Lakers Hire D'Antoni

The Los Angeles Lakers, in a wholly unexpected move, announced Monday morning that they signed former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni to replace Mike Brown as head coach.


D'Antoni's deal is for four years, his agent, Warren LeGarie, confirmed to ESPNLosAngeles.com late Sunday night

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...rs-sources-say

Kinda saw this happening... Phil may not have been able to get assistants as they're all tied up with other teams.

Phew. They were almost competent.

Only did this cuz they have Nash. Still won't matter. Kobe's not the defender he was. Neither is Artest. And D'Antoni won't scheme any defense for them. The situation is ripe...very good.

Yeah I figured the Nash connection would lead to D'Antoni. Maybe he should hire Brown to coach the defense. Because Mike doesn't seem to even bother with that side of the ball.

:hihi:

Was shocked when I woke up this morning and saw this. Lakers fans are ****** LOL

Good for them. Supposedly Kobe idolized D'Antoni as a child in Italy.

The media is probably mad because they seemed to be pining hard for Phil. I'm just glad I don't have to read his unnecessary remarks about New Orleans anymore. Glad he's staying where he is.

The media loves the Lakers. They love the Lakers so much that one of them even came up with this little gem.

tomhaberstroh Tom Haberstroh
Lakers still need shooters. Would not be surprised if Lakers fans got Ryan Anderson or Ersan Ilyasova for Christmas.

They'd love to rob other teams just to help the Lakers.

I fear.

Good teams can express their dominance in a number of ways. Driving up the number of possessions is one way to do that. The law of large numbers favors the better team, and they can be better by flying with the starters, then slow it down with the backups.

flying here may mean using less shot clock and taking high percent shots (Nash to Howard), not necessarily running . . . a common and reflexive misconception . . . there are many ways to increase the number of possessions a game.

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Originally Posted by HunnyB

The media loves the Lakers. They love the Lakers so much that one of them even came up with this little gem.

tomhaberstroh Tom Haberstroh
Lakers still need shooters. Would not be surprised if Lakers fans got Ryan Anderson or Ersan Ilyasova for Christmas.

They'd love to rob other teams just to help the Lakers.

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Gordon and Anderson for Pau?

I wouldn't want it.

Love that Gordon!

I'd rather keep Anderson. I was just trying to think of something that wouldn't get the Lakers brass jumped in an alley for insulting us.

Not so much loving Gordon as much as it is NOT loving Pau.

Besides, I just put that here not to turn it into a trade thread but to show how much the media is already trying to rob other teams to help the Lakers.

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Originally Posted by 42

Gordon and Anderson for Pau?

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:idoh:

wow was expecting Jackson comeback

Jackson 'stunned'. :rolleyes:

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Phil Jackson was prepared to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday morning if negotiations between his agent and the team went well, a league source told ESPNLosAngeles.com late Sunday night.

When the Lakers called to tell Jackson that they had instead chosen Mike D'Antoni to be their next head coach, he was "stunned," according to the source, because he had been under the impression "it was his job to turn down" although no formal offer had ever been made.

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Jackson and the Lakers had never spoken about a salary, the source said, "but he knew coaches don't make what he used to make anymore." He also never intended to miss any more road games than he had in his previous stints with the Lakers.

"Phil would come back only to win and skipping games doesn't lead to winning," the source said.

However, Jackson had wanted more say over basketball decisions, another source said.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Jackson was also seeking an ownership stake, according to a person familiar with the situation.

In the end, the Lakers felt D'Antoni gave them a better chance to win this year.

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So he wanted to skip games, have more say over basketball decisions AND wanted stake in ownership.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...rs-source-says

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Originally Posted by HunnyB

The media loves the Lakers. They love the Lakers so much that one of them even came up with this little gem.

tomhaberstroh Tom Haberstroh
Lakers still need shooters. Would not be surprised if Lakers fans got Ryan Anderson or Ersan Ilyasova for Christmas.

They'd love to rob other teams just to help the Lakers.

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That guy writes for ESPN's "Heat Index." Is he the guy who last year wanted the Hornets to buy out Kaman so that the Heat could sign him for peanuts?

I think Jackson piggybacked off of star players, and once the teams looked weak he left... Now he wants back in with Howard... I hate the guy.

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Originally Posted by greewe

That guy writes for ESPN's "Heat Index." Is he the guy who last year wanted the Hornets to buy out Kaman so that the Heat could sign him for peanuts?

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I have no idea.

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Originally Posted by 42

Gordon and Anderson for Pau?

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I think there would need to be a 3rd team who had interest in Pau and young assets. Somebody like Houston. We would get back Meeks, J. Hill, Patrick Patterson, Terrence Jones, Motiejunas, Marcus Morris, picks, etc. etc. etc.

Would give LAL Gordon and Anderson, just for giving up Pau.

Would give HOU a lineup of Lin/Harden/Parsons/Gasol/Asik and lets them finally consolidate the rest of that talent for an All-Star.

For the Hornets, it would be a lot of talent/assets and get something back for Gordon's contract, but it seems like a big step backward.

I don't even know if it works financially (trade machine won't do it since these guys can't be traded until December), and I wouldn't take it for the Hornets. Just bored during a slow patch before Wednesday.

