Steve Nash held his annual Nike Skills Academy for college and prep point guards last week at Kean University and I took the opportunity to ask the two-time NBA MVP his thoughts on new Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni and current point guard Stephon Marbury.
“I think Mike’s going to be great for New York,” said Nash, who played for D’Antoni in Phoenix. “For the Knicks and the city, this is the center of basketball in many ways. It’s such a great basketball city and the struggles the Knicks have had have been painful for the fans. I think Mike’s going to be fantastic. They’re going to play a little bit different style than they’re used to here in New York. It’s probably been a few years since they got up and down the way he’ll want them to, but he’s such a talented and intelligent coach I think he can’t help but have a great impact on the team.”
And where will Marbury, whom D’Antoni got rid of in Phoenix, fit in to the new system?
“I think Steph’s an extremely talented player,” Nash said. “If he and Mike can enjoy working together, I think he’ll flourish. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Will Nash miss D’Antoni?
“Yeah, we’ll miss Mike. We’re really sad to see him go. We had a lot of success together and I enjoyed playing for him, so I’m sad to see him go.”
Still, Nash said he’s looking forward to playing for new Suns coach Terry Porter.
“To be able to play for someone we all respect and admire, is going to be a lot of fun for us,” he said. “Hopefully we can make some gains, tweak some thing and we can become a better team.”
