Knicks to introduce D'Antoni

May 13, 2008 - 2:43 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Mike D'Antoni will be formally introduced as the new head coach of the New York Knicks during a news conference scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday afternoon.

The Knicks officially reached a contractual agreement with D'Antoni, the former coach of the Phoenix Suns, on Saturday night.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but multiple sources have reported that D'Antoni received a four-year contract worth $24 million.

Assuming the challenge of turning around the Knicks is a somewhat surprising move for D'Antoni, who was set to receive annual sums of $4.5 million over the final two years of his contract with the Suns. He also reportedly was mulling an offer from the Chicago Bulls.

While D'Antoni's departure was not a shocker, his decision to choose the dismal, slow-footed Knicks as his next destination was.

D'Antoni, who appeared to have no future with the Suns when the team granted him permission earlier in the week to speak with other clubs, preaches a run-and-gun style that encourages players to take shots within the first seven seconds of the shot clock.

Armed with plodding big men Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph as well mercurial point guard Stephon Marbury, New York would need a major roster makeover before D'Antoni's system effectively could be implemented.

But that might be where the marriage was consummated. The Knicks need to start over, and D'Antoni wants to work for a front office - in this case, newly hired president Donnie Walsh - that believes in his philosophies.

D'Antoni apparently wants to start rebuilding right away. According to a recent report in the New York Daily News, D'Antoni will attempt to trade Marbury to the Suns in exchange for a package involving either Leandro Barbosa or Boris Diaw.

The NBA's fourth-highest paid player last season, Marbury will make $21.9 million in 2008-09 - the last year of his current contract. The 30-year-old Marbury appeared in just 24 games last season, averaging 13.9 points and 4.7 assists.

Citing an anonymous source, the Daily News report stated that D'Antoni does not view Marbury as a "winning player."

"D'Antoni and Marbury is going to be a bad fit," the source told the newspaper. "He views Marbury as a shooting guard, anyway."

Marbury has struggled through a difficult four-year stretch with the Knicks, who acquired the talented but troubled guard in an eight-player deal with the Suns on January 5, 2004.

A Brooklyn native and a lifelong Knicks fan, Marbury has been one of the central figures for a franchise which has become one of the biggest laughingstocks in American professional sports.

Widely considered a selfish player, Marbury has failed to mesh with numerous star teammates throughout his career.

Marbury also has bristled with his coaches and made headlines for his public gripes with then-Knicks coach Larry Brown during the 2005-06 campaign.

Despite his problems both on and off the court, Marbury has been one of the NBA's top point guards during his 12 seasons in the league. The two-time All-Star has averaged 19.7 points and 7.8 assists in 823 career games with the Knicks, Suns, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

D'Antoni, who turned 57 on Thursday, will be a welcome addition in New York after the disastrous reign of Isiah Thomas.

Under D'Antoni's watch, the Suns were one of the NBA's highest-scoring and most entertaining teams, although they were unable to advance beyond the Western Conference finals.

This year, the Suns were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games, their first opening-round exit from the playoffs since 2003.

A former NBA Coach of the Year, D'Antoni posted a 253-136 record in his four-plus seasons as coach of the Suns.

In New York, he will have the tall task of trying to rebuild the league's most dysfunctional franchise while changing its culture of losing. One of the first moves made by Walsh was to fire Thomas, who posted a 56-108 record in his two seasons as coach.

New York has endured seven straight losing seasons, including a 23-59 mark this campaign that matched the worst record in the franchise's history.

Thomas also alienated the team's fan base for his decisions as general manager. He loaded up on expensive contracts - creating major salary-cap problems - while failing to build a competitive team.

Thomas also found controversy off the court, causing further embarrassment for the franchise.

In November, Madison Square Garden reached an out-of-court settlement for $11.5 million with former executive Anucha Browne Sanders, who had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Thomas, Knicks owner James Dolan and the Garden.

In addition, Thomas spent most of the season feuding with Marbury, Curry and Randolph.