Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss are still going out, so I don't think ownership is the reason. I don't think it was Jackson who wants to come back, it was Kobe who likely told the his boss, the son of the owner, he wants Jackson to be back on the bench. In the NBA, sadly players control coaches (Deron - J.Sloan, Dwight- S.Van Gundy, Melo- D'Antoni, Lebron- M.Brown). It would not surprise me one bit that Lakers want Lin down the road.
Laker's fan reaction : http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1213180&start=195http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1213180&start=195 Thanks Sleepy Flloyd btw.I'm a bit shocked WOJ wasnt the 1st one reporting the news
I'd like to say this is a stop-gap solution, at best, (anybody's still better than Mike Brown,) but I think D'Antoni and Kobe have some history when Kobe was younger and playing abroad.
Yes, I'm sure they will have conversations entirely in Italian. That's what Kobe does when he is doin' work.
They are going to have a great regular season record with that offense and superstar calls from the refs. They will be destroyed in the playoffs for their mediocre D. They won't make it past the 2nd round.
Maybe Woz decided to go to bed for the night. OP and other early posters in this thread: Why were you awake at 2-3 am?
The power grab, contract demands and travel limitations are why I wanted PJ to take the job. It wouldn't have worked out well if he did. That said, D'Antoni isn't the right coach for that team and their roster deficiencies remain. I'm very happy about this. :grin:
Is D'Antoni bringing a bench with him? Still no bench. No defense. Past-their-prime-and-oft-injured Nash and Kobe. A coaching change isnt enough to fix this team. And anything is an improvement over mike Brown.
D'Antoni doesn't need a bench lol. Don't you remember those Suns teams? They were always running 7 man rotations.
Those 7 man rotations didn't have an average age of 30ish Blake - 32 Bryant - 34 Artest - 32 Gasol - 32 Nash - 38 Howard - 26 Jamison - 36 Duhon - 30 Hill - 25 yeeeaah...they gonna need a bench
1) This Lakers team is a 6 man rotation at best. 2) The Suns team didnt have over-the-hill players. 3-4 players on the Lakers team are not what they used to be. 3) No one on the Lakers team is a sprinter. Suns were loaded with runners.
This is why I like the hire. My guess is the Lakers will get another backup PG and try to roll with 7 guys. Or better yet, maybe they don't get Nash a decent backup and burn him up playing 35 mins/game.
It was reported on ESPN this morning that reports of the so-called demands from Jackson were false. He wasn't making outrageous salary demands, etc.. In fact, Jackson was ready to accept the job when they (Lakers) called him up and told him of the decision after midnight. This was a decision made by the Laker ownership and Kupchak based on the composition on the current roster (translation: we want to convince Dwight to stay). Oh, and for those folks who want to try to whitewash D'Antoni's defensive reputation the numbers are not in your favor. I believe that the highest defensive rating for a D'Antoni team was 23rd. I simply can't see the Lakers suddenly becoming a championship defensive team with him as the head coach.
That's true if you just measure points-against, which seems pretty silly since it ignores tempo entirely. When you actually look at a reasonably meaningful measure - points per possession - they were always middle of the pack. http://slimcharlesbarkley.com/2012/...th-that-a-mike-dantoni-team-plays-no-defense/
^ Media spin. Phil had no incentive to come back unless he could get "the moon", especially considering how he was let go twice already.
This is the ultimate nail in the coffin "F-U" to Phil Jackson from the Lakers organization. Couldn't wait another 10 hours to just see what Phil said after thinking it over through the weekend. Christmas at the Buss' household might be a little uneasy this year. Wouldn't be surprised to Phil comes back to coaching within the next 2 years. Whatever, the more disfuntional the Lakers are, the happier 29 other teams are.
