New York Knicks: The roller coaster ride has just begun

So, it happened, after the turmoil that the

New York Knicks

have been in their head coach, Mike D’Antoni, decided to step down from his position. Stephen A. Smith

wrote

that the main reason for this was because the coach was not flexible with his style of offense to utilize his best players, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. While this could be true, in some people’s mind the fact that Melo was not happy is what got this process moving and, maybe, completed.

Some believe that D’Antoni giving more control to Jeremy Lin than his two superstars caused this problem. Others just think this was the only way to shake this team enough that maybe it will play to its potential, whatever that might be. I think that all of the above is true, and personally I also believe that it shows what happens when you give all you got to bring in a top notch player to your franchise. The Knickerbockers` front office sold the proverbial farm to get Melo from the Denver Nuggets and now they would either have to get rid of him or get rid of what might be bothering him. New York choose to do the latter, which is fine, but now both the owner and the super star of this team best right the ship, or else the fans that have come back to this team thanks to the run coinciding with Carmelo Anthony’s absence might just do another 180 on the team.

In the city that never sleeps Mike D’Antoni might be getting some rest from now on. On the other hand for interim coach Mike Woodson, interim GM Glen Grunwald, owner Jim Dolan and for Carmelo Anthony the restless nights might just have begun if this move does not give any results in the long run. Last night the Knicks destroyed the Trail Blazers, stopping the losing slide at six, but that could just be a knee jerk reaction to all of this. With the New York franchise tied for the last slot in the East playoff run I feel that the measuring stick for this mess will be if the team makes the post season and then make some noise while in it. On a side note I find it very tough that in the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, things have not been good for quite sometime.

As it happens each time a head coach is fired or leaves his post the rumors of who would replace him begin to wildly swirl around. Two names that have come out are Phil Jackson, who is in retirement mode right now, and John Calipari, who is at the helm of the Kentucky Wildcats and has tweeted that he is not going anywhere. For me neither of these coaches will come to the Big Apple to coach the Knicks, or better said, this duo would be smart not to take this coaching job. For Jackson, who might be as good as it get coaching the game, why come back to a mess when probably he could go anywhere he wants to. For Calipari, who has been at the top of the college game with UK, this would be a move that might make him more money, but definitely not more satisfactions.

In the end, while for D’Antoni it’s over and done in this wild ride, for the Knicks the roller coaster ride has just begun and it will be a while before it comes to an end. With the talent that there is in New York a good head coach that will be respected needs to be brought in, and that means spending more money and hoping that this will turn around the franchise. Until then anything and everything in a negative light will need someone to be blamed on, and I have a feeling that person will be Carmelo Anthony, which could get old really quick for the former Syracuse star. Hang on Knicks fans, the road might get bumpy in a hurry.