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  • Okay, some breaking news here on first take this morning.

  • The new look Nets continue to build their coaching staff in our aging war.

  • Danowski reporting this morning that former Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni, along with former Spurs assistant coach He May Udoka, are finalizing deals to become assistant coaches under Steve Nash with the Brooklyn Nets.

  • Now, Steve, I mean, Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash They're no strangers to each other as D'Antoni, um, Steve Nash played under.

  • D'Antoni is the coach of the Phoenix Suns in the mid 2000.

  • So Stephen A What is your reaction to D'Antoni heading to the next?

  • Well, first of all, I'd like to say this.

  • Thio email.

  • Udoka.

  • Congratulations to him.

  • Another another assistant coaching job.

  • I think that he's moving along the lines because he wants to be a head coach someday.

  • He deserves an opportunity to become a head coach someday, and I'm definitely rooting for him.

  • Other than that, I wanted to say hello toe knee alone.

  • You know who knows him very, very well and the Sinai lengthens of the world and the Kerry Washington's of the World and the Regina Holes and Regina kicks all of these fabulous black actresses that don't get enough love where you're gonna get it from me.

  • Okay, now, having said all of that, let's get to Mike D'Antoni.

  • I don't care.

  • I mean, he's right where he belongs.

  • He's an assistant coach, particularly for Steve Nash.

  • Now, if anybody should hire him as a coach issue as an assistant, it should be Steve Nash.

  • They had great success together in Phoenix.

  • They won 65% of their games.

  • They went to a couple of conference championships, even though they never made it to the finals.

  • And clearly, that was when Mike D'Antoni really made a name for himself, revolutionizing the game of basketball Max on the offensive side of the ball because of what he was able to do with their offense.

  • But I will tell you this.

  • Mike D'Antoni lucky to get that job because here's the reality of the situation.

  • You've been a head coach.

  • Phoenix, New York L.

  • A.

  • Houston Never got to an MBA Finals, obviously injuries and bad circumstances had a lot to close.

  • A bunch of time got close.

  • He got close, but never got there.

  • Right.

  • And this man is a master at departing from jobs right when he knows he's going to get fired.

  • Now, if you listen to tell me what you listen to me for data and people that know him, they'll tell you that he might have wanted Antoni gone.

  • But in basketball operations that pushed for him to stay, he would have listened, etcetera, etcetera.

  • But the bottom line, it was time for a new coach in Houston.

  • Mike D'Antoni.

  • Thought was led to believe by somebody.

  • I don't know whether it was Agent Warren luxury or somebody, but he was led to believe there was a lot of opportunities out there for him.

  • The reality is there are people that are more deserving of these opportunities.

  • If indeed you wanna win a championship.

  • Mike D'Antoni, to me, has proven that he can innovate.

  • He could be innovative offensively.

  • His his style of play could be very, very entertaining.

  • There's no question about that.

  • And if that's what matters to you, if that is a priority, Mike D'Antoni is your God, whether it's an assistant or is that a head coach if you try to win, meaning win the chip.

  • No, he ain't the answer.

  • Now, This is Steve Nash teams.

  • Now he's the head coach.

  • We understand that.

  • And having K d and Kyrie with Mike D'Antoni's mind on the offensive side of the ball, I think is gonna help them immensely on the offensive side of the ball.

  • Defensively, they gotta get somebody else, and they bring else Internet there, too.

  • He did a great job, and he was the last year.

  • Bring somebody else in the coordinator because there ain't no way in hell Mike D'Antoni.

  • Listen, take that.

  • Jamie Foxx teasing me about this or take the D out of D'Antoni.

  • It still have the all these years.

  • He hasn't figured out that you have to play defense it sometimes that's what he went on, instagram and imitated using 10 years ago.

  • I'm just telling you what Jamie Foxx said, so I mean, that's all I'm trying to say.

  • Mike D'Antoni, an assistant in Brooklyn.

  • It's cool as long as he's not passing over other dudes that have been starving for a opportunity to get the latest.

  • I've been calling him and Tony for years.

  • No, D right, but you're being unfair to D'Antoni.

  • I don't think here's the reality.

  • Mike D'Antoni has never had a team where you look at the roster and you go.

  • That's the best team in basketball.

  • And yet, and so he's never won a championship.

  • And yet he's gotten closer than he ought to have gotten.

  • Given the fact that there were better rosters out there, for example, giving them because I don't know Golden State with K d.

  • Who was gonna beat Golden State with K D.

  • You picked right, LeBron, largely because of Mori and Antoni LeBron had Kyrie and Kevin Love and, as you said looked at Golden State was like We got no shot like and I don't even hold it against him.

  • I dio que de joined a 73 win team and steamrolled the league.

  • Except they had to play a Game seven on the road against Houston against a far inferior team.

  • But that for inferior team should have beaten them.

  • They got ice cold, one of the coldest shooting performances in the history of basketball, and still Golden State only beat him by single digits in Game seven.

  • D'Antoni has gotten mawr out of teams than most coaches now do.

  • I think he's the best coach in the world.

  • No, I don't the reason I think they're better coaches than Antonio because he needs his star player to buy in.

  • And when his star player doesn't buy in, instead of figuring out a way to get him to buy in, sometimes D'Antoni just like, Oh, well, we'll start by in here.

  • I'm sorry.

  • I thought that was upon the coaches.

  • Far be it from a I'm pointing out why I like some coaches better than him.

  • However, when his star player does buy, it doesn't even have to be a great player like Jeremy.

  • You wouldn't want a great player.

  • He's a good player.

  • He's a good player.

  • But he bought into dance and good mom and ran.

  • 10 Dantonio Good novels.

  • Jeremy Lin.

  • Excuse me, Jeremy Lin.

  • A point back.

  • You know what brought up Jeremy Lin, right?

  • That's right.

  • Not a good month.

  • That's my point.

  • With with Carmelo Anthony, who didn't buy in with Kobe Bryant, who didn't buy, they weren't the right players for the right coach, right?

  • He couldn't do much, But even a talent like Jeremy Lin, it was not an elite talent could.

  • He could make a winning team with the talent like Steve Nash or James Harden, he gives you a championship contender.

  • So who is he for as a head coach?

  • I agree.

  • If I were the Nets, I wouldn't take.

  • Dantonio is the head coach, but I'll bet you there were opportunities for him to be a head coach because if I owned or I was the GM of a small market team who's been irrelevant.

  • I know I hired D'Antoni and give him the right kind of point guard suddenly were relevant.

  • Suddenly we're making the playoffs.

  • Let me let me project with the new.

  • Remember I told you the job in Philly was Hiss, but Balmer Fire Doc Rivers got let let go.

  • Five.

  • They could talk about part ways and they want to do.

  • Obama made the decision to go in a different direction.

  • Philadelphia got wind off that news when woes reported it and I went on the six o'clock SportsCenter Doc Rivers available, and that changed everything.

  • D'Antoni was gonna be the coach of the 76 is the next day.

  • Yeah.

  • Yeah.

  • Doc Rivers has a chip, and D'Antoni doesn't, but I understand that decision.

  • My point is that's not a small market team.

  • Philadelphia is what, the fourth largest market in the country's largest market in the country.

  • For the still your Houston thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content, subscribe Thio, ESPN plus.

Okay, some breaking news here on first take this morning.

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