Mike Dantoni are very hard on his point guards and expects a lot out of them. Where Mike Dantoni came from he had one of the best guards in the whole NBA. Steve Nash is a coaches dream point guard and any coach would love to have him. Steve Nash ran the Suns offense with perfection and was a two time MVP while Dantoni was coaching him. Steve Nash was the assists King three years in a row and he was certainly a pass first point guard.
The reason why I discussed about Steve Nash so much is that he is the nucleus of the offense that Mike Dantoni had so much success with. Also he is a pass first point.
The New York Knicks lack a pass first point guard on the roster. All of there guard that were on there roster when Mike Dantoni got hired were scoring guards such as, Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson. Mike Dantoni new that some of these guards had to removed from the team in order for the system to hit its full potential.
Stephon Marbury had already played for Dantoni and of course they bumped heads due to his lack of passing the ball. I disagree with Dantoni on the way he views Stephon Marbury. Marbury is averaging 8 assits for his whole career and 20 points. Only the Big O and Magic Johnson have done that yes I said Marbury and Magic in the same sentence. Since Dantoni didn't agree with the way that Marbury plays he decided to bench him.
When Jamal Crawford came to the New York Knicks he was known for having hot potato hands with the basketball. Every time Crawford received the ball it was almost a given that he was going to shoot it or commit a turnover. However Jamal Crawford did calm down with his out-of-control ways on the court and became more aware of what he was doing on the court. Mike Dantoni loved Crawford but some time questioned his clock management and his shot selection. Crawford's case was different from Marbury's and Mike Dantoni would have probably kept him if it wasn't for how much money he was making. Therefore Crawford was traded to the Golden State Warriors.
As far as Nate Robinson's situation with Dantoni, it is improving daily. Nate was one of the lucky ones who didn't get traded. Dantoni loved Nate's energy and the way he played the game which was hard all the time. Also Nate played control most of the year and became the Knicks go to player down the stretch of games. Robinson had a terrific year and improved as a player all around.
Mike Dantoni hopes to find a well rounded point guard who was similar to Steve Nash. Even though Chris Duhon did a great job and he out played his contract Mike Dantoni needs an all star type guard who is well rounded and a good decision maker.
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