Buss and Kukchap Meets With Dumbtoni Today

[True Lakers Fan]

In a three way meeting according to ESPN the two met with Dumbtoni to see if there was anything the could do after the worst lost in Lakers history. Per ESPN - no changes are being considered for the time being and they are not inclined to make any at this time

That sounds like a change is going to be forthcoming this summer and I believe D'antoni will be history. If that's the case though I propose that they fire his ass now, and place Rambis as the Head coach for the remaining portion of the season. It's a win win for them because Rambis gets 22 games or so to prove that he is worth keeping on a long term. The players respect him and Rambis is known for defense. The season is shot so if it seems like to the management that Rambis is a lost cause, they can begin their search for a coach with a brain. No one can lose.

If the Lakers keeps Gasol - then D'antoni has to be fired - Gasol and Kobe are not compatible with D'antoni's style of play. If the Lakers are committed to show time - like they said, that would be great, but D'antoni is not good enough to know how to play show time. They played defense in show time. This group of Lakers are not playing any defense.

 

[starbigd]

I don't see how you can keep him.

It's one thing to lose with this roster that frankly wouldn't be winning even WITH Kobe and Nash. It's another to see the total lack of effort......and know for a fact that D'antoni has NO ANSWERS or solutions.

He's not the guy that can figure things out, make changes, and improve the team. He's just not that guy. There's no reason to keep him at this point - but then, there was never a reason to hire him to begin with. Who they REALLY need to dump is Short Buss

 

[True Lakers Fan]

I don't see how you can keep him.

It's one thing to lose with this roster that frankly wouldn't be winning even WITH Kobe and Nash. It's another to see the total lack of effort......and know for a fact that D'antoni has NO ANSWERS or solutions.

He's not the guy that can figure things out, make changes, and improve the team. He's just not that guy. There's no reason to keep him at this point - but then, there was never a reason to hire him to begin with. Who they REALLY need to dump is Short Buss

Short Buss can't be fired, but what needs to happen is for Buss to resign and put the basketball operations into the hands of Jeannie and let her move forward with the company. That's not going to happen. Buss at this point needs to realize that he made a mistake and it's time to part ways with D'antoni who is not conducive to the future of the Lakers franchise.

 

[Silas]

Too bad Jim Buss was included in the meeting. He is as useless as D'Antoni.

 

[wlk3]

It's not going to happen... They are tanking and going through the motions or he'd be gone by now... He is terrible but they have the whole "injury" thing to hold his spot... Seems like they want to give him 1 last shot with his system... I don't like anybody to stay at this point except, Farmar, Bazemore, Henry, Meeks, Kelly, Sacre... And they would be Bench players... I don't know if Rambis is the answer either, the Wolves let him go for a reason... I'd look at JVGundy, Hollins, Stan VGundy in that order... Then put together a roster with the Head Coaches input...

 

[LogicMan]

Can't blame dantoni for decisions above. Fixing the culture will start at the top . Kobe cannot be driving this team. It's time for the rebuild.

 

[HizzleRocker]

That sounds promising. I agree about Rambis, but the only problem would be if Rambis somehow started turning things around. The last thing we can afford right now is to start playing inspired team basketball. We are playing Ping Pong.

 

[trojanfan12]

I think the Lakers will give D'Antoni an opportunity to show what he can do with a healthy lineup. He simply has not had a fair chance to show what he can do.


I see the Lakers bringing him back. However, I also think that his leash will be fairly short. If he has a healthy team next season and there still isn't much improvement, then he will be let go.


I'm not worried about Gasol or Kobe in his system. His system is NOT the "7 Seconds or Less" that's indicated by the title of his book. He ran it that way in Phoenix because those are the players he had. His system is more "move it or shoot it". Gasol has played well since he has managed to figure out his role in the system. The harder adjustment would be for Kobe because he is a ballstopper and that is what can hurt D'Antoni's system (it's why his offense stopped working in NY when 'Melo came back). Kobe is smart enough to adapt to the system and could be more efficient because more ball movement generally means more open shots.

 

[HizzleRocker]

I think the Lakers will give D'Antoni an opportunity to show what he can do with a healthy lineup. He simply has not had a fair chance to show what he can do.


