The Los Angeles Lakers will need to let go of Mike D’Antoni in order to succeed – but who knows if the Lakers feel the same? Nevertheless – here are some viable options if D’Antoni is canned
UPDATE 7:03 pm PST: Mike D’Antoni has resigned, according to multiple sources on Twitter. It was reported D’Antoni asked for an extension to his contract Monday.
The Los Angeles Lakers offseason has started quicker than accustomed to and they have some decisions to make, whether it’s in the NBA Draft or most importantly if they retain head coach Mike D’Antoni.
In two seasons, the Lakers have been a disappointment under coach D’Antoni as he has led them to a combined 67-87 record. Last season many felt it was unfair to blame coach D’Antoni for the chemistry issues as the Lakers had many new faces (Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Jodie Meeks, and Antawn Jamison). The Lakers ended up squeezing into the playoffs as a 7 seed after being seen as a favorite to compete for the NBA title.
Kobe Bryant’s Achilles injury put the Lakers title hopes to rest as they got swept against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers decided to keep D’Antoni and not fire him, but things got worst as they finished with 27 wins and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons.
Despite facing a season filled with injuries and a countless amount of different lineups, D’Antoni’s time might be up. Here are some options available for the Lakers to take over as the head coach.
1. Byron Scott
Scott is currently working on Time Warner Cable SportsNet as a Lakers analyst. While Scott had a combined 64-166 record in his last three seasons as a Cleveland Cavaliers coach, he might just be a favorite to land the Lakers job. Scott has a better relationship with Bryant than every coaching candidate out there as he was Bryant’s teammate during his rookie season in 1996.
Scott has shown he can take a team to new heights as he did with the New Orleans Hornets. In his last two full seasons with the Hornets – they had a combined 105-59 record as he led them to the playoffs for consecutive years. Scott was coach of the year in the 2007-08 season. In Scott’s two successful seasons with the Hornets (2006-08), they were a top ten defense both season allowing 95.6 points and 97.1 points per game. It was a tale of two different offenses as they ranked ninth in scoring at 100.9 points in 2007-08 and they ranked 25th in 2006-07 with 95.5 points per game. One thing is evident Scott’s team’s play defense. Free agents Trevor Ariza and Eric Bledsoe would thrive under Scott as they are players that are in their prime that are athletic defenders.
2. George Karl
If there was a way to describe Karl, it would be success in regular season. Karl led the Denver Nuggets (2004-13) to the playoffs every season under his tenure. Karl only advanced beyond the first round only one season though and it was in 2009 when they lost to the Lakers in the conference finals.
Karl is an intriguing option as he will provide the Lakers with experience and players will respect his presence. Karl has a 60% career win percentage and has been to the NBA Finals as well, despite losing in 1996 with the Seattle SuperSonics. Karl will also attract free agents as he is a player friendly coach and his teams love to run and gun. A player like Thaddeus Young will be a good fit under Karl as he is a player that succeeds when speeding tempo and can play the multiple forward spots. Arron Afflalo would also be a good option as he can provide the Lakers with scoring and is also a solid defender that Karl coached in Denver.
3. Jeff Van Gundy
In eleven seasons as a coach, Van Gundy has only missed the playoffs twice. Van Gundy is similar to Karl in the sense that they both have succeeded in the regular season but have no rings to show for it. Van Gundy is known for having his teams buckle down on the defensive end with a slow tempo offense. Van Gundy loves physical players and Kevin Love would be a good fit. Love is one of the most physical players in the NBA that loves a slowed down pace as he can score from anywhere on the floor. Van Gundy might be a bit of a stretch since he hasn’t coached since 2007 (Houston Rockets), but if he does with an aging Bryant his style would make sense for the Lakers.
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These three options would be an upgrade over D’Antoni’s as they know a thing or two more about defense. But in order for the Lakers to hire a new coach they must let go of D’Antoni, after all he’s not taking a Marshall University coaching job.
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