Alex Schiffer: TLC says he’s pumped to learn from Mike D’Antoni. Said he expects the Nets to play at a very high pace and shoot a lot of 3s, which makes sense given the fit with the team’s personnel.
Mike D’Antoni Rumors
“He’s going to make it easy for Steve,” said Leandro Barbosa, who played with Nash and for D’Antoni in Phoenix and now coaches for the Warriors. “Mike is one of the best coaches that I ever played for. He’s also one of the best from an offensive standpoint. He knows a lot of plays, he knows a lot of tricks, I think he’s going to be awesome for Kyrie (Irving) and (Kevin) Durant.”
“People talk about the Phoenix teams I played on and this sort of revolutionary tone of how it impacted the game, but the truth be told, Mike D’Antoni’s brilliance in much of that was he allowed it to evolve instead of getting in the way,” Nash said. “I feel like a lot of coaches feel the need to design every aspect of something, and I feel you leave too much on the table that can be found through the personalities, the connectivity, the dynamic on the floor and in the room.” “Mike goes with the flow,” Barbosa said. “Their offense is going to flow.”
But the removal of these key components — D’Antoni departing for an assistant coaching position in Brooklyn and Morey becoming president of basketball operations in Philadelphia — has left serious doubt in both Harden and Westbrook’s minds of an ability to sustain long-term success, sources said. Although Harden and Westbrook were kept abreast of decisions and offered input, both players are in win-now mode and have raised questions as to whether or not that same mindset is shared with the front office, sources said.
