No rift with Knicks boss, D’Antoni says

Mike D’Antoni’s run with the Phoenix Suns ended with the perception that he wasn’t getting along with his boss.

So he wouldn’t stand for people thinking his tenure with the New York Knicks started the same way.

D’Antoni reacted quickly this week after learning of speculation in some New York papers that he and team president Donnie Walsh weren’t seeing eye to eye over the benching of point guard Stephon Marbury.

“There will never be a rift between Donnie and I. ... That’s not going to happen,” D’Antoni said. “I’m sure he’s not going to agree on everything I’m doing. We’ll talk everything out, I’ll convince him some, he’ll convince me some, but that other thing will never happen. And we’re on the same page, we’ll always be on the same page.”

D’Antoni hasn’t played Marbury yet this season, and Walsh said he was “unclear” of D’Antoni’s reasoning, causing the appearance of friction. But they discussed the situation Monday and Tuesday, and Walsh made it clear he doesn’t question D’Antoni’s decisions.

“I never tell the coach who to play. I never have,” Walsh said.

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