Thursday, January 24th, 2013 at 9:50 am  |  101 responses

Mike D’Antoni Says the Los Angeles Lakers are an All-Star Team


Though it didn’t make much of a difference, things came to a head in Memphis for the free-falling Los Angeles Lakers. Players confronted one another yesterday, and according to head coach Mike D’Antoni, it’s because the stars on his squad are having a hard accepting their roles. Per the LA Times: “You never want those kind of meetings because that means we’re in trouble a little bit. That doesn’t happen when you’re 40-1,’ Coach Mike D’Antoni said. ‘It needed to be said, it needed to happen, and now it’s up to us to make positive stuff out of it.’ D’Antoni then offered a uniquely accurate view of the Lakers’ woes. ‘Have you ever watched an All-Star game? It’s god-awful,’ he said. ‘Everybody gets the ball and goes one on one and then they play no defense. That’s our team. That’s us. We’re an All-Star team. And we haven’t learned that there’s a pecking order. There’s the one guy, the two guy, the three guy and the four guy. It might not be the same guy every night, but somebody’s got to accept being the fourth guy. And if you’ve been the first guy all your life, that’s hard to accept. And that’s what happens in All-Stars and that’s what happened with us. And we haven’t overcome it.’ D’Antoni started the team meeting by saying he was tired of reading newspaper stories about players questioning his offense and wanting more touches. Bryant said after the loss in Chicago that the team need to slow down the pace and employ more post-ups. D’Antoni also told the team to start worrying less about offense, and more about defense. The Lakers were fifth in scoring (102.6 points a game) but 26th in defense (101.4 points a game) before Wednesday. Then he asked the players to speak up.”

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  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    All-Star teams eventually play defense, play together and try to win the game.

  • Max

    Kinda, the offense is good, but there is no D.
    At all.

  • http://twitter.com/SupermanayrB B!

    Man ufck D’Antoni! 1 conference final EVER & what 4 or 5 playoff appearances as a coach?! I hate that they hired him. He was NOT the right man for the job.

  • bike

    In a roundabout way, he’s saying they have a major ego problem. Which they do. This is what set Phil apart from all other coaches–his ability to manage mega egos. Not an easy thing to do.

  • shockexchange

    L.A. had a team where everybody knew and accepted their roles – Odom, MWP, Pau Gasol / Andrew Bynum at the same ___, Horry Jr – but L.A. blew the team up. You reap what you sow.

  • Hursty

    This is the most misleading headline.

  • http://twitter.com/thursti_tyht Thurstian Tsui

    That team would’ve gone on to play a lot better too, Bynum was only going to get healthier and better. First piece to fall was Odom, sad to see him drop off the map a little even though he’s picking it up lately.

  • Hursty

    It was 2. And then in 2010 the Suns got there again with a similar system and core group of players.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=509819249 Gaurav P.

    Honestly, things started going downhill when the Lakers decided to feature Bynum on offense more than Pau. Those playoff series that we won in 08-10? Most of them were without Bynum. The Lakers didn’t need to feature him, though I understand that it made sense due to his development.

    The Odom trade was ultimately the right call due to his subsequently crazy slump, but essentially letting their championship bench walk was a mistake. I hated Vujacic and Farmer, but we developed those players and it contributed to the team’s overall chemistry. Everyone enjoyed playing together and there was balance to the team. Letting Shannon Brown go was a mistake as well.

    Now we are left with a bench featuring some guy named Sacre, and Chris “The Travel Dance” Duhon.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=509819249 Gaurav P.

    I’ve seen worse.

  • shockexchange

    Whenever L.A. loses they throw somebody under the bus. That team was stacked and had already won two chips. But that’s what happens when you start reading your own press clippers – arrogance and hubris. Then comes “denial,” and after that, exit stage left (Horry Jr).

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    the Chris Paul trade set the Lakers back a few years. in hindsight, that’s where this all fell apart.

