When all is said and done, Jeremy Lin may have saved Mike D’Antoni’s job. The Knicks were sinking before Lin’s explosion. They were the biggest underachievers in the NBA and fans were chanting things like “Fire D’Antoni!” and calling for Phil Jackson to rescue them. The fans had turned on their coach and were ready for the next step. Lin managed to erase their memories, but D’Antoni’s wife Laurel D’Antoni hasn’t forgotten the way fans at the Garden treated her husband.
“It was a bummer,’’ Laurel said according to the NY Post. “But it’s not like we’re not used to people getting after Mike. Same way in Italy. It’s the same way. New York is impatient. They do pay a lot of money to be entertained.’
“It’s a lack of respect. I don’t boo my banker when my portfolio goes down. I don’t allow booing in my house.’’
We’re talking about New York. With the roster the Knicks have, 8-15 wasn’t cutting it. It may not have been D’Antoni’s fault, but he is the head coach. In cities like New York and Boston, the coach is the first one to feel the heat when things aren’t going well. The banker comparison really doesn’t apply to Mike’s situation.
If Mike is going to be around for a while longer in New York, Laurel should learn to not take fan reaction personally. If Lin comes back to earth and his turnovers start coming back to bite the Knicks, it won’t be him that the fans turn on — it will be D’Antoni. They’ve booed him before and they’ll boo him again. Mrs. D’Antoni should learn to ignore it.
H/T I Am a GM
