[:: LAKERS 2014 THREAD | POLL: Who Should Coach Next Year? ::]

Johnny_Cakes · Mar 16, 2014

Essential1 said:
Just Punt the next 2 seasons and live with it.

Seriously.

essential1 · Mar 16, 2014

Th3RealF0lkBlu3s said:
Essential1 said:

Just Punt the next 2 seasons and live with it.

Click to expand...

Seriously.

I think even if we kept Dwight, this year and next would have been purgatory anyway. Even if Kobe took $15mil less over the two years.

This year even if Kobe stayed relatively healthy after he came back we'd be between 42-50 wins.

2014; Dwight, Kobe (let's say he was $16mil next year), and Nash would have been $48million with a 16-22 pick.

2015 is the only season that would have been lost.

pmatic · Mar 16, 2014

Jabari.

licensed to ball · Mar 17, 2014

New Poll:
Favorite PIZZA Topping(s).

You can choose more than one for this poll.
So vote for your favorite combination.

I have 2 favorite pizza combinations... one is a Roasted Garlic and Chicken Pizza with Pesto Sauce.

but the one i voted for is...

View media item 862709
Pepperoni Pineapple and Jalapeno :smokin

sea manup · Mar 17, 2014

reppin pineapple

essential1 · Mar 17, 2014

Cheese Only.

I'm a classic man.

darthska · Mar 17, 2014

Can't vote for either of my 3 favorites, because there's no alfredo sauce, no bbq sauce, and no steak.

- alfredo sauce
- chicken
- onions

Or...

- bbq sauce
- chicken
- pineapple
- green onions

Or...

- A1
- steak pieces
- green pepper
- onion

senorroboto2k5 · Mar 17, 2014

at the sausage option

cc: rck3sactown

I usually like garlic + whatever else (chicken, pepperoni, pesto or red, etc)

Johnny_Cakes · Mar 17, 2014

First time I had jalapenos on pizza was a revelation.

yeezusdisciple · Mar 17, 2014

I like the meatlover pizza from a local joint

So damn delish

I havent watched a game in over a month

frink85 · Mar 17, 2014

Pineapple on pizza

ohmygosher · Mar 17, 2014

Chicken and banana peppers >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> .

rck3sactown · Mar 17, 2014

mushroom

onion

sausage

olives

bacon

soooooo good

sea manup · Mar 17, 2014

DarthSka said:
Can't vote for either of my 3 favorites, because there's no alfredo sauce, no bbq sauce, and no steak.

- alfredo sauce
- chicken
- onions

Or...

- bbq sauce
- chicken
- pineapple
- green onions

Or...

- A1
- steak pieces
- green pepper
- onion

i thought you would have gone with

eating sausage pizza

while watching a porno

of a girl eating sausage pizza

had pants · Mar 17, 2014

pmatic · Mar 17, 2014

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni bearing the brunt of discontent, but he’s not about to stop fighting

The chants are loud and unforgiving, ringing throughout Staples Center as Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni witnesses his injury-riddled roster labor through another loss.

“We want Phil!” they yell, a constant call for Phil Jackson to restore the Lakers to NBA championship prosperity after once guiding them to five of them.

Kobe Bryant’s words seemed both honest and biting when he cited D’Antoni as one example of how the Lakers’ front office needs to provide a stronger vision in fixing this once-storied franchise.

“What do they want to do with Mike?” Bryant asked rhetorically last week in a press conference that started with his season-ending left knee injury and shifted toward a blistering critique of Lakers management.

The frustrations continue on the airwaves, Twitter and message boards, where mostly anyone with an opinion pleads for D’Antoni to change his fast-paced, perimeter-oriented system and alter his rotations. The most common sentiment also calls for D’Antoni’s firing.

D’Antoni remains upset, too.

The Lakers (22-44) will enter Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs (49-16) at Staples Center as the first NBA team this season officially eliminated from the playoffs, marking only the fifth time in franchise history the Lakers have ended a season this way. D’Antoni has called the current stretch the toughest season in his head-coaching career that also included stops with the Phoenix Suns (2003-0 and New York Knicks (2008-12).

“I don’t want to reflect now because I’m still in the middle of it,” D’Antoni said. “We’re just trying to do the best job we can do and help these guys out and try to develop some guys. I’m not reflecting. I don’t have time. It’s not fair for anybody to reflect.”

