# UPDATE: Phil Out, D'Antoni In



## Basel

> The Lakers are moving quickly toward hiring Phil Jackson as their next coach, with one person in the organization calling it a "95%" chance he will return for a third tour with the team.
> 
> The Lakers plan on meeting with Jackson on Saturday morning to make sure he is interested in the job. The unknown 5% in their equation is the chance Jackson doesn't want to fill the vacancy created by the Friday firing of Mike Brown, either because of health reasons or other unknown issues.
> 
> The team realized a slew of things stemming from the 101-77 Lakers' victory Friday over Golden State, primarily that the players wanted Jackson and fans wanted him too, in case their second-half chants of his name weren't enough of a tipoff.
> 
> Ultimately, Lakers management wants Jackson too. It's just a matter of where Jackson stands right now. People who have spoken with him in recent weeks say he enjoys his life away from the game but is also intrigued by the Lakers' roster and the opportunity to return to the only franchise he has known since 1999.
> 
> Jackson left the Lakers after the 2010-11 season, and at least one prominent player said he wanted a chance at redemption on Jackson's behalf.
> 
> "The one thing that's kind of always bothered me is that in his last year I wasn't able to give him my normal self," Kobe Bryant said Friday night. "I was playing on one leg and that's kind of always eaten away at me. The last year of his career I wasn't able to give him all I had.
> 
> "He's too great of a coach to have it go out that way. That's my personal sentiment. I took it to heart because I couldn't give it everything I had because I physically couldn't. My knee was shot. That's always bothered me."


http://www.latimes.com/sports/laker...ate-for-coaching-job-20121110,0,6329436.story


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## Cris

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

There are too many coaching related threads. Someone merge them.


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## Basel

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

No need to merge them. One is about Mike Brown getting fired. One is asking who we want as the next coach. And this one is saying it's likely to be Phil.


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## Cajon

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

I hope they also bring back Shaw as Phil's protoge. Taking over for aways games so as not to strain the Zen Master from the trips. :gopray:


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## Cris

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



Basel said:


> No need to merge them. One is about Mike Brown getting fired. One is asking who we want as the next coach. And this one is saying it's likely to be Phil.


We also don't celebrate Division titles. It's a coaching thread, not small victories.


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## Basel

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



Cajon said:


> I hope they also bring back Shaw as Phil's protoge. Taking over for aways games so as not to strain the Zen Master from the trips. :gopray:


I don't know that Shaw even wants to return to the Lakers after the way they treated him (meaning the fact they didn't give him the head coaching job). I think he wants to stay put in Indiana until another head coaching vacancy opens up that better suits him.


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## Cris

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



> The process and expected return to the Lakers by Phil Jackson could happen as soon as Sunday in time for game against Kings
> https://twitter.com/JimBowdenESPNxm/status/267310846684844033


...


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## Basel

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

What a great weekend!


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## Cajon

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



Basel said:


> I don't know that Shaw even wants to return to the Lakers after the way they treated him (meaning the fact they didn't give him the head coaching job). I think he wants to stay put in Indiana until another head coaching vacancy opens up that better suits him.


Yeah. If my memory serves me right, he was butthurt back then when he wasn't the one hired. I just hope he sucks it up and come back. :gopray:


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## Cris

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



> BREAKING: Phil Jackson and the Lakers agree to a contract. Phil Jackson will return to the Lakers for a 3rd time.
> https://twitter.com/SportsBlogNYC/status/267346624735477760


DONE DEAL


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## Cris

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

Just saw this posted on twitter.


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## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

Still haven't heard anything else from anyone.


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## Cajon

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



Cris said:


> DONE DEAL


Not a credible source.


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## R-Star

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

Sat back and waited for another super team to be handed to him.


What a piece of shit.


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## Basel

I haven't read anything on Twitter that it's done.


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## Cris

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

How's this?



> @Chris_Broussard
> Phil has already contacted some of his old asst coaches, source says.


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## VeN

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



R-Star said:


> Sat back and waited for another super team to be handed to him.
> 
> 
> What a piece of shit.


dude wins championships. you want a bum coaching your team or someone that wins


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## Basel

R-Star said:


> Sat back and waited for another super team to be handed to him.
> 
> 
> What a piece of shit.


Not his fault Mike Brown sucks and can't coach star players.


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## Luke

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

Will be incredible if it happens.


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## Luke

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



R-Star said:


> Sat back and waited for another super team to be handed to him.
> 
> 
> What a piece of shit.


 And when he's handed a super team he produces. Not sure what's wrong with that.


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## DaRizzle

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

Mike Brown proves its not as easy as it seems 

*** Unnecessary obscenity. ***


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## Jamel Irief

Luke said:


> And when he's handed a super team he produces. Not sure what's wrong with that.


And when he's handed a lottery team he makes them a playoff team and eventually a champion. 

Call him a piece of shit, but call him the greatest too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Verticalsports.com Free App


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## jazzy1

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



R-Star said:


> Sat back and waited for another super team to be handed to him.
> 
> 
> What a piece of shit.


haha surely you joke. funy how many coaches crap the bed before PJ takes them to the top must be coincidence I guess.


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## Ron

*Report: “Strong” chance Jackson returns to Lakers… if Jim Buss gives up power*

*Report: “Strong” chance Jackson returns to Lakers… if Jim Buss gives up power*
.
.
.
*The Los Angeles Lakers: the 6th longest running soap opera ever!*
.
.
.
*The Five Longest Running Soap Operas in the United States*


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## Jamel Irief

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*

This thread title is misleading, surprised Ron allowed it.


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## Ron

*UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Per Twitter:



> _*David Aldridge ‏@daldridgetnt*
> 
> As just reported on @NBATV, Lakers will also speak with Mike D'Antoni and Mike Dunleavy in coming days after discussing job w/PJax Saturday.
> _


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## Ron

*UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



Jamel Irief said:


> This thread title is misleading, surprised Ron allowed it.


I didn't notice it, I will update it now.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

I wonder what these travel restrictions are. I hope Phil wouldn't have someone else actually coach games on the road.


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## Cajon

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> I wonder what these travel restrictions are. I hope Phil wouldn't have someone else actually coach games on the road.


He basically doesn't want to travel on road games as it would strain him.

He actually does want someone else to take over the road games, the one he'll mentor to carry on the triangle offense when he's (really) gone, his protege. I guess it's one of the reasons why the negotiations back then with the Blazers and Knicks didn't work out because they didn't want to pay full-time for a coach who'll coach their team for basically half a season. :shrug:


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



Cajon said:


> He basically doesn't want to travel on road games as it would strain him.
> 
> He actually does want someone else to take over the road games, the one he'll mentor to carry on the triangle offense when he's (really) gone, his protege. I guess it's one of the reasons why the negotiations back then with the Blazers and Knicks didn't work out because they didn't want to pay full-time for a coach who'll coach their team for basically half a season. :shrug:


So Phil gets all the credit for only doing part of the work? Must be nice. But his legacy isn't my concern. I'm skeptical that you can have a totally different coach on the road and not have it impact the team at all. I'm assuming Phil would coach the road playoff games so maybe it wouldn't end up mattering though.


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## Cajon

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> So Phil gets all the credit for only doing part of the work? Must be nice. But his legacy isn't my concern. I'm skeptical that you can have a totally different coach on the road and not have it impact the team at all. I'm assuming Phil would coach the road playoff games so maybe it wouldn't end up mattering though.


Due credit will be given.

I agree. The system, rotation and time management will most likely be the same but in-game adjustments and decisions are where the difference will lie.

Yes. That's what I'm assuming too as the grinds of traveling will be significantly lesser in the playoffs.