  • spit hot fiyah

    but new orleans actually made the right deal, they r in a much better possition going forward now. scola odom and kevin martin would not look to good on that roster right now, without Gordon and davis (assuming they would have been too good with the aforementioned players to get the number one pick)

  • fd

    how about d’antoni shut up and quit making these stupid statements and i dunno try fixing his teams damn defense. Try.

  • RayJr

    Have you seen Bynum on the Sixers? Dude hasn’t played all year and has bad knees with one knee so bad he hurts it while bowling. Bynum would’ve sat this year with the Lakers too and not played. His knees are not ever going to get better.

  • RayJr

    blah blah blah blah BLAH!!! Sick of hearing from everybody associated with the Lakers about what they need to do to improve. JUST DO IT!

  • trije

    the 2010 suns played some d though. and i think they used zone defense against the lakers in the conf. finals

  • shockexchange

    When the deal for Thor and Iron Man fell through … that was the Lakers’ downfall. Oh, and if Wonder Woman hadn’t decided to retire and become a stay at home mom … think of the possibilities.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    i typed a big long response to this. i am f*cking pissed off it’s gone.
    .
    what happened to the Hornets is not the point, plus they agreed to the trade, the fact that it benefited them is kind of irrelevant. As it wasn’t a member of their actual organization that vetoed the trade.
    .
    The Lakers showed their hand, and got f*cked by David Stern. It’s that simple.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    ok

  • Conor

    Exactly.

  • Conor

    Their recent failures also speak to coaching incompetence, though. Last night, against Memphis, while the Lakers were trailing by ten entering the fourth… D’Antoni’s quarter-opening lineup was the following, from PG-C: Duhon, Meeks, MWP, Clarke, Jamison.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Uhm, that’s his bench. Most teams start 4th quarters with their bench. You should be mad at the guy who put that bench together, not the coach who is forced into using it.
    .
    i don’t know if you Lakers fans haven’t noticed, but the team has had the same problems since the year started. Under a totally, polar opposite, coach. — in other words, the coach is an excuse, not the actual problem.

  • RayJr

    YES! What other team in pro sports history has had a member of their management/ownership with the ability to veto a trade because other team owners complain? I mean we can’t turn back time but a trade is a trade if both parties agree and contracts match. The Lakers got f*cked and that got the ball rolling into the disaster that we are all witnessing now.

  • pposse

    you still stayin on D’Antonis nuts i see.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    you’ll figure out how to read soon, just keep trying.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    whoa with the play together part lol. some of them do, but the majority still don’t.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    why are my comments being DELETED? SLAM, what is going on with Disqus?

  • pposse

    u keep talkin about ‘two polar opposite’ coaches had the same problem with this team. Maybe its cause both of their philosophies just suck. Has that ever been an option to you? You want to bring up their 8th seeded offensive rank…well they didnt seem to crack 100 against three solid defensive teams in a row now.

    Cause I don’t remember ONE person saying that this team was not co-favorites to win the Championship. Not one person who posts here on slam, not one professional paid analyst, and not even Vegas. The general conclusion was that this team will not win if Mike Brown jags, and so they bring even a bigger jag artist in Mike D’Antoni (your goddfather) and he screws it up even more and on top of that has a Hollywood sized ego/ attitude about everything.

    Management did their job, they got the talent there..the coaching failed. Management screwed up by not picking up PJax AND/OR not firing Mike Brown the minute they picked up Dwight.

    You are clearly D’Antoni or his nephew just admit that; you wanna blame this on not getting CP3 haha especially after the NBA lockout when small market teams were complaining about superteams and the first thing to happen after it is an almost trade to make the Lakers stacked?! Child please!!

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    you are a professional idiot? or are you just mad at something, and need someone to take it out on?

    .

    How many games have the Lakers played as a healthy roster this season?

    .

    — And i didn’t pick them as co-favorites to win the title or even the West, i picked Oklahoma City to beat them in the WCF. So obviously, you have a sh*tty memory, or never actually read anything, and are just making up some memories.

    .”Management did their job, they got the talent there..the coaching failed. Management screwed up by not picking up PJax AND/OR not firing Mike Brown the minute they picked up Dwight.” – what sounds more fantastical, that a team of guys who don’t get along and are hurt are strugging to win for those reasons, or they are struggling to win because a guy in a suit isn’t a different guy in a suit?

