Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Bynum, Raptors, Banks
Let's round up a few of Monday's odds and ends from around the Association….
- Carmelo Anthony told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he's happy for Mike D'Antoni and that he and the former Knicks coach had a "good relationship."
- Brian Musburger, the agent for Phil Jackson, said he and his client were indeed "stunned" by the Lakers' hiring of D'Antoni: "Not so much with the decision the Lakers made, because Phil had no hold on the job. But we are stunned with the way Phil learned of it" (Sulia link via Kevin Ding of the O.C. Register).
- Following up on the Sixers' latest update on Andrew Bynum, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link) points to Bynum's health as one reason why the Cavaliers didn't get far in trade negotiations for the big man this past summer.
- In his Morning Tip piece at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge discusses the Lakers' coaching hire, Keyon Dooling's decision to retire, and Mickey Loomis' role with the Hornets.
- DeMar DeRozan is hoping to help turn the Raptors into a team that will be attractive to players in free agency, as he tells Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
- NBA veteran Marcus Banks, who last played for the Raptors in 2010/11, has agreed to terms with Panathinaikos, according to a report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Lakers Hire Mike D’Antoni
3:17pm: The Lakers have officially announced their hiring of D'Antoni in a press release.
"After speaking with several excellent and well-respected coaching candidates, Dr. [Jerry] Buss, Jim [Buss] and I all agreed that Mike was the right person at this time to lead the Lakers forward," said GM Mitch Kupchak in the statement. "Knowing his style of play and given the current make-up of our roster, we feel Mike is a great fit, are excited to have him as our next head coach and hope he will help our team reach its full potential."
2:04am: The Los Angeles Lakers have officially hired their new coach, with the team confirming late Sunday night that Mike D'Antoni will replace Mike Brown on the Lakers' bench. Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links) first reported the news, adding (via Twitter) that D'Antoni's contract is for three guaranteed years and $12MM, plus a fourth-year team option. The club is expected to introduce its new head coach at a press conference later this week.
Following the firing of Brown on Friday, the Lakers had been pursuing Phil Jackson to return to the team for a third time after his 2011 retirement. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Jackson was prepared to accept the job if negotiations progressed well on Monday, and was "stunned" to learn the Lakers had chosen D'Antoni (Twitter links).
While there were rumblings suggesting Jackson's demands were too high, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard hears from both sides that rumors of Jackson's exorbitant asking price were overblown (Twitter link). Broussard adds that the Lakers chose D'Antoni over Jackson in part because the team felt the Triangle offense would've been too complex for the team to learn on the fly, and that the system wasn't a great fit for the current roster (Twitter links).
Additionally, TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link) notes that Jackson would have wanted total control over the franchise and all personnel decisions, an arrangement similar to Pat Riley's in Miami. ESPN.com's Arash Markazi also tweets that the Lakers wanted more stability than the year-to-year commitment Jackson would offer.
D'Antoni, who resigned as head coach of the New York Knicks in March of 2012, will be reunited in Los Angeles with Steve Nash, whom he coached as a member of the Phoenix Suns from 2004 to 2008. As Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets, D'Antoni continues to recover from knee surgery in New York, and will require clearance before he can fly to Los Angeles later this week. When D'Antoni eventually takes over from interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff, he'll be bringing his brother Dan D'Antoni with him as an assistant, reports Aldridge (via Twitter).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Wojnarowski On Lakers, Jackson, D’Antoni
Adrian Wojnarowski's latest column at Yahoo! Sports includes plenty of details about the Lakers' coaching search and the process that resulted in the team hiring Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson. Let's dive in and round up some of the highlights from Wojnarowski's piece:
- Jackson, who appeared to be the Lakers' clear-cut choice after Mike Brown was fired on Friday, wanted "significant allowances on travel, coaching duties and an ability to veto player personnel moves that didn't fit his vision," according to Wojnarowski.
- "Phil wanted Jim Buss to walk away with his tail between his legs," one source told Wojnarowski. "He thought he had time to still negotiate with them, and see how much they would give him."
- Wojnarowski echoes ESPNLA's report that suggested Jackson was "stunned" when the Lakers hired D'Antoni. According to the Yahoo! scribe, Jackson believed he was the only head coach Kobe Bryant would approve, and that the Lakers would circle back to him today to continue negotiating.
- While there are some concerns about D'Antoni's defensive acumen, the Lakers front office believes that the presence of Dwight Howard can make D'Antoni a far better defensive coach.
- Stan Van Gundy has been in touch with D'Antoni, encouraging him to keep assistant coach Steve Clifford on his staff. Clifford had been on Van Gundy's staff in Orlando, and has a history with Howard.
