Jerry Stackhouse On Mike D’Antoni: “Such A Control Freak”
Nate Robinson has become the outcast in New York. But one person whose got Nate’s back is former NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse. A regular on the Chris Russo’s Sirius radio show, Stackhouse defended Robinson by taking some shots at Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni.
“I know Nate has to be obviously frustrated,” Stackhouse said (quotes were transcribed by Marc Berman of the New York Post). “To be an NBA coach, you’re a control freak. You really are a control freak just because you think about all the things coaches have to manage – from the players, to practice, to the media…”
“And with any type of personality, you have your extremists. And I think D’Antoni is just an extremist. He’s just a guy who’s so stubborn, such a control freak and wants to make an example of this kid (Robinson). It’s not fair to him.”
As we mentioned a few days ago, Nate’s days in New York may be numbered. D’Antoni has not played him in nine straight games and even when Larry Hughes was hurt in a game last week, D’Antoni still didn’t use the 5-9 guard.
“That’s embarrassing, embarrassing to him, embarrassing to his family,” Stackhouse said. “If you don’t want him on the team, trade him. Get him off the team, buy him out.”
In the past week, Robinson’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been trying to orchestrate a trade. Donnie Walsh is expected to meet with Goodwin on Monday to discuss trade possibilities.
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December 22nd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
K Dizzle says:
No doubt. Fully agree wit Stack.
You don’t want dude, trade him or cut him……unless you gonna sit his ass all year cuz you need his cap space next season so you can try to get Lebron or Bosh or Wade or JJ or Dirk or……
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:47 pm
eyes says:
BINGO. IS HE HATING BECAUSE HE’S OUT THE LEAGUE OR THE WAY MEDIA PORTRAYED HIM. HE STILL HAD A LITTLE LEFT IN HIS BODY TO HELP SOME TEAMS. COULD START IN THE N.O. I KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT THE IMAGE OF OUR LEAGUE. WE’RE NO LONGER LOOKING FOR THE BEST PLAYER. THE NICEST GUY MAKES THE CUT. THE LEAGUE WHERE NO EXPRESSIONS ARE ALLOWED. YOUR A MILLIONAIRE PLAY & SHUT UP. BAKSETBALL FOR MOST PART IS LIKE MUSIC WHICH IS AN EXPRESSION OF WHO YOU ARE WHICH TRANSLATES INTO YOUR GAME.
THE FUNNY THING I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE OTHER DAY. MOST BASKETBALL PURISTS ARE CAUCASIAN AND SHOT THE BALL PRETTY WELL. ITS WHY THEY LOVE THAT BRAND OF BASKETBALL. THEY COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND THE SKILL OF DRIBLLING THE BALL SO CALLED FANCY OR SHOWBOATING. THAT’S NOT THEIR STYLE OF PLAY. IT CAUSES A LOT OF CONFUSION. IT’S RUN & PLAYED BY TOTALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. HOW DOES THAT WORK. THAT’S LIKE ME BEING A HOCKEY COACH. I COULDN’T DO IT. BETTER YET HOW WOULD THE PLAYERS LOOK AT ME. IF ALL YOU CAN DO IS SHOOT & I NEVER PASS YOU THE BALL WHAT GOOD ARE YOU???? THERE’S A REASON THERE’S A ZONE IN THE LEAGUE. IT’S TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF CERTAIN PLAYERS AND MINIMIZE THE ONE ON ONE SKILLS OF ANOTHER. JUST LAUGHING THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE LEAGUE HAS BECOME & HOW SOME PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO EVEN SURVIVE LET ALONE BE IN THE LEAGUE
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:57 pm
SparkyJ23 says:
Caps lock fucktard
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Traps says:
In games where Nate has played greater than 12 minutes, the Knicks are 0-9. 10-8 otherwise. ‘Nuff said.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
SWAT says:
@ eyes nate is garbage and didnt listen to the coach. it says something tht not one team made an offer to this cat in the offseason. dude’s ego got in the way, thts the bottom line and the knicks have played better without the dude.
as far as ur analogy about music and hoops-thy are not the same. thr are only so many diff ways to put the ball into the hoop, unless ur bron you hv to listen to ur coach. in high school, college, or NBA your coach is your boss. you cant go out there and allow your own individual expression take over whts better for the team. cmon whn this dude took tht shot at another teams basket, it wasnt during play, but really…like jeezy say “where they do that at ?!?”
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
SWAT says:
@ sparky-LMAO!! fucktard!!
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
The other Aj says:
D’antoni may be as much a problem as isaiah was…people may be realizing that this guys is over rated. This loser had nash is phoenix. Gentry is doing the same things he was doing with the personnel…
D’antoni = overrated!
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
wiz says:
There is no way that nate cant help bthe knicks there has to be a personal issue
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
SWAT says:
@ 6 and 7
do yall watch basketball?
