With Plan Intact, D'Antoni Ready To Run Again

"Donnie's done a great job and that's why I came to New York. He's a guy that has proven over and over and over again that he can do what he said. And he did...What Donnie laid out for me, he has executed almost perfectly." - Mike D'Antoni

Just under two years ago, Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh laid out an intricate, yet simple plan while recruiting Mike D'Antoni to be his head coach. That plan was to get as far under the salary cap following the 2009-10 season to create enough financial flexibility to reshape the New York Knicks in their image.

Listening to the head coach Friday afternoon, all the ups and downs of the past two seasons have been worth it for the enviable position his team is now in following a flurry of deals at the trade deadline. As it currently stands, it appears the Knicks will have the most salary cap space heading into the offseason.

"That's what's reassuring," D'Antoni said as the Knicks introduced Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez, two of five new players the team acquired. "(Walsh) said we'll be here and and we'll try to make these teams as competitive as we can the first two years, but our plan is this. I signed on for that and that's exactly what's happened.

"We've had some bad luck along the way where Cuttino Mobley doesn't show up, and different things that happen that we didn't quote foresee, which is but normal. But our master plan is this, and that is where we are today. Now we've got to keep executing it."

Part of the image that the dynamic duo expected out of the Knicks was the fast-paced, uptempo system that thrived under D'Antoni as coach of the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, the roster the team fielded for most of the last year and a half did not mesh with that style of play, so the team wisely abandoned it. But with the addition of McGrady, Rodriguez and Eddie House to go along with the likes of Wilson Chandler, David Lee and Danilo Gallinari, D'Antoni is ready to get back to his speed-ball offense.

"We're going to run again," he said. "We're going to speed things up and go...With Eddie House, now you have a guy where they have to guard him and they have to guard Gallo, so the floor opens up. And with someone like Tracy's talents, I'm trying to envision the best we will be and that is how it will be. And Wilson will have space even with Tracy's spacing, now his drives to the baskets should be wide open. And David is hitting the ball from the outside and he will get easier open looks. We've opened it up. Now we just have to support the guys as much as we can, be more efficient offensively and shoot a higher percentage."

The return to his preferred style of play clearly excites D'Antoni, who reiterated his attention is focused on what his team can accomplish over the next 29 games and not what lies ahead.

"There are tough days where you are down and beaten, but the plan was laid out for me and that's what I signed on for, so I've got to be OK," he explained. "And it is exactly what it is. But I am not thinking about it now. RIght now my focus is to win a lot of games...I am looking forward to the next 29 games with Tracy McGrady, Eddie House, Sergio Rodriguez and the other guys."

Still, D'Antoni allowed himself to be giddy over the possibilities that the future holds.

"We've got the best shot that we can have (this summer)," he said. "We'll get some good guys in here. Now, you don't know how it is going to play out, nobody does, but we will have a bunch of money to get a bunch of good players."

And that is exactly the plan he signed up for.

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