Knicks to introduce D'Antoni Tuesday

Posted: Mon May 12 11:27 PM

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Knicks have called a news conference for 1 p.m. (et) Tuesday to introduce Mike D'Antoni as their next head coach.

Late Saturday, the Knicks agreed in principle for D'Antoni to take over as coach, and the New York Post reports D'Antoni will get a four-year deal worth $24 million.

After their first-round exit from the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns granted permission to the 2004-05 Coach of the Year to talk with other teams about their coaching vacancies, and the 57-year old D'Antoni chose the Knicks.

The Knicks, under new general manager Donnie Walsh, fired head coach Isiah Thomas last month, bringing a close to his disastrous two-year run, during which New York stumbled to a 56-108 record.

D'Antoni left Phoenix despite his successful stint with the Suns. He led Phoenix to a 253-136 mark in four-plus seasons. The club twice reached the conference finals under D'Antoni, but wasn't able to make the next step and advance to the NBA Finals.

The Suns granted D'Antoni permission to speak with other clubs after Phoenix lost their Western Conference quarterfinal series to the Spurs in five games. The Knicks were not the only club vying for his services, however, as the Chicago Bulls were also reportedly in the mix.