    .
    Players play basketball, not coaches. Players play hard, not coaches.
    .
    Do i think D’Antoni is doing a good job? No.
    .
    Do i think he should make adjustments and is being to stubborn? Yes.
    .
    Do i think that really matters, considering the health and effort of the player’s on his roster? No.
    .
    Maybe they would win a couple more games if D’Antoni did some things different. Maybe. But he sure isn’t the reason they are this bad. The player’s are the problem, their health, lack of depth, lack of chemistry (which have been the teams biggest problems since their WINLESS PRESEASON).
    .
    Or did you forget the preseason, and subsequent 5 games Mike Brown coached?
    .
    Do we blame Barack Obama for the state of the economy in 2008? or do we blame the powers that be that were making decisions before him?
    .
    It’s intellectually dishonest to act like the Lakers problems stem just from who their f*cking coach is. Obviously, there are huge issues with the coach and player’s, but that isn’t the underlying issue that has plagued the team since October. That is, if you have actually been watching.

  • pposse

    yes it is the underlying issue!! its the coaching!! what dont u understand?!

    Stop comparing the preseason to the regular season, completely different seasons. Mike Brown has won every single regular season he coached.

    Barack Obama may not be blamed for the state of the economy in 08 but will surely be blamed for what is happening now.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    oh my god, Mike Brown had a winning record with LeBron, and a championship roster in LA? that is AMAZING.

    .

    And, i don’t know if you have a terrible memory or what, but I was against firing Brown in the first place. SO making a case for him doesn’t change anything.

    .

    And no, the main problem isn’t the coach. You can’t call the coach the problem when the teams best player has literally not been healthy for a single game this season. It’s second best player has been throwing a teammates under the bus, and shots at the rim unconsciously. It’s third best player has been acting like a queen since the playoffs in 2011. And it’s fourth best player is old, and not allowed to play to it’s strengths because of the previously mentioned second best player.

    .

    I mean, when you have a guy averaging 23.2 shots a game in D’Antoni’s offense (since he started being on the sideline), you should know there is a bigger problem. Kobe has literally made no attempt at conforming to the new system. Or even adjusting. You know the most shots any player has ever shot per game in D’Antoni’s offense? 18. Kobe is 5 above that since he took over the Lakers. — And Nash? he gets 15.7% of the Lakers possessions in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. The smallest portion of team possessions used by him since 2000.

    .
    But, the coach is the problem. not his players, who just like him, have made no attempt at adjusting. Infact, the leader of the players, has become even more selfish. —- But, that’s all the coaches fault. Right.

  • pposse

    plus i’ve argued with you since day 1 that they hired the wrong coach, so there is nothing dishonest or non intellectual that your hearing from me.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    ‏@SherwoodStrauss: I don’t think D’Antoni’s done a good job. I also think that the bigger story is how it wouldn’t matter much if he did.

  • Conor

    So, you’re saying that Antawn Jamison at centre is a better matchup against Marc Gasol, Memphis’ starter, or 7’3″ Haddadi? No.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    you can feel that way, and still be smart enough to realize their problems are bigger then the damn coach.
    .
    holy hell, you realize everytime Phil Jackson has ever won, he’s had the most talented roster (top to bottom) in the whole league? — The Lakers don’t have that right now.
    .
    And, i don’t care if you think Phil Jackson was a better choice, i’m not arguing that. He probably was, after what i’ve seen. But that doesn’t mean he’s a miracle worker. The team would still be awful. They really, really would.

  • pposse

    YES it is the coaches fault! that coach you speak of, cannot control his players, and that player you speak of seems to be taking a lot of the shots bc no one else wants to or looks interested in doing so.

    Injuries are no excuse. DH is still putting up numbers, Pau is better in the post than pick and pop. Wasn’t that the issue Pau had last year with Mike Brown? I remember reading articles about that.

