Knicks fix

Will D'Antoni get defensive?

When it all unraveled for Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix, one of the first players to kick him out the door was Amar'e Stoudemire. And when Terry Porter took over as coach and attempted to change the Suns into a more half-court, defensive-minded team, Stoudemire lauded Porter's focus on defense. But the appreciation didn't last, as Stoudemire eventually decided that Porter's hard-nosed coaching wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the freedom D'Antoni allowed.

Asked to look back on that last week, Stoudemire said: "I tell you what, I had more fun playing with coach D'Antoni than I did with coach Porter. I can tell you that right now."

Just about anyone who has ever played for D'Antoni -- perhaps anyone other than Larry Hughes and Al Harrington -- have enjoyed the experience because of that freedom. The criticism, of course, is the perceived lack of attention to detail on defense and preparation, which tend to get exposed in the playoffs.

Stoudemire, however, said he noticed a change in D'Antoni's coaching since their days in Phoenix.

"I definitely think coach D'Antoni put more emphasis on the defensive end this season for sure," he said. "It's up to us to come up with a game plan and a strategy on how we want to play and what better fits our team for strategy, and we have to take it from there."

We have suggested a few times about the possibility that D'Antoni will be asked to bring in an assistant coach to handle the defense (paging Michael Malone . . . or, perhaps, D'Antoni's former Suns assistant, Marc Iavaroni?) and allow him to focus on his strength: offense.

This, of course, was the final straw that led to his ouster in Phoenix, as former general manager Steve Kerr strongly suggested it. With one year left on his contract, how will D'Antoni react this time?

'MeLa' making New York a permanent home

Carmelo Anthony made regular reference to "coming home" after he was traded to the Knicks and now he and his wife, LaLa Vazquez, plan on staying home all year round. The star couple, given the moniker "MeLa" by the gossip tabloids, have been house-hunting in Manhattan.

"It's a hassle," Anthony said last week.

Even on an $18-million a year salary, New York is expensive.

But according to the New York Post's Page Six, the couple has settled on a penthouse duplex on the Upper West Side, in the historic Hit Factory Condominium.

Vazquez stars in her own reality series, "LaLa's Full Court Life" on VH1. The couple, which has a son, Kiyan, reportedly signed a one-year lease. Anthony may have decided to reside in Manhattan, but he didn't completely forget his Brooklyn roots. He recently went back to Red Hook in Brooklyn, where he lived at 79 Lorraine St. until his mother moved the family to Baltimore when he was 8, to visit old friends and family. Filmmaker Spike Lee joined him as part of a series filmed by Anthony's latest endorsement partner, Boost Mobile.

Stoudemire also lives in Manhattan (with rumors that his friendship with singer Ciara is developing quickly). Earlier in the season, Stoudemire started renting a penthouse in the West Village. A few weeks ago, he reportedly put his condo in Miami up for sale.

Of course, he could have used the place this week had the Knicks beaten the Celtics to play the Heat in the second round.

Comeback kid wants to come back

Shawne Williams resurrected his career this season with the Knicks, as the former first-round pick turned a non-guaranteed training camp invite into a key role in D'Antoni's rotation. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and the Knicks would love to have him back, though money -- especially with the team focused on acquiring a starting center -- will be tight.

"It don't have to be long term," Williams told HoopsWorld.com. "It can be one year. Whatever helps. I'm not trying to break the bank because I'm not thinking that's realistic. I'm just trying to get in and play."

Uh, Shawne? Your agent on line one.

But from the day he arrived with the franchise, Williams has displayed a terrific attitude, which was a welcome departure from the misguided bust he bounced from Indiana to Dallas to New Jersey before he was bounced out of the league after several off-the-court incidents.

As recently as last July, Williams was arrested for a third time in his career, this time for possession of marijuana and having a loaded gun in a car he was driving with a friend. The charges were eventually dropped and Williams started dropping these so-called friends who kept getting him in trouble.

Now he's following a different crowd. Once flabby and easily winded, Williams spent the season cutting his weight down and points to Stoudemire as his inspiration. This summer, rather than hanging out on the block back in his hometown of Memphis, Williams plans to get with a personal trainer.

Around the NBA

Paul's Hornets on upswing

Last summer, Chris Paul raised a toast to joining Stoudemire and Anthony in New York to form "our own Big Three" to take on LeBron James and Co. A year from now, if he opts out of his contract, he'll get that chance. But does he really want it?

Late last summer, Paul started grumbling about the direction his current team, the New Orleans Hornets, was headed. The franchise is still looking for an owner and is currently being run by the league. Paul, 26, said he wanted to be convinced that the team, in the league's smallest market, could afford to build a championship-caliber team around him.

It appears, at the very least, they found a championship-caliber coach in Monty Williams, who was hired at the start of the season. The Hornets certainly overachieved by not only making the playoffs, but taking the defending-champion Lakers to six tough games in the first round.

"They are most definitely serious about winning," Paul said of the Hornets after the team was eliminated.

But how serious can they be? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Paul should enjoy the quiet offseason while he can. After LeBron in 2009 and Carmelo in 2010, it's now his turn to be the focus of trade speculation.

Frank up for Rockets' job

According to reports by the Houston Chronicle and Boston Herald, the Houston Rockets have been granted permission to interview Lawrence Frank for their head-coaching vacancy. Frank, the former Nets coach, has spent the past season as Doc Rivers' top assistant in Boston. Other candidates for the job include Kevin McHale, Mike Brown and Mike Woodson, along with former Rocket Sam Cassell. Lakers assistant Brian Shaw's name has also been mentioned, but he appears to be the most likely candidate to replace Phil Jackson . . . David Kahn is on a mission this week. The Timberwolves' GM is reportedly headed to Barcelona to see 2009 first-round pick Ricky Rubio with the hopes to confirm his arrival in Minnesota next season. Rubio, 20, has an escape clause in his contract this summer, but with the potential for a lockout, he may wind up staying in Europe . . . After his 61-win Spurs lost Game 6 to the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies to complete a stunning first-round upset, Antonio McDyess told the San Antonio Express-News" "This was my last game. I'm pretty definite on that. But this was not the way I wanted it to end." The 16-year veteran averaged 12 points and 7.5 rebounds in 1,015 NBA games. He spent two years with the Knicks from 2002-04 but played just 18 games because of a major knee injury.

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