D'Antoni out as Phoenix coach

[Dr. Jack]

According to an SI report

SAN ANTONIO -- Mike D'Antoni, the NBA's Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season and the man credited with reinvigorating fast-break basketball in a league gone stale, will not be back to coach the Phoenix Suns for the 2008-09 season, SI.com has learned.

How long until Shaq is ripping him, blaming him for the Suns loss?

[CHIPPER JONES]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

According to an SI report

SAN ANTONIO -- Mike D'Antoni, the NBA's Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season and the man credited with reinvigorating fast-break basketball in a league gone stale, will not be back to coach the Phoenix Suns for the 2008-09 season, SI.com has learned.

How long until Shaq is ripping him, blaming him for the Suns loss?

I never saw this one coming

Other then Amare, they need to learn to rebound and understand that D wins chapionships, this coach does not get it. As much as I hate the the Spurs, they deserved to win this series (other then a few calls the refs made backing the SA)

I was wondering if kerr's name would be thrown out there as well

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by CHIPPER JONES

I never saw this one coming

Other then Amare, they need to learn to rebound and understand that D wins chapionships, this coach does not get it. As much as I hate the the Spurs, they deserved to win this series (other then a few calls the refs made backing the SA)

I was wondering if kerr's name would be thrown out there as well

I think Kerr is safe one more year and he needed to make this move to save his job.

[rjb1816]

the suns just caught zero breaks the entire series...really should have been 2-2 going into last night. maybe a little bit was coaching, but there were some screw jobs by the refs through this whole series...just like last year. Love how last year the NBA suspends all the suns players, but this year because its the Celtics, they don't suspend garnett or perkins lmao...classic rigged shit

[PHILLYBIRDS20]

maybe they will hire Norv Turner to turn it around

[CHIPPER JONES]

Originally Posted by PHILLYBIRDS20

maybe they will hire Norv Turner to turn it around

I read that on ESPN as well

[sundance]

He did everything his way would not listen to anyone as Frank Sinatra once sang " I Did It My Way". My way translates into your outta here. Im not a Suns fan but I always told fans out here as long as D'atoni is coach they won't win nada. if they bring in the right coach they have one more shot at the title left this team is getting old. .One rumour has Larry Brown coaching next year.

[Chicago RED]

NBA.com is saying diffrent story pasted below:

Despite averaging 58 regular-season wins the past four seasons, Mike D'Antoni might be out as Phoenix Suns coach.

An SI.com report on Tuesday night said the coach will not return after his team was eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games in their best-of-7 first-round playoff series. D'Antoni has two years and $8.5 million left on his contract.

Suns general manager Steve Kerr denied the report, Arizona Republic reporter Paul Coro said Wednesday morning on ESPN's "First Take."

"I talked to Steve Kerr this morning and he also asked Mike D'Antoni about that story last night and he denied it," Coro said. "He said Mike D'Antoni is still their coach and he's done a great job the last four years.

"They obviously have some things they might want to go over, philosophical differences and such. But Mike D'Antoni is still the coach."


D'Antoni

The Republic confirmed part of a recent Sports Illustrated article which chronicled a confrontation between D'Antoni and Kerr.

In a November conversation, Kerr reportedly suggested that the Suns run more post-up plays for forward Amare Stoudemire. D'Antoni objected, and a shouting match ended with the coach telling the GM not to advise him "how to coach offense."

That jibes with Tuesday's SI.com report which cites sources within the organization saying that D'Antoni does not feel he has the support of owner Robert Sarver or Kerr, who took over as GM last June.

While the Web site did not say that D'Antoni leaving the Suns is imminent, it did speculate that he would not be discouraged from pursuing opportunities with the Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks, among other teams.

D'Antoni wouldn't be the only successful coach on the hot seat this postseason. Immediately after the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday, Avery Johnson's status appeared to be in limbo. ESPN.com's Marc Stein recently reported that his job would be in serious jeopardy if he did not make it out of the first round.

Having been eliminated by Tim Duncan and the Spurs in three of their past four playoff appearances heading into this season, Phoenix made a bold move to take the next step in February. The Suns sent four-time All-Star forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O'Neal, hoping the former MVP would provide the inside presence the team had lacked.

Phoenix sported a 37-17 record when O'Neal first took the court for the Suns and finished out the season at a little slower pace, ending at 55-27.

O'Neal did average 15.2 point and 9.2 rebounds against the Spurs, but his poor free-throw shooting cost Phoenix in the series. San Antonio's Hack-a-Shaq philosophy resulted in the big man going to the line a whopping 20 times in Game 5 alone, but he hit only nine in the 92-87 loss. He shot 50 percent from the line (32-of-64) in the series.

D'Antoni has a 267-172 record in six seasons as an NBA coach. He is credited with helping to revive the running game in the league at a time when scores were plummeting amid pedestrian half-court offenses.

Failing to blend his philosophy with a new general manager in Kerr, who then brought in O'Neal, might ultimately be what puts the brakes on this Suns era.

[CHIPPER JONES]

Originally Posted by sundance

He did everything his way would not listen to anyone as Frank Sinatra once sang " I Did It My Way". My way translates into your outta here. Im not a Suns fan but I always told fans out here as long as D'atoni is coach they won't win nada. if they bring in the right coach they have one more shot at the title left this team is getting old. .One rumour has Larry Brown coaching next year.

Larry Brown signed with the Bobcats

[sundance]

Originally Posted by CHIPPER JONES

Larry Brown signed with the Bobcats

Oops heard that from a local sport jock out here. What do they know.

[FadethePack]

Originally Posted by PHILLYBIRDS20

maybe they will hire Norv Turner to turn it around

[GFootsXtreme]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

I think Kerr is safe one more year and he needed to make this move to save his job.

Right on the money. Getting shaq and losing 1st round proves d'antoni is cluesless in a half-court set. so kerr has one year to bring in a solid half-court coach and go the the finals. Time is running out on this team. nash should have 3 championships right now and has none...stoudamire is a talent few can match. get a guy to teach D and this team has one more chance, maybe.

The look on selfish Shaq's face when Diaw through that ball out of bounds was awesome. All the pieces are there they just don't have a coach that can force them to focus properly.