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## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

*Report: Phil Jackson wants Scottie Pippen, Brian Shaw on staff if he returns to coach Lakers*


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## R-Star

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



Ron said:


> *Report: Phil Jackson wants Scottie Pippen, Brian Shaw on staff if he returns to coach Lakers*


I'll ****ing kill him.


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## Basel

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

How sure are we that Brian Shaw even wants to come back? When asked about it the other day, it seemed like he laughed off being chosen for the head coach. Why come back to an organization who wanted to get rid of you? Only way Shaw comes back (assuming Indiana lets him) is for Phil, not the Lakers,.


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## R-Star

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

If he wants to go I hope Indy lets him. You don't want a guy coaching your team who doesn't even want to be there.


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## Luke

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Like Basel said, if Shaw comes it's because of Phil, not the Lakers.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Why is everyone so convinced that Shaw will be a good head coach? I'm honestly curious. Is it just that the other coaches respect him?


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## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



R-Star said:


> If he wants to go I hope Indy lets him. You don't want a guy coaching your team who doesn't even want to be there.


Indy gave him an associate head coaching position at the same time the Lakers kicked him to the curb.

If I were Shaw, I would tell Phil "thanks but not thanks" and I would tell the Lakers to **** off.


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## Cajon

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



R-Star said:


> I'll ****ing kill him.


llullz



Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> Why is everyone so convinced that Shaw will be a good head coach? I'm honestly curious. Is it just that the other coaches respect him?


High basketball IQ; well-respected by the players (especially Kobe), his peers and other FOs... I read an article somewhere saying he's like Phil.



Ron said:


> Indy gave him an associate head coaching position at the same time the Lakers kicked him to the curb.
> 
> If I were Shaw, I would tell Phil "thanks but not thanks" and I would tell the Lakers to **** off.


He's holding out for the perfect situation. That's the reason why he didn't seriously consider the Blazers and Magic and turned down the Cats' offer last season.


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## e-monk

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

rumor has it that one of Phil's demands was that he be able to groom his eventual replacement which might be why Shaw would be interested (if true)

Im leery of Phil's investment and energy - he looked cooked in his last season - that said he's always been kind of meh as a bench coach so if Shaw holds down the fort occasionally on the road Im not so worried


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## DaRizzle

*Re: Lakers say 95% chance Phil Jackson will return*



Jamel Irief said:


> This thread title is misleading, surprised Ron allowed it.


This is Rons world, we just live in it. He' showed us


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## DaRizzle

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Oh wow, I just looked at my signature.....GUESS WHAT OFFENSE IS COMIN BACK RON???? WOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!


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## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Per Twitter:



> _*Chris Broussard ‏@Chris_Broussard*
> 
> Mike Dunleavy & Jim Buss met 2day for about 90 minutes, source says. Went well. Dunleavy will be strongly considered if Phil doesn't do it _


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## Cris

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Gross. If we go from Phil Jackson to Mike Brown to Mike Dunleavy I would kill something.


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## Wilmatic2

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Dear Almighty Buddha,

Say no to Mike Dunleavy.

Best Regards,
XXXXX XXXX


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## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Ill ****ing murder a unicorn if we hire Dunleavy...


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## Luke

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

I'm pretty sure the people viewing this thread right now could coach circles around Dunleavy.

But I'm not worrried, Phil will be coming back.


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## DaRizzle

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

FML


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## Jamel Irief

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



DaRizzle said:


> Oh wow, I just looked at my signature.....GUESS WHAT OFFENSE IS COMIN BACK RON???? WOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!


Just goes to further prove my point that no matter who the coach is people will bitch.


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## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*

Per Twitter:



> _*Marc J. Spears ‏@SpearsNBAYahoo*
> 
> Source close to Phil Jackson told Y! Sports he's leaning toward taking Lakers coaching job. Possible first game Fri vs Phx after 2 practices._


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## Basel

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*

That would be sick if his first game is Friday against Phoenix as I'll be there. That'll be one hell of an ovation he's going to receive.


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## Cajon

*Re: UPDATE: Mike D'Antoni will be the next coach of the Lakers.*



> Source: Mike D'Antoni will be the next coach of the Lakers. Not Phil Jackson.





> Mike D'Antoni signed a four-year deal with the Lakers. Phil Jackson was "asking for the moon," accoring to source familiar w/ the situation.


-Mike Bresnahan


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## DaRizzle

*Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-news-team-hires-mike-dantoni-as-head-coach/2012/11/11/

4yr Deal


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## DaRizzle

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

I thought it was weird that for the Jimmy/Lakers to hire Phil that Jimmy would then have to give up control...sorta crazy


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## Floods

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*

lol


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## Cajon

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



> Source: Mike D'Antoni will be the next coach of the Lakers. Not Phil Jackson.





> Mike D'Antoni signed a four-year deal with the Lakers. Phil Jackson was "asking for the moon," accoring to source familiar w/ the situation.





> Laker spokesman John Black: "Dr. Buss, Jim Buss + Mitch were unanimous that Mike D'Antoni was the best coach for the team at this time."





> Mike D'Antoni's Lakers contract is actually three guaranteed years at $12 million. Fourth year is a team option.


-Mike Bresnahan


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## Luke

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Wow.


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## Drizzy

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Well this should be interesting.


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## Luke

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Not ideal but I'd say this was the second best choice. He gets a bad defensive rep but it's not like he really ever had anything to work with defensively in Phoenix so it's hard to put 100% of the blame on him, and having the world's best defensive player should help a lot.

This should be a really fun team to watch.


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## e-monk

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

hmmm

expect Phil asked for too much (not money but ownership share and conditions) and didnt seem to have the energy and investment required

should be fun


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## jazzy1

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

this is a ****ing joke Dantoni is a shit coach just an offensive version of Mike Brown. This shit will be a ****ing nightmare. Phil Jackson deserves to make demands he has 11 rings won this ****ing franchise 5. 

Kobe and Pau will not be happy with this at all not even a lil bit. 

this is total and utter horseshit and the beginning of the end of the greatness of this franchise as Jim Buss takes control. Kobe's gonna spend his last years enduring this sorta nonsense.


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## e-monk

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



jazzy1 said:


> this is a ****ing joke Dantoni is a shit coach just an offensive version of Mike Brown. This shit will be a ****ing nightmare. Phil Jackson deserves to make demands he has 11 rings won this ****ing franchise 5.


the sky is falling! the sky is falling! He looks tired to me and wanted to take games off + plus he wanted player personnell control, grooming his heir, ownership share% etc - I can understand the Lakers having doubts



> Kobe and Pau will not be happy with this at all not even a lil bit.



actually Kobe already said he liked and was fine with D'Antoni (who has also coached Howard btw) as an option and if this doesnt work Pau is the first one out the door in trade



> this is total and utter horseshit and the beginning of the end of the greatness of this franchise as Jim Buss takes control. Kobe's gonna spend his last years enduring this sorta nonsense.


the sky is falling! where were you in august? peak or valley?


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## jazzy1

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



e-monk said:


> the sky is falling! the sky is falling! He looks tired to me and wanted to take games off + plus he wanted player personnell control, grooming his heir, ownership share% etc - I can understand the Lakers having doubts
> 
> 
> 
> 
> actually Kobe already said he liked and was fine with D'Antoni (who has also coached Howard btw) as an option and if this doesnt work Pau is the first one out the door in trade
> 
> 
> 
> the sky is falling! where were you in august? peak or valley?


get off this stupid shit sky is falling my ass. bad moves are bad moves hiring brown was a ****ing mistake and hiring the offensive version of him is even worse. 

what the **** has Dantoni won not jack shit with real talent...... his teams if they have a specific roster make up will score alot of points and then crap the bed with an inability to stop anyone and with him being totally unable to make the necessary adjustments before his players quit on him. 

as far as PJ is concerned he's earned the right to make demands he's a great coach and no one is sure what are or were the real demands. Only demand I had a problem with is the missing road games thing other than that its good he knows what the heck he's doing. 

