Los Angeles Lakers: Will Mike D’Antoni Survive Another Season?

The Los Angeles Lakers decided to pull the plug on former coach Mike Brown early last season, just five games in, to be exact.  When it was time for a decision to be made, owners Jerry and Jim Buss along with general manager Mitch Kupchak came to the conclusion that Mike D’Antoni, not Phil Jackson, was a better fit for the team.  Needless to say, D’Antoni experienced a lot of displeasure from fans and analysts that clearly noticed how bad of a fit he was with an older, veteran team filled with egos.  With the roster now reshaped and many not expecting the Lakers to contend for a title, does Mr. Seven-Second Offense last another season without ending up like his predecessor?

Mike D’Antoni has been unpopular to most Lakers fans, but it doesn’t seem like he is leaving anytime soon. (Photo by Matt Hickey/Flickr.com)

One reason that we will probably see D’Antoni on the Lakers’ sideline the entire season is due to the lowered expectations this group has.  Losing the best center in the league in Dwight Howard automatically left a dark cloud over Los Angeles for the offseason.  The team did as much as they could by recruiting a quality post piece in Chris Kaman, but obviously you won’t see many playoff forecasts featuring the Lakers after taking such a blow.  D’Antoni will now have to work with the wing talents of Nick Young and Wesley Johnson, a duo that most see as defensive liabilities compared to the man they amnestied, Metta World Peace.  Deep down, Kupchak and Buss know this is the closest thing to a “down year” the franchise could have since the acquisition of Pau Gasol in 2008.  Therefore, it’s going to take one of the worst coaching performances in history if fans want to see D’Antoni pack his bags.

On the other hand, D’Antoni may have already made Lakers’ fans believe that he can lead this team to 50 wins.  His recent comments on how the team will gel and click without Howard definitely raised some eyebrows.

"“I don’t see why not (on improving from the previous 45-37 record).  I think we can be better because I don’t think we reached our potential last year,” he said.  Our lack of defense came mostly from the lack of energy from guys that didn’t feel right in their place on the team.  Defense is energy, concentration and the desire to do it.”"

As much as his statements about energy and effort are calling out Howard’s focus last season, D’Antoni makes a terrific point.  The difference between having Howard and the new additions of Kaman, Young, Johnson and Jordan Farmar is that the new faces of the team have an overwhelming joy of being in Los Angeles.  None of the four mentioned are going to have Defensive Player of the Year numbers or performances, but the new youth will help the backcourt defense improve as a whole.  D’Antoni seems ready to attack defensive strategies this season rather than ignoring them, which would make for one of the biggest shocks of the year.  If he follows through, this issue won’t be the reason he is placed on the hot seat.

In terms of offense, there won’t a lot of reasoning in this department to support a coaching change.  If Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, both coming off an offseason of rehab and preparation, miss a significant amount of games due to injury, everyone will point toward age and the inability to stay healthy as the main excuse for missing the playoffs.  With a healthy roster, however, D’Antoni is planning to experiment with Gasol and Kaman and believes they will ultimately be better than the combo that failed.

When discussing Kaman’s chances of helping the offense, D’Antoni stated:

"“He definitely can play high-low with Pau (Gasol). He can stretch the floor”, he added.  “They should be pretty good complements to each other.”"

As much as people (including myself) disagree with the offensive mindset of jacking up 24.6 3-point attempts per game (the 2012-13 average for the Lakers), D’Antoni now has a roster that is better fitted to succeed with his questionable methods.  Gasol may receive more low-post touches, but will still be influenced to be a mid-range player at times.  Without Howard there to complain, the options are endless, and possibly frightening, for this offense.

The bottom line is that Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak are still trying to justify their decision of choosing a controversial coach over one that achieved 11 NBA championships.  For them to swallow their pride and part ways with D’Antoni, the Lakers will have to hit a very weak stretch and be far under .500 by the time the second half of the season arrives.

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