D'Antoni with Lakers will put some show back in Showtime

So, Mike D’Antoni it is.

Woke up this morning after a nice relaxing eve to find out that no, Phil Jackson will not be the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers but that Mike D’Antoni got a four-year deal to do the job.

Let the fun begin.

This is going to be great, I think; D’Antoni is just the kind of hands-off coach the veteran Lakers need, he’ll put an offensive system in place that relies a lot of freelancing and high screen and roll and I know that guys like Nash and Kobe and Pau and Howard will thrive in it.

Say what you want about D’Antoni, and I’m sure there are those in New York who weren’t entirely enthralled by him, but his teams are fun to watch. They get up and down the floor quickly, there’s a lot of three-pointers and hard rolls to the basket and, really, this has a chance to be the closest thing to Showtime out there than anything since the halcyon days of Magic and Kareem and the lads.

It’s going to be fun to watch and it really puts some “oomph” into the Lakers. Even with that Hall of Fame-studded lineup – at least from the feeling I got being around them for four days and from the games I saw this year – there didn’t seem to be much joy. Yes, they talked about long hours in the gym and how they were working hard to figure out the nuances of what Mike Brown wanted to run offensively but I didn’t see an awful lot of smiles.

You watch them play now. They will be giggling it’ll be so much fun just to unleash their creativity and talents without many restrictions. Cannot wait.

But is it the right hire, given that Jackson was out there and obviously on the list?

Absolutely. No question at all.

There’s no doubt Phil is a great, great coach, all those rings mean something but, to tell you the truth, he looked worn and beaten down when he walked away after that disastrous series with Dallas. I’m sure he’s a bit revitalized by his extended leave but even when his name was first mentioned on Friday, I was a bit dubious.

The fact he was trying to find a way to not coach all the games – the travel really gets to him – and the fact there’s a large dose of “been there, done that” to his interest made me wonder if a different direction wasn’t the best.

D’Antoni is certainly different, and the right choice if they want success coupled with fun out there in LaLa land, they’ve got it.

And it sure makes Christmas Day, Knicks at Lakers, far more important and likely entertaining. Better check my flight to San Antonio that day so I can be sure to see it.

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Apropos of nothing, heard this on the radio yesterday and when Super Son gets done nailing the Jungleland sax solo, he can move on to this CCR tune and I’d be quite happy with that.

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Raptors?

Well, since we mentioned Alan Anderson is on crutches and Kyle Lowry was at the doctor during practice yesterday, it’s probably going to be Kleiza or McGuire who starts tonight.

Which one? Not sure it really matters, I’m thinking it’s more likely to be McGuire but that fact Dwane made it a point to suggest he needs McGuire on the floor with Lucas to take some of the ball-handling duties makes that a total guess.

Luckily, we don’t have long to find out, we’ll know sometime around 7 tonight.

And when we do, I’ll be somewhere in Indianapolis trying to either find the game or decided whether I want the medium-rare ribeye or the prime rib at St. Elmo’s.

Bad flights on the back-to-back get me the night off, Not Grace Kelly will be your chronicler this evening.

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Those zany lads who run FIBA have started screwing with the world championships, the qualifications for them and the Olympic qualification and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why, except it’s some kind of a cash grab, control demand and it could – if it goes ahead as basically planned now – take all NBAers and even collegians out of the qualification processes.

Read the details here but the short strokes are that they are changing the qualification process for the worlds to something akin to soccer’s – broken into groups and played out over two years with home-and-home series between countries. They are talking about doing it in November, February and June some years, and there’s no way in the world NBA teams or even EuroLeague teams are going to let their players go to play.

And, for some reason, they are going to increase the number of teams in the worlds to 32 (that’s 16 too many, to tell you the truth because Micronesia vs. Tunisia is hardly worth it) and they’re moving the worlds to an off-year (2019, 2023, 2027) to get them away from soccer’s World Cup.

That’s not a bad idea, the rest of it seems cockamamie and not well thought out, to me, and I’m sure there will be more debate before it’s finalized.

What does it mean for Canada? Well, if Canada can’t get its top players released for the qualification process, it’s going to suck big time and they need to press FIBA to make sure that doesn’t happen.

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You watch the Argo game?

Good for you, if you did.

But it was tough for some of us and rather telling.

Baseball Steve (a rabid Argo fan) and I were trying to find a couple of stools for the game. First place we tried, a joint with about two dozen TVs, couldn’t put a single one on the CFL because it’s got a contract to show solely NFL on Sunday afternoons and we had to do some sweet-talking at a second place and cajole them to move a Minnesota Vikings game off one of the screens.

Respect? CFL gets none.

