It's hard to think about Mike D'Antoni these days without thinking about Mick Jagger.
There's no physical resemblance, of course, and if D'Antoni's a songwriter he's kept that fact on lockdown thus far.
Still, it's impossible not to hear Jagger singing, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need."
When D'Antoni came to New York, he came with two traits that outshone all others. He was the mastermind of the seven seconds or less offensive attack that was so thrilling to watch in Phoenix and, by virtue of that and his overall personality, he was a coach that players enjoyed working for. That's what was going to turn around the Knicks with the two traits combining to rehabilitate the team's style while attracting elite free agents eager to follow him to glory.
How funny is it, then, to find ourselves in the middle of year two watching a coach who embodies neither of those traits while leading the Knicks to their most promising season in quite some time.
The pace of the Knicks offense has slowed considerably since the start of December and their offensive efficiency has skyrocketed. Changes in the rotation that have helped the defense, most notably an increased role for Jared Jeffries, have come at the expense of the offensive style that D'Antoni used to become a coaching star. That's a pretty remarkable change to make overnight, especially when you realize that if it didn't work D'Antoni might be doing irreparable harm to his reputation as a tactician.
At the same time, D'Antoni's also punctured the notion that he's a player's coach. The Nate Robinson saga has been followed by moaning from Eddy Curry and Larry Hughes about the way D'Antoni communicates with players when their roles on the team change and, generally, D'Antoni has proven to be a lot pricklier than the genial guy we saw on TV smiling as the Suns rolled up 120 points a night.
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So he's not what the Knicks wanted, or at least what they thought they wanted, but he's just what they needed. After years of watching the inmates run the asylum, it's rather refreshing to see a coach who makes decisions based on who he thinks will help the team win instead of based on a player's name or salary. It's equally refreshing to see him changing the style of play whereas previous coaches just kept sending players out to be slaughtered like they were World War I generals engaging in trench warfare.
In the end, the trait that seems to define D'Antoni above all others is that he's willing to do what it takes to get victories. That's the only one that matters and it is exactly the one that the Knicks needed.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
