Time is now to fire D’Antoni

Ever since Mike D’Antoni took the job to become the Lakers head coach, people have been calling for his job. He just  isn’t Phil Jackson which is the high standard that the Laker fans and organization have for their signal caller. To D’Antoni’s credit he dealt all season with numerous injuries and lack of chemistry and still got his players to play at a high energy level most of the time.

In Lakerland though, that isn’t enough, no matter who has the jersey on. D’Antoni is the perfect coach for a team like the Bucks or Magic — teams where there isn’t much pressure to win and if you do win a little bit then you are idolized. He’s a good coach but has been exposed by the NBA since his days with the Suns, when he had a young Steve Nash to play with.

He never was the right coach for the Lakers. The best move for the team to do to move forward would be to fire D’Antoni now and start fresh. The Lakers are in a rare rebuilding time, though not everyone feels that way. Kobe Bryant wants to win now so firing D’Antoni makes the most sense.

S*** season. Flush it. Forget it #amnesia Next Season will be epic #blackout #bussfam

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 16, 2014

I admit that I have called for his job on many occasions throughout his brief tenure with the Lakers and I still would like to see him be fired but I respect what he has been able to accomplish with so little as well. What else would I like to see?

1. Fire Mike D’Antoni and show that losing no matter the circumstances still is not acceptable

2. Hire a coach like Kurt Rambis or Byron Scott, someone who knows what it is like and what it takes to win as a Laker. Plus they both have some previous coaching experience.

3. I am guessing but I expect the Lakers to end up with up somewhere in the #4-6 pick in the draft, so take Julius Randle from Kentucky assuming he declares and is available at that spot. Randle has an NBA-ready body and skillset. He reminds me of a Zach Randolph-type player who would help the Lakers for years to come.

4 a. Sign Luol Deng (10M), Elton Brand (3M).

4 b. Re-sign Pau Gasol (7M), Jodie Meeks(5M), Nick Young(3M), Kent Bazemore(2M), Ryan Kelly(1M), Jordan Farmar(2M), and Jordan Hill (5M)

Projected Depth Chart:

Nash/Farmar/Marshall

Kobe/Meeks/Bazemore

Deng/Young/Bazemore

Randle/Brand/Kelly

Gasol/Hill

Go into battle with this team, hopefully make a run at the playoffs and prepare for a 2015 offseason where Kevin Love could end up putting on the famous purple and gold uniform.

Ed. note — We’re getting into an area with these next few that turns some people off — assumptions that guys want to sign and that we know exactly what a guy’s market value is. Bear with us. This is a fun thing for fans to do sometimes, so we don’t have a problem doing it here. If you think we’re wrong about something in particular, comment below.