Antawn Jamison Apologizes for Going Public With Complaints

Antawn Jamison hasn’t been shy about voicing displeasure with his increasingly dimished role, and the frustration he feels about playing under Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni. The 15-year veteran forward apologized for his latest outburst. Per the OC Register: “I’m kind of disappointed in myself that I kind of expressed my frustration the way I did, but I’m human,’ Jamison said. ‘We move forward and most importantly, we’ve got a game here and whether it’s me being a cheerleader and smiling or run up and down the court, I’m going to do everything that I can to be positive and make sure we continue to win games.’ Jamison, who signed a one-year deal with the Lakers last summer, said he would not seek a trade but rather be patient and wait for another opportunity to play. ‘I don’t want this to be anything bigger than what it is,’ he said. ‘I’ve been doing this for a while and I expressed my frustration and the way I did, especially after a win, it derails what we are trying to do here and I know what these guys are doing.’ D’Antoni said he and Jamison talk constantly and the player didn’t do anything that caused him to be bumped from the rotation. D’Antoni is using Metta World Peace in that role for his defense. ‘Metta would give us a little toughness and defense; he has his role,’ D’Antoni said, explaining his rationale for the moves. ‘…. If you go to a player after a game and he didn’t play, he’s going to be upset and stuff comes out. But there’s nothing there. He’s a great guy and he’s a professional and he understands I’ve picked a different way to go. Nothing he didn’t do, he just needs to keep being ready. As a coach you try to figure out the puzzle and sometimes pieces fit, you like this, you don’t like that. I’m not degrading anybody. He’s great, but right now we are going in this direction and he’ll be ready if we go in another direction or somebody gets hurt or opportunities will come up.'”