    They need to just play high low with Pau and Dwight, Kobe post/iso on the wing and Metta and Steve Nash stay on the perimeter for three pt bombs. Offense shouldn’t cater to the guy who makes the 4th highest salary.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Conor, i know you watched the game. i know you know Dwight was hurt. I know you know about Pau and his knees. I know you can figure out why there really wasn’t much of a choice. You can’t just kill Pau because you have mismatches. Especially considering you just lost your Center. Losing Pau too would put them on the fast track to never win again town. Sometimes, you have to just swallow your situation and live with it. The Lakers are in a terrible situation. The Coach didn’t put them there. He just, doesn’t help either.

  • pposse

    this laker squad is still the most talented roster in the league! (miami maybe has a case, but i’ll take two bigs vs two guys who pretty much does the same thing)

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    do you not remember Phil Jackson’s last game overseeing the team? he couldn’t control them either. But i’m sure you didn’t blame that series on him.
    .
    And you keep talking to me like i support the decisions D’Antoni is making. I don’t. He’s been bad. My point is, he isn’t the teams main problem. He really really isn’t. All of the other things involving the players and makeup/health of the roster are the underlying problem. If these guys were healthy, and playing hard, The Seed could coach that team to at least a .500 record. There is no way you will ever convince me basketball players making millions and millions of dollars need a coach in order to play hard. If you have player’s like that, you should want to get rid of them. Not get a new coach.

  • http://twitter.com/apowellAdvocate Allen Powell II

    Every one in America knows who the Number One guy on this team to be. There is no other option, and the fight is about spots 2-5. LOL.

  • Conor

    *”… than Pau Gasol or even Robert Sacre? …”

  • http://twitter.com/apowellAdvocate Allen Powell II

    Whoever down voted this comment is a hater. This made me chuckle. The Lakers need the freaking Justice League to have success. LOL.
    Also, D’Antoni is not the only problem but he’s part of the problem. He’s always jerked players around with his rotations, he randomly decides to hate certain players, and he manages minutes poorly. Look, the Knicks are really respectable team right now with only a few roster changes and a new coach. Some of that is a change in mindset with players, but it’s also better coaching for the talent on hand.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    uhm, i would rather have Antawn Jamison playing Center than Robert Sacre, yes. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2013.html

    - i mean, statistically speaking, per minute, Jamison rebounds more, scores more, and turns the ball over exponentially less. Just look at the numbers, and really, tell me you want Robert Sacre taking any minutes, let alone a much better player’s.

  • http://twitter.com/apowellAdvocate Allen Powell II

    The coach has to be able to get players to buy in and follow the system NBK. He doesn’t just roll out the ball and hope for the best. They don’t don’t give you $8 million for doing that.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    a few roster changes? lol. 7 of their 15 players were on a different team last season. Their whole backcourt is new.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    no. The Lakers are 4 players deep. Antawn Jamison is their 6th man, and he really should be playing the same role that Rashard Lewis is playing in Miami.
    .
    If you think this LA team is the most talented team in the league, you have found the problem.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Kobe is shooting over 23 shots a game with D’Antoni at 45%. i mean, one time Amar’e shot 16, at over 59%.
    .
    You have a guard in Mike D’Antoni’s offense shooting 23+ shots a game. And he is not viewed by anyone as part of the problem?

  • pposse

    i must have been just like Vegas, cause they gave the Lakers a 3:1 shot on winning the championship. Miami was the only team ahead of them at 2:1. Obviously its not panning out that way, but the oddsmakers are hardly ever wrong. They do what everyone here does for a living..

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    ok? did the player’s, at any point, even attempt to buy in tho? i mean, you can’t put it all on the coach when the player’s make no attempt at conforming to their new system.
    .
    i don’t think D’Antoni is doing an even ok job with that team. he’s doing bad. but it frankly doesn’t matter who the coach is, the coach doesn’t mend injuries, and he can’t change his player’s. the fact that Dwight and Pau are sulking around the court acting like Kobe killed their dog is D’Antoni’s fault? How? They’ve been playing this way since before D’Antoni got there, i don’t understand why we are blaming D’Antoni for that not changing?

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