Attachment 4411

Even Mitt feels bad for Laker fans..

The Lakers have NOTHING we want. Demps won't just comply with another ploy to make the Lakers better.

I kinda feel happy for Phil since he can just stay retired in his nice lakeside cabin and not suffer through that, then watch them crash and burn and just continue to build his legacy without even doing anything.

I wonder if 1 of Phil's apparent "road trips off" would've included New Orleans... we know how much he LOVES good ole NOLA

Like a slug loves salt.

They weren't going to hire Jackson. As an article above pointed out the dude is so self-absorbed he wouldn't even make all the road games. I mean... what the hell?!?! That's a joke.

Lakers resist Phil Jackson's power grab

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Between the hours of Mike Brown's firing and a meeting on Saturday morning with history's most accomplished coach, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak privately told people there was one candidate: Phil Jackson.

Jackson wanted to humiliate Lakers vice president Jim Buss far more than he wanted to coach the team. He wanted significant allowances on travel, coaching duties and an ability to veto player personnel moves that didn't fit his vision. With an unprecedented 11 coaching championships, Jackson had every right to make unprecedented demands. He doesn't have the right to be surprised when the Lakers rejected them and hired a pliable, cheaper coach in Mike D'Antoni.

"Phil wanted Jim Buss to walk away with his tail between his legs," one source with knowledge of the discussions told Yahoo! Sports. "He thought he had time to still negotiate with them, and see how much they would give him."

Now, the Lakers are going out of their way to spare Jackson the embarrassment of his overreaching, but this is pointless spin. They're working with him to sell the public that he hadn't asked for too much, that somehow the franchise chose D'Antoni over Jackson on sheer merit. It's noble, but laughable. Jackson heard those chants in the Staples Center and never believed the Lakers had the guts to call his bluff before circling back to him on Monday.

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Yeah, I'd pick D'Antoni over Phil every time in this situation rather than give into the demands of a guy who needs more money, won't attend road games, wants to be in charge of basketball operations, and has an offense that will effectively neutralize Steve Nash.

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Originally Posted by The JNR

Yeah, I'd pick D'Antoni over Phil every time in this situation rather than give into the demands of a guy who needs more money, won't attend road games, wants to be in charge of basketball operations, and has an offense that will effectively neutralize Steve Nash.

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That just really meant that he wasn't interested.

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Originally Posted by Nola Hornet

That just really meant that he wasn't interested.

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Which makes the D'Antoni hire even better!

To be honest, I think D'Antoni is a better fit with the personnel the Lakers have and taking into consideration the complexity of the Triangle.

Yes I know Kobe, Pau, and Meta are still on the team, but what about the rest of the rotation? Essentially all new players (Nash, Howard, Meeks, Ebanks, Jamison, and Hill).

When I first heard how much he would get, I thought the reason they hired him over Phil, was because he was getting in four years, what Phil would have wanted in one year.

D'Antoni hates using big men to post up. Gasol and Howard will never get to post up in the paint. He's gonna make them stand outside of the paint. He's a very one dimensional coach and I'm thrilled the Lakers hired him.

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Originally Posted by Hornets78

D'Antoni hates using big men to post up. Gasol and Howard will never get to post up in the paint. He's gonna make them stand outside of the paint. He's a very one dimensional coach and I'm thrilled the Lakers hired him.

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The question from the opposite view point is, "How would Nash fit in to the Triangle Offense?"

Mix reviews and speculation on that one; guess we won't find out.

Oh yes. This effectively crushes their long term viability. Kobe will get frustrated. Want to retire with the team that drafted then traded him. Show he's grateful.

Ah yes. It is so clearn ow...

Horrible call.

The dude is dating your sister. Sit down in a room, hash out your differences and make it happen. D'Antoni has never and will never be a championship caliber coach. He is the Norv Turner of the NBA.

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Originally Posted by DefensiveMind

Horrible call.

The dude is dating your sister. Sit down in a room, hash out your differences and make it happen. D'Antoni has never and will never be a championship caliber coach. He is the Norv Turner of the NBA.

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So wait. You actually WANT the Lakers to win another championship?

Or are you just referring to the "keep it in the family" perspective of things?

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Originally Posted by HunnyB

So wait. You actually WANT the Lakers to win another championship?

Or are you just referring to the "keep it in the family" perspective of things?

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I don't care what the Lakers do, but I am a fan of the game and Phil Jackson is a better coach than Mike D'Antoni. The Lakers beat us in a 7 game series with either and by the time we are ready to make a run, these guys will be out to pasture. I just wanna see smart moves. I do find comfort in the fact that Jim Buss is a disaster as an owner which may eventually help us down the road.

Surprised but oh well

Vinny, that redhead...

Really makes it hard.




To concentrate I mean.

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Originally Posted by Hornets78

D'Antoni hates using big men to post up. Gasol and Howard will never get to post up in the paint. He's gonna make them stand outside of the paint. He's a very one dimensional coach and I'm thrilled the Lakers hired him.

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Howard and Gasol are both perfect bigs for the pick and roll. They're a souped up version of West and Chandler when they played with CP. D'Antoni's a very good NBA coach. He went to the conference finals twice and might have gone again if not for Ama're's suspension against San Antonio in 2007.