Kobe likes Dantoni personaly because of the Italy thing Kobe has liked all the coaches until they reveal their incompetence which won't take long at all to surface. Dantoni is a 2nd rate coach he and the Mike Brown's of the world are everywhere. hell give me Jerry Sloan if you want a fall back not Dantoni the fact that 2/3rds of the serious canidates were retread coaches is just a horrible development. Dunleavy seriously lol come on and you think this makes sense.


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## e-monk

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



jazzy1 said:


> get off this stupid shit sky is falling my ass. b.


you're emotional investment is showing in your language

D'Antoni actually had a pretty decent run with the suns who never had anyone as good as kobe or howard

PJ and no one has earned the right to half ass a season, it's a business - you might feel better if they had gone with phil but that's no guarantee you'd see any better result than the last season he was here and all wrung out and tepid and the Lakers went out in the second round without even a little bit of a fight

glad you know what Kobe likes, you should contact chris brousard and see if he pays for tips - meanwhile I'll just go with what he actually says


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## Marcus13

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Shocked they couldn't get a deal done with Phil.

I just don't see what the rush was. It's not like these available coaches were going to be coming off the market during the season.


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## Diable

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Phil didn't want to work for Jim and Jim was apparently the one who was making the decision. So it's not that tough of a choice if you're Jim.


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## Luke

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

I mean I wish we had gotten Phil back and I depise Jim Buss, but this could be a lot worse. People talk about D'Antoni's shortcomings when he almost won a championship for three straight years with rosters that were less talented than this Laker squad. We'll be fine.


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## jazzy1

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



e-monk said:


> you're emotional investment is showing in your language
> 
> 
> 
> Yes I am emotionally invested I am a fan thats what fans do.
> 
> 
> 
> e-monk said:
> 
> 
> 
> D'Antoni actually had a pretty decent run with the suns who never had anyone as good as kobe or howard
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah the Suns had a great pg and pf and a bunch of shooters andf were a threat to no one and then Dantoni went to the Knicks with talent and crapped the bed and the team quit on him. I guess you forgot that huh lol
> 
> 
> 
> e-monk said:
> 
> 
> 
> PJ and no one has earned the right to half ass a season, it's a business - you might feel better if they had gone with phil but that's no guarantee you'd see any better result than the last season he was here and all wrung out and tepid and the Lakers went out in the second round without even a little bit of a fight9
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> the last season he was here to actually use what Kobe says was unfortunate because Kobe was playing on ONE LEG and Kobe couldn't give PJ his best and that tainted the final season. PJ wouldn't take the job if he couldn't do it and he wouldn't half ass a job ever PJ has 11 rings 11 let me say it again 11 made 3 straight Finals here again 11 rings back to back in the last few years thats PJ Not Dantoni.
> 
> 
> 
> e-monk said:
> 
> 
> 
> glad you know what Kobe likes, you should contact chris brousard and see if he pays for tips - meanwhile I'll just go with what he actually says
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yeah Kobe says he actually likes the guy answer me this has Kobe actually [played for the man Kobe likes Mike brown he said that as well and the man is ass out.
> 
> You keep being rose colored glasses with this shit I will keep it real Dantoni is some shit an emotional whimp who players lose respect for and Kobe and Dwight Howard are 2 strong personalitie4s and its been said that Nash hates him for throwing him under the bus when he left so go figure.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## Jamel Irief

I said firing brown mid year wouldn't improve the team unless Phil came back, and I think I'm about to be proven right. 

The lakers will certainly improve from 3-4, but they would of done that even with bickerstaff. Don't see the 2013 banner going up in staples. 


Sent from my iPhone using Verticalsports.com Free App


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## Luke

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

I can still see it. The three most talented teams in the league are us, Miami, and the Thunder. OKC got worse in the short term because of the Harden trade and I think we match up fairly well against the Heat.


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## Cajon

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



> Lakers insist they chose D'Antoni over Phil. Say triangle offense similar to Princeton and would not have been good fit for roster.





> Lakers say Phil's so-called demands were not the issue. They didn't wait for his answer on Monday.





> Sources on both sides (Lakers & Phil) say reports of his exorbitant demands were overblown. No reason for either to lie about that.





> Lakers know they will take PR hit for choosing D'Antoni over Phil.





> Lakers felt only Kobe, Pau, MWP would've fit triangle, that offense too complex for others to learn on the fly & it not a good fit.





> D'Antoni not even cleared to fly yet, not for a few more days. Lakers could've waited for Phil's answer. Clearly wanted Mike D


-Chris Broussard


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Pringles? No question PJ is a better coach, but I'm not ready to say it's impossible for us to win rings with Mike.

I do wonder how much of this is about Jim not wanting Phil back.


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## Basel

I'm not mad about this, just disappointed. I really wanted PJ back, but it is what it is. We'll be a ton of fun to watch offensively and I think we'll be good enough defensively.


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## Basel

Phil's gotta be pissed. This is the ultimate slap in the face to him. Of all coaches to choose over him, they went with a guy Phil can't stand. 

Supposedly this time around, Mike is going to focus a ton on defense as he learned from his mistakes in the part. We'll see.


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## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Not mad about it. Just slightly disappointed. Difference between this squad and the Nash Suns is that we actually have guys that WANT to play defense. Dwight, MWP and Kobe know that the defense has to be a focus to win and they're not going to let it be put on a back burner. Would've wanted Phil back but we could've done a whole lot worse.


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## Jamel Irief

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

I'm not against D'antoni so much as I am bringing in a new coach and new system with the season already started. I would of forgiven this for zen master because he's the greatest coach ever.

To their credit it's still REALLY early in the season and Nash hasn't really played yet so the team was going to have to adjust to a new PG anyways.


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## Basel

Like I've seen others suggest, would be incredible if Mike brought in Nate McMilan as his assistant coach.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

It will be interesting to see what kind of rotation changes we make. I could see Blake getting his minutes handed over to Morris. I could also see Kobe sliding to the 3 more often with Meeks at the 2.

Also curious to see how Pau fits in.


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## Jamel Irief

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

BTW, death to Basel and Cris for making it think it was all but official and Phil was coming.


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## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Yeah I'm worried about how Pau fits in too. He could be the odd man out if things don't click.


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## Jamel Irief

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

I just remembered, wasn't D'antoni Kobe's idol growing up in Italy? So he already has a relationship with our starting backcourt?

why would Pau be the odd man out? D'Antoni has always worked well with versatile big men (Marion, Amar're, LaFrentz, Frye). Wouldn't Dwight be the odd man out? when did he ever coach a low post only guy besides Shaq?


----------



## The One

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



Jamel Irief said:


> BTW, death to Basel and Cris for making it think it was all but official and Phil was coming.




Or you can blame me.

I said it was a 100% chance they will choose Mike D'Antoni well before we heard Phil's demands. Mitch's press conference gave clue to this.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Kobe chose number 8 because Mike D was his favorite Italian player growing up supposedly.


----------



## Basel

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



Jamel Irief said:


> BTW, death to Basel and Cris for making it think it was all but official and Phil was coming.


I was just reporting what I was reading. :laugh:

Mike was indeed Kobe's favorite player growing up, plus he loves the guy from their experience together with the Olympic Team. Kobe's completely on board with this, and we all know Nash is. He already said having D'Antoni come in would be a seamless transition for him.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*

The unicorns are safe...


for now.


----------



## Basel

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*

Phil might've been asking for the moon, but after all he's done for the franchise, they should've just given him the damn thing.