I see the Lakers bringing him back. However, I also think that his leash will be fairly short. If he has a healthy team next season and there still isn't much improvement, then he will be let go.


I'm not worried about Gasol or Kobe in his system. His system is NOT the "7 Seconds or Less" that's indicated by the title of his book. He ran it that way in Phoenix because those are the players he had. His system is more "move it or shoot it". Gasol has played well since he has managed to figure out his role in the system. The harder adjustment would be for Kobe because he is a ballstopper and that is what can hurt D'Antoni's system (it's why his offense stopped working in NY when 'Melo came back). Kobe is smart enough to adapt to the system and could be more efficient because more ball movement generally means more open shots.

The definition of insanity is trying the same failure over and over again and expecting a different result. He has failed every single place he has ever gone. Even in Phoenix he couldn't sniff a ring with an HOF'er in his prime and all-star studded teams. He was flat out awful in New York. He couldn't make the playoffs with Kobe and Dwight. He ran Dwight out of town, and is trying to do the same thing with Gasol. I hold him personally responsible for Kobe's achilles injury. And his teams have almost always been dead last in defense throughout his entire career.

I guess I am saying I respectfully disagree. I do however want to keep him the rest of the year. He is the perfect fit for "Operation Tank."

 

[Black Adam]

The definition of insanity is trying the same failure over and over again and expecting a different result. He has failed every single place he has ever gone. Even in Phoenix he couldn't sniff a ring with an HOF'er in his prime and all-star studded teams. He was flat out awful in New York. He couldn't make the playoffs with Kobe and Dwight. He ran Dwight out of town, and is trying to do the same thing with Gasol. I hold him personally responsible for Kobe's achilles injury. And his teams have almost always been dead last in defense throughout his entire career.

I guess I am saying I respectfully disagree. I do however want to keep him the rest of the year. He is the perfect fit for "Operation Tank."

he DID come damn close, which is why imo that TF12 wants to give the guy a chance. imo Stern screwed the Suns that season in the playoff matchup with the Spurs...

 

[trojanfan12]

The definition of insanity is trying the same failure over and over again and expecting a different result. He has failed every single place he has ever gone. Even in Phoenix he couldn't sniff a ring with an HOF'er in his prime and all-star studded teams. He was flat out awful in New York. He couldn't make the playoffs with Kobe and Dwight. He ran Dwight out of town, and is trying to do the same thing with Gasol. I hold him personally responsible for Kobe's achilles injury. And his teams have almost always been dead last in defense throughout his entire career.

I guess I am saying I respectfully disagree. I do however want to keep him the rest of the year. He is the perfect fit for "Operation Tank."

In Phoenix, he took that team to 2 WCF's and may have made the finals had Horry not "cross checked Nash into the boards". Also, of those players that he had, which of them has ever been considered a defensive stalwart under any coach? His system made most of those players all-stars. It's not like he was handed a group of known all-stars.

In NY, the offense was running fine when 'Melo was out and made Jeremy Lin a lot of money (remember "Linsanity"?).

And he actually did make the playoffs with Kobe and Dwight. That was after taking over an already injured team after the season had already started and coming off surgery himself.

I'm not saying that D'Antoni is the answer. I'm not saying he isn't. Just that, all things considered, he at least deserves a chance with a healthy roster. In the '05-'06 season, Phil Jackson took over a Lakers team with an in his prime Kobe and a better roster than this one and went 45-37 to earn a 7th seed in the playoffs and lost in the first round 4-3 to D'Antoni's Suns.

In '06-'07, with an in his prime Kobe and a better roster than this one, Phil guided the Lakers to a 42-40 record and another 1st round exit (4-1) to D'Antoni's Suns.

It wasn't until '07-'08 when Bynum started to become a factor and Mitch pulled off the trade for Gasol that the Lakers returned to the top. Amazing what a little talent can do for a coach.

I blame the front office and Phil for all of the D'Antoni hate. They are the one's that made it appear that we were getting Phil and then offered the job to D';Antoni. Had Phil just accepted the job instead of trying to play his usual mind games, D'Antoni wouldn't be the coach. If the Lakers had given Phil the weekend as he asked, D'Antoni wouldn't be the coach.

Also, if the Lakers had never spoken to Phil and just hired D'Antoni, he wouldn't be getting all of this hate because there would be no "what if" re: Phil.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

I think the Lakers will give D'Antoni an opportunity to show what he can do with a healthy lineup. He simply has not had a fair chance to show what he can do.

