Jim Buss and the Los Angeles Lakers organization once again made a dumb and ridiculously stupid move at the head coaching position for the second time in less than a week: they hired the quick trigger offensive mastermind Mike D’Antoni. This move clearly proves that Jim Buss is more interested in winning and selling tickets for regular season games and no longer interested in winning championships.
Why Mike D’Antoni is wrong for a Kobe Bryant led team.
Mike D’Antoni as a head coach in both Phoenix and New York had his team’s leading the league in scoring and were always tremendously entertaining as they shot the ball or scored in less than seven seconds or less. And yet they were also either close to the bottom of the league or were dead last in all defensive categories.
This is funny, has Jim Buss seen the personnel on this Los Angeles Lakers squad? Kobe Bryant is 35, Pau Gasol 33, Steve Nash 39, Antawn Jamison 37 and World piece 34 (we mean Ron Artest as real world peace is less than zero years old, not to worry, Artest is working on changing that hopely with the help of Kobe Bryant), this is the team that Mr Buss intends Mike D’Antoni to run his fasts pace quick trigger offense? The Los Angeles Lakers are the definition of the NBA’s version of the AARP and now Jim Buss want them to run a sprint for 48 minutes every game for the rest of the season. This squad as presently constituted will not survive the season running the Mike D’Antoni offense.
The Lakers organization in firing Mike Brown said it was in part due to the fact his defensive scheme had not worked out in LA as the Lakers were pretty bad in defense last season and again this season so far. The solution, hire the NBA’s worst defensive minded coach?
Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers were a perfect team.
Mike D’Antoni failing miserably Lala Land
To make things worse, the Lakers interviewed Phil Jackson for this coaching job and it was reported he (Phil) was expecting a call this morning from the Lakers organization with an offer, instead he (Phil Jackson) and Kobe Bryant heard from ESPN the Job has been offered to someone else. Why will the Lakers interview an 11 time NBA Championship winning coach who less than five years ago won back to back Championships with the Lakers. Then they don’t offer him the job. What tha heck was the interview about?
It’s a shame Jim Buss has decided to waste the rest of Kobe Bryant’s career with coaches who have no short at taking the Lakers anywhere. Bryant has two years left in his contract and most likely he might retire at the end of his contract and Bryant at this stage of his career is still a top three player in the league and still a player that can carry a team all the way to the NBA finals and even win it all if surrounded by the right talent. That Talent should start with good coaching and so far Jim Buss has decided to hire one mediocre coach after another while Kobe Bryant continue to waste away in his final years in the NBA.
I said earlier this week in my article Mike Brown firing was the right move for the Los Angeles Lakers: Mike Brown was wayyyyyy over his head last season trying to win games in the wide west and failing miserably, and then he only had Bryant and Pau Gasol to worry about. This season, he is simply out of his league, it was painfully obvious he had no idea what to do with the entire offensive arsenal on the court. Watching the Lakers you could tell guys didn’t know where they were supposed to be and this led to a lot of spacing issues which led to turnovers. Mike Brown was redefining the term: ugly basketball.
While the timing of the firing is somewhat suspect, the firing itself was well justified.
Now who does the Los Angeles Lakers turn to – to bring this ship back to shore? (Click here for the complete article)
I bet the above sentiments about Mike Brown will be echoed again before this season is over about Mike D’Antoni. While Mike Brown was inept when it comes to offense, he was at least a defensive brain and he was fired because the Los Angeles Lakers were struggling defensively. Then Jim Buss in his infinitely wisdom hires a coach who is solely lacking in defensive credential in Mike D’Antoni, At least now we have the answer to the question of whom the Los Angeles Lakers will turn to.I guess the underlining word these days in Lakerland from now onwards is going to be: mediocrity. Except Mike D’Antoni Resigns, but that, is never going to happen 
