Heading into the final game of the 2013-14 NBA season, the future remains uncertain for the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Mike D’Antoni.
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Once the worst season in franchise history comes to an end, D’Antoni said he’ll sit down with Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak to see where to go from here according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“The next step will be to sit down with Jim (Buss) and all them and Mitch (Kupchak) at the end of the year and talk things out, see where things are,” D’Antoni said after shootaround Wednesday morning.
It is no secret at this point in time where the fans stand with D’Antoni. The current head coach isn’t a fan favorite and hasn’t been since being hired over Phil Jackson last year. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be staying in Los Angeles next season.
D’Antoni admits that he hasn’t talked to Kupchak or Buss as of yet, but plans to do so in the coming days via McMenamin:
“We haven’t talked,” D’Antoni said. “So, that will be done in the next couple days and then we’ll just see.”
With the Lakers having an incredible amount of flexibility this summer, the team could be on the verge of some drastic changes. Only a handful of players are under contract for next season meaning this squad could look considerably different at the start of the 2014-15 NBA season.
The team’s plans moving forward remain unclear with no indication whether the Lakers will attempt to make game-changing moves this off-season or if they’ll wait until the summer of 2015 to go after a big-name player like Kevin Love. Although there has been no indication, the team could go either way depending on the opportunities that might be presented this summer.
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