Monday, November 12th, 2012 at 7:35 am  |  155 responses

Los Angeles Lakers Choose Mike D’Antoni Over Phil Jackson


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Most Laker fans too busy chanting “We want Phil!” to notice Mike D’Antoni’s claim that he would be the perfect fit in Los Angeles, as everyone quite reasonably assumed the Lakers were about to hire Phil Jackson for a third time.

Whoops!

After Jackson’s demands were deemed a little too much by the front-office, Mike D’Antoni has signed a mulit-year contract with the Lakeshow. The deal will reportedly pay D’Antoni $12 million in three guaranteed seasons, and includes a team option for the fourth.

Per the team website:

Lakers spokesman John Black confirmed on Sunday night that the team has signed Mike D’Antoni to a multi-year contract. The team is expected to have a press conference to announce the deal most likely on Tuesday or Wednesday of the coming week. According to Black, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, executive vice president Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak were unanimous that D’Antoni was the best coach for the team at this time. Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash both expressed support for the idea of playing for D’Antoni, who was Nash’s coach in Phoenix when the point guard won consecutive MVP awards in 2005 and 2006.

“After speaking with several excellent and well-respected coaching candidates, Dr. Buss, Jim and I all agreed that Mike was the right person at this time to lead the Lakers forward,” said GM Mitch Kupchak. “Knowing his style of play and given the current make-up of our roster, we feel Mike is a great fit, are excited to have him as our next head coach and hope he will help our team reach its full potential.”

In addition to Phil Jackson’s steep demands — a salary in the $10 million/year range, reduced travel for road games, more say in personnel decisions — the Lakers apparently felt that the Triangle Offense wouldn’t be the best way to maximize a roster featuring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, after the team struggled to adapt to the Princeton Offense.

So, shockingly, here comes Mike D’Antoni and his Seven Seconds or Less attack.

Let it never be said that the Los Angeles Lakers are a predictable organization.

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  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Except Mike Brown didn’t excel defensively…..

  • Chukaz

    This was a bad hire. Here’s why: On D’Antoni’s best season, he led Nash, Stat, Marion, and Diaw to the WCF. On Alvin Gentry’s best season, he led Nash, State, J-Rich and Grant Hills corps to the WCF. Gentry would never get the Laker head coaching job, so why is D’Antoni?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    come on bruh

  • LakeShow

    Come on bruh

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    he put up 81 when he was 26. stop trolling.

  • LakeShow

    Agreed.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    read this argument, tell me, without your Lakers goggles, if i do or don’t make sense?

  • LakeShow

    When you think Mike D’Antoni you think “cast off from the Knicks” ??? LOL…
    Dude is a phenomenal coach.

  • LakeShow

    Seriously what’s with these people?
    They only remember last season and nothing else?? lol, whateva.

  • LakeShow

    Co-Sign this.

  • LakeShow

    Seed calm your self. This is a good sign. Phil was a being a little girl with his demands. D’Antoni will at least make them fun to watch.

  • Rainman

    Why does it have to be SSOL?

    Did miek try to rub SSOL in New York? or simply just a fast paced offence that pushed the ball off of misses when possible (which is what ANY team that has steve Nash should do, regardless of his age the man averaged near 11 assists last year…)

    I dont see Offence as an issue with this team…

  • LakeShow

    You know what i’m saying. Dudes on fire and ballin to start this season. Most players WISH they could do what Kobe is doing at 34 at 26.

  • pposse

    nash was in his prime then. He just fractured his leg and is 38 yrs old. Get with the times maang its about to be 2013.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    well that’s legit. Kobe is still one of the best players on earth in his 17th season in the NBA. that sh*t cray. But he isn’t no 26 year old Kobe anymore. Not that monster. Wish he was tho.

  • LakeShow

    I took the goggles off last night, i’m straight man.
    It makes sense dude. I really don’t understand everyone hating on this. Phil was being a diva. He might be the greatest coach ever, but that doesn’t warrant crazy demands and such. D’Antoni is the best fit for this job I truly do believe that.

  • LakeShow

    I know I know, I just get tired of acting like Kobe’s dead. The dude is playing top 5 easily in the NBA right now.

  • Junior Taylor

    You can’t use a small sample (5 games) as a way to judge someone’s abilities. Everyone knows that the only reason why Brown even got a HC job in the NBA in the 1st place was because of his so-called defensive acumen. I have always felt that dude was overrated defensively dating all the way back to his Cavs days but he is still among the better defensive coaches in the L.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    LOL according to most people, Nash was past his prime then, until they saw he wasn’t. And his fracture is a small hairline fracture that takes 2-4 weeks to heal, typically. It’s not a big deal.
    .
    Oh, and Nash is with a way way way way way way way better supporting cast now than he was from 2004-08 —— you do the math.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    i can’t really argue with that.

  • Junior Taylor

    Lake, you do know that Kobe had a eerily similar “hot” start during the first 5-8 games last season.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    well this is about to be an unorthodox season for both of us. Everytime the Lakers struggle (which they might do until everyone is in Mike D’Antoni shape) people are gonna say “i told you so” everytime they lose. and it’s going to get even worse if they don’t win a title, despite them not being favorites no matter what.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    i’m not. he did coach the Lakers last season. And they regressed, significantly on the defensive end from the last year of Phil Jackson. And they were COMPLETELY healthy last year. So…….., he didn’t excel defensively. And as you originally felt, he’s an overrated defensive (and overall) coach.