It's the way he runs the team that's causing these injuries though. Whether it's at practise or the way he draws up plays - it's clear it's fucking our players up.

Couple of injuries, maybe. But we had young guys like X, Farmar and Young out for weeks. That's not just a fluke any more.

 

[trojanfan12]

he DID come damn close, which is why imo that TF12 wants to give the guy a chance. imo Stern screwed the Suns that season in the playoff matchup with the Spurs...

^^^THIS^^^

One thing people need to remember too: the D'Antoni hire was Dr. Buss endorsed. He wanted Showtime back and D'Antoni's offense is extremely close to the Showtime offense. So, it's not as if Dr. Buss was 100% in favor of bringing Phil back. Most people think Jim Buss was responsible for the D'Antoni hire because of the bitch move he pulled when Phil left by trying to all but erase any remnants of Phil and the triangle.

 

[HizzleRocker]

In Phoenix, he took that team to 2 WCF's and may have made the finals had Horry not "cross checked Nash into the boards". Also, of those players that he had, which of them has ever been considered a defensive stalwart under any coach? His system made most of those players all-stars. It's not like he was handed a group of known all-stars.

In NY, the offense was running fine when 'Melo was out and made Jeremy Lin a lot of money (remember "Linsanity"?).

And he actually did make the playoffs with Kobe and Dwight. That was after taking over an already injured team after the season had already started and coming off surgery himself.

I'm not saying that D'Antoni is the answer. I'm not saying he isn't. Just that, all things considered, he at least deserves a chance with a healthy roster. In the '05-'06 season, Phil Jackson took over a Lakers team with an in his prime Kobe and a better roster than this one and went 45-37 to earn a 7th seed in the playoffs and lost in the first round 4-3 to D'Antoni's Suns.

In '06-'07, with an in his prime Kobe and a better roster than this one, Phil guided the Lakers to a 42-40 record and another 1st round exit (4-1) to D'Antoni's Suns.

It wasn't until '07-'08 when Bynum started to become a factor and Mitch pulled off the trade for Gasol that the Lakers returned to the top. Amazing what a little talent can do for a coach.

I blame the front office and Phil for all of the D'Antoni hate. They are the one's that made it appear that we were getting Phil and then offered the job to D';Antoni. Had Phil just accepted the job instead of trying to play his usual mind games, D'Antoni wouldn't be the coach. If the Lakers had given Phil the weekend as he asked, D'Antoni wouldn't be the coach.

Also, if the Lakers had never spoken to Phil and just hired D'Antoni, he wouldn't be getting all of this hate because there would be no "what if" re: Phil.

Admittedly I'm probably not giving him enough credit for Phoenix years. However, even with the players and teams that he had - he has never once even been able to coach in an NBA Championship game. Never made it out of the West.

Also, we all know that his defenses on every team in every city in every year has stunk. That part will not change. What coach can be bad on defense with Kobe, MWP, and Dwight?

 

[trojanfan12]

It's the way he runs the team that's causing these injuries though. Whether it's at practise or the way he draws up plays - it's clear it's fucking our players up.

Couple of injuries, maybe. But we had young guys like X, Farmar and Young out for weeks. That's not just a fluke any more.

Seriously?!? How does the way he runs the team cause injuries? This reeks of just trying to balme anything and everything on D'Antoni. Last season, he was handed a team that was already struggling with injuries. Dwight, Pau and Kobe were all already struggling with injuries before D'Antoni was hired. Nash's broken leg was before D'Antoni.

You can't injure a player by how you draw up a play. Injuries happen. San Antonio has set a franchise record for minutes missed due to injury this season. Is anyone blaming Pop?

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Seriously?!? How does the way he runs the team cause injuries? This reeks of just trying to balme anything and everything on D'Antoni. Last season, he was handed a team that was already struggling with injuries. Dwight, Pau and Kobe were all already struggling with injuries before D'Antoni was hired. Nash's broken leg was before D'Antoni.

You can't injure a player by how you draw up a play. Injuries happen. San Antonio has set a franchise record for minutes missed due to injury this season. Is anyone blaming Pop?

How do you explain it? Literally EVERY player on this team has been out for a while at some point.

