When Steve Nash was surprisingly named the Nets coach in September, the man most synonymous with Nash’s career, Mike D’Antoni, texted his former star point guard to congratulate him on “jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.”
Now, D’Antoni has joined Nash in the embers.
D’Antoni signed on as an assistant coach to Nash on Oct. 30, joining an extremely talented bench that features lead assistant Jacque Vaughn, who served as the interim head coach earlier this year; assistant Ime Udoka, who has interviewed for numerous head coaching jobs in recent years; and player development coach Amar’e Stoudemire, Nash’s former Suns co-star. The Nets also recently announced Royal Ivey, a close friend and former teammate of Kevin Durant, as an assistant after Ivey spent the last two years in the same capacity with the Knicks.
But D’Antoni’s hiring was different. By adding him to Nash’s staff, the Nets hired a coach who has impacted the game throughout his career. Although some thought D’Antoni’s hire was an indication Nash would try to run the famous “Seven Seconds or Less” offense that changed both of their careers, those who know them best thought it simply meant Nash wants an offense that maximizes the talent on the roster. That is what D’Antoni, 69, has been about, as evidenced by the fact that the Rockets were a slow-paced, isolation-heavy team, hardly resembling the high-tempo Phoenix teams with which he won 253 games (.650) over five seasons.
After D’Antoni announced in September he wouldn’t return to the Houston Rockets, his older brother, Dan, said Mike contemplated retirement. But Mike instantly became one of the hottest commodities on the coaching market and was the favorite to replace Brett Brown in Philadelphia until the Clippers fired Doc Rivers.
“He probably looked around and said, ‘I’d really enjoy the break and retirement looks good right now, but in January I don’t know if it’s going to be like that. I might miss what I do,’” Dan D’Antonio said. “I think he weighed the options.”
The elder D’Antoni, who is 73 and still coaching Marshall, the brothers’ alma mater, said it’s not in the family nature to call something quits just because they reach a certain age. So all it took was a little persistence from Nash, who presented Mike with an attractive situation in Brooklyn.
Mike looked at the Nets job as a way to “pay it back a bit,” Dan said, for the impact Nash had on D’Antoni’s coaching career. Nash played for D’Antoni for four years in Phoenix, where he became a two-time MVP and cemented himself as one of the league’s elite point guards while playing alongside Stoudemire and Nets general manager Sean Marks. Nash helped make D’Antoni among the league’s most successful coaches, and now it’s D’Antoni’s time to help do the same for Nash.
“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.”
In Phoenix, Nash thrived in the pick-and-roll with Stoudemire and needed the open floor and space to be at his best. In New York, D’Antoni continued with the pick-and-roll, especially when he reunited with Stoudemire in 2010, but tweaked the offense again after trading for Carmelo Anthony, who was lethal in the mid-range and didn’t need screens or space to beat defenders in isolation.
Although D’Antoni helped start the 3-point revolution in Houston with James Harden, he still ran a lot of pick-and-roll with Clint Capela as his center. D’Antoni changed his system again when the team traded for Rusell Westbrook a year ago and didn’t resort to a five-out lineup until Capela was traded to Atlanta at the deadline last season. D’Antoni’s hire positions the Nets to tailor an offense toward the roster and get the most out of Irving and Durant. Harden recently indicated he wants out of Houston and prefers a trade to Brooklyn, partly because of his relationships with Durant and D’Antoni. Although some around the league question if Harden, Durant and Irving can all co-exist on the court, D’Antoni’s versatile offensive mind and time coaching Harden give reason to think he and Nash could find a system that would keep all three stars happy, if such a deal were to be executed.
“Steve needed pace to get him open whereas Harden doesn’t need it,” Dan D’Antoni said. “He’s strong and can hold the ball right there and beat you. They’re going to have to figure all of that out. What are they going to do with KD? What are they going to do with Kyrie? It’s about how they all fit in.
“First off, they’d like to probably have fast tempo where the ball moves a bit more and they have a little more speed. I’m sure that’s something they’ll explore first. They’re going to look for the best avenues to have the best team.”
Maybe most important about D’Antoni’s hire: his ability to know when it’s time to let the players figure things out for themselves. During a recent town hall on the YES Network, Nash said that what made his teams in Phoenix so successful was D’Antoni’s ability to know when to trust his players.
“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.”
One of the reasons that led to former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson’s departure was his inability to compromise when players wanted to adjust his system more toward their talents. Irving and Durant are two of the game’s most talented scorers and it’s inevitable they’re going to want to freestyle at times on the court. Instead of resisting that, Nash will seemingly welcome it. In September, when Mike D’Antoni was asked about the challenges Nash would face game-planning as a head coach, he responded tongue-in-cheek that Nash would be fine.
“The game plan was give it to Steve, and, ‘Steve, you can figure it out,’” D’Antoni said. “He was pretty well-involved with how he prepares his team.”
Even though D’Antoni is coming off a weird ending to his time in Houston, his older brother doesn’t expect him to come into Brooklyn with anything but his best effort to help Nash.
When Mike called his brother to tell him he was going to Brooklyn, Dan D’Antoni reassured him that he was making a good decision.
“’Just enjoy it,’” Dan recalled telling Mike. “’It’s a good opportunity to be with people that you were successful with. Go out there and give it your best. Do the best you can.’
“I’m sure he will.”
