You could say the Lakers search for a head coach took Seven Seconds or Less. The Lakers decided not to fill their vacancy with Phil. The team opted against bringing back Jackson, much to the surprise of everyone, including the guy given the gig, Mike D'Antoni, who confessed to the New York Daily News, "When I got the call that it was me, my first reaction was, 'Are you serious?'" And, we imagine, Jim Buss, also talking like a teenager, responded, "Yeah, totes. Serious as Jacob's love for Bella!" To which D'Antoni then replied, "This is cray-cray!"
Jackson was thought to be the consensus choice, but rumors are that while he loves the work of Jack Kerouac, he was reluctant to be on the road, due to persistent health problems. D'Antoni and Nash had a productive partnership in Phoenix for four seasons, two of which were MVP years for the guard. As an assistant, D'Antoni has coached Kobe and Dwight Howard on the Olympic team. D'Antoni also carries a reputation as a players coach. Then again, so did Mike Brown. And it was a player, a star fellow, who cost D'Antoni his last job in New York. There are reasons to select D'Antoni, but last we checked, the championship count was: Jackson 11, D'Antoni 0.
D'Antoni is tasked with taking this team to the top and it'll be an uphill climb for him. He has the high-priced equipment, but can he figure out how to best utilize it?* Meanwhile, the Zen master is already seated at the summit, meditating (working through why he isn't working). And Bernie Bickerstaff is seeking out a staffing agency.
*if not, he'll be asked to take a hike
No comments:
Post a Comment