Western Notes: Harden, McMillan, Jackson, Wolves
Less than two weeks into the NBA season, the Association's two biggest stories so far have come from two teams expected to compete for the Western Conference crown — the Thunder's trade of James Harden, and the Lakers' coaching change. We have updates on both Harden and the new Lakers coach, along with a few other notes out of the West, so let's check them out:
- The final year of Harden's max-salary deal with the Rockets is only 50% guaranteed, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports (via Twitter). However, Deeks adds in a second tweet that there are a number of conditions Harden could meet to ensure it becomes fully guaranteed.
- Mike D'Antoni is expected to reach out to Nate McMillan to offer him a spot as defensive assistant on his Lakers staff, reports Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
- According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link), people around the NBA expect Phil Jackson to take a job within the next year, since he's interested in returning if a team can meet his demands.
- Wesley Johnson spoke to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld about adjusting to a new situation in Phoenix, and the Suns' prospects for the 2012/13 season.
- With Chase Budinger set for knee surgery, the Timberwolves could ask the league for an injury exception to add a player without cutting anyone, but it doesn't appear they will, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Reactions To Lakers’ Hiring Of Mike D’Antoni
After appearing for most of the weekend as if they were on track for a reunion with former head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers pulled off a shocker late last night, announcing that Mike D'Antoni would be Mike Brown's successor in Los Angeles. With reactions continuing to flood in, we'll round up some of the early takes right here:
- D'Antoni may not be able to match Jackson's Hall of Fame credentials, but he'll be a fine fit for the Lakers, opines Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
- Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com doesn't believe that D'Antoni is a "championship coach," arguing that the Lakers would've been better off hiring any of the other reported candidates (Sulia links).
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times tweets that D'Antoni will fit better in L.A. than in New York, where he didn't have the point guard talent necessary for his system.
- Kobe Bryant let the Lakers know he was fine with the team hiring D'Antoni, according to J.A. Adande of ESPN.com (via Twitter). However, in a piece for ESPN's Daily Dime, Adande writes that D'Antoni's fit with Dwight Howard will be even more crucial for the Lakers.
- If nothing else, D'Antoni will make the Lakers a much more fun team to watch, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
- Billy Witz of FOX Sports thinks the Lakers will regret not getting a deal done with Jackson.
- Jackson was the popular choice among Lakers fans, but they may come around on D'Antoni, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Also at USA Today, Adi Joseph examines how individual players on the Lakers will mesh with D'Antoni.
- D'Antoni will be motivated to prove that he can win a title and to prove that he deserved the Lakers job more than Jackson, says Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register.
- According to Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, D'Antoni is just a one-dimensional as Brown, and the Lakers' roster is too old for his style of play.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com looks at a few ways the marriage of D'Antoni and the Lakers could go wrong.
Lakers Coaching Rumors: Sunday
As the Lakers zero in on Phil Jackson to be their next coach, Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports that the Lakers are only focused on winning titles this season and next, and plan to make payroll cuts thereafter to curb luxury tax penalties. Here's the rest of what we're hearing, from Ding and others.
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that Lakers guard Steve Nash's first two choices for a new coach are Jackson and D'Antoni.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets that D'Antoni is believed to be the Lakers' second choice should they not land Jackson, with Mike Dunleavy third on the list.
- The New York Daily News' Frank Isola believes Jackson's return to the Lakers is inevitable.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Lakers have not contacted former Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan about the job opening.
- If the Lakers hire Jackson, he would likely make his debut Friday against the Suns, but could possibly coach the team Tuesday versus the Spurs, Ding reports.
- Jackson is expected to give the Lakers an answer about the job on Monday, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. "He's intrigued by the job but not completely sure it's the right thing to do," a source told Broussard.
- Jackson's deal would be for two years, and he would attend a limited number of road games, Broussard reports in the same piece.
- A representative for one of the top coaches on the market tells Broussard the Lakers would have to be especially accomodating to attract a coach other than Jackson given "the initial storm of disappointment" from fans.
- If hired, Mike D'Antoni wouldn't be available to coach for another 10 days to two weeks because of his knee replacement surgery, according to Broussard's report. The Lakers don't plan on meeting with D'Antoni in person after yesterday's phone interview.
- The Lakers confirmed on their website that Jackson met with executive Jim Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak yesterday, with another meeting scheduled for early next week, writes Greg Beacham of The Associated Press (via the Detroit News).
- Everyone at yesterday's meeting has the belief that Jackson is likely to return, report Howard Beck and Mark Heisler of The New York Times, who add Nate McMillan to the list of coaches the Lakers will interview as backup plans that includes D'Antoni and Mike Dunleavy.
- While we heard yesterday that Jackson would command an annual salary of more than $12MM, Beck and Heisler say it's likely he'll earn a bit less than that.
Pacific Notes: Fredette, Kapono, Jackson, Brown
- Kings guard Jimmer Fredette says he "definitely" isn't asking to be traded, and team basketball president Geoff Petrie said he's still in the Kings' plans, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "I'm torn up because this young man is doing everything he can and not able to get on the floor," coach Keith Smart said. "I've just got to look at it because his efficiency ratings are starting to move up when he's on the floor and he's been a positive. So I've got to try to get him on the floor more."