----------



## Luke

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

And I think the defense thing is overblown. Remember that 80% of our starting lineup is above average to great defensively. Mike did not have that luxary in Phoenix.


----------



## Jamel Irief

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



Basel said:


> I was just reporting what I was reading. :laugh:
> 
> Mike was indeed Kobe's favorite player growing up, plus he loves the guy from their experience together with the Olympic Team. Kobe's completely on board with this, and we all know Nash is. He already said having D'Antoni come in would be a seamless transition for him.


No, you go die. "A source close to the Lakers" as quoted by some guy on twitter or whatever is not the same as the Lakers themselves saying Phil's 95% likely to come over as you lead me to believe.

You RUINED my weekend. I hope you get some extra back hair.


----------



## Seuss

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Mike definitely hasn't has a team as talented as this Lakers team, but he's also terrible with adjusting outside of his system. If he can't incorporate iso's for Howard and Kobe, the team is not going to thrive with Nash's P'n'R, but this isn't a great shooting team. 

When Suns had Boris Diaw, he was used at the high elbow, with Amare staying low. That will definitely be the case for Gasol and Howard. 

It's going to be very interesting.


----------



## ii9ce

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Phil was probably LA's first choice but demanded too much money + benefits. Have to keep in mind that LA has the highest payroll out there and the lux tax is like..what, 30mil!?

Phil was paid 12m in his final year with LA and had nothing to give. He could't get off the bench during games and was talking about only coaching home games etc. For 12mil!!! And I would't put it past Phhil to ask for a lot more than that thinking the Lakers a desperate and will do anything to win. 

D'Toni is not my first choice but after Phil, his as qualified as anyone else out there. Guys like Mcmilan excel getting the best out of limited resources...what we need is a system and guy that can man/ego manage and, I may be wrong, but I think D'Toni may be able to get it done. Two of the big names already like - Nash and Kobe. 

My only worry is the Defence and I dont think the team is built for up and down ball...there are too many teams in the league better at it and better suited players.


----------



## elcap15

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

Im so bummed. I dont think 'Antoni is a bad coach, but I dont think he is a great coach either. I also dont think he is very versatile.

Im mostly bummed, because I just dont see how we pass on a chance to bring back the best coach of all time. It just doesnt make sense to me. Everyone wanted Phil back including Dwight; you know, the guy we have to resign this summer! I just dont get it. I feel the same way I did after our last coaching hire, and that didnt end so well.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*


----------



## Basel

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

:laugh:


----------



## FSH

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



ii9ce said:


> D'Toni is not my first choice but after Phil, his as qualified as anyone else out there. Guys like Mcmilan excel getting the best out of limited resources...what we need is a system and guy that can man/ego manage and, I may be wrong, but I think D'Toni may be able to get it done. Two of the big names already like - Nash and Kobe.
> 
> My only worry is the Defence and I dont think the team is built for up and down ball...there are too many teams in the league better at it and better suited players.





> @KBergCBS: D'Antoni expected to reach out to fellow USA asst Nate McMillan as potential defensive assistant.


McMillan and D'Antoni is a pretty good coaching staff


----------



## Basel

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*

I really hope McMillan agrees to it.


----------



## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*

Apparently, both Phil and the Lakers are saying that reports saying Phil asked for the moon are way overblown.

The real reason is that the Lakers felt the triangle just wasn't a good fit for the team.

Here that, DaRizzle? :|


----------



## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Lakers to talk with D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Jackson again in coming days*



DaRizzle said:


> Oh wow, I just looked at my signature.....GUESS WHAT OFFENSE IS COMIN BACK RON???? WOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!


I guess the laugh is on you.


----------



## Basel

I feel like if D'Antoni ever had any capable defensive players in Phoenix, he probably wouldn't have been seen as the worst defensive coach. We have guys like Dwight, MWP, Kobe who know that it takes defense to win and they will cover up a lot of D'Antoni's weaknesses on that end of the floor. And if McMillan comes in, all the better.


----------



## Ron

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



e-monk said:


> hmmm
> 
> expect Phil asked for too much (not money but ownership share and conditions) and didnt seem to have the energy and investment required
> 
> should be fun


There are reports out there in the Twitter universe that this is overblown, and its more about the triangle offense not fitting well with the newer players on the team.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

:laugh: at Darizzle with the premature Phil Jackulation...


----------



## Ron

Per Twitter:



> _*Sam Amico ‏@SamAmicoFSO*
> 
> Mike D'Antoni expected to contact ex-Blazers coach Nate McMillan about becoming 'defensive assistant' with Lakers, according to CBS Sports._


Now this would be awesome. Just what the doctor ordered.

But to be fair to McMillan, I would make him an associate head coach. Like Shaw is in Indiana.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

McMillan would definitely help.


----------



## elcap15

I hope Nate comes with Mike. I thought he was a good candidate for head coach that never really got mentioned.

I am still just really surprised they dint go with Phil. I think he is such a better coach than anyone else, the systems dont even really matter.

Now for my positive spin. The Lakers should be very fun to watch. D'Antoni's system should be a lot easier for the team to pick up which means they will be better quicker. The Suns were always underrated defensively, because they played so fast both teams got a ton of possessions. And back then, he didnt have anyone nearly as good on defense as MWP let alone Dwight.


----------



## R-Star

If you guys get Nate on as associate head coach, this is good.

If its just D'Antoni, meh. You guys have enough talent that an average coach should be able to make this team a top 3 contender, but it i'snt like Mike D'Antoni is some sort of top coach by any means.


----------



## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



Ron said:


> Apparently, both Phil and the Lakers are saying that reports saying Phil asked for the moon are way overblown.
> 
> The real reason is that the Lakers felt the triangle just wasn't a good fit for the team.
> 
> Here that, DaRizzle? :|


You think Phil's camp is going to admit he asked for too much?

My guess is that Phil was asking for a lot and that gave Jim the excuse he needed to look elsewhere. So it's probably on both.


----------



## R-Star

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> You think Phil's camp is going to admit he asked for too much?
> 
> My guess is that Phil was asking for a lot and that gave Jim the excuse he needed to look elsewhere. So it's probably on both.


Phil probably wanted to do that "No road games" BS, which no management in the world would agree to.

"I'll coach home games, no road ones though. Oh, and I'll coach in the playoffs too so I get all the credit if we win."


No thanks.


----------



## Cajon

*D'Antoni wants McMillan as defensive assistant*



> Mike D'Antoni expected to reach out to fellow USA assistant Nate McMillan as potential defensive assistant, league source tells @CBSSports.


-Ken Berger



> Report: D’Antoni wants Nate McMillan as “defensive assistant” dlvr.it/2T7QFC #PBT #NBA


-Kurt Helin



llullz My bad. Didn't see that it was already posted here.


----------



## DaRizzle

ESPN Bottom ticker: "Sources: Phil surprised by D'Antoni hiring"


----------



## DaRizzle

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



Ron said:


> Apparently, both Phil and the Lakers are saying that reports saying Phil asked for the moon are way overblown.
> 
> The real reason is that the Lakers felt the triangle just wasn't a good fit for the team.
> 
> Here that, DaRizzle? :|


If you want to argue that the triangle sucks by all means dig your own grave.
If you take what the Lakers say at face value about the reasoning by all means dig your own grave.


----------



## DaRizzle

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



R-Star said:


> Phil probably wanted to do that "No road games" BS, which no management in the world would agree to.
> 
> "I'll coach home games, no road ones though. Oh, and I'll coach in the playoffs too so I get all the credit if we win."


You're probably right


----------



## Basel

*Re: D'Antoni wants McMillan as defensive assistant*

I'm going to merge this one with the other thread we have about D'Antoni being hired.


