Mike D'Antoni's Future with the New York Knicks in Question
The Chicago Bulls dealt the New York Knicks their sixth straight loss last night, winning the game 104-99. Needless to say, Knicks fans are not happy. In fact, many are calling for the firing of Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. In a poll conducted by New Jersey news outlet NJ.com, nearly 70 percent of those asked believe Mike D'Antoni should hit the bricks.
In Sunday night's 106-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, angry and disappointed chants of "Fire D'Antoni" rang out from the Madison Square Garden bleachers.
Tweets from frustrated fans flooded the Twitter-sphere after last night's loss to Chicago. One fan foretold the New York coach's future, tweeting, "Mike D'Antoni won't be the coach of the Knicks long."
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Another tweeting fan implored the Knicks coach to leave, writing, "D'Antoni, Please do us a favor and QUIT! YOU ARE NOT HELPING." Tweets of this nature were echoed by many sports fans across the Internet.
Further more, Knicks' all-star forward Carmelo Anthony is not happy with D'Antoni, an anonymous source close to the team told the New York Post. The Post suggests that Anthony may have been broadcasting his displeasure last night when he failed to huddle up with his team during a timeout in the second half.
The New York coach is not doing himself any favors. After the 10-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, D'Antoni told ESPN that his team has "got to play harder, play with much more urgency." He attributed the loss to morale and effort, saying the Knicks' problems were due to "spirit," and that his team "seemed to wither" under pressure.
Building morale, revving the team up when times are tough, and inspiring players to find the extra push to overcome a difficult situation are all part of the job of being a coach. If the Knicks are lacking in those areas, it is hard to absolve D'Antoni of responsibility.
