So we close the door on the Mike D’Antoni era in Los Angeles.
OK, we slam the door. At least that is what we would do if we were Lakers fans, whose hopes were astronomically high at the start of the D’Antoni era, and whose egos and now black and blue after the worst season in franchise history.
The Lakers had nine non-sellouts, set a team record for losses (55), dropped a game against the Clippers by 48 points, and became second-class citizens in the city they have ruled for decades. It wasn’t supposed to be this way when Dwight Howard arrived, eh?
D’Antoni resigned after Lakers management declined to pick up his option for the 2015-16 season, and the hunt will now begin for a suitable replacement. There are about a million coaches who would take this job, none of whom are named Phil Jackson. None of them are named Mike Brown, either, but quite a few of them have famous names themselves.
If you are one of the Van Gundy brothers, and all you care about is winning, would you hitch your boat to Kobe and let him take you on a two-year journey back to contention? Yeah, you probably would. There are only so many times in a lifetime that a marquee job such as this becomes open, and it will not be easy for anyone to dismiss it without some serious thought.
More on the Lakers, their recent past and their future in this video with CineSport’s Noah Coslov. While you are watching, feel free to click over to the poll we have posted asking readers who they think is the best fit for the job. Also, in case you haven;t seen it yet, check out how Magic responded to the news of D’Antoni’s resignation. It is quite unbelievable.