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According to ESPN, the New York Knicks are making a serious push for current Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni to come to New York in the same capacity. In the report, the Knicks have outlined the parameters of a 5 year deal, which is apparently extremely lucrative. D’Antoni is clearly the Knicks top choice for their head coaching vacancy, but they face serious competition from the Chicago Bulls who also covet D’Antoni.

I expect the Mike D’Antoni sweepstakes to end some time in the next few days. While he is certainly a very qualified coach (and obviously a major upgrade over Isiah Thomas) I’m not convinced that he’s the best fit for the Knicks. He’s a renowned offensive genius and his teams are always fun to watch. Knick fans would love the run and gun offense that D’Antoni would bring to Madison Square Garden. But the Knicks biggest problem is on the defensive side of the ball, where the me-first attitude of most of their players allows other teams to put up major points on the Knickerbockers. D’Antoni has never been known as a defensive guru, and I think that’s what the Knicks should be looking for. (See Johnson, Avery) Don’t get me wrong, D’Antoni is a very good coach and the Knicks would be lucky to have him manning their sidelines. I’m just not sure that he’s the best fit.

Happy Birthday to John Brown, Mike Wallace, John Ashcroft, Candice Bergen, Billy Joel, Tony Gwynn, John Corbett, Ghostface Killah, Maggie Dixon, Brandon Webb, Bill Murphy, Prince Fielder and Jake Long