Phil Jackson is currently on his book/”Hey! I’m Alive and Want to Run Your Franchise!” media tour, and was on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” show this morning. He was asked about his reaction to the call informing him that the Lakers were going to hire Mike D’Antoni instead of him.
From ESPNLA:
When Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak called Phil Jackson to tell him the Lakers were hiring Mike D’Antoni instead of him as coach, he responded the only way he knew how.
“I laughed,” Jackson told ESPN’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning” show Wednesday. “It was humorous to me when Mitch said that we think that Mike is a better coach for this group of guys.”
Jackson had been prepared to tell Kupchak whether he was interested in returning to the Lakers’ bench the next day, but the GM called Jackson late that Sunday night, Nov. 11, to tell him the Lakers had decided to go in another direction.
Jackson said he thinks the Lakers made the decision largely based on catering to Steve Nash, their 39-year-old point guard who was limited to 50 games this season as he battled a variety of injuries.
“I think it didn’t happen because there was some concern, How are we going to move in the right direction for this ballclub?” Jackson said. “When Mitch gave me the call close to midnight on Sunday night right before I was going to give them an answer Monday morning and said, ‘We’ve made a choice. We’re going to hire Mike D’Antoni. We think he’s the best coach for this group of guys,’ My answer was, ‘For Steve Nash, yes, I agree, but for Dwight Howard, I’m not so sure.’
“In the process of thinking about how they could best use the team I think they thought first and foremost about Steve Nash and how Steve Nash was going to fit inside of an offensive system that I coach. … I think that was a concern for them.”
In hindsight, everyone is an expert aren’t they? For what it’s worth, we remember most people just being happy that Mike Brown was out. Remember Kobe’s comments about D’Antoni being a “bad man” when the announcement was made? Things change quickly.
Follow Dime Magazine on Twitter
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook
