18. Mike D'Antoni

Date: 2008-2012
D'Antoni tried like hell to win with his style of ball. When he came across Jeremy Lin, Mike rode him until the wheels fell off. Can you blame him? His system needs a point guard and when he had Felton, Billups, or Lin, he found some success. They couldn't save him, though. His unwillingness to preach defense (he was forced to hire a defensive coordinator) and adjust to his personnel led to his exile. He was never the right fit for New York, regardless of the mess he walked into. D'Antoni was hired after the Thomas era by Donnie Walsh to run a team that was rebuilding on the fly. A coach of his stature wasn't right for the job. A first-time head coach was needed such as Tom Thibodeau or even Mark Jackson. To D'Antoni's credit, he didn't want to make the Melo deal, but what's done is done. After an 8-16 start to the 2011-2012 season followed by four straight losses right after the All-Star break, Mike was put out of his misery and was replaced by Mike Woodson.