Dear Coach D'Antoni...
Hi, I'm Tim. You probably don't know who I am, but I'm a lifelong Knicks fan, and I'm happy you're here.
First of all, welcome to New York. Anyone other than Isiah Thomas would have been a godsend, but you bring a winning attitude and a wealth of basketball knowledge with you into this job.
It will not be an easy one. If the roster remains as it is, you will have to deal with Stephon Marbury, who is nothing if not a coach killer. You wisely got rid of him early on in Phoenix, but salary cap wise, you need to eat this contract if you want a shot a Mr. James in 2010.
Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph are not Amare Stoudemire. They're not even Shaq, circa 2008. These are just a few of the roadblocks between you and early success in New York.
Here's a few tips for you as you start your journey:
1) Don't trade David Lee. He's one of your hardest working players, he doesn't quit like the others, and he's younger and far more mobile than most of his teammates. Getting another top 10 draft pick is not worth it, especially in this year's draft.
2) You can make Jamal Crawford a big time player. He fits your system far better than many realize, and he will improve upon his numbers last year, when he started 80 games and quietly averaged 20.6 points and 5 assists per game.
3) The big point, and I cannot stress this enough. Do NOT draft Danilo Gallinari. Don't do it. I know he's got exciting potential. You played with his pops in Italy, I'm sure you know all about him. It is just not the way to start out your tenure in New York. Still fresh are the wounds of foreign players like Frédéric Weis, Slavko Vraneš, Maciej Lampe, and Miloš Vujanić. That's just since 2002. As much as you may like Danilo, bringing an unestablished foreign-born player to New York can easily spell disaster for both parties.
It won't be easy. It might not be fun. But I have faith, Coach D'Antoni, that you'll do this city proud. Good luck tomorrow.
P.S.: You may have forgotten about this, but I'm sure a lot of people haven't. Here's a friendly reminder of how things worked out with Mr. Weis:
-- Tim Fiorvanti