The reflections within the Lakers organization, however, suggest they share a more nuanced view toward D’Antoni. Some consider the circumstances he’s handled through two seasons that involved endless injuries and persistent roster turnover. Some recognize how D’Antoni has elevated certain players to unforeseen heights. Some believe he has alienated others. And each perspective seemingly depends on which person speaks.

The most pressing question, of course, surrounds D’Antoni’s future.

Will D’Antoni stay after this season? According to sources familiar with the situation, the answer is not concrete.

One league source said the Lakers have not offered any indication D’Antoni’s job has become in jeopardy. Yet, the Lakers do not plan to evaluate D’Antoni until after this season ends on April 16. They may not decide definitely then, either.

Plenty of complicating variables remain.

How will the Lakers approach this offseason? Will they spend conservatively to maximize purchasing power for the 2015 free agency class? Or will they follow Bryant’s demands that they somehow build a championship-contending roster next season, despite challenges arising from his two-year, $48.5 million extension and harsher penalties stemming from the new labor deal?

D’Antoni has two years left on his contract, though next season is the only one guaranteed at $4 million. If the Lakers fire him, the move would sap the organization of even more spending resources. That would also mark the Lakers having four different coaches in the past five seasons, perhaps leading toward more instability. Jackson, who just accepted a front office role with the New York Knicks, will not salvage the Lakers.

“It’s not my place to have a sense,” D’Antoni said about his coaching future. “My job is to finish up the year as good as we can, develop these guys, get some consistency in guys. Then everybody huddles at the end of the year, and we see what happens.”

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has consistently defended D’Antoni. After all, the Lakers have fielded a roster that missed a combined 245 games because of injuries. The most notable include future Hall of Famers in Bryant (left Achilles tendon, fractured left knee) and Steve Nash (nerve irritation in back and hamstrings), who have appeared in a combined 16 games. The current roster also mostly features players that lacked significant roles elsewhere. Both factors contributed to the Lakers fielding 29 different starting lineups.

“Under very trying circumstances, I think he’s done a great job,” Kupchak said last month about D’Antoni. “Our players continue to play as hard as possible and compete in every game.”

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Many of those players never had such chances beforehand.

Xavier Henry, Wesley Johnson and Kendall Marshall were all considered first-round busts before joining the Lakers this season.

Though he was sidelined for 29 games because of a bone bruise in his right knee, Henry morphed from a training camp invitee to a dependable wing player with strong driving and athletic abilities.

Johnson has become erratic, but he has thrived occasionally under D’Antoni’s vision as an undersized power forward who uses his quickness and length to overmatch bulkier frontcourt players.

Marshall became the Lakers’ starting point guard because of a depleted backcourt, but kept the position after proving himself with outside shooting (43.3 percent) and passing (9.4 assists per game).

“I like the confidence he gives me,” Marshall said of D’Antoni. “He puts a lot of faith in me out there on the court and lets me play through mistakes.”

Lakers guard Jordan Farmar opted out of the second year of his contract with a Turkish club that paid him $10.5 million through three seasons to play for the Lakers for one season worth $1 million. After feeling restricted under Phil Jackson’s triangle offense through four seasons here, Farmar returned to the Lakers because he loved the playmaking opportunities under D’Antoni’s faster-paced offense.

Despite being a second-round draft pick, rookie Ryan Kelly soon found a role because of his floor spacing and shooting. After having a small role in Golden State, Kent Bazemore has thrived as an energetic presence.

Nick Young arrived with the Lakers as a player consumed with only offense. Because D’Antoni has let Young shoot at a high volume that spurred a second-best 16.8 points per game average, Young said he feels more inclined to hustle on defense. After spending his first season under D’Antoni last season as a streaky shooter, Lakers guard Jodie Meeks credited his positive reinforcement in shaping him into a more complete player.

“I love him as a coach,” said Meeks, who has averaged a career-high 15.3 points this season on 45.7 percent shooting. “I love playing for him. He’s real easy to get along with and he lets you go out there and play freely.”

A DIFFERENT VIEW

Other players do not gush as much about D’Antoni.

