I am happy to report that the Basketball 24/7 site in the UK is growing by leaps and bounds with some 250K page views in the past month.
Here is the latest Across the Pond piece, a column I do for the site twice a month:
ACROSS THE POND V
NEW YORK - I first met Mike D'Antoni when he was the starting point guard of Tracer Milan. It was the very first McDonald's Open, an event organized by the NBA and FIBA to begin the process of uniting the world of basketball. D'Antoni's Milan team had the rich history as one of Europe's most storied club teams. Together with Bob McAdoo, the legendary NBA scoring machine who had retired from the NBA but signed-on to finish his career in Europe, D'Antoni formed a savvy, veteran core which dominated club play in Italy and in Europe.
D'Antoni struck me as an honest, hard-working point guard with a real keen sense of the game and a very strong competitive drive. He had played his college ball at Marshall (West Virginia, USA), toiled a few years in the NBA with the Kansas City Kings, the predecessor to the current Sacramento Kings franchise. He would go on to a terrific 12-year career with Milano before retiring as a player and becoming one of Italy's best head coaches.
My impression of D'Antoni remained strong and positive as I watched him from afar over the years. But, it was a couple of decades later when I really got to know the 'real' Mike D'Antoni as he returned to the USA where he accepted a front office job as Director of Player Personnel with the Denver Nuggets (1997-98). Of course, he would later become the head coach of the 1998-99 Nuggets as they limped to a dismal finish to a subpar season and management cleaned house.
We became better acquainted in October of 1999 when Mike signed on as a scout for San Antonio before the Spurs participated in the 1999 McDonald's Championship in Milan. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich recognized that D'Antoni could provide some much-needed insight as the Spurs represented the NBA in the international tournament that had evolved into somewhat of a world championship for club teams. Pop was also knee-deep in his international player pursuit as the Spurs had signed a young Argentine guard named Manu Ginobili who was starting his second of a two-year stint with Reggio Calabria of the Italian Lega-A and would go on to play two more years in Italy with Kinder Bologna.
As we rode the Spurs' team bus or talked basketball at the hotel, D'Antoni's wealth of knowledge and his simple style and laid back personality kept everyone interested in his viewpoint and at ease in the conversation.
A few years later, in May 2003, I remember walking with Mike alongside the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona during the EuroLeague Final Four. The fans embraced him, as they were there to see one of Mike's former teams - Benetton Treviso - compete in the tournament. They gladly paid homage to their compatriot.
I remember adding it all together. From where I sat, Mike's resume looked like this: Competitive player, strong basketball intelligence quotient (IQ), able to relate to everyone he interacts with on a one-to-one, simple basis and that included fans, players, front-office people, basketball operations staff, coaches and league administrators.
"This guy is one hell of a coach," I remember saying to my colleagues at the NBA.
Now, the saga gets a little better. As everyone knows, D'Antoni was named an assistant coach to Mike Kryzyzewski for the USA Senior Men's National team that will play at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. D'Antoni is part of the coaching group that was named by USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo.
Of course, during the various trials, mini-camps, international friendlies, preparation for and participation in the 2006 World Championship, the preparation for and participation in the 2007 FIBA Americas championship, I was fortunate enough to really get to know D'Antoni.
It's funny, as I don't think he's changed all that much except for the fact he remains open to learning something new every single day. He likes a challenge and meets it head-on. He is amongst the most competitive people I have ever met.
It struck me that D'Antoni, along with fellow West Virginians Rod Thorn and Jerry West are three of the more competitive individuals I can recall from my 25+ years at the NBA. A guy by the name of Michael Jordan might have edged that West Virginia threesome out if I had to rank an all-time leader in the most competitive drive category, though.
And, all of this background brings us to the news that D'Antoni was named head coach of the New York Knicks.
He joins forces with the Knickerbockers at a crucial time in franchise history. The club is in need of a total remake and management signed former Indiana Pacers President Donnie Walsh to draw up the plans. Walsh's first move as the new head of the Knicks' basketball operation was courting and signing D'Antoni to a multi-year coaching contract.
D'Antoni scored high grades when he was introduced to the New York media. His approach to basketball - and to everything he does - is no nonsense. He will install a new system and work with the strengths of the current Knicks roster. He can coach any style and he stresses defense much more than fans, media or television analysts will credit him for.
When the Knicks introduced D'Antoni at a packed press conference at a theatre adjacent to Madison Square Garden, I remember thinking to myself, "The Knicks just got one hell of a coach."
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