Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 9:20 am  |  86 responses

Mike D’Antoni’s Job Reportedly is Safe


Despite the Los Angeles’ Lakers ongoing and humiliating struggles this season, head coach Mike D’Antoni somehow remains off the hot seat. Per the OC Register: “There’s plenty of heat and speculation — and plenty for Mike D’Antoni to hash out as far as better utilizing his players, including 2013 free agent Dwight Howard — but I was told Thursday the Lakers are not considering a buyout or firing of D’Antoni as head coach. The Lakers signed D’Antoni to a three-year contract to replace Mike Brown, who was fired Nov. 9. D’Antoni is 12-20 as Lakers head coach. With the Lakers’ Jan. 15 victory over Milwaukee, D’Antoni got the 400th career victory of his NBA career — the 42nd in NBA history to do so, 34 of them with winning records, like D’Antoni. But D’Antoni hasn’t won a game since then.”

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

    Much to our chagrin.

  • Rick

    You have got to be joking. You’re going to waste the services of over $35 million in salary this year alone in Dwight and Gasol in favor of a dime-a-dozen $4 million coach? Not to mention the risk of losing Dwight next year in this lost/meandering offense?

    It’s incredible Jim Buss can acquire such fantastic basketball talent yet somehow has the worst touch when it comes to selecting an appropriate coach. Jim – please give that duty to your sister, Jeannie.

  • spit hot fiyah

    about as safe as your wallet in the proximity of a klepto

  • MasterSplinter

    LakerNation is doomed with Jim Buss as King…honest engine……

  • snarfsnarf

    wasn’t mike brown’s job “reportedly” safe?

  • bringbackthesonics

    the lakers made their bed and now they have to lie in it.

  • Zabbah

    I’m gonna say it. The only reason D’Antoni is still with the Lakers is because Buss and the GM would look stupid for firing their second head coach of the season. They would look stupid for passing up Phil Jackson and that’s why they’re going to keep insisting it’s entirely the players fault for this losing record.

  • shockexchange

    Darn, first Mike Brown and now D’Antoni?

  • Max

    He’s out in 2 weeks.

  • Sustai

    I agree…. they would look stupid and now the Lakers have. To pay for there stupidity

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

    I really hope this means the opposite.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bobby.williams.5245 Bobby Williams

    One week and he’s out. The Lakers will lose 10 in a row and they’ll have no choice but to fire him. Jim Buss will just have to suck it up and give Phil some ownership in the team and beg him to lead Lakernation back to the Promise Land!

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

    I still can’t believe they hired a guy with success on one team with a gimmicky system over a proven HOF coach. Forget the 11 championships (let that number sink in though), PJ was at the helm of leading an MJ-less Bulls team to 55 wins, and a squad that featured just Kobe to 47 wins in the Western Conference.

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

    Even if Phil comes back, this season is lost already.

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

    Kupchak even said it was safe 2 days before he got fired.

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

    His first mistake was passing over on Shaw. Continuity in the NBA is a good thing…why start fresh when you still had a championship winning core?

  • Barb

    I read where they are considering Phil Jackson for the coach if the Kings go to seattle to become the ”
    Sonics”, it will be interesting to see what happens.

  • Guest

    Jim Buss is an IDIOT! That is what is bringing this, once GREAT, franchise down. Get rid of Baby Buss, get a coach that will build a system around the KILLER talent they have and the team will once again flourish… It is ad simple as that. ;)

  • NEWK444

    Jim Buss is an IDIOT! That is what is bringing this, once GREAT, franchise down. Get rid of Baby Buss, get a coach that will build a system around the KILLER talent they have and the team will once again flourish… It is as simple as that. ;)

  • Marty Susman

    If his job is safe then the person that says it’s safe needs to be fired….

  • NEWK444

    Jim Buss is an IDIOT! That is what is bringing this, once GREAT, franchise down. Get rid of Baby Buss, get a coach that will build a system around the KILLER talent they have and the team will once again flourish… Allow Mitch to do his job. It is as simple as that. ;)

  • NEWK444

    Let’s hope they wake up and get rid of D’Antoni, he has no clue as what to do with this killer team. He does however know how to destroy it.

  • NEWK444

    Jim Buss is an IDIOT! It is ad simple as that. ;)

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Dr. Buss hired D’Antoni.

