That’s right, D’Antoni’s taking the Knicks job instead of the Chicago Bulls coaching gig is a stroke of absolute genius. And not just because he’s getting a fat $6 million per year to try to restore some semblance of luster to the Knickerbockers after the wreckage of the Isiah Thomas error. Taking Guitar Jimmy’s cash was a brilliant move for one reason: expectations.

Once word got out that D’Antoni took the Knicks job, a lot of NBA observers, both in the MSM and blogosphere, were flabbergasted. How could he turn up the chance to coach a team as young and talented as the Bulls the Sports Prof wondered? Pretty easily, if you ask me. If folks are already saying how talented the Bulls are and what a great fit they are for D’Antoni, what’s considered success? A Central Division title? A run to the Eastern Conference finals? A NBA Finals appearance? It’s all of the above depending on who you’re talking to.

No such glowing things were said about the Knicks. Mitch Laurence sums up what most people think about the Knicks roster when he called them, “…a cast of low-energy, low-basketball IQ misfits.” Harvey Araton of the Times, as reasonable a writer as Laurence is histrionic, referred to the Knicks current cast as “career underachievers.” The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Michael Grange got into the act calling the Knicks “a roster of tubbies,” and that:

The existing roster didn’t’ suit any of the styles used up to this point, so there can’t be much expectation that D’Antoni will be required to resurrect the Knicks on the backs of Eddie Curry, Zach Randolph and Jerome James, not to mention Stephon Marbury.

Which speaks to my point. How low is the bar for D’Antoni to have a successful first season in Gotham? Lower than the limbo pole in the video below:

Let’s think about this. Under the clueless Zeke, who ran his point guard off the team last season, the Knicks finished a miserable 23-59. Good for dead last in the awful Atlantic Division; 14th in the pedestrian Eastern Conference; and tied for 27th in the NBA with the LA Clippers.

Given that “performance” and the fact just about everybody’s saying D’Antoni can’t do shit with this roster, what constitutes a successful 2008-09 season for the Knickerbockers in the eyes of their fans?

My guess is that it’d take about 10 more wins and the teams playing competitive, entertaining ball for the vast majority of the season. Is that doable? Even with guys like Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph around? Fuck yeah, it’s doable.

If D’Antoni finds a consistent rotation, lets high-energy guys like Nate Robinson, David Lee, and Renaldo Balkman do their thing, instead of asking them to do things — block shots, play great individual defense — that they aren’t really capable of team then the Knicks, in an Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference that is a mediocre clusterfuck, have a better chance of winning 10 more games next season then the Sierra Nevadas in my fridge have of getting drank tonight.

Beyond that, if things go swimmingly, making the playoffs next season isn’t necessarily a bridge too far. Atlanta took the back door route to the East’s final playoff berth, losing their last three games in a row to edge out Indianapolis by one measly game with a second-rate record of 37-45. My guess is that it’ll probably take 35-to-38 wins to make the playoffs in the East next season. I wouldn’t bet so much as a buck on the Knicks to do so — actually, I would depending on the odds — but it’s possible if things go well.

Should that happen, D’Antoni’s Coach of the Year in a walk. Even if they don’t, an 8-to-10 game improvement marked by consistent effort will garner him plenty of votes in the Coach of the Year balloting.

Chicago’s got some nice players but taking the Knicks gig was the right move for D’Antoni and, in a sign that things are changing at MSG, the Knicks as well.