- Jason Kapono, who last saw NBA action with the Lakers in 2011/12, is discussing a deal with Greek club Panathinaikos for this year, the Greek website Sport-FM reports (translation via Sportando). Kapono could wind up replacing Hilton Armstrong, whom the team wants to release, according to the report.
- Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post asserts that the Lakers would be better off with Phil Jackson coaching them, but they're too talented not to win the Western Conference no matter who the coach is.
- Mike Brown's shortcomings as coach of the Lakers were the same problems that hung over him when he was with the Cavs, observes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
- Brown couldn't get the Lakers to buy into his message, but Jackson would command the team's attention, opines Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer lists the rise of the Clippers as one reason Brown is out of a job.
Lakers, Phil Jackson ‘Getting Close’ To Deal?
9:54pm: In addition to rumblings that the Lakers would try to bring back Brian Shaw (currently an assistant on the Pacers) as an assistant if Jackson is hired, the former Bulls coach would reportedly consider bringing along Scottie Pippen to his staff as well (Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News reports).
9:29pm: Although this isn't much different that what has been implied before, Chris Broussard of ESPN also confirmed that Jackson's demands from today's meeting included travel restrictions for road games and an increased role in personnel decisions (Twitter link), a price which Broussard calls "steep."
8:53pm: According to Yahoo's Marc J. Spears, Jackson is expected to meet again with Lakers brass on Sunday or Monday. Should he accept an offer to coach the team, he is expected to bring former assistants Kurt Rambis, Frank Hamblen, and Jim Cleamons on board. Most notably, Mitch Kupchak has said that money will not be an issue in negotiations.
6:30pm: Kevin Ding of the OC Register (via Twitter) says that Phil's meeting with Kupchack and Jim Buss this afternoon went well.
5:45pm: Sam Amick credits a source close to Jackson who told USA Today that a deal would get done barring something significant. Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets that Jackson, Kupchak, and Jim Buss have all agreed to meet again within the next several days, also mentioning that Bernie Bickerstaff will remain as the interim coach in the meantime.
Lakers Plan To Speak With D’Antoni, Dunleavy; Haven’t Contacted McMillan
9:44pm: Broussard says that D'Antoni's interview went very well, but the job is still for Phil Jackson's to lose (Twitter link).
9:26pm: ESPN's Chris Broussard says that Mike D'Antoni's interview had been conducted today, while Mike Dunleavy's is scheduled for tomorrow.
8:49pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that the Lakers have not made any contact with Nate McMillan at this point.
8:16pm: Marc J. Spears of Yahoo says that D'Antoni and Dunleavy will have their interviews conducted by phone (Twitter link).
6:41pm: NBA.com's David Aldridge relays a report from NBA TV (via Twitter) that the Lakers plan to speak with Mike D'Antoni and Mike Dunleavy within the next few days.
Kevin Ding of the OC Register tweets that although Phil Jackson appears to be the frontrunner to land the head coaching job, GM Mitch Kupchak will continue considering D'Antoni, Dunleavy, and Nate McMillan as possible candidates in case Jackson ultimately decides against returning.
Sloan Hasn’t Spoken With The Lakers
Sam Amick of USA Today reports that Jerry Sloan has not been contacted by the Lakers with regards to their head coaching vacancy. During a phone interview with USA Today, Sloan elaborated on how he fits into the coaching speculation and a few other Lakers related topics:
"I haven't talked to anybody (from the Lakers)…That's what's interesting is that I didn't talk to anybody because it looks like I'm just trying to take every job that comes up and I don't like that. So I'll just keep out of it."
On whether or not he planned to contact the team:
"My name gets thrown in there, and it's because of convenience sometimes…But I've never been that kind of person to campaign for a job. I wasn't going to call (the Lakers) because there wasn't anybody calling to ask about it."
On the possibility of Phil Jackson returning:
"I think that's probably a good choice for them…It doesn't matter what I think, but he would certainly know what's going on there. If somebody else comes in and sees what's going on, it might shock them to death."
The Lakers' offensive struggles with the Princeton offense:
"If you're going to run an offense, the thing that I see is that it's always difficult to do…It takes time. It's not an overnight thing. I think people found that out as good as Miami was, how they struggled a little bit (in 2010) and a lot of people were surprised. It takes time for guys to adapt to what's going on, especially if you're going to run an almost exclusively halfcourt game."
With that being said, Sloan still believes that the team can become something special:
"It takes a while for great players to come together and realize what they're playing for instead of just themselves…I don't think anyone can question the talent level that they have, it's just a matter of getting the players together and sometimes it takes longer than people think. It takes a lot of patience."