In November 12, 2012, the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni. My first reaction was why Mike D'Antoni? I am no Laker fan but this much I know: What Mike Brown lacked in offense, Mike D'Antoni lacked in defense. There was very high enthusiasm for the guy. He's an offensive genius... Laker woes seems to stem from it's offense if we could free that up then maybe we become significant again and who better do that than the other Mike? so says maybe the Laker top brass. So for only 3 days since firing Mike Brown and replacing him in an interim basis with Bernie Bickerstaff the Lakers would hire the half of the basketball puzzle Mike D'Antoni.
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.
Philip Douglas Jackson, sure was #1 in every Laker fans list. First he's a fan favorite. Second, he has 11 titles the most for any NBA coach. 3rd, he commands the respect of Kobe Bryant. 4th he teaches that all-too-reliable Triangle offense.
"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.
Gerald Eugene Sloan, accumulated 1221 wins with a small town team named the Utah Jazz .603 W-L percentage. Phil Jackson once described Sloan's Jazz as "one of the most disciplined teams in the NBA."
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.
