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[tonelow]

All D'Antoni needs is to run a slightly slower tempo offense that relies more heavily on P&R than it did Fast Break...


Good Offense will boost player morale, which will see results on the other side.

Now there are players who are capable of playing defense on this team... We'll see if Offensive Production helps boost effort on Defense.. For some guys that's how it works, for others it's the opposite..

Agreed.

Any word on who his assistants will be?

 

[scarsorscabs]

Bless your hearts.

 

[daddyrabbit251]

Mike D'Antoni is my guy ... Love Phil but he was reaching too far with his demands and the triangle wouldn't have fit Nash. Time for Mike to get this chip

 

[hybridsoldier23]

As a life long Lakers fan this news was stunning and sad for me to wake up to this morning.

I'm in shock right now. Our problem is defense and Pringles can't give us a solution to that problem.

My God man.

 

[pyboy28]

JACKON > D'ANTONI not saying that he can't do it but I don't see the longevity of this offense night in night out...we got an older roster :x key is now to stay healthy enough to make a run at the playoffs in this fast pace system...

 

[mcstrokin]

This pic is funny as hell 

 

[essential1]

All D'Antoni needs is to run a slightly slower tempo offense that relies more heavily on P

Agreed.

Any word on who his assistants will be?

Dan D'Antoni, Phil Weber. People think Darvin Hamm would be kept on... Other than that no one knows

 

[jonnyblazenyc]

I wanted Phil just like everyone else but damn D'Antoni is not a bad hire. People need to kill that ish. All I keep hearing from you guys is how he isn't a good defensive coach. Who on those Knicks and Suns teams were even capable defenders? He's never had any capable defenders. Here in LA, that will not be a problem. Our offense will be used properly now. Dwight and Nash should be ecstatic about this move. Kobe is always going to get buckets irregardless of the offense. Meeks,Metta, Blake and Jamison will see wide open shoots all night long. I'm anxious to see how this all works.

Because Tyson Chandler didn't win DPOY last year and Iman Shumpert isn't one of the best on the ball defenders in the league? By the way, "irregardless" is not a word.

 

[mcstrokin]

Because Tyson Chandler didn't win DPOY last year and Iman Shumpert isn't one of the best on the ball defenders in the league? By the way, "irregardless" is not a word.

Did you really just say irregardless isn't a word? 

, are you confident in that assertion?

The Knicks weren't a bad defensive team try again.

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

at people getting mad at Jim Buss in this thread. If it wasn't for Jim changing his mind about Bynum, we would be without a center until January.

 

[essential1]

Maybe Jodie Meeks thrives on the bench now....


If we keep Hill staying consistent... And Jodie starts finding his stroke due to the offensive philosophy... We are closer to our goal.

 

[thachosen123]

Typical lies to fit ones agenda. Just straight misinformation and distortion going on because they don't like the hire.

This **** right here goes on ENTIRELY too often with some Laker fans

 

[JCMojica24]

Thread done blown up since early this morning.

 

[moneylicious]

Would've rather had Phil, but Im optimistic with D'antoni.

Aint eeem mad.

 

[CP1708]

Now every other post is **** Jim buss, when just a short few months ago everybody was praising him for pulling the trigger for D12

I'm actually interested for CP to elaborate more on how he feels about this. Obviously you wanted Phil(we all did), but do you think this might work out better than brown?

Mike D won A LOT in Phoenix, got cheated out of a title in 07 and when was he ruined? When Kerr traded for Shaq. Not Mike's fault.

He was winnin just fine in New York with their roster, when was he ruined? When they traded half the team for Melo.

Nash, Dwight, Kobe, Pau, Meeks are all excellent pieces for his system. If he uses at least 2 of them at all times, we should be fine. He already said he would hire a D Coordinator type, that's fair to ask for. As Dwight gets healthier/.stronger, that will help a lot too.

I wanted Phil, but D'Antoni is much much much better than Brown. So maybe, he'll be alright with better pieces tan he had in Phoenix.

 

[kalikid23]

Now don't get me wrong, I also wanted Phil, but Im happy with D'antoni, he took that Suns team to a couple of Western confrence championship series which they lost to great teams like the Lakers and Spurs. The Western confrence at that time was also very deep. Regardless of this team getting older, just imagine what he can still do with them. People keep bringing up what happened with the Knicks, well thats simple! they had ball stoping Carmelo Anthony and failed to utilize the rest of the team. A lot of you are just to spoiled by Phil and his resume that you are overlooking what D'antoni can actually do. Regardless I am happy with this signing and excited to see the outcome. LETS GO LAKERS!

 

[essential1]

D'Antoni will be the coach either Friday against the Suns or Sunday against the Rockets

 

[pmatic]

Hollinger:

D'Antoni the right choice for Lakers

It's an extreme irony that just days after Mike Brown talked about Steve Nash never winning a championship in Mike D'Antoni's offense, the Lakers whacked Brown so Steve Nash could pursue a championship running Mike D'Antoni's offense.

