Before Kentucky took on UConn on Monday night at AT&T Stadium, a rumor started to circulate about John Calipari set to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Although many rumors have been swirling about the fate of current head coach Mike D’Antoni, conflicting reports continue to surface about his immediate future with the Lakers.
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On Tuesday, D’Antoni was asked by the media if he felt he deserved to return next season. D’Antoni said the following according to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
D'Antoni to @jillpainter on if he deserves to coach LAL next season:“It’s not up to me to feel any way. I just try to do the best job I can"
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 8, 2014
After Phil Jackson took the job to become the new president of the New York Knicks, the Lakers organization dealt with a severe backlash from the fans, former players and the media for not bringing back the 11-time NBA champion in some capacity.
Many desired a change at head coach with replacing D’Antoni for Jackson being proposed as the best course of action with talk of the former Laker head coach being interested in getting back to work. Despite Jackson’s desire to get back to work, a return to the Lakers simply wasn’t an option for the team and now they must deal with more rumors involving another high profile coach in Calipari.
At this point in time, there’s been no clear indication of whether the Lakers will keep D’Antoni or explore other options this summer. Over the past few months, a report has surfaced saying that Kobe Bryant is done playing for D’Antoni and another saying that the team intends to retain him for next season.
Regardless of these conflicting reports, there’s no telling what the immediate future holds for D’Antoni or the Lakers. A change could be made or the team could stick with the veteran head coach for the final guaranteed year of his contract.
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VIDEO: Lakers Rumors – John Calipari To The Lakers? Are The Lakers Leaning Towards Parting Ways With Mike D’Antoni?