Drinking Even More D’Antoni Kool-Aid

Rattle off the Knicks roster, and you’d figure most of them have to go before D’Antoni can clear room for LeBron ...I mean, put a team he likes into place. Marbury, Curry, Randolph, these are a few of the unwieldy lugs standing in the way of basketball’s next great revolution. But it’s looking more and more like some of the team’s less notorious players could fit just fine into D’Antoni-land, and have even talked to him about it. This shows a resourcefulness the coach isn’t often credited with, and proves, once again, that players want the chance to run with his mustachioed wolves.↵
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↵Here’s Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson, speaking at a charity tournament in their native Seattle. From the Post-Intelligencer. First, Crawford:↵↵⇥“I’m very excited about Coach D’Antoni,” he said. “I got the opportunity to speak with him, and the way he wants to play fits my style to a T. The good thing about Coach D’Antoni is I think he can adjust his style to whomever he is coaching. And I think that’s a sign of a great coach.”↵↵And now, Li’ Nate:↵↵⇥“I’m excited. I can’t even lie to you, man. I had a long talk with him and he’s ready to win,” Robinson said this past weekend. “And that’s what I’m ready to do, I’m ready to win and change the whole team around. I’m trying to change the whole game and I’m trying to turn the league around by showing them that I can play.”↵↵Of course, neither exactly throws Isiah under the bus, so take all this worth a grain of salt. But hey, Crawford and Robinson are both fast, adept at scoring, somewhat versatile, and just a little nuts. If Quentin Richardson (still a Knick, actually) flourished in the 2004-05 Suns system, why couldn’t these two miscreants have a chance at redemption? If nothing else, it’ll be fun to see these two unleashed. And after all, that’s part of what Year One of the D’Antoni Knicks will be about—letting the team freak out, putting up tons of points, and seeing if anything sticks as they round the corner into some real flexibility.↵