Mike D’Antoni Thinks He’d Be a ‘Perfect Fit’ for the Lakers

All signs at the moment indicate that Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers will soon be re-uniting. But, if that doesn’t work out, Mike D’Antoni would gladly take the job. Per Fox Sports: “Mike D’Antoni said that he would readily accept the vacant head coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers, which opened earlier in the day when Mike Brown was fired. ‘If they offer it, I’d love it,’ he said just hours after Brown was let go. ‘It’d be a perfect fit.’ D’Antoni said that his recent knee surgery would not serve as an obstacle to starting immediately. D’Antoni said that those wheels are in motion, with his agent Warren LeGarie having already contacted the Lakers. Meanwhile, sources close to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said that there will be an in-house push from legend-turned-team-exec Magic Johnson to hire ex-Lakers guard Brian Shaw, who was originally passed over for the job in favor of Brown and is now a Pacers assistant. The Lakers have gotten off to a slow 2-4 start but intend to move fast on a new coach. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff said that he will coach the club only for the very short term and that LA intends to have a new coach in place during the six-game home stand that began with Friday’s 10-177 win. D’Antoni is high on the list in part because of his credentials and in part because of his connections. His fast-paced offensive system would be an easy-to-install Showtime crowd-pleaser and would be triggered by new Laker Steve Nash, who keyed D’Antoni’s explosive Phoenix Suns teams. It would also feature Kobe Bryant, of course — and Bryant and D’Antoni are close due to their shared experiences with Team USA and with having both lived in Italy.”