Knicks coach  said he could not care less about Charles Barkley’s rant against him. The rotund TNT broadcaster blamed D’Antoni’s easy coaching style for rookie point guard Iman Shumpert’s out-of-control game Thursday in Memphis.  Read more after the jump.
Shumpert shot 3 of 15 in the first half and 5 of 20 overall with six turnovers in the disaster, when the Knicks fell behind by 25 points before losing 94-83.
Barkley, who has had a vendetta against D’Antoni since they each lived in Phoenix, railed against the Knicks coaching staff for allowing a rookie to take 15 first-half shots. Barkley, according to sources, dislikes D’Antoni ever since D’Antoni dismissed a Barkley attack by wondering the whereabouts of Sir Charles’ championship rings.
“I don’t hear him,’’ D’Antoni said yesterday. “It means nothing.’’
D’Antoni said he has been in Shumpert’s ear but said he will not be heavy-handed at this stage.
“We talked a lot,’’ D’Antoni said. “He knows he’s not supposed to take all those shots. We showed him the tape and where he needs to move the ball. You also don’t want to jerk him out and put a damper on his enthusiasm. He’s out there competing on both ends and he made some mistakes. He’ll work through that. He’s a good kid and not selfish. He’s a great kid.’’
NY Post