----------



## Wilt_The_Stilt

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



R-Star said:


> Phil probably wanted to do that "No road games" BS, which no management in the world would agree to.
> 
> "I'll coach home games, no road ones though. Oh, and I'll coach in the playoffs too so I get all the credit if we win."
> 
> 
> No thanks.


Yeah and I want to be the highest paid coach despite doing less work.

I trust PJ more than Mike but I still think we got an upgrade over Brown so I am ok with it.


----------



## Basel

Our Christmas Day game just got a little more interesting.


----------



## Wilt_The_Stilt

As far as McMillan, I am fine with hiring him, but I think people might be getting a little carried away.



> No team of McMillan’s has ever finished in the top half of the league in defensive efficiency (points allowed per possession). His teams didn’t allow that many points per game because they played at a painfully slow pace (which makes this another odd pairing with D’Antoni). His team’s career defensive numbers are barely better than D’Antoni’s when you break things down by possession.



http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....i-wants-nate-mcmillan-as-defensive-assistant/


----------



## R-Star

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> Yeah and I want to be the highest paid coach despite doing less work.
> 
> I trust PJ more than Mike but I still think we got an upgrade over Brown so I am ok with it.


Yep. I'm not sure how it could be spun any other way.


----------



## Cajon

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



King Sancho Fantastic said:


>


llullz


----------



## MojoPin

I have a feeling Jim and Bar Man thought this one up after a night of drinking.


----------



## Ron

*Re: D'Antoni wants McMillan as defensive assistant*



Basel said:


> I'm going to merge this one with the other thread we have about D'Antoni being hired.


I thought I did that already?


----------



## onelakerfan

this is BS this guy sucks


----------



## Ron

*Re: UPDATE: Sources say Jackson leaning towards taking Lakers job, will decide Monday*



DaRizzle said:


> If you want to argue that the triangle sucks by all means dig your own grave.
> If you take what the Lakers say at face value about the reasoning by all means dig your own grave.


Here you go.



> _*Sam Amico ‏@SamAmicoFSO*
> 
> Phil thing ran its course in LA. Triangle antiquated. Jackson's last Lakers team swept. His team with Kobe, Shaq, Mailman, Payton wilted._





> _*Chris Broussard ‏@Chris_Broussard*
> 
> Lakers felt only Kobe, Pau, MWP would've fit triangle, that offense too complex for others to learn on the fly & it not a good fit. _


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

> Lakers resist Phil Jackson's power grab
> 
> 
> Between the hours of Mike Brown's firing and a meeting on Saturday morning with history's most accomplished coach, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak privately told people there was one candidate: Phil Jackson.
> Jackson wanted to humiliate Lakers vice president Jim Buss far more than he wanted to coach the team. He wanted significant allowances on travel, coaching duties and an ability to veto player personnel moves that didn't fit his vision. With an unprecedented 11 coaching championships, Jackson had every right to make unprecedented demands. He doesn't have the right to be surprised when the Lakers rejected them and hired a pliable, cheaper coach in Mike D'Antoni.
> 
> "Phil wanted Jim Buss to walk away with his tail between his legs," one source with knowledge of the discussions told Yahoo! Sports. "He thought he had time to still negotiate with them, and see how much they would give him."
> 
> Now, the Lakers are going out of their way to spare Jackson the embarrassment of his overreaching, but this is pointless spin. They're working with him to sell the public that he hadn't asked for too much, that somehow the franchise chose D'Antoni over Jackson on sheer merit. It's noble, but laughable. Jackson heard those chants in Staples Center and never believed the Lakers had the guts to call his bluff before circling back to him on Monday.
> 
> "Phil's assistants convinced him that they had his back on the concerns [Jackson] had about his load as head coach, and he was ready to get a deal done on Monday," a source with knowledge of the talks said. "But this was about Jim Buss giving him a royal you-know-what in the end."
> 
> If Jackson was ever to return to coaching to chase a championship in a preferred locale, this job offered him the opportunity. His instincts were wrong on how to play these negotiations and it blew up on him. The Lakers could live with making Jackson the highest-paid coach in the NBA again, but Jackson had to come back in full, and the Lakers were wise to have those uncertainties.
> 
> Jackson listened to Kobe Bryant gush and gush about him on Friday night, and believed the strongest voice in the locker room would accept only his return the bench. It was a mistake. Bryant preferred Jackson, but he has a history with D'Antoni back to his childhood growing up in Italy and across several years of USA Basketball. Bryant and D'Antoni have a relationship, a trust, and that's somewhere to start once they're thrust together.
> 
> [Related: Lakers name Mike D'Antoni as new head coach]
> 
> Once Jackson couldn't come to terms on Saturday, Bryant had prepared himself for the fact that D'Antoni would ultimately become the coach. For the Lakers' good, D'Antoni needs to have used his three-plus seasons in New York to have grown as a coach, as a leader, or this will go terribly for him in Los Angeles.
> 
> When everything had become too hard with the New York Knicks, D'Antoni walked into the office one morning and surrendered. Carmelo Anthony had stopped listening to him, stopped running his plays, and ownership never supported the coach. When Anthony grumbled to Bryant about D'Antoni's defensive acumen on a trip to Los Angeles before the coach's resignation in New York, one witness says Bryant shot back to Anthony – only half-kidding – that, seriously, when the hell have you ever played defense?
> 
> D'Antoni has been run out of two jobs and should be past the obsession he had over needing to win with his system, his way. These won't be the seven-seconds-or-less Lakers. They'll play plenty of pick-and-roll, but the biggest issue for D'Antoni's defense has never been where it was ranked in the league, but how the Suns players – including Steve Nash – never believed they were prepared for the big possessions, the big moments, in series with San Antonio. There was a discipline missing, a mindset, an understanding, in those moments of truths.
> 
> [Related: Is Mike D'Antoni a better fit than Phil Jackson for Lakers?]
> 
> D'Antoni is notoriously sensitive to criticism, but he needs to be honest with himself to get the most out of these Lakers now, out of himself here. They never spent practice time on defense, because D'Antoni's offensive system was his genius, what got him into the NBA, got him millions and his personal mandate was forever validating it. Now, he's older. These are the Lakers and D'Antoni has to understand: This isn't about his vision, but winning.
> 
> Within the organization, Kupchak and the coaching staff understood this: Dwight Howard can make D'Antoni a far, far better defensive coach. For now, the staff believes Howard is still a shell of himself, that mobility in his back still isn't close to returning for another month, maybe two.
> 
> Stan Van Gundy has already reached out to D'Antoni, and encouraged him to keep assistant coach Steve Clifford on his staff. Clifford had a strong history of working with Stan in Orlando and Jeff Van Gundy in Houston and had gone to the Lakers to join Mike Brown's staff. As much as anyone, he understands how to incorporate an individual's flaws into the greatness of Howard's ability to dominate on the defensive end.
> 
> Over the summer, Jackson continued to tell people he was retired as a coach. He didn't want the job anymore. Once Los Angeles made the deal for Howard, his prism on returning to the Lakers changed again. Along with Bryant, Howard was the reason that a 12th title was possible for Jackson. Howard was the investment that made it easier for the Busses to buy out Brown's contract and make Jackson the highest-paid coach in the NBA again.
> 
> Jackson had his chance, and the strangest thing happened: The greatest coach in history overreached, misread the circumstances and had someone tell him "No" on Sunday night. The Lakers never picked Mike D'Antoni over Jackson. They picked him over desperation for Jackson. Maybe the Busses will regret the choice, but if Jackson truly wanted to coach again, no one will ever regret this more than him. These are still the Lakers, and nowhere else in basketball does this opportunity at this moment in time come along – even for Phil Jackson.


