After their third straight loss, this time to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers may have reached the boiling point in what’s still a pretty young season. These frustrations were echoed when head coach Mike D’Antoni blew up at LA Times reporter T.J. Simers when grilled about the team’s defensive woes after the game.
No one should really be surprised by this early return on D’Antoni who is 4-8 with the Lakers after taking over for Mike Brown as D’Antoni’s emphasis on defense is nonexistent. The Lakers have given up at least 100 points ten separate times this season which includes their last three games against a respectable Oklahoma City team a mediocre Jazz team and a downright awful Cavaliers team.
Sure the Lakers are dealing with injuries to Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. LA could also easily rattle off a nice series of wins to get themselves back above the .500 level. However the question remains, is D’Antoni the guy that’s going to take this team to the Finals (which IS the goal) and ultimately win it? Given his track record in the playoffs and the system he runs… it’s not very likely.