As the end nears for Don Chaney, there is a list of reasons why he considers this head coaching job the toughest he’s ever had.
“The pressure to win, the misfortune, the close losses, giving up points, the injuries,” Chaney said. “It’s an accumulations of things.”
Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan isn’t making a change yet, but all that is required is a pulse to know there is virtually no chance that Chaney will be coaching the Knicks next season.
Chaney declined to reveal what he and Dolan discussed after Sunday’s home loss to the Spurs. Chaney tried to downplay it, saying he and Dolan speak often. He claimed Sunday’s meeting wasn’t extraordinary.
But pasting together what the coach tells his team might yield clues about the gist of that conversation.
As he’s done in recent weeks, Chaney told his players yesterday that they should play hard and with pride. While still refusing to totally discount the last place Knicks’ playoff chances, he implored them to finish strong in the final 26 games, beginning tonight with the Bucks.
“I also believe if we stay together as a team, we’re going to get good results,” Chaney said. “To me, this whole deal is about character right now. It’s very easy to go with the flow when things are going well, but your true character – the only time character is tested – is in adverse situations.”
For Chaney to say this is the toughest year yet for him as a head coach is quite an acknowledgement when you consider, before this season, his head coaching record was 265-382 (.410) with the Clippers, Rockets and Pistons.
But being a fixture on the back page and a topic of all the sports talk shows can cause more stress than being just another bad team in just another city.
“New York is a little bit different than any other city,” Chaney said. “Even when you are playing well, you are subjected to criticism. With that understanding, you are able to deal with it. I’m dealing with that much better than any other situation that I’ve been in. It’s a tough job.”
Chaney wasn’t complaining. He’s made it clear to the media that with Marcus Camby sidelined, the Knicks are undermanned. After 30-plus years in the business, he knows what he’s gotten himself into.
The Knicks’ slide isn’t all Chaney’s fault. Although the coach isn’t blameless, it is hard to imagine that Jeff Van Gundy would have these Knicks in the top half of the Eastern Conference.
Nobody admitted it yesterday, but the players appear to be just waiting for this terrible season to end.
Chaney said he doesn’t think about the possibility of this head coaching job being his last. He’ll likely be able to latch on as an assistant someplace. That’s how he began this year, then he got promoted and life got harder.
“He certainly has been put in a bad spot,” Mark Jackson said.
*
Latrell Sprewell bruised his right knee on Sunday. He didn’t practice yesterday, but expects to play tonight.