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--lakers-resist-phil-jackson-s-power-grab-11051709.html

Interesting take by Woj and I kind of agree with him. If reports of the demands Phil was making are true which both sides will deny for PR purposes.


----------



## Ron

Here is your shovel, DaRizzle.


----------



## Basel

Ron said:


> I thought I did that already?


You did. There was another thread created about McMillan that I merged.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic




----------



## Wilt_The_Stilt

If it was really about the tri why did they talk to Phil in the first place? We all know we didn't run it that often anyways.

This is about Phil trying to get too much and Jim using that to go another direction.


----------



## Ron

John Ireland is reporting on KSPN 710 Los Angeles that Jerry Buss (you know, the actual owner of the team?) wanted a coach that would bring back excitement to the offense.

He also reported that Jerry Buss, Jim Buss, and Mitch Kupchack unanimously chose D'Antoni, and that all three candidates (D'Antoni, Jackson, and Dunleavy) were very impressive in their interviews.


----------



## DaRizzle

Ron, you're bashing the triangle offense...I really dont need to respond. That speaks for itself


----------



## jazzy1

Ron said:


> John Ireland is reporting on KSPN 710 Los Angeles that Jerry Buss (you know, the actual owner of the team?) wanted a coach that would bring back excitement to the offense.
> 
> He also reported that Jerry Buss, Jim Buss, and Mitch Kupchack unanimously chose D'Antoni, and that all three candidates (D'Antoni, Jackson, and Dunleavy) were very impressive in their interviews.


If this is true jerry Buss has become an asshole I thought winning titles was exciting. 

not winning having a whining baby man as coach surely will add to the excitement level, waiting for Howard and Bryant to explode this should be worth watching.

power grab stories about Phil seem like spin by the Lakers public relations machine, to make it about him why he's not coach I don't believe those things for a sec. 

anyway Dantoni is coach now so whatever I hope it works but know it won't.


----------



## Jamel Irief

Can we stop acting like reporters twitter accounts are facts? That's what lead to Basel reporting that the "lakers" said there was a 95% chance that Phil is coming back. That's what lead Ron to call people clueless for saying Dwight Howard would be a laker. 


Sent from my iPhone using Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## TouchMint

Suns fan here (trained to hate the lakers)

When Nash went over I was upset. 
When Howard went over I was still uninterested.
Now that D'Antoni is going there I am interested to watch and might even cheer a bit (don’t tell anyone tho)


----------



## Cris

*Re: Mike D'Antoni Signed as Lakers Coach*



Jamel Irief said:


> BTW, death to Basel and Cris for making it think it was all but official and Phil was coming.


Come at me bro!


----------



## Basel

Jamel Irief said:


> Can we stop acting like reporters twitter accounts are facts? That's what lead to Basel reporting that the "lakers" said there was a 95% chance that Phil is coming back. That's what lead Ron to call people clueless for saying Dwight Howard would be a laker.


Except this thread didn't quote a Twitter account. I posted a link from the LA Times and used the headline they used. If you read the article, it said one person in the organization said there's a 95% chance. The "Lakers" never said anything. Stop whining about it already.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

> @Mike_Bresnahan: Phil Jackson releases a statement: "Saturday morning, Jim Buss, called to ask if he could come and visit. I did ...not solicit or ask for the opportunity, but I welcomed both he and Mitch Kupchak into my home to discuss the possibility of my return to the Lakers as the head coach. We talked for over an hour and a half.
> 
> "No contractual terms were discussed and we concluded with a hand shake and an understanding that I would have until Monday (today) to come back to them with my decision. I did convey to them that I did have the confidence that I could do the job.
> 
> "I was awakened at midnight on Sunday by a phone call from Mitch Kupchak. He told me that the Lakers had signed Mike D’Antoni to a 3-year agreement and that they felt he was the best coach for the team. The decision is of course theirs to make. I am gratified by the groundswell of support from the Laker Fans who endorsed my return and it is the principal reason why I considered the possibility."."


..


----------



## Basel

They woke him up at midnight to tell him? This has Jim Buss and Jim Buss only written all over it. The two just don't care for the other. I wonder where Jeanie stands in all of this.


----------



## Jamel Irief

Basel said:


> Except this thread didn't quote a Twitter account. I posted a link from the LA Times and used the headline they used. If you read the article, it said one person in the organization said there's a 95% chance. The "Lakers" never said anything. Stop whining about it already.


I like this new edgy Basel. I can't stay mad at you. Cris still sucks!


Sent from my iPhone using Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

> @ramonashelburne: Phil's agent, Todd Musburger tells ESPNLA: "Don't say you've got until Monday, then roust him at midnight to say, We hired somebody else. That's just not fair dealing and Phil deserved fair dealing. He's a good faith person and he was dealt with poorly. It is indicative of the shabby way that organization is being run. There were no demands, outrageous or otherwise. To say that he wanted control or that he wanted a zillion dollars or that he wanted equity, those were not topics discussed. If Lakers didn't spread those thngs, the fact they didn't take affirmative stance to correct the record is very troublesome. Phil brought nothing but trophies to their bookcase and value to the franchise. He deserved to be dealt w/ honestly""


...


----------



## R-Star

So a month or two ago it was "We got Nash and Howard! We're the best run franchise in the league. People just _give_ us their star players!"


Now you guys are run like shit, Phil Jackson is a saint, and blah blah blah.... shut up.


No ones hiring Phil to coach home games. Its a joke. And you guys are mad at the Lakers for turning that down?


----------



## Wilt_The_Stilt

I'll post the same thing I posted in the lounge.

I don't think Phil is telling the whole truth here. 

He expects us to believe that the Lakers came to him, he told them he could do it, but then the Lakers pulled the rug out from him before it was finalized? Why would they have done that if he hadn't made some kind of request or demand they didn't find acceptable? 

Let me guess Phil, it's because Jim Buss hates you so much, right? Sorry I don't buy that is what happened. My guess is that the Lakers came to him, he wanted some concessions the Lakers weren't willing to give and so they went to D'Antoni. I don't doubt that Jim might have preferred someone other than Phil but I don't think it was some sort of F U to PJ.


----------



## R-Star

Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> I'll post the same thing I posted in the lounge.
> 
> I don't think Phil is telling the whole truth here.
> 
> He expects us to believe that the Lakers came to him, he told them he could do it, but then the Lakers pulled the rug out from him before it was finalized? Why would they have done that if he hadn't made some kind of request or demand they didn't find acceptable?
> 
> Let me guess Phil, it's because Jim Buss hates you so much, right? Sorry I don't buy that is what happened. My guess is that the Lakers came to him, he wanted some concessions the Lakers weren't willing to give and so they went to D'Antoni. I don't doubt that Jim might have preferred someone other than Phil but I don't think it was some sort of F U to PJ.


Yep.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic

I don't buy it either. Phil didnt "solicit or ask for the opportunity" yet Jim of all people calls him to set up a meeting and the Lakers just pull out the next day? Something doesn't smell right. Why would the Lakers pull out after it was THEM that reached out to Phil when they know D'Antoni is waiting in the wings to take the job? Unless Phil demanded something they didnt like.


----------



## DaRizzle

Jamel Irief said:


> That's what lead Ron to call people clueless for saying Dwight Howard would be a laker.


Dont forget Magic was gonna buy the Pistons and not be involved with the Dodgers too....


:vuvuzela:
................*^RON*


----------



## Jamel Irief

DaRizzle said:


> Dont forget Magic was gonna buy the Pistons and not be involved with the Dodgers too....
> 
> 
> :vuvuzela:
> ................*^RON*


Not sure what you're talking about, Ron said that?

Seems you hate Ron about as much as ladies love Basel


----------



## Ron

DaRizzle said:


> Ron, you're bashing the triangle offense...I really dont need to respond. That speaks for itself


I never "bashed" the triangle.