D'Antoni has nothing to do with it? Is it in the water?

 

[Jims_Doors]

In a three way meeting according to ESPN the two met with Dumbtoni to see if there was anything the could do after the worst lost in Lakers history. Per ESPN - no changes are being considered for the time being and they are not inclined to make any at this time

That sounds like a change is going to be forthcoming this summer and I believe D'antoni will be history. If that's the case though I propose that they fire his ass now, and place Rambis as the Head coach for the remaining portion of the season. It's a win win for them because Rambis gets 22 games or so to prove that he is worth keeping on a long term. The players respect him and Rambis is known for defense. The season is shot so if it seems like to the management that Rambis is a lost cause, they can begin their search for a coach with a brain. No one can lose.

If the Lakers keeps Gasol - then D'antoni has to be fired - Gasol and Kobe are not compatible with D'antoni's style of play. If the Lakers are committed to show time - like they said, that would be great, but D'antoni is not good enough to know how to play show time. They played defense in show time. This group of Lakers are not playing any defense.

Letting Rambis coach for 22 games, with that roster, will be enough for the front office to see if he's worthy of keeping long term???? Are you fuckin' serious?

Rambis is known for coaching defense? His 2yrs in Minnesota they finished 29th and 30th in the league in total defense. Not saying that's entirely his fault but still....

I think the needle and the spoon has done some serious damage to your brain over the years

 

[trojanfan12]

Admittedly I'm probably not giving him enough credit for Phoenix years. However, even with the players and teams that he had - he has never once even been able to coach in an NBA Championship game. Never made it out of the West.

Also, we all know that his defenses on every team in every city in every year has stunk. That part will not change. What coach can be bad on defense with Kobe, MWP, and Dwight?

I'm not saying D'Antoni will ever be confused with Thibs when it comes to coaching defense, but that's why Rambis was hired. To essentially be the "Defensive Coordinator". Defense is about communication and trusting that your teammates will be react appropriately to the offense. Because of the injuries and constant lineup changes, the Lakers have not been able to develop that aspect. That's why we often see them defend fairly well for 10-15 seconds, but then break down when the offense moves to other options.

As for being bad on defense with Kobe, MWP and Dwight. Let's not pretend that he was handed an in their prime Kobe and MWP or a healthy Dwight. Dwight's defense started to improve last season as his back injury got better.

We're looking at 2-4 seasons to be contenders again anyway, so give the guy another season or 2 with a healthy team and see what we've got. If there isn't enough improvement, then cut him loose.

If the Lakers let him go without giving him a fair shot, why would another coach want to take over knowing that the same could happen to him?

 

[trojanfan12]

How do you explain it? Literally EVERY player on this team has been out for a while at some point.

D'Antoni has nothing to do with it? Is it in the water?

Age and bad luck. It happens. Kobe, Pau and Nash are at ages where the body just breaks down more easily and nagging injuries last longer. Kobe's injury issues are very likely the result of all of the injuries that he has played with throughout his career. We have all praised him and talked about his toughness as he played through injuries that would have sidelined most other players and that takes a toll.

As for the rest. It happens. Teams have seasons where they are just decimated by injuries. It happens to at least one or 2 teams, every season, in every sport. As I pointed out, the Spurs have set a franchise record this season for minutes missed due to injury, yet no one is blaming Pop.

It seems that several of these injuries are strains, pulls, etc. that could be fatigue related because most of these guys are seeing more minutes than they ever have in their careers. That's not D'Antoni's fault. That's the players we have on the roster. With the number of games that Kobe, Pau and Nash have missed, that puts a lot more pressure on these players to have to play even more minutes.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

It seems that several of these injuries are strains, pulls, etc. that could be fatigue related because most of these guys are seeing more minutes than they ever have in their careers. That's not D'Antoni's fault. That's the players we have on the roster. With the number of games that Kobe, Pau and Nash have missed, that puts a lot more pressure on these players to have to play even more minutes.

It is his fault though.

I like the fact we're giving young guys an opportunity to prove themselves. But if a guy who's played 8 minutes per game for most of his career all of a sudden does 35/40 minutes, don't be surprised if he breaks down after a month.

D'Antoni should have been aware of that. It's the head coach's job after all. He should have done his homework.