Both Jordan Hill and Chris Kaman erupted in laughter when a reporter approached them last month inquiring about D’Antoni’s system.

“As a five man, I’m cool with it,” said Hill, who has averaged 8.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, but has faced a diminished role because of D’Antoni’s preference for a smaller lineup. “I love the system.”

When asked what Hill liked about it, Kaman interrupted.

“Everything,” said Kaman sarcastically, his laughter masking a frustrating season in which he has missed 32 games. “Everything. I love it. It’s awesome.”

Hill and Kaman have expressed frustration with their reduced role, which D’Antoni attributed to Robert Sacre’s superior defense. The plus-minus ratings also show the Lakers perform better this season with smaller lineups.

But both Hill and Kaman have mostly talked about their playing time and shied away from questioning D’Antoni’s coaching.

Bryant and Pau Gasol have not been as diplomatic, eager for a slower-paced offense that once helped them team up for two NBA championships.

“It’s more of a finesse game,” Bryant said earlier this season. “It’s more small ball, which, personally, I don’t really care much for. I like kind of smash-mouth, old-school basketball because that’s what I grew up watching.” 

A season after facing a reduced role to accommodate Dwight Howard, Gasol has become the focal point on offense this season. But he has often argued the Lakers playing at the NBA’s second-fastest pace has played a large part in ranking 29th out of 30 NBA teams team defense (allowing 108.4 points per game).

Gasol also has questioned D’Antoni’s preference for smaller lineups and outside shooting over bigger lineups and post play.

“He believes in his system and offense that doesn’t work particularly great with the style I’m used to and believe in,” said Gasol, who still has averaged 21.6 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting in the past month. “There’s been more compromise and trying to find a middle ground.”

There’s other issues.

Farmar recently urged his teammates to work more within D’Antoni’s system to feature Gasol more in the post. Although most players fault themselves for the team’s defensive lapses, they suggested D’Antoni’s recent proclamation that he devotes 75 percent of his practices to defense is exaggerated.

After once running D’Antoni’s offense well enough to earn two MVP awards in Phoenix, Nash sounded frustrated about the varying agendas.

“By playing Mike’s system, you can go up to Portland and win. You play against Oklahoma City, and you win,” Nash said, referring to the Lakers’ recent upsets against two Western Conference powerhouses. “The roster is decimated and we can still get key wins by playing that way. I can understand everyone has their opinion. But let’s hold on now.”

THE FUTURE

Will the Lakers feel the same way? Or will they conclude they made a mistake in hiring D’Antoni?

How this plays out remains to be seen. So instead, D’Antoni vows he’ll continuously fight during a lost season with the same passion he has asked from his team.

“That’s my job, first of all,” D’Antoni said. “That’s all our jobs. We will do it. We have good guys. It’s not lack of trying or they don’t care. They care a lot.

“We’ll come back. We expect to have a good showing on Wednesday.”

Link

had pants · Mar 17, 2014

licensed to ball · Mar 17, 2014

Get ready. Another week and another _'Antoni debate is about to be among us.

Happy Monday fellas

noblekane · Mar 17, 2014

Beats talking about pizza in a sports thread

[andrewdiceclay]ohhhhhhh![andrewdiceclay]

licensed to ball · Mar 17, 2014

Beats rooting for the Warriors in a Laker thread.

noblekane · Mar 17, 2014

Have not once rooted for the warriors in a laker thread

Epic fail bro

Kind of like your give mike brown a chance campaign

grandtheftbike · Mar 17, 2014

“He believes in his system and offense that doesn’t work particularly great with the style I’m used to and believe in,” said Gasol, who still has averaged 21.6 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting in the past month. “There’s been more compromise and trying to find a middle ground.”

:gasolol

licensed to ball · Mar 17, 2014

NobleKane said:
Have not once rooted for the warriors in a laker thread

Epic fail bro

Kind of like your give mike brown a chance campaign

So much for telling Ska you're able to take jokes huh? Take a breather bro it'll all be okay :lol

Go ahead though man, since you'd rather discuss our coach start talking. What would you like to discuss about MDA that we haven't already argued about for the last 12 months?

The floor is yours, bro.

Let's see some D'Antoni insight that we haven't heard already.

Go for it since you're too mature to discuss pizza.