Playing Down the Past, the Knicks Say D’Antoni Has a Bright Future in L.A.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks answered the questions in diplomatic fashion. They spoke highly of Mike D’Antoni, their former coach who resigned last March. They used words like respect, genius and fantastic.

Although the Knicks are 4-0 under Coach Mike Woodson, D’Antoni’s name was uttered once again at the team’s practice facility after the Los Angeles Lakers hired him late Sunday to replace Mike Brown, who was fired last week.

“I’m very excited for him,” said Woodson, who was an assistant under D’Antoni last season. “I think he’s a guy that’s meant to be a coach. He’s done great things over the years. I think he’ll do extremely well there.”

D’Antoni had some success in four years as the Knicks’ coach. He helped them rebuild and led them to their first winning season in a decade. D’Antoni’s biggest problem was his relationship with Carmelo Anthony. With D’Antoni’s spread offense colliding with Anthony’s preference for isolation plays, the Knicks began last season with an 18-24 record.

D’Antoni asked James L. Dolan, the Madison Square Garden chairman, if he was willing to deal Anthony before the trading deadline, according to a person briefed on the meeting. Dolan said no, and D’Antoni left the team. The Knicks have always said the parting was mutual. But an associate of D’Antoni’s said in March that the decision to walk away “was absolutely Mike’s.”

“Despite all the hoopla that was going on about me and Mike, we actually have a pretty good relationship, especially behind closed doors,” Anthony said. “We talked basketball a lot.

“What he’s able to bring to the Lakers organization, hopefully he brings some positive energy over there. Any time guys are losing like that, there’s always a lot of negative energy. Sometimes change is good.”

The Lakers will be looking for results similar to what the Knicks achieved after they gave the head coaching duties to Woodson. Since D’Antoni left, the Knicks are 22-6 in the regular season under Woodson.

Steve Novak said that D’Antoni and Steve Nash, who flourished together with the Phoenix Suns, could have the same kind of success in Los Angeles.

“I think everyone knows what an offensive genius he is,” said Novak, whose effective play under D’Antoni’s system led to a four-year, $15 million guaranteed deal with the Knicks this past off-season. “I think that’s what the Lakers are looking for.”

Woodson acknowledged that he still uses pieces of D’Antoni’s offensive system with the Knicks, especially the pick-and-roll. Woodson emphasized that he learned a lot last year from D’Antoni.

Still, Anthony and Novak found it hard to answer why D’Antoni did not succeed at a higher level in New York.

“Obviously, there were a lot of unbelievable high notes, and other times, it seemed like we weren’t able to play as well as we should have,” Novak said. “It doesn’t work out in a lot of places for whatever reasons. It’s hard to put your finger on one thing as to why it didn’t work here.”