  • NEWK444

    Baby Buss is an IDIOT! Plain and simple. ;)

  • NEWK444

    Dr Buss was just fresh out of the Hospital, what you actually mean is he was coerced by his beloved son into agreeing with him to hire D’Antoni.. C’mon bro get with it!

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk
  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    “Make no mistake about it, Jerry Buss made the final call on firing Mike Brown, passing over Jackson and ultimately deciding on D’Antoni,” confirmed an NBA source who requested anonymity. “The management structure is a democracy up to a certain point; but when something very big comes up, Jerry makes the decision.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    “Make no mistake about it, Jerry Buss made the final call on firing Mike Brown, passing over Jackson and ultimately deciding on D’Antoni,” confirmed an NBA source who requested anonymity. “The management structure is a democracy up to a certain point; but when something very big comes up, Jerry makes the decision.

  • NEWK444

    Bro, which part of “He was coerced by, Baby Boy Buss” did you not understand? Dr. Buss just got out of the hospital and he was being filled with nonsense from his son. The Hiring of Mike Brown was Baby Boy Buss too, Dr. Buss has let Baby Boy Buss run the team the last two years.. You just have to come out from under that rock and smell the coffee.. Be cool my brother.

  • robb

    Thank you. That made me feel more at ease.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    LOL, you believe what you are writing. Lakers fans are funny.

    .Buss was out of the hospital after being treated for dehydration. He didn’t have surgery. he wasn’t on drugs. he wasn’t “coerced” haha.

    .here, click this link. from a fellow Lakers lover like yourself. should be pretty hard for you to argue with this. unless the rock above your head has bad lighting or something.

    .

    http://latenightlakers.blogspot.com/2012/11/dantoni-hiring-has-jerry-buss-written.html

  • NEWK444

    Ok. I’ll look.. I do LOVE my “Lakers.” I don’t love the “FAKERS.” Be cool bro. I will get back after I look at your link. ;)

  • Guillermo

    Mich K. is no Jerry West and Jim Buss does not have half the savvy of the daughter.
    And if it is true that the Dr. was responsible for hiring Mike D. – he should retire for good.
    What a colossal mistake passing on P. Jackson.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    thanks for checkin it out. i’m not just being argumentative with you, i’m tryna just show you what the media doesn’t.

  • NEWK444

    Yea, I guess when it’s all said and done. The LAKERS suck under D’Aantonis system. They need a coach that can get the most out of these players and build a system around them. Not try and put a square peg in a round hole as D’Antoni is attempting to do. If Dr. Buss is behind this, then I guess we have to chalk it up to his old age. This is his biggest “BRAIN FART!” Let’s hope someone gets smart fast so we can fix this in time. The longer they keep D’Antoni, the greater the chance of losing Howard. I am a die hard LAKER fan, but when you have the brains of the outfit taking drugs, so to speak as it seem they are all high on something, then I try and turn to the”Clippers” and that leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. YUK! I just want them to wake up and get with in and look past there stupidity and do something………….. FAST!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/rainman1991 Saleem Rainman

    dafuq son. u already said that.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    well, taking into account everything that has happened this season it’s safe to assume a few things,
    .
    1 – the Lakers aren’t going to be bad for very long. next season they will be good. at the latest
    2 – Pau will be gone before D’Antoni. He’s been a shell of himself since 2011, and makes 19 million dollars. They have to trade him while he still has value.
    3 – D’Antoni, WHILE DOING A BAD JOB, is not really being given a fair shake. he’s literally coached a healthy Lakers team for ZERO games. And he had no training camp, and took over in the middle of the team falling apart.
    4 – Kobe has to learn to adjust. This is the smallest, and biggest problem the Lakers have. The smallest because without adjusting Kobe is still great. The biggest because he really really doesn’t make them better, pissing them off too is compounding all other problems.

