So here we are, left to wonder what exactly happened that caused Jim Buss to completely change his mind about Jackson and instead go with D’Antoni and his high-octane offense.
From a pure coaching standpoint, there’s no question that Jackson would have been the best fit for the job. For one, he is a proven commodity with 11 championships – five of them with the Lakers. He understands the team inside out and knows how to handle the sometimes-stubborn superstars like Bryant and Dwight Howard.
That said, the team just canned Mike Brown due to the possible belief that the Princeton offense would be too difficult for the win-now team to grasp in time to contend for another championship this season. If that’s the case, perhaps they felt similarly about Jackson’s complicated triangle offense, which like the Princeton offense, isn’t best suited to showcase the skill level of Steve Nash. It’s safe to say that there is no offense that suits Nash better than the pick-and-roll and freelance style that D’Antoni brings, and Howard can roll and finish like no other center in the league. In that sense, the team’s decision to bring in the genius offensive mind of D’Antoni doesn’t look as bad as some claim.
In any case, there is no turning back now. All we can do is sit back and watch what’s to come.
See below to find further reactions and more from around the league:
D’Antoni was just as shocked as anyone else over the Lakers’ decision to hire him, from Mike Lupica of NY Daily News: “I am so happy to be back with Steve Nash,” D’Antoni is saying late on Monday morning. “To get one more chance to have him run the thing the way he did for me before (in Phoenix), well, that’s the kind of thing you never think is going to happen. But now it has.” I asked him if he thought Phil Jackson, with all that winning in the books in Los Angeles, was a lock to return to the bench, start to make things right at the Staples Center after the mistake the Lakers had made hiring Mike Brown. D’Antoni laughed again, harder than the first time. “Sure I did,” he said. “For sure I did. Didn’t everybody? When I got the call that it was me, my first reaction was, ‘Are you serious?’… “Sometimes you have to be lucky,” he said on Monday morning. “Lucky or even blessed. I look back over my career, just what I’ve been able to do so far, and feel like nobody has been more blessed than I’ve been. Now this happens and I look at myself and I really do say, ‘Are you kidding me? I get to come back and coach these guys?’”
- D’Antoni is expected to reach out to Nate McMillan to perhaps become his defensive assistant coach, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports: “New Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni is expected to reach out to fellow Team USA assistant Nate McMillan as a possible defensive assistant on his staff, a league source told CBSSports.com Monday. McMillan, fired as head coach of the Trail Blazers in March, was a presumed candidate for the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy but was never contacted by the team. Pairing D’Antoni and McMillan would strengthen the staff’s connection with Olympians Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard while quelling concerns that D’Antoni is too offense-oriented. In his most recent head coaching job in New York, D’Antoni was willing to accept the hiring of defensive assistant Mike Woodson, even though such a move hastened his ouster from the job. D’Antoni’s brother, Dan, is viewed as a lock for the Lakers’ staff. Phil Weber, a key member of D’Antoni’s staff in Phoenix and New York, also is believed to be a candidate, sources said. D’Antoni is said to be very high on former Knicks assistant Kenny Atkinson, but he’s under contract with the Hawks.”
How did Dwight Howard react to the signing of his newest coach? Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register has the quote: “Dwight Howard said he was “excited” about Mike D’Antoni. As for the new Lakers coach’s emphasis on offense … Howard said: “This will be great. You have guys on this team who love to play defense, and he’s an offensive coach. I think we’ll find a balance. Shawn Marion and Raja Bell, I think those are the only two guys who really, really focused on defense on his previous teams. Here, you’ve got myself, Kobe, Metta, who love to D-up. The young guys that we have, that’s all they want to do: Put the straps on. I think it’ll be great for us. Run and gun, but we can come down on the other end and play defense.”
McMenamin has further details on the reaction of Howard and others on the team: “”We’re excited for D’Antoni and an up-paced offense,” Howard said. “Everything he’s done with the teams he’s had as far as how they pushed the ball and how they play in an open court, I think it will be good for Steve (Nash) and for all of us to put some points on the board.”… Pau Gasol, who also supported Jackson’s return to the sidelines, echoed Howard’s enthusiasm for D’Antoni but admitted he seemed like the “second option.” “I think we’re all excited to have him here and learn his principles in offense and defense and make it work the best for us,” Gasol said… Howard and Metta World Peace, both former winners of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, said that their individual talents will help improve D’Antoni’s defensive reputation. “You got guys on this team who love to play defense and he’s an offensive coach, so I think we’ll find a balance,” Howard said. Added World Peace: “I don’t think he ever had a defender such as myself or a defender such as Dwight Howard on his teams. … So, defense will be self-explanatory and his offense is amazing, so it should be fun for Laker fans.”
- Howard chose not to touch on the Jackson topic, from Ding:
I don’t think it’s too complex regarding the hiring of Mike D’Antoni. Simply Jim Buss was afraid Jackson would infringe on his control of the team. Afterall Buss cleaned out every remnant of Jackson’s previous tenure to insure his position as head honcho. I’m sure Jim approached his father on the subject of the hiring and maybe presented it as a confirmation that the Lakers were under his control. Whatever the circumstances, Mike D’Antoni better produce a winner or there will be more discontent in LA.