LITTLE ROCK — Phil factor denounces D’Antoni
Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke believes that the Los Angeles Lakers have made their situation worse by hiring Mike D’Antoni as their new head coach.
“The new Los Angeles Lakers coach famously wants his players to shoot in seven seconds or less.
I’m not going to require that long to list the reasons that hiring Mike D’Antoni was yet another [Jim] Buss blunder,” Plaschke wrote.
“He’s never taken a team to an NBA Finals. He has a losing record in the playoffs. He doesn’t coach defense. His sprinting offense will be tested on a team led by aging guys who no longer sprint.
“And, oh yeah, he’s not Phil Jackson.
“I’ll repeat what I wrote on Friday, only now with a greater and sadder emphasis: The only way the panicky firing of Mike Brown makes even an ounce of sense is if he was immediately replaced by Jackson.
“Turns out, not only did Jim Buss not have a deal in place with Jackson when he fired Brown - an inconceivable truth - but he also wasn’t prepared to make a deal. Buss apparently walked away from Jackson partially because the coach asked for an ownership piece of the team. Magic Johnson wins five championship rings and gets a piece of the Lakers, but Jackson’s five championship rings gets him the door? This couldn’t be because Jim Buss never really liked Jackson, could it?
“Mike D’Antoni is a great guy and a charismatic presence.
If they add some younger and quicker pieces, the Lakers could eventually be wildly fun. But he has even less credibility with players than Mike Brown. He is exactly as one-dimensional as Mike Brown. And his postseason basketball success makes Mike Brown look like, well, Jackson.
“If you want to hire D’Antoni, you give Brown more than five games to get this roster figured out, because the transition time for D’Antoni is going to be long and the rewards are going to be questionable. If you want to hire D’Antoni, you make darn sure this season is trashed first, because there are no guarantees that his system can get any team past the second round.”
Golden Tebow?
Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice helped seal the Seahawks’ 28-7 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
After the game, Rice mocked Tate’s left-handed pass, which Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer called “awkward.”
“His throwing motion was the worst,” Rice said. “I thought we traded for [Tim] Tebow for a second.”
Defending himself
During Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher congratulated former teammate and current Texans safety Danieal Manning on a first-quarter interception.
Manning’s Texans beat Urlacher’s Bears 13-6 to improve to 8-1 this season.
On The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN Chicago (WMVP-AM) on Monday, Urlacher was critical of fans’ reactions toward the play.
“That was a nice play,” Urlacher said. “I could give a c+++ about what people think on the street. Get mad at me all you want. I could give a c+++ about what people say. Danieal Manning is a friend of mine, he was a teammate for five or six years, and that’s the way it is. He made a catch and was running toward the sideline to say something to Coach [Lovie Smith], so I walked out there.
“The guy had a good game, he caused a fumble, had a pick. He’s my friend. I wish he wouldn’t have caught it, but he did, so nice play to you.”
Quote of the day “As you look at this team, we’re 7-3. Obviously, it’s very different than being 3-7 right now and trying to get the team up.” Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen on his Bulldogs, who host Arkansas on Saturday
Sports, Pages 16 on 11/13/2012