This should cost Mitch his job. Mike D has nothing in his career to suggest that he's an elite coach. Amare just confessed the other day that he had never been taught how to play defense IN HIS WHOLE CAREER. Guess who was his coach during most of that?

I don't like the Lakers so I'm glad they hired him, but that was flat out stupid.

Mr. Pringles sucks, but Mitch is one of the best in the business. I wouldn't trade him for anything unless Jerry West came back.

Hiring D'Antoni should be a career killer when a team that expects to compete for titles. It's not that D'Antoni is a bad coach, but everyone knows exactly what he is, which is not a championship caliber coach. You might as well try to find the next big thing.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 1/10/2013 8:31a).]

Sportscenter this morning:

"The Lakers are becoming a lot like the Jets, a sorry team that we cover too much"

Well as long as ESPN knows

D'Antoni is a good coach. He just got hired by the wrong team with the wrong personnel.

I think he's a good coach but not great. His style is an up tempo run and gun, and wear the other guys out. The Lakers' personnel is more fit for a half-court style of play.

quote:

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D'Antoni is a good coach.

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Based on what evidence?

He had a few good years in Phoenix when he had the perfect storm of personnel to run his system. Nash in his prime, young Amare, a bunch of shooters and most importantly a younger Marion who you could average 10 boards a game as a freakishly athletic four man. Still, he never made the finals and only made the WCF once. Then when they tried to makeover the roster to take the next step he couldn't adjust and he flamed out.

In NY he sucked. In LA he sucks.

Another one of his chronic problems is that he rides his starters too hard. Even when his teams play well they wear down. We saw last night that the Lakers bench is decent but they'll never get on the floor when the starters come back. He's terrible and I couldn't stand to watch him if he coached my team.

Nash was an above-average star player in Dallas. What has Stoudemire done since leaving Phoenix? Shawn Marion hasn't made an All-Star team since 2007.

If you want to chalk up his success in Phoenix as a "perfect storm" then I don't know what to tell you. I guess Phil Jackson's whole career was nothing more than a bunch of perfect storms since he lucked into Jordan and Kobe to run his system.

[This message has been edited by Head Ninja In Charge (edited 1/10/2013 10:22a).]

D'Antoni is good at run and gun, bad at defense. I understand why a small market team that needs some excitement would hire him. I don't understand why a team that aspires to championships would.