Puzzle why? The Laker top brass may have thought Howard and World Peace is great defensively, we struggled and was slowed a lot by the Princeton, we need offense something Mike D'Antoni gives. It's his forte. It's what gave him a job in the NBA in the first place. I don't know why the Lakers were in such a rush to hire a permanent coach anyway since Bernie Bickerstaff is doing a great job as interim where he would finish at 4-1, the highest winning percentage in Lakers' history for any coach. They should have taken time, sit down and discuss who best suits this team they constructed. By the time the quick deliberations was finished they had their man, Mike D'Antoni it was.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports would add: "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"
In the process they by-passed 2 coaches that could be doing better at this time for this team, in fact in their resume you would read something that would matter to some other team: Hall of Famer.
"We want Phil," the Lakers fans chanted in the Staples Center. "We want Phil."That should show you the respect the fans have for this guy. Well that what 5 titles in 11 years should give you. LA wants winners an Phil Jackson was the greatest of all winners. Not to mention .704winning percentage for his career.
Wojnarowski had a fine analysis: "Everyone is so sure that Jackson is the savior here, but they forget how uninspired he had seemed in that final season... They remember the five titles with the Lakers, but everyone wants to forget the end, the way that Jackson dragged himself, dragged a team, to the finish line. This job is a grind, and those cheers fade fast. There are no Hollywood endings in the NBA – just old guys staying too long, coming back for all the wrong reasons. "
Phil had been there done that. Phil Jackson in Chicago had this thing about the number of years players would listen to a coach and had set it at seven years with the Bulls, it dragged to 9 and everything was imploding in that 1997-98 season. That he somehow went 11 with the Lakers showed how dragging it was, it's as if his players have grown tired of listening to him, How they were disgusted when he would call them out at press conferences. They have outgrown him. I have high respect for Phil but neither he, in my opinion fills the Laker need at this moment.
Then comes this guy: Jerry Sloan.
He later adds: "Jerry's an animal. He's a dogged guy, He's had good talent. He never had superior talent, but he's done well with it. "He was stubborn, He had to be as a coach. He had a system. The system was effective. It's not easy to have a team in Utah. It's not the biggest draw in the country to have in free agents to go there. They were able to have a really great home record and play the kind of basketball that was admirable."
And that's speaking highly of what the capability of this coach is. You can see the high admiration Phil had in Jerry, what Phil ever had with talents, coach Sloan countered with no non-sense basketball, which I think could have benefited this Laker team. The 'Triangle' is a freewheeling offense that don't really need a PG to make and offense flow, spacing is a must in this offense something that Howard and Gasol won't do because they're both post players. Pau has been utilized mostly as a perimeter guy which he is not. That is why you see Phil not playing both Pau and Bynum at the same time because they minimize the space, Phil has an understanding to that. But what to do with Steve Nash? Phil never had an experience of a point guard of this quality. Sure he had John Paxson, BJ Armstrong, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher and (gasp) Smush Parker but they didn't have the same vision of Nash.
Phil wouldn't turn the Lakers around instantly, Even Ron Artest needed time to figure out what and where he'll gonna be in the offense (which luckily for them came in the play-offs). What I think in my best opinion is that, with the crew they have now, it'll probably suit Jerry Sloan's coaching.
Why?
Sloan gives fundamental instructions, easy direct. When both Boozer and Okur first went to Utah they suddenly meshed with the Jazz like they knew the system very well. Of course coach Sloan is a stern believer in PG's having worked with both Stockton and Deron Williams. The guy also preaches defense, as he himself was a defensive stalwart as a player. This coach demands the best of you at all times, ask Greg Ostertag. With Dwight Howard in there this should be a heavy pick and rolling team. It's amazing why this team can't figure this out.
An excerpt from the blog: http://lakersblog.latimes.com:
Former Laker Derek Fisher saw that first-hand when he played for Utah in the 2006-07 season. He appreciated Sloan giving him the chance to defend himself without discipline. He respected that Sloan never singled him out in front of the team. And he couldn't help but acknowledge he preferred Jackson's method of coaching.
Fisher shared that Sloan was extremely supportive of him when he missed Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Golden State as he and his family went to New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City so that his then-10-month-old daughter, Tatum, could have surgery to treat a form of eye cancer. Fisher revealed Sloan didn't put any pressure on him for when he'd return, but the surgery went so well that Fisher managed to fly back to Salt Lake City and arrive in time to play in the second half of the Jazz's 127-117 Game 2 victory over Golden State, an effort that showcased Fisher forcing a turnover and hitting a critical three-pointer late in the game. And when he decided to opt out of his contract when the season ended so he could seek the best medical care for Tatum, Sloan made no issue of it, something that couldn't be said of Utah's fan base after Fisher signed with the Lakers.
"I've been fortunate in my NBA career to work under two of the most talented and successful coaches in the history of the pro game," Fisher wrote in his book. "I feel privileged to have played under two living legends and to have seen how two different approaches to the game and how to treat players can both produce winning teams."
In the end I think the Lakers poor vision paved the way for their misery at this time. Had they taken a backseat and reviewed what they had they would have chanced out on this two, but I'd really put on a nod on Jerry Sloan. The Lakers could have been his vindication, the talent he never really had. The Lakers top brass should be ashamed forgoing this man in their search.
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