Perhaps one of the toughest jobs in the NBA is following in the footsteps of Phil Jackson. No matter what head coaches have on their resume or what they may have accomplished in the past, they’ll always be second fiddle to the 11-time NBA champion.
A perfect example is Mike D’Antoni and the mess that he inherited after being hired over Jackson two years ago. D’Antoni hasn’t been able to turn things around and has been criticized every step of the way with seemingly no one wanting him in Los Angeles coaching the Lakers.
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On Monday morning, Steve Nash made an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to talk about his situation and the state of the Lakers franchise. Nash believes one of the main reasons D’Antoni is so heavily criticized is the fact that he’s simply not Jackson according to ESPN’s Arash Markazi:
Steve Nash on D'Antoni on @TheHerd: "His biggest fault in many ways is that he's not Phil."
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 24, 2014
With the Lakers on the verge of ending a historically bad season, D’Antoni’s future with the team hangs in the balance. Although still under contract, the consensus seems to be that he’ll be fired at some point between now and the start of next season.
As a result of the disappointing season, the Lakers brass may have to start fresh with a new head coach to go along with a potentially revamped roster. A lot of changes appear to be on the horizon with the firing of D’Antoni possibly being the first move made by Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss.
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VIDEO: Frustrated Kobe Bryant Jokes At Lakers Terrible Season ‘I Guess Fail And Be The Best At It,’ Mike D’Antoni Has Quite The Joke Too
Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)