L.A.'s decision to fire Brown on Friday was the kind of knee-jerk silliness that we'd normally expect from Sacramento or the Knicks -- if you thought the guy was good enough on opening day, five games shouldn't change your mind. To that extent it may hint at some larger issues in their front office under Jim Buss.

It's also highly illogical that the Lakers were so focused on the merits of their coaching candidate's offenses -- Princeton vs. Triangle vs. Seven Seconds or Less -- when the Lakers' failing in their first five games came almost entirely at the defensive end. Even after two strong home wins under the undefeated Bernie Bickerstaff, the Lakers are just 18th in defensive efficiency.

Nonetheless, Brown's decision to shepherd in the Slowtime Era was an unwieldy mistake given his personnel, and the Lakers clearly came into the season already harboring a lot of doubts about him. I'll offer this additional critique that was scarcely mentioned -- he was playing the key players way too many minutes.

As for D'Antoni, he never quite got his due for what he accomplished in Phoenix, implementing a system with Nash that basically shocked the league for a few years while everyone figured out how to guard it (and eventually, copy it). He effectively provided the blueprint for how teams could space the floor and take advantage of the mid-decade hand-checking rules, and he still does it better than anyone else.

Somehow, the narrative on this accomplishment turned from "he completely knocked the league on its [butt]" to "he took a 29-win team and prevented them from winning a championship." What D'Antoni did in Phoenix was historic.

But it's a copycat league, and once Phoenix's system was copied the surprise factor wasn't quite as strong. You now see elements of D'Antoni's offense all over the league -- Phoenix still uses it, and most of the league's other teams have appropriated large chunks of it. One of the few resistors, actually, was the Lakers.

You can see the impact over time. The Suns led the league in offensive efficiency the first three years Nash and D'Antoni worked together, with the first year in particular being one of the best offensive teams in history. But by his final season they were second, and his clubs in New York were 17th three times in four seasons.

In other words, just like everywhere else, the players usually matter a lot more than the system. For a brief window, D'Antoni was able to get the "system" part of that equation punching way above its weight.

D'Antoni will have some players in L.A., fortunately, starting with Nash. He might be a bit older and a bit slower than he was in his heyday, but he is still one of the best pick-and-roll practitioners you'll ever see. With Dwight Howard as a roll man, Kobe Bryant on the weak side with Metta World Peace (who, despite his other faults, is a good corner 3-point shooter), and Pau Gasol lifting for mid-range jumpers, the Lakers certainly have enough weapons to make this halfcourt system work.

And make no mistake, this is mostly a halfcourt system. "Seven second or less" is a catchy name, but this system has more to do with drag screens for Nash and quick-hitting plays early in the shot clock than it does with players flying up and down the court in transition, especially if Leandro Barbosa and Shawn Marion aren't involved. Every one of D'Antoni's teams finished in the top 10 in pace, as have every one of Nash's teams, but it's been a long time since either led the league or even came close. With this roster, one shouldn't necessarily expect Showtime 2.0.

Of course, the real way to look at the D'Antoni decision is by comparing it to the alternatives. I think we can immediately throw out the "he never won a ring" critique, as there was only one viable candidate who had. Otherwise, the only coaches who are a) alive, b) unemployed, and c) won a title in the last quarter-century are Rudy Tomjanovich -- been there, done that -- and Larry Brown, who has since evolved into a parody of himself.

Among the rest of the field, D'Antoni was the one who had the best chance to get the, er, strong-willed Kobe Bryant to go along with the program, given the experience the two have had with USA Basketball and their shared bond of quasi-Italianness.

With one exception, obviously: Phil Jackson. Nonetheless, I thought this was the right move based on the information that's out there. No sitting exec is going to willingly cede power, as Jackson apparently wanted, and having him skip road games wasn't going to be practical. One can argue the Lakers should have kept the door open for longer while negotiating with Jackson -- D'Antoni literally wasn't going anywhere, as he's recovering from knee replacement surgery -- but the end-game seemed pretty clear, and hiring Phil under those terms would have been nearly as knee-jerky as firing Brown.

Which leaves us with D'Antoni, and his challenge of managing Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant. He had trouble standing up to an iso-happy scorer with a big ego in New York with Carmelo Anthony; how is he going to fare with these two?

It's a fair question; that and doubts about D'Antoni's defensive chops are his two biggest obstacles to success in L.A. Nonetheless, there should be enough touches to go around for everybody, especially once Howard sees how many uncontested dunks Nash can get him. As for the defense, D'Antoni's teams were more "average" than "bad" at this end, but the critique that he's almost entirely focused on the offense from a practice and preparation standpoint has been widespread. With a defensive dominator like Howard, there's no excuse for him not to have a top 10 defense.