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Speaking of FIBA, how about this.

Not that it really means anything, actually, but Canada has somehow reached the top 10 in combined world rankings, according to the list you can see here.

Of course, it’s based mainly on the top-8 Olympic finish of the women and the great age-group success the junior and cadet teams had and the men have a long way to go to get back to relevance but it’s still kind of neat, I guess.

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Comments

[Lorne]

If you want a great beer in Indy, try the Ram across the street from St. Elmo’s. The Blonde and the Hefeweizen are both excellent!

Blogger's note: Been there, thanks for the tip

[sam]

D'Antoni seemed like the obvious choice. I'm certain somewhere in LA, Steve Nash is smiling.
I'm still trying to process, how the HOTH only scored 7 points in the second quarter on Saturday night. The preseason showed us that Lucas can score - The regular season showed us he has trouble running the point, when he's not hitting his shot.
I've always like Kleiza as a player - I recall him with Denver coming into town and burning the HOTH - As a member of the HOTH he seems to be snake bit.
Whether it's injuries, or whatever else that pops up, he has never seemed to hit his stride with any form of consistency.

[Sharkey]

It's really too bad the CFL gets no love. I'm a fan of both leagues and a huge Argos fan (part of the Argos Admirals bloggers, shameless plug)...I have friends who don't give the CFL any respect. To them I say: yeah, it's a rinky-dink league. But it's OUR rinky-dink league. It's our crazy rules and wild finishes and awesome football, and it's such an important part of our culture and identity as Canadians. Please guys, watch the East Final and watch the Grey Cup and support the Argos. The oldest pro sports franchise on the continent is going to win a championship -- the 100th Grey Cup. You can whine all you want about TFC's failures and the like, but we have a champion with history coming our way and nobody's going to notice in Toronto. And that's really sad.

[john]

Hey Doug, the next few games looks awfully daunting for these Raps. I think they need a couple games against like talent to get their confidence going. Lowry coming back would be nice as well…
That being said, how exactly is their first round pick they traded for Lowry protected? I have heard all kinds of vague descriptions but no details.

Blogger's note: Then you haven't been reading here often enough; let search be your friend

[Sean]

Doug, I think you're off the mark on the D'Antoni hire. I don't think they could have hired a WORSE fit, actually.

The Lakers in their current form are not a team suited to transition play. The roster is aging, Pau Gasol has never been a big man particularly pick-and-roll oriented, and Kobe needs to have the ball (and stop the ball) to be effective. Sure, you've got Howard to run screen-roll with Nash, but you could do that in any offense.

This is all moot, however, when you understand that the Lakers' woes this season were entirely defensive - and D'Antoni's teams are consistently some of the least defensive-minded teams. His Suns were 17th, 16th, 13th, and 16th in the league in defense. The season after he left they were 26th. His Knicks were 23rd, 27th, 22nd and 5th (Tyson Chandler). The 1999 Nuggets were +8.2 DRtg worse than league average. I believe that's the largest gap for any team ever.

The Lakers don't need help scoring the ball: they need to defend better (and limit turnovers), and D'Antoni has consistently shown a complete lack of interest on developing the defensive end.

The Lakers will be better because Howard and Nash will both get back to full strength, but I am unsure how D'Antoni's philosophy fits with this Lakers team.

[Rob.V]

Mickael Pietrus - Isn't he still out there?. Here's a thought. Why don't the Raptors pick him up (on the cheap at this point) and utilize the amnesty? Guy can defend and hit the 3... sounds like a good insurance policy for the 3 (or 2) spot.
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Lakers-D'Antoni. Will the honeymoon last 7 seconds... or less?
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The only chance D'Antoni has of being a long term coach with the Lakers is making it past the next 24 months when Kobe (hopefully) retires!
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Look, it's hard not to be a fan of what Kobe has done (on) the court however let's be very clear, this guys is a douche bag!!! He had no choice but to respect Phil however what other coach or (star) player on the Lakers has he been able to get along with?
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S.Parker's comments to the world a couple of weeks ago should say everything you need to know about this guys character. We talk so negatively about Dwight Howard and yet he's been a model citizen compared to Kobe. When was the last time Kobe even participated in a full practice... 2009?
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Let's have a quick look at the list of people he's thrown under the bus:
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Shaq - Ratted him out back in the day
Andrew Bynum - in phone captured rant
Mitch Kupchuck - On not pulling the possible J.Kidd trade- they wouldnt have one (2) more rings if Mitch had listened to Kobe
Mike Brown - Sure he said all the right things in public. But if he meant them, Brown would still be employed. SVG is right, that was the most ridiculous firing in the history of the NBA... but of course Kobe had "nothing" to do with it.
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At some point if the Lakers fail it will either be D'Antoni or some other players fault... Kobe of course will have had nothing to do with it.
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Douchebag!... Jalen SHOULD have clothes lined him (81).

