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The Los Angeles Lakers on now on the hunt for a new head coach. Despite reports that the Lakers would be bringing back head coach Mike D’Antoni, the coach has reportedly resigned from his position.
D’Antoni had publicly voiced his desire to have his option for the 2015 season picked up, as he did not wish to enter 2014 as a lame duck coach. L.A. was unwilling to make a two-year commitment to D’Antoni, however, inevitably leading to his decision to step away from the team.
General Manager Mitch Kupchak thanked D’Antoni for his services in a statement to the media, noting the pressure and struggles D’Antoni endured in his two seasons with the team.
“Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons,” Kupchak said.
Kupchak might be right. Despite a franchise worst record during the 2013-14 season, D’Antoni couldn’t have been expected to come up with many answers, as star players Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash missed most of the season, while the team dealt with numerous other injuries.
For a team that boasted the likes of Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Jordan Hill as their best players at times, the Lakers were still surprisingly competitive for the majority of the season.
With D’Antoni gone, however, the rebuilding process takes a new turn. The Lakers were likely initially going to fill the roster back up with pieces that could appropriately fit D’Antoni’s system, but should now head into a different direction.
Of course, the logical next step will be finding L.A.’s new head coach. However, with fans and NBA analysts alike not overly impressed with D’Antoni’s stay in Los Angeles, fans can expect the Lakers to take their time in finding their next head coach.