D'Antoni's other challenge may be his roster. His later teams in Phoenix succeeded even when there wasn't a ton of shooting on the court -- the frontcourt was Marion-Boris Diaw-Amare Stoudemire -- but they were in the top four in 3-pointers every year. The Lakers' roster just doesn't have that kind of shooting right now.

A few short-term fixes can improve the situation a bit. We'll probably see a lot more of Jodie Meeks, and Antawn Jamison may see more minutes as a floor-spacing 4 rather than a fish-out-of-water 3. We may even see Steve Blake playing off the ball as a 2.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Lakers pursue another wing shooter. They'll probably inquire about Miami's little-used James Jones, a veteran of D'Antoni's system, and kick the tires on guys like Shawne Williams and Raja Bell, if Bell can ever work a buyout with Utah. (Side note: You also gotta think Barbosa is bummed he chose Boston over L.A.)

But in the short-term, D'Antoni may have to play more traditional iso basketball. With Nash out and Blake nursing an abdominal injury, he's left entrusting his precious offense to Chris Duhon and Darius Morris. Egads.

Of course, the short-term isn't what the Lakers are worrying about. (Well, unless it involves Mike Brown). More practically, D'Antoni has 75 games to get his offense humming at the championship-caliber level everyone expected before the season, and to do it with enough defensive integrity that they can, at the very least, make the conference finals. It remains to be seen if he can do that, but from here it seems he has a better chance than just about anyone else.

 

[sthebest]

Who the hell picks D'Antoni when you have a opportunity to get Phil the Zenmaster back? The organization deserves to fail for all of their piss poor choices

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Greta view point from Dan Patrick. In case the vid doesn't embed, check out the link for the vid of Patrick & his viewpoint...

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....hinks-dantoni-over-jackson-not-exactly-smart/

Dan Patrick thinks D’Antoni over Jackson not exactly smart

Dan Patrick — whose show you can see broadcast every weekday on the NBC Sports Network — says it is really this simple:

The Lakers are not about winning at any cost like Magic Johnson and others have claimed because Phil Jackson was a better hire than Mike D’Antoni for the Lakers, but instead they got the lesser man and it is being spun as Jackson being too expensive.

I’ve already told you I thought the Lakers handled this poorly because they should have known the price when they picked up the phone to call PJ. I also think you can make a case that with this roster and making a mid-season change that hiring D’Antoni is the better call, but I’ll admit my bias and say I’m higher on D’Antoni than others.

But Dan Patrick makes some good points here, and I think he speaks for a lot of Lakers fans who are waking up pissed off to see that Jackson is not the guy in the big chair.

 

[cato312]

Some outside observations:

1. If this doesn't work, this is all on Jim Buss.
2. I understand Brown had to go, but wouldn't it made more sense to have his replacement already waiting in the wings?
3. Did PJ really turn the job down? Was the price too high for Jim Buss, in terms of control? Or was there still a personal cloud hovering over the Buss-PJ talks?
4. I'm most interested in seeing the lineup adjustments that need to be made for D'Antoni's system to be effective. Roster-wise, it would've been nice for the Lakers to have a stretch 4. I don't think Jamison has much left in the tank...

 

[daddyrabbit251]

Smh at the D'Antoni slander... People acting like D'Antoni never won a NBA game or act like he doesn't have the common sense to slow the tempo down to fit this team Mike is gonna have these guys balling man, and more importantly he's gonna have the BENCH balling and producing.

 

[Mactastic4167]

Will be suprised if te Lakers even make it past the 1st round. Horrible hire ! How in the hell do you pass up Phil?

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

Would've rather had Phil, but Im optimistic with D'antoni.

Aint eeem mad.

On the same boat.

 

[ag 47]

No, the lakers are not a run and gun style team. No one is.. steve nash might have won mvp's under d'antonj but he's getting older and kobe,pau,metta love to post up.. and dwight was never a runner.. to be honest I've never seen howard run a fastbreak..
So how would the lakers be able to do run and gun for 82 games and go deep into the playoffs??

And make no mistake, this is mostly a halfcourt system. "Seven second or less" is a catchy name, but this system has more to do with drag screens for Nash and quick-hitting plays early in the shot clock than it does with players flying up and down the court in transition, especially if Leandro Barbosa and Shawn Marion aren't involved. Every one of D'Antoni's teams finished in the top 10 in pace, as have every one of Nash's teams, but it's been a long time since either led the league or even came close. With this roster, one shouldn't necessarily expect Showtime 2.0.

So there you have it. Add another shooter to space the floor. What's James Jones up to? And let's get ready to battle. I think we've definitely upgraded coaches at this point. Shouldn't have rotation issues or Kobe playing 43 minutes in November.