When Steve Nash was surprisingly named the Nets coach in September, the man most synonymous with Nash’s career, Mike D’Antoni, texted his former star point guard to congratulate him on “jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.”
Now, D’Antoni has joined Nash in the embers.
D’Antoni signed on as an assistant coach to Nash on Oct. 30, joining an extremely talented bench that features lead assistant Jacque Vaughn, who served as the interim head coach earlier this year; assistant Ime Udoka, who has interviewed for numerous head coaching jobs in recent years; and player development coach Amar’e Stoudemire, Nash’s former Suns co-star. The Nets also recently announced Royal Ivey, a close friend and former teammate of Kevin Durant, as an assistant after Ivey spent the last two years in the same capacity with the Knicks.
But D’Antoni’s hiring was different. By adding him to Nash’s staff, the Nets hired a coach who has impacted the game throughout his career. Although some thought D’Antoni’s hire was an indication Nash would try to run the famous “Seven Seconds or Less” offense that changed both of their careers, those who know them best thought it simply meant Nash wants an offense that maximizes the talent on the roster. That is what D’Antoni, 69, has been about, as evidenced by the fact that the Rockets were a slow-paced, isolation-heavy team, hardly resembling the high-tempo Phoenix teams with which he won 253 games (.650) over five seasons.
After D’Antoni announced in September he wouldn’t return to the Houston Rockets, his older brother, Dan, said Mike contemplated retirement. But Mike instantly became one of the hottest commodities on the coaching market and was the favorite to replace Brett Brown in Philadelphia until the Clippers fired Doc Rivers.
“He probably looked around and said, ‘I’d really enjoy the break and retirement looks good right now, but in January I don’t know if it’s going to be like that. I might miss what I do,’” Dan D’Antonio said. “I think he weighed the options.”
The elder D’Antoni, who is 73 and still coaching Marshall, the brothers’ alma mater, said it’s not in the family nature to call something quits just because they reach a certain age. So all it took was a little persistence from Nash, who presented Mike with an attractive situation in Brooklyn.
Mike looked at the Nets job as a way to “pay it back a bit,” Dan said, for the impact Nash had on D’Antoni’s coaching career. Nash played for D’Antoni for four years in Phoenix, where he became a two-time MVP and cemented himself as one of the league’s elite point guards while playing alongside Stoudemire and Nets general manager Sean Marks. Nash helped make D’Antoni among the league’s most successful coaches, and now it’s D’Antoni’s time to help do the same for Nash.
“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.”
In Phoenix, Nash thrived in the pick-and-roll with Stoudemire and needed the open floor and space to be at his best. In New York, D’Antoni continued with the pick-and-roll, especially when he reunited with Stoudemire in 2010, but tweaked the offense again after trading for Carmelo Anthony, who was lethal in the mid-range and didn’t need screens or space to beat defenders in isolation.
Although D’Antoni helped start the 3-point revolution in Houston with James Harden, he still ran a lot of pick-and-roll with Clint Capela as his center. D’Antoni changed his system again when the team traded for Rusell Westbrook a year ago and didn’t resort to a five-out lineup until Capela was traded to Atlanta at the deadline last season. D’Antoni’s hire positions the Nets to tailor an offense toward the roster and get the most out of Irving and Durant. Harden recently indicated he wants out of Houston and prefers a trade to Brooklyn, partly because of his relationships with Durant and D’Antoni. Although some around the league question if Harden, Durant and Irving can all co-exist on the court, D’Antoni’s versatile offensive mind and time coaching Harden give reason to think he and Nash could find a system that would keep all three stars happy, if such a deal were to be executed.
“Steve needed pace to get him open whereas Harden doesn’t need it,” Dan D’Antoni said. “He’s strong and can hold the ball right there and beat you. They’re going to have to figure all of that out. What are they going to do with KD? What are they going to do with Kyrie? It’s about how they all fit in.
“First off, they’d like to probably have fast tempo where the ball moves a bit more and they have a little more speed. I’m sure that’s something they’ll explore first. They’re going to look for the best avenues to have the best team.”
Maybe most important about D’Antoni’s hire: his ability to know when it’s time to let the players figure things out for themselves. During a recent town hall on the YES Network, Nash said that what made his teams in Phoenix so successful was D’Antoni’s ability to know when to trust his players.
“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.”
One of the reasons that led to former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson’s departure was his inability to compromise when players wanted to adjust his system more toward their talents. Irving and Durant are two of the game’s most talented scorers and it’s inevitable they’re going to want to freestyle at times on the court. Instead of resisting that, Nash will seemingly welcome it. In September, when Mike D’Antoni was asked about the challenges Nash would face game-planning as a head coach, he responded tongue-in-cheek that Nash would be fine.
“The game plan was give it to Steve, and, ‘Steve, you can figure it out,’” D’Antoni said. “He was pretty well-involved with how he prepares his team.”
Even though D’Antoni is coming off a weird ending to his time in Houston, his older brother doesn’t expect him to come into Brooklyn with anything but his best effort to help Nash.
When Mike called his brother to tell him he was going to Brooklyn, Dan D’Antoni reassured him that he was making a good decision.
“’Just enjoy it,’” Dan recalled telling Mike. “’It’s a good opportunity to be with people that you were successful with. Go out there and give it your best. Do the best you can.’
“I’m sure he will.”