  • NEWK444

    A few times ;)

  • NEWK444

    Pau would not have to go anywhere if D’Antoni would devise system to besy utilize all is “AGING” players. The run and gun just wont fly with players this old. They also need a “DEFENSIVE” specialist! Look what Brian Shaw is doing with the Pacers and there defense. They need a good DEFENSIVE coach. Cant they see that?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    uhm, Mike Brown was a defensive coach. And Pau has been having these problems since Phil Jackson was still overseeing the team. — i mean, blaming his lack of being even decent on D’Antoni is disingenuous.
    .
    The Lakers defensive problems stem from a few things,
    – first and foremost, Dwight is still hurt. he feels some obligation to avoid the criticism he received for “quitting” on the Magic, so he is playing right now when he shouldn’t.
    – second, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are poor defensive player’s. with them, and nobody defending the hoop at an elite level, there is not a coach in the world that can do anything about this defense.

  • NEWK444

    The LAKERS won two championships with PAU! That says it all. Steve Nash and D’Antoni have won NOTHING in that system. Should I go on my brother? Kobe is not a poor defensive player. The Lakers problem is in covering for each other, sliding over to fill vacancies. This is what needs to be improved with a “DEFENSIVE” coach bro. ;)

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Pau fell apart in 2011. You need to see his numbers after the whole Shannon Brown had sex with his wife rumor started?

    .

    Bryant isn’t a poor man-defender, but he’s an atrocious team defender. ATROCIOUS.

    .

    and has been, since, again, 2011.

    .

    You want to blame the Lakers situation on someone? Blame it on David Stern.

    .

    “showing their hand” with that failed Chris Paul trade really set them back. It destroyed Lamar Odom – and further destroyed Pau Gasol. — the league saw their hand. It just totally set them back.

    .

    The whole defensive coach thing is overrated. Again, Mike Brown was a defensive coach, had a 66-game season + training camp, and the Lakers were still ranked 28th in defense in his 5 games leading the team this season. Since then? they have actually climbed UP to 23rd.

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

    Actually, I’d argue that Kupchak is very good. Outside of the 3 years of Kobe’s prime that he wasted, he’s made great personnel moves since 2008 – the 3 Finals appearances and 2 titles attest to that. This year’s roster was an excellent team on paper…its not Kupchak’s fault they didn’t develop the expected on-court chemistry.

    BTW, Kupchak was pushing for Adelman in 2011 after JIM (yes, Jim, not his father) wanted to hire Mike Brown. Adelman would have had a much smoother transition than Brown did.

  • LakeShow

    He’ll be here next season. I’m pretty positive.
    It’s Pau or D’Antoni at this point. Neither have impressed. Both because of each other. I just think they want D’Antoni there for Nash. And he is good with the right players, so I think they might make a trade or three over the next 12 months.

  • NEWK444

    He was not a very good defensive coach. Pau did falter under the not very efficient coaching of Brown. Yes, DAVID STERN was a dork too. I agree that Lamar and Shannon Brown were also two key players that was stupid to let go. I did not know it was his “Wife’ I thought it was his “girlfriend.” I heard that Kobe’s wife and his girlfriend had words or something and that disrupted the team during those playoffs …………………. What does “ATROCIOUS” mean???

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

    I remember all the fools on this site claiming D’Antoni to be this great coach. Happened to be the one’s who seem to believe themselves to be knowledgeable as well! I said it from the beginning. Bring back Phil and at least we got a shot. When they passed on him they passed on trying to get one more championship team out of Kobe.

  • http://twitter.com/dmodmodmo Doug Morgan

    Not coach, but building the front office

  • roscoe

    i really thought magic was too harsh on pringles to start, but i was completely wrong… magic was right.

    imo, LAL mgmt are not going to pull the trigger on a trade until they have decided on pringles…

    even if the answer is trading pau… they need to consider who they are trading for and the system that will be used… clearly d’antoni sys is not working & the players don’t buy what he is selling.

    my bet is LAL mgmt are talking to PJAX right now… this thing is a mess for LAL & LAL mgmt will put egg on their face if it means winning gold balls, no doubt.

    the one thing LAL has which other teams don’t is powerful fans with tons of cash that pressure their mgmt. something is going to give.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    i was just showing when Pau fell apart. I don’t think Shannon Brown actually had an affair with his lady.

    .

    - “Mike Brown wasn’t a very good defensive coach” — uhm, Clevelands defensive ratings, (14)-(4)-(11)-(3)-(7). —– he’s pretty good i’d say.

    .

    Atrocious:

    Horrifyingly wicked: “atrocious cruelties”.
    Of a very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant: “atrocious weather

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