PHOENIX SUNS

Kerr defends D’Antoni, says coach is the victim in New York

Mar 24, 2011, 4:23 PM | Updated: 8:48 pm

When Mike D’Antoni left the Phoenix Suns after a first-round exit in 2008, the general consensus was that he did not get along with then-Suns GM Steve Kerr. Kerr, it was reported, wanted the head coach to spend more time practicing defense and developing his bench, while D’Antoni, arguably the most successful coach in the franchise’s history, supposedly felt like he did not need any suggestions on how to run the team.

With Kerr back in the broadcast booth and D’Antoni’s Knicks struggling it would almost seem like Kerr’s feelings on D’Antoni are being validated. The Knicks, losers of their last four and seven of their last eight games, have slipped to the seventh spot in the East with a 35-36 record. For comparison’s sake, the Suns are 36-34 and out of the playoff picture.

“For two years Mike was fine because he didn’t have any talent, they were waiting for LeBron in free agency and all that stuff, ” Kerr told Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug and Wolf Thursday, “And frankly he didn’t have enough talent to compete with.

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