Don Chaney’s message is falling on deaf ears as the Knicks wobble through his turbulent 3-8 stint. But the Knicks’ interim coach said he’s not about to change his laid-back style in trying to motivate and get his club to play with passion and confidence.
Chaney’s soothing leadership style so far hasn’t worked, but right now he plans to stick with it.
“I’m being who I am,” Chaney said. “Do you think Jeff [Van Gundy] was a yeller? I don’t think he was. Everyone thinks he was. I don’t think he was. I don’t think you have to be screamer to get [the message] across. He might’ve yelled at you guys. I’m sure he did.
“I don’t think you have to continue to bark at players to get their attention. I really don’t. It all depends on a player’s ability to get what you’re saying.”
It was no festive spirit on the morning of New Year’s Eve at Purchase College yesterday. GM Scott Layden, assistant GM Jeff Nix and consultant Frank Layden left practice with somber expressions, failing to even acknowledge reporters or wish them a Happy New Year.
These are tense times. The Knicks held a 30-minute film session in which Chaney’s narration pointed out the difference between their energy as they built a 16-point, fourth-quarter lead against Orlando compared to when they choked on it.
Chaney, though, has remained upbeat and positive and believes the club will turn it around. Feeling he always had to come up with various ways of motivating this group, Van Gundy questioned his team’s commitment, professionalism and manhood for much-less serious droughts.
“You could scream your lungs out, if they’re not attuned to what’s going on the floor, you’re wasting your time,” Chaney said. “We have the players who are smart enough and intelligent enough and motivated enough to play consistent basketball. We work every day on being consistent and I think it’s just matter of time before we take our work on the practice floor and apply it on the game floor.
“My job as coach is to preach the same thing,” Chaney added. “I have to let them know what they have to do to win every day. So eventually hammering away at it, maybe they’ll get it. I’m not going to give up, not going to give up at all.”
The Knicks’ last three losses have come after blowing double-digit leads. They seem both psyched out down the stretch and unable to focus for 48 minutes. Chaney believes his club cares about winning but they become “tense and tight” when opponents make a run at their lead.
“There’s a switch we have to make sure we turn on when teams start coming back to stop the falling,” Chaney said. “It all starts on the defensive end. When we’re active, it all connects on the other end. We’re playing well enough to win games. Whenever you get a double-digit lead, you’re playing well enough to win.”
Allan Houston says the team is collapsing after the first “punch in the jaw.” “Our intensity drops, our concentration drops and when someone scores two in a row, we go into the tank,” Houston said. “The team that stays aggressive and stays attentive, those are the teams that hold onto leads and build on it or stop it after four, six points. Our mental toughness is lower than it’s been.”
The players have not consciously tuned out Chaney, but something intangible is missing. The Knicks had won 5 of 6 games before Van Gundy’s ill-timed resignation. The Knicks allowed 87.1 points under Van Gundy, 97.2 under Chaney. Is this still a team in transition?
“The first five games maybe, but pretty much we’ve adjusted to what the coach wants,” Latrell Sprewell said. “It’s not about a transitional period. It’s about finishing the games off and playing for 48 minutes. It’s not about adjusting. We made the adjustment. We’re not playing with confidence.”
Mark Jackson said Chaney is doing everything he can to get them out of this mess. “Our sense of urgency has to rise and it starts with [Chaney], which it has,” Jackson said.