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Bizz says:
Nate didn’t get any offers, neither did David Lee. Ivy didn’t get one for Philly, yet signed there this year during the season. With the way the talent is stinking up the joint on some rosters, buying out Nate for sure will cause him to get signed somewhere else, and the Knicks know this. Teams aren’t gonna trade for Nate because they know the Knicks are screwed in the situation they’re in. Why pay extra for something that’ll be discounted in a couple of weeks? As for Nate’s minutes, the Knicks are jackasses. Signing a never was with no knees, giving him minutes, or even worse, giving minutes to Jared Jeffries is a sign that the ghost of Isiah lives on in MSG.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Heckler says:
i dunno how well Stackhouse knows D’antoni (did stack ever play for him?…i dont think so).
but i def agree with stack. i’ve been on this board for 3yrs saying that mike d’antoni is the WORST coach in the league. he truly SUCKS at coaching. any team he coaches will be shitty. he sucks. and here is why:
1) no emphasis on defense.
2) plays a small lineup with everyone out of their natural position
3) plays startes too many minutes. has a short rotation for the regular season.
4) holds personal grudges and agendas against players
..and the list goes on and on. since i know you cant just say a coach sucks, you have to give fair reasoning, so there are some valid points for yall doubters he think he is such a good coach.
as for Nate; just collect the checks until your agent can work a trade.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Name (required) says:
I hate all this D’Antoni hate. No other team wanted Nate in the offseason and no other team is offering anything in a trade for him. he could put up 20ppg but has no idea about getting his within the teams offense. You cant win games with a PG with such low terrible hoops IQ and unwillingness to listen to the coach. The Knicks Record without him should be enough to show that Mike D isn’t wrong.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Boogie says:
Look, i understand that nate can be an asshole when he plays. BUT that doesnt make D’Antoni right. Nate probably can help, and from all evidence it looks like D’Antoni holds VERY strong grudges, which is TERRIBLE for coaching in the NBA. You have to manage players and they’re personalities as well, you may coach but they have to play. If you can;t respect the players you dont deserve to be in the league. Also, if you cant stop your team from jacking up 50 treys in a losing effort, then wtf? People who think players should ALWAYS listen to the coach regardless of situation clearly dnt respect players at all and believe they are all too stupid to play basketball on they’re own. Nothing in this life is unconditional, least of all listening to everything your coach says. Good teams dnt take orders from the coach, they figure it out together.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Boogie says:
Also 10.Bizz makes a good point about why Nate hasnt gotten an offer. If you think its cos he’s garbage you are an idiot. He’s immature but he can get buckets and is certainly useful to an nba team, even if only of the bench. There are many, many players in the league who cannot produce anything like nate.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Sho-Nuff says:
HAHAHAHA!…fucktard……very original…
Nate’s acts like he’s 5 years old sometimes. Show up and be professional. He fucking shot a three at the wrong basket BEFORE the buzzer…..c’mon man.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
SWAT says:
@ boogie-the coach is the boss-look at popovich and parker or doc and rondo, when these cats first came out they had no slack but now the coaches let them make game time decisions but nate is no where tht level. for now you are jus gonna hv to prove your self that whn the game is on the line you can be called on. nate may be able to get buckets but the knicks were losing, with nate on the bench thy were able to beat some decent teams and had a win streak. nate is worried about nate. gm’s are getting tired of me first type of players-as evident with AI. so dude’s name is mud until he proves himself, which sadly like dime said a couple of days ago tht shot at the wrong basket broke the camels back and he may not get another shot until he gets traded.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Jayo says:
I agree w/ post #15. D’Antoni might be holding a grudge but Nate shot at another team’s basket. Again, HE SHOT AT ANOTHER TEAM’S BASKET!! During a game! How unprofessional is that? That’s some Ricky Davis type sh!t. That alone would get you benched with any coach.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
itsakademiks says:
yea i like robinson and all but d’antoni is the coach…..whether he’s got a hidden agenda its his call..i do think they should trade/buy son out but nobody offered a contract to him over the summer so what does that say……
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Iannyb says:
Mike needs to fall back first Starbury ,now Natebut then again Nate was one of those surpportive of his coach when it was Starbury,so maybe it’s a case of karma.Wasn’t too happy with nate shooting at his own basket, but we all know Nate is a crowd pleaser.play him or trade him.let me see D’anotni try that with lebron,wade or kobe.Such a smhcuck.
FREE NATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Boogie says:
@Swat, firstly lets understand that the only people making game time decisions are the players. The coaches can only guide, they cant play, no matter how much they shout on the sideline. They have to hope they have prepared the players enough in practice to trust them in game. The most they can do is call set plays and Bball is only 10% set plays, its just a fluid type of game.
