Will D'Antoni work with this team?

[joeystats]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ke...stant-mcmillan

[joeystats]

Pau Gasol @paugasol
We already have a new head coach! I'm sure that Mike D'Antoni will help us be the team that we all want to be! #GoLakers!

[joeystats]

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA
Column: Never did Phil Jackson imagine the Lakers would call his bluff to hire Mike D'Antoni, but the Buss' did. tinyurl.com/avd37gt

[joeystats]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--la...-11051709.html

[Avenged]

It should be a fun regular season now... For those of you who care about flashiness.

Not sure his fun system will translate into a championship but we'll see..

[MickeyMgl]

Why do people always have to embellish their poll choices? I voted "yes", but "it's showtime" almost made me not vote. It's not going to be Showtime.

[Hellcrooner]

In other words it appears it may not work????

Who's going to want to take on Pau's $20 mil salary.... I just dont see other teams wanting to do that

Artest isn't really attractive to other teams at the moment, but with pick n roll offense that is about to be implemented, and since Artest is the only guy willing to throw a good pick, he might be of some value to the Lakers

Bring out the oxygen tanks for our old guys

If we get Stoudamire, I quit.

I wont be surprised at all if it happens.

[NYY 26 to 7]

Preface this with - I'm a Knicks fan and D'Anotni hater but it could work. One HUGE key being Steve Nash. We never had the pg play that is needed for his offense that so largely depends on the position. Nash is obviously the best to run it. It doesn't have to be the SSOL offense and with the older team it prob will not be. What some have said it that you might need to move Pau which I think you will find is true. The biggest issue with D'Antoni is the ability to use 2 big men and have proper spacing. He pretty much always runs the high P&R which will be Howard and Nash with shooters around the 3 point line. With Pau inside or in the midrange that will kill the spacing cut down Nash's lanes and get in the way of Howard rolling to the hoop.

Other question is how he responds to Kobe and if Kobe will want to run the P&R and have the ball in his hands. Kobe is better suited than Melo at least because Kobe is a better 3 point shooter but Kobe (like Melo) is used to having the ball making plays (rightfully so he one of the best ever). So I would just look out for 2 things 1) how he handles the ball distribution and his star's egos (if they all let Nash do his thing this will work). 2) Floor spacing with Pau and Howard.

Good luck - While the move might be a bit of a risk it could be a big reward - def a different situation than the Knicks but a few similar challenges. You guys have so much talent there is a lot for him to work with. It might take some time to get his offense in place but again having Nash should make that transition easier once he is healthy.

[joeystats]

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
"You can't go wrong either way.The fans wanted Phil.But Mike has a good resume, a great offense and he will let us play freely,"-A Jamison

[GailGoodrich]

If you've taken a deep breath and you're still convinced that D'Antoni can't win a ring with the current Lakers roster, then it's time to read this:

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...ead-the-lakers

Everything you think you know about D'Antoni is cheap conventional wisdom pushed by the same media voices who thought Mike Brown just needed more time in LA.

[joeystats]

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
"Even though we are older we can still get down the court. Offense is not a problem. We have to improve on the defensive end,"A Jamison said

[joeystats]

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
"I've been around a long time. You heard people say that Phil was a done deal. But I knew it had to play right," Laker Antawn Jamison said.

[numba1CHANGsta]

Pringles are made from Mr. Potato Head

[Blackryder45]

Pringles are made from Mr. Potato Head

LOL We didnt learn from our reviews of FIRE MIKE 1 so we going into production of FIRE MIKE 2 lol. We must enjoy losing money glad it aint my money

[Pluvious]

He will work if

A) he does not play run and gun.

Or

B) We trade Artest and Pau who dont fit Run and Gun.

Artest is perfect for this type of offense. What are people talking about??? You think Quentin Richardson and Channing Frye were 40% 3 pt shooters before playing with Nash? These guys led the league in makes and at a nice clip.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/7...tin-richardson (35% career)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/.../fryech01.html (33% career before one 43% season in Phoenix).
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...artesro01.html (Artest has shot .341 for his career and looks better than recent years).
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...thomati01.html (Tim Thomas career .369 shot .429 in Phoenix).

etc...

You do not have to shoot 40% to be effective from 3.



Artest will love jacking up 3's and will get more open looks then he has seen before. Based on this season alone he is an excellent 3 pt shooter. Most of his shots are not even that open this season.