Blogger's note: Solid thought on amnesty it wasn't dead wrong and impossible. Amnesty period closed.

[Johnny c]

nice to read an original take on the LA coaching choice... The experts I' ve read/ heard this morn are all in therapy......they are totally in shock...St Elmo's et al served over 5 tons of shrimp cocktail during Super Bowl!,,,

just read about the passing of Tom McKee last week..... He did it all....CFl....Blue Jays....Olympics.... Enjoyed his work......RIP

[joeu]

If nothing else, you have to admire the Lakers management for not being adverse to risk and second guessing.

[Johnn19]

It does not matter who starts, or finishes for the Rap's @ SF..

Untill Lowry comes back to alow Calderon to come back to run the 2nd unit they are going nowhere with the amaturish accomplishments of Lucas 111 @ PG.

[Peter]

Do you know if there was any truth to the rumours that Phil Jackson wanted travel restrictions? I can't see a team with championship aspirations, hiring a coach that wasn't willing to coach every game.

Blogger's note: That's the talk but I don't know for sure

[larry lukeeborg]

i sort of agree with rob v on the hiring of d'antoni....it will work out only if bryant accepts, and i question whether he will. although he seems to be an 'it's all about me' kind of player, his olympic experience demonstrates he can swallow the personal. will we get olympian bryant or laker bryant? if the latter, the team will implode. the thing about jackson, he seems to have been the only nba coach to access the olympian, not the laker...albeit, only the second time around. it will be interesting

[Moshigh]

Lakers wiil be Lakers and they will be a top Team. I dont really like D'Antoni as a coach, to me over hyped. But good for him.

The Raptors are in huge trouble, honestly all the light before the season started has been drowned now in darkness. This team is bad with Lowry but basically useless with out Lowry. All my positive energy is gone, I see no light ahead for this team, BC has to move Bargnani, I will say it everyday for rest of the year. Once Bargnani gets warm, deal him if you can get. It will never work bottom line.

We also now have a clear picture why LucasIII is a 3rd string point guard. oh my Raptors faithful, we are in for a long year!!!!!!!!

[Ben]

Hi Doug 2 Q's

1) I thought Mike D'Antoni just had knee surgery and couldn't walk until January?

2) Will Not Grace Kelly be hosting a IGBT?

Blogger's note: Had surgery, should coach this week; and I don't believe so, no

[doug]

@Rob V that "douche bag' has 5 rings and is driven for more thats all he cares about.....good rant on Kobe but your so off the mark and wrong its laughable...for one he looks at Phil like a father they have had a solid relationship....he is a great teammate and all he cares about is winning but you seem to think that is a bad thing...and Shaq and himself both admit they made mistakes, they were young, 2 superstars and Shaq was as much or more to blame....Raps could use a douche like him......excellent hire, its interesting to me how some like @Sean don't just seem to get it, you don't need to coach the bunch in L.A. its not anarchy but Brown over-coached that bunch, you set a system in place and let them go with it, they coach themselves....if you honestly think Howard/Bryant need to be told how to play defense then my friend with all respect your out to lunch....I said a few weeks ago, fire Brown hire D'Antonio, brilliant move and will pay dividends by January if not sooner....cheers...

[Rob.V]

Ah, right. I forgot that the window had closed.
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Thanks.
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Blogger's note: Solid thought on amnesty it wasn't dead wrong and impossible. Amnesty period closed.

[AK]

2011-12 Toronto 23 43 0.348
2010-11 Toronto 22 60 0.268
2009-10 Toronto 40 42 0.488
2008-09 Toronto 33 49 0.402
2007-08 Toronto 41 41 0.5
2006-07 Toronto 47 35 0.573
2005-06 Toronto 27 55 0.329
2004-05 Toronto 33 49 0.402
2003-04 Toronto 33 49 0.402
2002-03 Toronto 24 58 0.293
323 481 0.402

The thing with the Raps is that watching them is just painful. There's nothing there. Other than perhaps Lowry, I don't see anyone that can start on a second or third round playoff team, at least not as a primary or secondary option. Maybe DeMar, Andrea or Jose could be on a second unit of a good team, but that's about it. There's no click to the way they play. Bottom line, Doug, there's no hope when watching this nauseating team.

