Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE[/caption]The Los Angeles Lakers announced Nov. 11 that they have hired Mike D'Antoni to take over the NBA club’s head coaching duties. D’Antoni takes over from Mike Brown, who was fired on Nov. 9. The move came as a bit of a surprise to many Lakers fans who were almost certain the team was going to rehire 67-year-old former coach Phil Jackson to take over the squad for the third time.
Reports said that D'Antoni signed a three-year contract with Los Angeles which will see him make $12 million over the life of it. There’s also a team option for a fourth year. It’s believed the club passed on Jackson as he was looking for more money upfront as well as restricted travel and other contract demands.
Jackson definitely had the credentials though since he’s coached 11 squads to the NBA championship including taking seven Lakers teams to the finals in 11 seasons and winning the title five times.
D'Antoni’s resume pales in comparison since he’s never coached a team in the NBA finals. However, he has a reputation of being an innovative offensive coach. D’Antoni, who previously coached the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, will take over the reins from Bernie Bickerstaff sometime before Nov. 17.
Bickerstaff, the team's assistant coach, has been serving as the team’s interim coach since Brown was let go. It’s believed he may still be in charge when the Lakers take on the San Antonio Spurs at home on Nov. 13. He’s done well since inheriting Brown’s 1-4 team as the Lakers have won both of their contests under Bickerstaff and sat at 3-4 when the hiring of D’Antoni was announced.
D'Antoni, who formerly played in Italy’s pro basketball league with Olimpia Milano, likes his teams to play at a quick-breaking pace while putting more value on shots instead of possessions.
Lakers stars Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash were asked for their input on D’Antoni by franchise owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak before they decided to hire him. D’Antoni was out of work as he resigned from the Knicks last March after enduring a six-game losing streak.
The 61-year-old recently underwent surgery for a knee replacement and he’s not expected to be too mobile when he takes over the Lakers, but Bickerstaff will be there to help him out.
However, the vacancy may not have opened up if Jackson didn’t walk away from the team 18 months ago after being swept in the second round of the playoffs by Dallas. Brown took over from Jackson and compiled a 41-25 record in his first season, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the second round.
When Dwight Howard and Nash were added to the Lakers roster this summer it looked like the team would be hard to beat, but it struggled under Brown starting the season at 1-4. This was partly due to injuries to players such as Nash. Things have turned around since Brown was fired and D'Antoni hopes to keep the momentum rolling once he arrives in Los Angeles.
