Chaney gives Thibs an ‘A’ for his ‘D’
Don Chaney made his mark in the NBA as a defensive player, then as a defensive-minded coach. He acknowledged having a greater understanding of that side of the ball, which enhanced his appreciation for Tom Thibodeau.
“I noticed his work ethic, his defensive mind,” Chaney told the Daily News. “It stood out right away that he knew what he was talking about, that he had a passion for defense. It doesn’t matter what he has on the floor, they will be a better defensive team for sure.”
Chaney, who coached alongside Thibodeau for seven seasons in New York, believes Thibodeau’s presence alone will boost the Knicks’ defense. He can speak from experience that roster talent will ultimately dictate success. The Knicks aren’t a contending outfit as constructed, and Thibodeau has said the team should be aggressive in pursuing stars.
In the meantime, the Knicks are developing youngsters while hoarding draft picks and cap space.
“Hopefully he’ll be able to get enough players in there talent-wise where he can compete,” Chaney said. “I think he’ll do a great job, simply because he’s dedicated to the sport and he’s a competitor. He wants to win and he knows how to win. And he has an unbelievable defensive mind. He’s really great with defensive schemes. I think he’s been around the league long enough to know how to deal with players and things like that. Given the right amount of talent, I think he can be very successful.”
Chaney’s brief time as Knicks head coach coincided with a different type of roster. He took over after Jeff Van Gundy unexpectedly resigned early in the 2001-02 season, not long following Patrick Ewing’s trade to the Supersonics. The team still had big aspirations with Allan Houston as a centerpiece, but circumstances mucked up the plan. Latrell Sprewell showed up to training camp with a broken hand and was fined for not disclosing it. Ninth overall pick Michael Sweetney was in a mental crisis and couldn’t control his eating.
Chaney said a large factor in the undoing was injury-prone Antonio McDyess breaking his knee cap in his 38th minute of a preseason game, rendering the power forward’s Knicks career effectively finished. Chaney was criticized in the media for leaving McDyess on the court for too long, and today accepts some responsibility.
“I got a lot of criticism for that because I had a limited amount of time to play him, and he got the OK from the doctors, and he was such a talent that he wanted to play so bad and so did the city, and I probably left him in there a little bit too long,” Chaney said. “And he got hurt. But I thought he could’ve been one player who could change our team around because he brought an energy to the team we didn’t have. Because he was very talented, very athletic, and I thought that was the beginning of us moving to a different category.”
Chaney was fired by Steve Mills and Isiah Thomas in 2004, just about a week after the team acquired Stephon Marbury. As with many Knicks divorces, it could’ve been handled better by the organization. Thibodeau was with Chaney in New York from 1996 to 2003, peaking with a run to the 1999 Finals.
“Overall, it was a pleasant experience for me. I enjoyed coaching in New York,” Chaney said. “Naturally, if you interview any coach who has been fired, they’re going to want a little bit more talent, and a little bit more time. You time and you need talent. But I enjoyed the City. I enjoyed ownership. People were really trying to develop a good team behind me. It just never happened.”
Thibodeau also fondly remembers his years as a Knicks assistant while learning under Van Gundy, Chaney and other assistants Jeff Nix, Brendan Malone, Mike Malone, Steve Clifford and Kevin O’Neal.
“It was like going to the best clinic in the world each and every day,” Thibodeau said. haney is now 74 and lives in Houston, where he once coached the Rockets to three consecutive playoff appearances. About two years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare heart disease — Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) — which could be fatal if left untreated. Luckily, Chaney was diagnosed in time and is managing it through medication. He’s also working with Pfizer to promote awareness of ATTR-CM, and can speak to the importance of people with a family history of heart problems should talk to a cardiologist about this disease.
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