Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni has been under fire during the season and the off-season as he’s seemingly become the main reason that impending free agent Dwight Howard won’t re-sign.
D’Antoni was hired five games into the season last year after Mike Brown didn’t win a preseason game and started the season 1-4.
However, Dave McMeniman of ESPNLA.com reported that D’Antoni will be around for the long run:
Source close to Dwight: “Howard has not asked for Mike D’Antoni to be fired and Howard will not ask for that”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 30, 2013
If the Lakers were to cut ties with D’Antoni this would be the time since he hasn’t filled out his coaching staff and wouldn’t need to buy-out any coaches.
It was reported yesterday that the Lakers were aggressively pursuing former assistant coach Kurt Rambis, a sign that former head coach Phil Jackson’s role as consultant is influential.
Howard voiced his disdain for D’Antoni’s system earlier this week and he clashed several times through the media about his misuse in his system.
It’s also possible if the Lakers were to falter at the outset of next season after such a tumultuous 2012-13 season, management could follow the same patten they did with Brown and fire D’Antoni.
Regardless, if Howard is to re-sign with the Lakers, D’Antoni will be his head coach, but could develop better into his system with a full training camp ahead of him.
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