  • LakeShow

    Yeah, but you think he fell way off for the rest of the year, I don’t. The offense was dumb and didn’t allow Kobe in the post. He had a great year by shooting guard standards just not by Kobe’s standards. His FG% was the only thing you can complain about. He had a great season by 90% of players standards.

  • j

    if they cant get the princeton offense right, how much more complicated is the triangle…

  • j

    lakers bench sucks. not deep enough

  • j

    dont forget magic, kareem, wilt, worthy…its not just shaq

  • Stephen A. Smith

    Phil Jackson should be able to demand whatever he wants he has 11 NBA championships he’s the greatest coach ever. D’Antoni isn’t the right fit, trust me.
    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-dantoni-20121112,0,2305319.column

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Just like I’m not changing your personal opinion. Plaschke isn’t going to change mine.

  • nbk should be in the nba

    Ya totally, you should be playing instead of Dwight.

  • shockexchange

    The Shock Exchange hasn’t forgotten about those guys, However, when Lakers fans talk about the “Lakers mystique” and how winning titles is expected, they are referring to the Kareem era, Shaq era and Paul Gasol/Andrew Bynum at the same ____ time era. Take away the “gifts” L.A. received in Shaq and Gasol and (i) they would not have won a title since the Kareem era and (ii) all that mouth about “winning titles is expected” would be out the window.

  • shockexchange

    He’s “phenomenal” relative to whom? He has never led a team to the finals. Mike Brown led the Cavaliers to the finals with effectively “LeBron and the Pips.” Despite the lemmings on here who blindly hate on Mike Brown, D’Antoni’s coaching resume is good, but Brown’s is better.

  • LakeShow

    lol, but if you can actually distinguish real life from paper statistics you would realize Mike Brown is a terrible coach despite “his accomplishments.”

  • shockexchange

    You’re right guy. When thinking of the Shock Exchange, the first thing that comes to everybody’s mind is “someone who cannot distinguish real life from paper statistics.”

  • justin05

    Bazinga!

  • justin05

    Okay bamn. I would never waste that many characters (or time) on something so unimportant, let alone read your full comment.. My Dwight scoring 30 comment was out of fun, I believe he is going to stay because he has a definitive role in D’Antoni’s system I do think he could aveage 25+ points a game. There will numerous 30 point games this season for Dwight, especially if he improves his free throw shooting. Piss off..

  • LakeShow

    Yes, Shaq is what has made the LA Lakers a great organization.
    LMAO
    Your a hoot.

  • justin05

    Your comments keep becoming more and more thin lol. What a surprise! Must be nothing left to over-analyze.

  • justin05

    You have way too much time on your hands. bamn…do you own a basketball hoop? Next time you want to get on SLAM I would suggest that you actually pick a basketball up and go play. Hell, even learn to dribble well if you don’t have a hoop. You can relate to players and the game on some level that way. D’Antoni is an obvious pick. Idk where that guy came up w/ horrible decision but I guess everyone talks out of their ass a little more than bamn. Nerd city. Should start using the word geek on you, however.

  • justin05

    You suck j..you suck. The Lakers bench happens to be one of the least productive in the NBA but they don’t suck. You do. Remember? I agree that their bench is not deep, Meeks and Jamison have been disappointing and our current point guard depth is the worst in the league.

  • roscoe

    bitter sweetness… laker hater confirmed… lol.

  • roscoe

    titles brother… titles… is all that matters. come now rethink that woodson praise.

  • shockexchange

    Quite the contrary. Kareem is the Shock Exchange’s favorite player of all time. I’ve followed Worthy’s career ever since he was a freshman at Carolina. And guess what the Shock Exchange’s nickname was in HS … “Silk” after Jamaal Wilkes.

  • roscoe

    all of this is unreliable info… i don’t buy it.

  • roscoe

    as a LAL fan LakeShow, you have to agree, the t-angle was not effective in pjax last season. ik the 3 finals runs tears a team down, but the t-angle code was cracked by DAL & others imo. once the blue print to bust the t-angle exist it could be awhile b4 it is effective again.

  • pposse

    first week without PHX training staff he gets a hairline fracture.the odds dont look to be in his favor. A gradual decline from greatness is what we can all hope for, but a sudden decline in play is a realistic assumption that can be made too. im doing the math, right now it looks 50/50 to me.

  • http://www.facebook.com/evan.boland Evan Boland

    All of you claiming D’Antoni to be a better fit or better hiring don’t know anything about Basketball. Ohhh Steve Nash doesn’t fit the Triangle? REALLY? He’s completely one-dimensional and so is Phil? Laughable. Really. To say D’Antoni would get the Lakers further than the G.O.A.T.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    And the math says……a decline won’t be a big deal. Because he doesn’t have to be as great as he was.

  • shutup

    The Lakers will

  • shockexchange

    If you read my book you would know this.

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