I just said I hated it. You have your likes and dislikes, and I have mine.

I rather see teams run up and down the court. To me, "Showtime" basketball is what basketball should be. Not this ****ing boring triangle, Princeton, elliptical, Harvard, parallelogram, Yale, what-the-****-ever you want to name it, its all the same to me.

*BORING.*


----------



## DaRizzle

Yes, yes he did. Whatchu talkin about I got nothin but loooooove for Ron?


----------



## Ron

Jamel Irief said:


> Not sure what you're talking about, Ron said that?
> 
> Seems you hate Ron about as much as ladies love Basel


He's obsessed with me. I chalk it up to his low self-esteem of himself.


----------



## Laker Freak

Not to surprised by this hiring. Buss has had a huge boner for fast break offense since the 80's.


----------



## DaRizzle

Ron said:


> I chalk it up to his low self-esteem of himself.


I thought that was you being the thread merging "everyone is an idiot if they dont think what Ron thinks" internet bad ass self :yesyesyes:

Love you


----------



## MojoPin

King Sancho Fantastic said:


> I don't buy it either. Phil didnt "solicit or ask for the opportunity" yet Jim of all people calls him to set up a meeting and the Lakers just pull out the next day? Something doesn't smell right. Why would the Lakers pull out after it was THEM that reached out to Phil when they know D'Antoni is waiting in the wings to take the job? Unless Phil demanded something they didnt like.


Let's not act like Jim Buss is bound in rationality. This is the same guy who hired Mike Brown based on one interview.


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## Jamel Irief

If you ask me to pick a side between Phil and Jimmy I'm going Phil every time.

If Phil thought Jimmy was a dick and asked for more so he would be able stomach working with said dick then I can't be mad at him.

Does D'antoni get booed his first home game?


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## Basel

No way D'Antoni gets booed. Fans still wanted him if Phil wasn't going to get the job.


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## MojoPin

i don't understand the bit about Phil asking too much. Assuming he did ask for a lot, thats what you normally do at the beginning of negotiations: Ask for the moon and meet the other party somewhere in the middle. You don't start off by saying you'll work for free.

Jim Buss messed up again and the organization is trying to make it seem like Phil was at fault so they won't face as much backlash from the fan base. It's pathetic.


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## Cajon

Ron said:


> John Ireland is reporting on KSPN 710 Los Angeles that Jerry Buss (you know, the actual owner of the team?) wanted a coach that would bring back excitement to the offense.
> 
> He also reported that *Jerry Buss, Jim Buss, and Mitch Kupchack unanimously chose D'Antoni, and that all three candidates (D'Antoni, Jackson, and Dunleavy) were very impressive in their interviews.*


Interestingly similar to the hiring of Brown: all three unanimously agreed (would've like a little struggle. llullz) and the hired coach gave an impressive interview. Will the end also be the same? llullz


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## ss03

Basel said:


> No way D'Antoni gets booed. Fans still wanted him if Phil wasn't going to get the job.


Fans wanted him if Phil Jackson turned the Lakers down because nothing could be done at that point, not the other way around. I think if Phil returned he would've gotten a standing O, which I don't see D'Antoni getting, but I don't see the fans booing him. 

What do people think about the rumours floating around of Nate McMillan being the defensive coordinator? For some reason I just don't see him being a great defensive specialist (as a coach, not as a player).


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## LA68

When it gets down to it, Dr.Buss has always wanted to get back to the running style of play. And it seems almost every team except the Lakers. He was the ball pushed and some exciting plays to happen. 

D'Antoni was always the choice. Phil just happened to be in town so they talked to him first.


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## King Sancho Fantastic

> @LakersReporter: Kobe scoffed at notion D'Antoni's teams played no D. Said under Phil, they did "maybe 3" drills on D, ever. Let players figure that out.


Welp...


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## Basel

I think people are overreacting to the no defense thing. We have good enough players defensively that'll make up for whatever weakness D'Antoni may bring to the table.


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## jazzy1

Seems to me Mitch wanted PJ, Jim Buss didn't want PJ back because PJ always sorta took shots at him and his hoops acumen, Jim convinced daddy to give Dantoni a shot ,Mitch with no choice says oh well and Pj despite saying he could have the weekend got screwed by Jim who is the same idiot who hired Mike Brown. 

Lakers fans I am convinced and I have fought this notion quite a bit are very delusional they have love for dantoni now almost to an side to an actual winner and great champion in PJ. it seems Lakers brass has bought in now to the style over substance argument. I thought winning titles was exciting not just running a wide open style. 

Dantoni is a gimmick shit coach. The Lakers will never be able to develop a defensive mindset because the pace of play will always give opponents a chance to get easy basxkets so not sure how the hell we are gonna beat the Clips, Spurs and OKC's of the west. They are all younger with shooters. 

I will root for Dantoni but I know it won't work and I sort of feel for Dwight Howard and Pau because one or the other are gonna spend large portions of time on the bench Dantoni will use one or the other on the floor a whole lot with jamison playing as the stretch 4. 

The offense will let Nash be Nash and Kobe will always get buckets no matter what. But Dantoni's temperment will not go well once the pressure mounts as Kobe and dwight get pissed off.


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## elcap15

I think most lakers fans wanted Phil to come back, so I dont know what you are talking about with our delusional love for D'Antoni. I dont recall hearing Staples Center chant "we want Mike." However, seeing as we are fans and not in control of the front office, we have no choice but to accept what management has done. In this case hire Mike D'Antoni.

We could all panic and say there is no chance for this to work, as you have done, or we could wait until he coaches a game or two to form opinions. I prefer the latter.


