13 points and seven assists.
“Wilson Chandler played really well tonight, and Mardy’s playing well,” D’Antoni said. “It’s just a good group. They’re playing hard.”
D’Antoni has been able to detach himself from the Suns because he currently is an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic basketball team. That squad will be training in Las Vegas next week and will take on Canada on Friday.
“We’re trying to get geared up for USA Basketball,” D’Antoni said, “but being able to watch our guys (the Knicks) play is fun.”
D’Antoni seemed to enjoy his role as spectator for the Knicks-Suns game, and he had time to talk with several coaches and other NBA-related people. In the second quarter, he joined the NBA TV broadcast team.
“It’s only three games,” D’Antoni said. “You’re not going to see that (great improvement from any players). It’s a long process. They’re playing well and have been working hard, and that’s all you want to do. But it takes at least a month.”
Another player D’Antoni said he’ll be patient with is Danilo Gallinari, who was selected by the Knicks with the No. 6 pick of this year’s draft. He scored 14 points in the Knicks’ first game on Monday, but Gallinari did not dress for the next two games and won’t play in Las Vegas again due to a sore lower back.
“He’s not going to play,” D’Antoni said.
“There’s no use rushing him. There’s nothing really wrong with him. We’ll take our time and make sure he gets better.”
News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: