This is all about Jim Buss, trying to be the man and not listening to Mitch Cupcake and the other advisors who said they should have gone back to the Zen Master Jackson. Probably thought that Phil would eventually take his place if he pulled two more rings out of Kobe. He probably was already anticipating Phil putting a ring on sis Jeannie, which he has done and then Jim would definitely move down the food chain. Since they believed they had to fire Mike Brown, they may have been better off with Bernie Bickerstaff who was 4-1 during his short interim stint. Either way I am enjoying their free fall
For how badly it's going, can you imagine the shambles they would be in if they had brought Phil back in? Don't forget, they brought D'Antoni in because his system is a superior fit with the Lakers' talent. This is fun.
The local Lakeshow pundits are saying that they rushed Howard back to soon. . I am sure you heard the sound bite from Kobe yesterday where he indicated he was trying to find Howard under the hoop, but it's throwing off his game ..........of hoisting up 24 shots a game....
Oh really? You mean spurning the all-time leader in NBA championships for a coach that hasn't won a title, was coming fresh off a coaching debacle and knee surgery wasn't a good idea? But I thought they said D'Antoni's system was a "better fit" with the personnel? In my mind you gotta go with the coach with the better fit, regardless of whether they've actually won anything or not.
I love watching the Lakers fail terribly. Whats funny is how bad their position is if they fail to make the playoffs. No picks, no howard, no tradeable assets. They will end up in a hole for about 3 years. I would hazard a guess that there was more to it than just 'fit' but having said that, you cannot argue that Jackson would have been winning with this team. D'Antoni is a good coach.
I also think they would be winning with Jackson. The "better fit" is purely in the mind of an owner who doesn't want to pay any more money.
The Lakers have their own afternoon show or daily segment on ESPN right after PTI..where the analysts try to figure out whats wrong them....they just aired it. Mitch Cupcake just gave D'Antoni a vote of confidence......kiss of death if they don't make a move by all star break....but they don't want to pay three coaches this year, so a player will probably moved and probably his name will be Howard or Gasol.
Couldn't agree more. Reminds me of Flip Saunders. Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe debate the Lakers' woes - Grantland
Looks like the last 10 posts to this thread should have been broken out to another thread called The Laker Depreciation Thread And oh by the way....they lose again tonight as DHoward reaggravated his shoulder and went out near the end of the second qtr and never returned. There was a supposed pregame spat with Kobe, but not confirmed. Next loss? Utah Jazz on Friday and then the Thunder on Sunday.
Sorry, my sarcasm wasn't coming through there. When the Lakers hired D'Antoni over Phil, I thought it was totally ridiculous that they cited D'Antoni's "system" being a better fit than Phil Jackson's as the primary reason for the hire. What Phil Jackson "system" were they comparing D'Antoni's to? The only system I saw Phil Jackson run for decades was the "WINNING THE MOST NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS OF ALL TIME" system. You expect me to believe that D'Antoni Saunders, the loser who just washed out of a coaching debacle in New York (now at the top of the East under his former assistant) after years of not being able to get over the hump in Phoenix, has a better system than WINNING THE MOST NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS OF ALL TIME? In his best years with a two-time MVP and multiple current or future All-Stars, he couldn't crack the NBA Finals. Topping out with multiple conference championships in several years is good enough for DetroitPhoenix, its not good enough for the LA Lakers. That's why it was ludicrous for the franchise approaching an otherworldly luxury tax payment to pick an also-ran for a coach over the all-time NBA championship leader. Did I mention that Phil Jackson has the most NBA championships of all time? And he was by all accounts on the verge of agreeing to come back and coach the Lakers? It doesn't get any dumber than not hiring that guy back, in my humble opinion.
Nice article, thanks. Very good take on Gasol. And of course, this... Simmons: You left out "And someone who shouldn't be playing as much as Pau Gasol." There are two types of coaches … 1. A coach who looks at his players and says, "How can I put these guys in the best position for them to succeed?" 2. A coach who looks at his players and says, "How can I use these guys to make my system succeed?" Now, think about the mind-set driving Coach No. 2: He's basically saying, I'm here only because of my system. I can't actually coach. If you give me the wrong players for my system, it doesn't matter — I will keep using the system anyway, because Plan B would be coming up with a more inventive way to coach these guys. And I can't do that. I'm not good enough. So if it's OK with you, I'd like to go down in flames with my system. That's what D'Antoni did in New York (cut to Knicks fans nodding vigorously), that's what he's doing with the Lakers right now, and that's what he'll be doing when he's coaching the Minnesota Lynx in three years.
Mike Brown failed because Princeton relies on movement. D'Antoni fails because his system relies on constant PnR's and 15 ft shooters. The triangle offense relies on constant, constant movement. It worked so well for Jackson because at the time it was exploiting weakside gaps. Those gaps do not exist anymore, especially after the defense rule changes.
My impression of Jackson is that he modified the triangle offense to fit his personnel. The triangle was a starting point for him, I'm sure, but you can't tell me that he won his last few championships running the triangle offense.
Lb made the players fit his system... And has a history of making the gm get guys to fit it shortly after he's hired.