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## King Sancho Fantastic

> Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, VP Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak collectively came to the decision to hire Mike D'Antoni on Sunday night at about 5 p.m.
> 
> On Tuesday morning, Kupchak met with selected reporters to address the coaching hire, discussing why D'Antoni got the job and explaining the process the team went through with former coach Phil Jackson.
> 
> In short, the Lakers felt that D'Antoni's style of play is what will most benefit the personnel on the roster.
> 
> Below is a summary of Kupchak's comments:
> 
> Q: On what took place with Phil Jackson: Kupchak: Much has been made of the perceived agreement to wait until Monday. The actual way it took place after a basketball discussion was, 'Where are we now?,' and Phil said he needed more time. I asked him how much more time, and he said he'd get back to (us) on Monday. I said, 'Phil, I have a job to do and I'm going to have to continue my search and interview candidates.' He nodded that he understood. Maybe herein lies a little bit of the misunderstanding. As it was reported, we never offered a job, and he never indicated he would coach the team. It was a basketball discussion revolving around a lot of questions. So we did what I indicated we would do, which is when I left Phil's house, I began discussions with Mike D'Antoni on Saturday afternoon, and we also set up an interview with another candidate for Sunday. All day Sunday, Jim and I and Dr. Buss (from another location) continued to discuss what the (best move) would be. After multiple phone calls with Mike D'Antoni on Sunday afternoon, at 5 or 6 o'clock on Sunday, we made the decision that Mike D'Antoni was going to be the next coach of the Lakers. It revolved almost completely around the personnel that we have on the team and the style of play we saw going forward for the team. Of course we took into consideration a structured offense, which is what we went through with Mike Brown. We looked at our personnel – without going into great detail, some of our guys I don't think would be successful in the triangle, (and) some of our new players might take a long time to learn the triangle. So we decided Mike would (be the coach).
> 
> Q: On calling Phil Jackson at midnight to relay the decision: Kupchak: Our feeling was, the worst thing we can do – since we already made our decision – was to wait until Monday. I could (have) gotten a call from Phil on Monday morning saying he thought about it, and he would like to be the coach and let's start negotiations. To say at the point that we'd decided to go in a different direction, our feeling was that would be even worse than what we did on Sunday night. Our feeling was there was no agreement to wait for (Jackson's) response on Monday. He told us that’s when he would get back to us. I could see where he might interpret that as 'You guys would wait for me,' but I thought when I said I had to interview other candidates it was clear that we had a job to do. I could have waited until Monday morning to call Phil – I didn't look forward to calling somebody at midnight to tell him he's not going to get a job he might or might not accept, but the only other thing I could do was wait until Monday morning and that would have been worse, because (the news had gotten out).
> 
> Editor's Note: From Lakers spokesman John Black: It took from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. until a contract with D'Antoni was negotiated and completed, being faxed back and forth and so on from D'Antoni's house outside of New York City. The reason Kupchak didn't call Jackson until around midnight was that the deal with D'Antoni was not completed until that time. It was an attempted courtesy, though Jackson clearly thought that he would have a chance to discuss it again on Monday. Kupchak acknowledged that if Jackson had made it clear he wanted the job on Saturday, the process may have gone differently.
> 
> Q: On Phil's reaction: Kupchak: I believe I woke him up. He's always a little cryptic on the phone, but I did wake him up, and in those kinds of situations, there is not a lot of small talk. We did talk about the team a little bit, and Mike D'Antoni and how he runs the team. (Jackson) was very complimentary of Mike under the circumstances. I just told (Jackson), almost verbatim, what our release was. We just felt that the present make up of the team and the kind of basketball we wanted to play going forward, we just thought that Mike D'Antoni was the choice.
> 
> On what was discussed in the meeting with Jackson: Kupchak: There was no discussion of salary in the meeting. I don't know why there would be. The job wasn't offered, and he didn't say he wanted the job. We touched briefly on personnel input, which he would hope that he'd have more input. And we talked about the rigors of travel in the NBA. But there was no demands or in depth discussion about missing games. Missing games because of travel was not discussed.
> 
> On the conversations he had with D'Antoni that convinced him to make the decision: Kupchak: I've been around so long that there aren't too many veteran coaches that I don't know and know well, and I've known Mike for quite some time. We played against them in all those series in Phoenix. I know what he does. I know what his perceived deficiencies are. But on Saturday, I had several conversations by myself (with Mike) and then on Sunday there were several with Jim and I that lasted an hour or two in total, asking those types of questions. Obviously (I was convinced). I don't think it's a surprise that he looks at our team and likes our team. In his mind, he has it figured out exactly how he wants to play. We discussed his defensive philosophy, going behind the picks, showing on picks, it's going to be a little bit different from what Mike Brown does. Which direction he pushes the defender or the offensive player.
> 
> He plays the way we see this team playing and our personnel executing, the guys that we have on this team. We didn't feel with Mike Brown and the Princeton offense that we were getting the most out of the players we brought in this summer. We looked for a coach that could get the most out of the players we brought in this summer, and on top of that the existing players. So clearly it was a huge factor.
> 
> Q: On there being belief on Saturday that Phil Jackson would be the coach: Kupchak: When we decided to make the change and we talked about a couple of possibilities, Phil was not lumped in as one of the possibilities that we thought would be a reality. He had retired on his own a year and a half ago, and he told me two months ago that he never wanted to coach again, he was done coaching, but he wanted to stay involved in basketball in one (aspect). That wasn't a surprise to me. And when we made the change, we discussed in advance, although we don't think he wants to be a part of it and we're not looking to go in that direction, there's going to be a firestorm of support. And of course, on Friday, that started. By Friday night, I was talking with ownership about (Phil being) something we had to consider. The decision was made Saturday morning to meet with Phil, to see his take on it, what his condition was, his mental and physical approach, and that's what we did. I'd say up until that point, it remained percentage wise more of a possibility that we'd ask him that he'd say yes, although it never got there. The groundswell of support – there was a lot of pressure to seriously consider bringing Phil back, or asking him to consider to come back.
> 
> Other Notes:
> 
> I asked Kupchak how much of the decision had to do with Dwight Howard not just for this season, but given that he can be a free agent after the season. His answer: "Significant. We look at Dwight as a cornerstone for this franchise going forward. Right now, it's Kobe Bryant, and right there are Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, but the cornerstone for this franchise based on talent and age is Dwight Howard going forward. Certainly, a big part of getting the most out of Dwight was important in the search."
> 
> - Had Phil Jackson expressed definitive interest to take the job during the Saturday meeting, Kupchak said and Jim Buss would have "immediately" huddled with Dr. Buss, and "decided what we were going to do." When that didn't happen, Kupchak called two other candidates, starting with Mike D'Antoni, and became more and more convinced as they spoke to D'Antoni further. Kupchak said that ultimately, they had to "come to grips with" saying no to Phil Jackson, which was not easy, especially since there was such a groundswell of support for the Hall of Famer, even extending to chants during games.
> - Kupchak acknowledged that of course D'Antoni saw all the reports that it was Phil's job to lose. But that wasn't actually the case, so Kupchak tried to explain to D'Antoni – without giving anything away – that what was reportedly likely to happen wasn't necessarily going to happen.
> 
> - Kupchak said the team's chances to win a title this season are better with D'Antoni as the coach than they were with Mike Brown as the coach. Obviously, that belief is why they made the change. "What Mike (D'Antoni's) going to run better suits the team."
> 
> - Kupchak said the defensive numbers for D'Antoni's past teams don't support the idea that he couldn't or didn't coach defense, when adjusted for pace of play. Also: "Mike D'Antoni never had Dwight Howard, Metta (World Peace) and another 7-footer (Pau Gasol) in back of (Howard) either." Kupchak went on to explain that Dr. Buss has always preferred an up-tempo, free offense. The triangle wasn't his favorite system as it wasn't up and down, but since the team was winning it was all good. They also had the personnel to support the triangle offense when Jackson installed it, both times.
> 
> - Kupchak was asked if Phil gave him a vision of how he'd be able to take the personnel and win with it: "We talked about it … I know the triangle. Obviously I wasn't convinced … We just didn't feel the players we had on this team, the players we brought in would fit the triangle offense as well as what Mike D'Antoni would do. We made huge commitments to players this summer either via free agency or trade, and we just didn't feel the fit was as good as what Mike D'Antoni runs."
> 
> Kupchak added that there will be "a lot more opportunities for every player" in D'Antoni's system. You won't see 16 to 19 seconds on the shot clock before getting a shot. There will be more shot attempts, if more turnovers, but Kupchak thinks it's easier to get a guy to run down on offense than it is on D. And guys are more willing to run back on D after the score, generally.
> 
> - Can L.A.'s players run with the collective age of the team? Yes, Kupchak said, but he clarified that they aren't asking the players to run sprints from end line to end line. "We do have young speed and savvy players that can play up tempo. We're not talking about run and gun, we're talking about up tempo, and putting the ball in the hands of a guy to do what he does best. (Steve Nash) isn't going to win sprints, but he knows how to control tempo, and our pace of play will be faster and less deliberate.


http://www.nba.com/lakers/#/story/features/121113kupchak-addresses-coaching-decision


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## King Sancho Fantastic

Double post


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## Cajon

King Sancho Fantastic said:


> @LakersReporter: Kobe scoffed at notion D'Antoni's teams played no D. Said under Phil, they did "maybe 3" drills on D, ever. Let players figure that out.
> 
> 
> 
> Welp...
Click to expand...

Payton wasn't kidding. :shocked: llullz


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## Shaolin

> @LakersReporter: Kobe scoffed at notion D'Antoni's teams played no D. Said under Phil, they did "maybe 3" drills on D, ever. Let players figure that out.


Still laughing, I wonder? 

I have doubts that D'Antoni makes it the whole season.


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