Blogger's note: Cool. Sad you won't be joining us any more. Take care

[Bo Klymkiw]

Moshigh, we have a good core of young players that are going to get better ever year for the next 5 years: Jonas, Ed, Amir & DeMar will be a unit led by Kyle someday. And Terrance will join them someday, so we just need 2 vets to show them the way. However, Andrea's & José's D is not what I'm talking about. Yes, I see that those two are trying sometimes. However, it just isn't in their DNA to try all the time. We need to trade them away and go in a different direction. The keys to success are going to be in whom we trade them for ...

[Cam Levack]

As a die-hard Jazz fan, I've been cautiously optimistic about the team's chances this season. So far they're under-performing, especially on the road.
Centre Al Jefferson finally got it going on Saturday against Phoenix with 27 points; I think (hope) he'll be a tough match-up for the Raptors.
Lowrey is the kind of guard who would usually makes things tough for the Jazz; Calderon could be easier for them to handle.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a Raptors fan as well, but I think they could be in for a long night this evening. The Jazz are desperate for a road win, and the ACC's been kind to them over the years.

[doug]

in regards to the Raps and the new NBA the onus is on athleticism as the Sixers showed they are a far better team without Brand and Iggy....and BC recognizes that his last few picks/signees recognize that, JV,Fields,Ross and Lowry were on the right track...now we just need Dwane to see that, as he really has no feel for the offensive end at this point in his career....cheers..

[doug]

oh and DD as well i forgot him....Jose/Bargs are not and will be gone when and if BC gets the chance....

[Bo Klymkiw]

As a follow-up, I wonder if Quincy has the potential to become a significant part of the rotation someday, and Landry looks like he needs to be traded to the Lakers to re-unite with D'Antoni.

[J]

@Moshigh:

"The Raptors are in huge trouble, honestly all the light before the season started has been drowned now in darkness. This team is bad with Lowry but basically useless with out Lowry. All my positive energy is gone, I see no light ahead for this team, BC has to move Bargnani, I will say it everyday for rest of the year. Once Bargnani gets warm, deal him if you can get. It will never work bottom line."

So many absolutes, after how many games? No light ahead? Has to move Bargnani? Never work bottom line? This is still an improved team over last year; they just need to work out the kinks. If you can get so ruffled after six games (less, actually, as you have been ready to jump ship for a couple games now), then you may as well have just tuned the Raps out before the season started. We are a team with a lot of question marks, and only if all those question marks work out in our favor are we a playoff team. Your expectations were simply way too high.

And in response to your analogy comparing the Lakers firing Mike Brown to trading away Raptors, that's a pretty bad analogy. If you were arguing for Casey's dismissal, sure, but at this point, when you have a bunch of new players trying to figure each other out (three of the starting five are new, and one is even a rookie), trading for more new players helps familiarity how exactly?

[Peter]

Triple overtime. I hope you're texting Not Grace and laughing. :) It's all about you!

[Rob.V]

From yesterday: good rant on Kobe but your so off the mark and wrong its laughable.
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Why? I gave 3 legitimate reasons why I feel Kobe is not a good teammate:
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1. Disrespects them (not debatable)
2. Publicly threw players under the bus (not debatable)
3. Publicly ripped GM/Organization (not debatable) P.S no Mitch = No rings
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What I wrote were absolute facts. My opinion of Kobe (as a person) are based on actual events. Facts.
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I cannot recall the name of the book however I remember reading a passage from one of Phil's books where he wrote " I went to management to talk to them about the possibility of trading Kobe because I didn't feel we could win with him".
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Sure Kobe has matured (somewhat) however even Phil wasn't "sure". What does this tell you about Kobe's character.
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Kobe is a selfish player, and I just don't like the fact that he is painted as a model NBA citizen while players like Kevin Garnett are looked upon as bad people. Teammates LOVE KG (even though most of you don't).
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The "death stare" didn't mean - - "I love coach Brown... and "tough, tough day". Please Kobe, you can pull the knife out of coaches back now.
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Look, Kobe wears 16 faces... and it's highly probable that ALL of them are ass _ _ _ _ _!!!.
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Your point: The Lakers win and Kobe has 5 rings.
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Thank you. I agree with you, Kobe does have 5 rings. Not sure what this had to do with my point about him being a douche... but thanks!

[doug]

I forgot I had responded to this and was busy...but come on get real...Jordan was/is a "douche" and all know it, as is Kobe thats what makes winners, that was my point as its winning what matters and players that know how to win, to win 5 rings when you are the main man is not easy...I don't for a second feel I know Kobe at all, but his results are impressive ...so think what you want about him but I in no way feel I can or will call him a derogatory term, as thats immature and sort of childish...I am a b-ball fan first and foremost and Kobe is the real deal....ok cheers,....