When news broke that coach Mike D'Antoni would be resigning as New York Knicks head coach, there were mixed reactions from many fans.
For the first time, the former Knickerbockers coach opens up about why he decided to resign in a sit-down with Sports Illustrated.
One point that he wanted to make clear and concise was that he resigned and did not quit, as some people put it. He offered up an explanation as to why.
"I absolutely resigned. I was in my car driving to shootaround and it just came to me. That's it. It's inevitable. I have to resign. We're not going anywhere. I made the decision then and there. I called Glen Grunwald, the Knicks' general manager and told him that I was coming in to do it. Then I called Laurel [his wife] to tell her. Glen called in Mr. Dolan [Knicks owner James Dolan] and I met them after shootaround and told them that I was resigning."
D'Antoni also admitted that coaching in New York of all places brought much pressure, but it was all part of the job.
"I'm not going to do any woe-is-me. There's a lot of pressure but that's why they pay you. It's still a great job, and I think Woody [Woodson] will do a great job. It got to the point where we had problems, we could not solve them, and an obstacle had to be removed."
D'Antoni also says he's highly interested in coaching again. Would you like to see him on the sideline of your favorite squad?
