The Los Angeles Lakers went a surprising route late Sunday evening, when it was confirmed that Mike D'Antoni and not Phil Jackson would be replacing the recently fired Mike Brown as the head coach of one of the NBA's top franchises. And while the timing was certainly surprising, the key players on the Lakers roster seem to believe adjusting to the team's new coach should be rather seamless.
Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant like Lakers’ Mike D’Antoni hire
Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant both spoke with USA Today's Sam Amick about D'Antoni following the Lakers' victory over the Sacramento Kings -- and therefore before the hiring of the team's new head coach -- on Sunday night.
“Obviously with Mike, everyone knows how I feel about him,” Nash, who is out with a non-displaced fracture in his left fibula at least until Friday, told USA TODAY Sports after the Lakers downed Sacramento. “It’d be a seamless fit for me.”
The reason everyone knows how Nash feels about D'Antoni, for those who didn't follow the mega-fun Phoenix Suns, is that the head coach and point guard teamed up for the famed Seven Seconds or Less offense that allowed Nash to earn a pair of Most Valuable Player awards.
Bryant, on the other hand, has never played under D’Antoni. The Black Mamba is very familiar with his new head coach, however, as he grew up in Italy watching D’Antoni as a player with Olimpia Milano.
“There’s some great coaches out there, and (D’Antoni would) be another guy who I’d be absolutely in favor of,” Bryant said Friday. “I mean, I love D’Antoni and what he brings.”
It’s always important to have the team’s leaders in favor of coaching changes and, considering these quotes came before D’Antoni was even hired, this certainly seems to be a step in the right direction.
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