Fans Confused and Excited After Knicks Coach Resigns
New York's Mike D'Antoni Reportedly Quits
New York Knicks fans recently expressed excitement and confusion when Mike D'Antoni, head coach who has been under fire for the team's six-game losing streak despite its talented players, reportedly resigned on Wednesday.
Knicks fans took to Twitter with mixed reactions to D'Antoni's unexpected resignation.
"D'Antoni is gone," one person tweeted. "OMG the best day ever!"
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Another Knicks fan said the team should never have brought D'Antoni in as a coach four years ago.
"D'Antoni was the wrong coach for this team/city the entire time," the person tweeted.
However, another Knicks fan didn't seem so sure if the news was good for the team.
"That being said, Knicks problems are bigger than Carmelo," the person tweeted. "They are very dysfunctional and had gotten to the point that D'Antoni needed to go."
D'Antoni, who has coached the Knicks since 2008, was in the last year of his four-year $24 million contract with the team. Although multiple reports stated that the decision was mutual between D'Antoni and the Knicks management, many have been speculating about the growing tension between the coach and the players on his team.
The latest reports spoke about growing troubles between star forward Carmelo Anthony and D'Antoni. According to The New York Post, Anthony allegedly made a statement about the team's management having to choose between trading him and keeping D'Antoni.
Although Anthony denied requesting a trade, D'Antoni's resignation came about one day before the March 15 NBA trade deadline. However, even before rumors about Anthony's unhappiness surfaced people have been speculating about D'Antoni keeping his job.
Charles Barkley, NBA Hall-of-Famer and commentator, spoke on ESPN radio about the rise of starting point guard Jeremy Lin saving D'Antoni's job in February.
"I think Jeremy Lin did save his job because they were going nowhere fast," Barkley said in February, when the Knicks were on a winning streak. "They were really going nowhere fast."
However, after a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers recently, the Knicks' home crowd in Madison Square Garden made it known they were unhappy with the coach, chanting "Fire D'Antoni."
Mike Woodson, the Knicks assistant coach, will now take over as interim coach to replace D'Antoni. Woodson is best known for coaching the Atlanta Hawks for six seasons and leading the team to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