Second i’m not disagreeing nate is a chump, but d’antoni to be a known as a good coach needs to learn(actually he shud already know) how to get the best out of ALL his players, especially if they have the talent to produce. See Doc Rivers. maybe stephon wasn’t gettin ‘olden days’ buckets but he wasnt a disruption. To bench a player like nate in light of the type of team the knicks are is clearly a case of peronal agendas interfering with professional ones. Sit him for maybe 3 games and see how it goes. 9 is ridiculous and i doubt nate has been acting stupid all this time, so it doesnt look like he’s been given a chance. The knicks can certainly afford to put him on the floor limited mins and see how it goes, if he fucks up then take him off. I dnt know how u can say 9 games on for arguably one of the teams best players(sad as this may be) is giving him a chance.. Also, last year by all accounts Stephon was being a straight edge dude but d’antoni still shat on him due to personal issues.
Bottom line is that Nate is an immature but talented player who CAN produce. He certainly done some stupid things BUT it is the JOB of a good coach to help a player mature and develop, to get the best out of them. D’Antoni letting his team jack up 3′s all day, play no defense and the his holding personal grudges despite his teams situation makes me feel he is not so mature himself. I say this as a sad and disappointed knicks fan, hoping for the best and expecting the worst.
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
TomGfromCanada says:
lost some respect for D’Antoni.
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Michorizo says:
Nate should just join the circus…
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Robert Rowell says:
@Heckler “1) no emphasis on defense.
2) plays a small lineup with everyone out of their natural position
3) plays startes too many minutes. has a short rotation for the regular season.
4) holds personal grudges and agendas against players”
Are you talking about D’Antoni or Nelson?
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Maynard says:
They’re 7-3 since they benched Nate, which I admit is a small sample size, but it’s still something. They also have been stressing defense more (hence the increased minutes for Jeffries) and slowing down the game to fit their current personnel. We have a guy up there complaining that the Knicks don’t play enough defense, and yet he seems to be an advocate for playing Nate Robinson. Those two things are mutually exclusive.
I just don’t get myopic people that kill D’Antoni. He averaged 58 wins his last four years in Phoenix. I think he’s done all right considering the roster he was given in New York. You really think he made it this far without knowing how to teach defense? Let’s see how he does when Walsh has some room to work.
December 23rd, 2009 at 4:05 am
PHECKZ!? says:
100% co-sign Stackhouse and his comments. Especially the part of it being embarassing to his family! I had no idea that’s the reason Nate hasn’t been on the stat sheets recently, thought he had gotten injured but i guess not. Nine straight games, holy shyt, and Hughes get’s hurt and u still don’t play the kid, FUCK OUTTA HEA!
i don’t care who you are bruh, do not embarass somebody like that in front of his family, once it get’s to that point and becomes personal, you hardly will see any reconciliation between those two especially in professional sports. Do not expect to see Nate playing for this crapper after the break, but with the situation at hand, D’antoni prollly will keep him on dat bench just as Stackhouse said, to make his point.
pHECKZ??
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Soul Brova 1 says:
compared to Nate who is out of control too often D’Antoni and any other coach would appear to be a control freak. Whatever happened to professionalism? That’s what is wrong with the black professional athlete…we make excuses for each other instead of holding each other accountable and setting and raising standards. That makes it so much harder for black players to find opportunities in the game when playing days are over.
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
HeadkickerB says:
As a Knick fan I think the Knicks signed Nate to be part of their rotation. Not one other team even showed interest in signing him. However, Nate’s preferred style of play has not helped the Knicks win and he is so far unwilling to change. You can bet if he decided to become a pass-first, pass-second, shoot-third point guard he could take Duhon’s position in about two practices. Instead he pouts that he doesn’t have the privilege of playing the way he wants to play. His coach has had success in the league and the Knicks have a better record WITHOUT Nate playing. Instead of demanding trades Nate should try to play the way D’Antonio wants him to. Nate seems like a good dude – cheering loudly for his team even when he is not playing, etc. I’m rooting for him but I don’t feel optimistic anything will change soon.
December 24th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
movez says:
IT’S FUNNY HOW YOU GUYS REALLY THINK YA KNOW EVERYTHING WISH YOU CAN SAY THINGS TO PEOPLE FACE, INSTEAD YOU WOULD SAY ” HEY MAN I LOVE YOUR GAME ” AND “I’M A H UGE FAN “….LOL I LOVE THIS GAME MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 25th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Urban says:
Why do people hat D’antoni sooooo much. Is it because of his mustach, or Italian roots. Is it cause his Suns had two 60+ and 2 50+ seasons a few years ago. Is it because he helped Steve Nash Collect 2 MVPS, and changed the way the game is played for many teams. I know it’s not because he’s a bad coach, cause according to the stats he has a win percentage in the high 50s, which is actually pretty good considering he’s only been coaching like 7 years. Thats better than 50 coaches who have been in the L the last few years.
Plus @ eyes, how did you turn this into a racial thing, especially with D’antoni whos a white guy/ ex point guard who knows all about dribbling the ball, and passing it. The coach who once again turned a white point guard into a MVP…..or at least helped in some aspect. And his offense is predicated on a tight dribble, so the whole white fundamental purist comment is a little off subject when talking about this coach. I usually appreciate your comments but this one was WAAAAAAAAY OFF.