The Good and Bad of Mike D'antoni Becoming Lakers Head Coach

The Good and Bad of Mike D'Antoni Becoming Lakers Head Coach
The big news this week out of the NBA is The Lakers firing of Mike Brown and bringing in Mike D'Antoni. While a lot has been with the fact that Phil Jackson was rumored to wanting to come back and the Lakers not bringing him back. The realism is setting in now on is this a good move for The Lakers a team with 4 stars. As in any situation there is good and bad with this singing.

The Good

   Ever since Phil Jackson left The Lakers really haven't had an identity on the offensive side of the ball. That is why Mike Brown brought in Eddie Jordan and the Princeton-offense. The Lakers din't have the time or the players to work that offense which is the reason why it din't work and that Mike Brown is out of a job. With D'antoni you have a guy who loves offense. His idea of defense is to out score the other guy and with players like Kobe, Nash, Howard, and Gasol he will have a lot of weapons to work with. While he never had two big like this his style does give room for some freedom for the guys to work. If he does the right tweaking he will have the Lakers scoring at a high level pace. With the fact that Nash has done well under him and Kobe has respect for him this does give D'antoni more of a chance to work his offense then Brown.

The Bad 

   Mike D'antoni's biggest thing against him is that he is not Phil Jackson. He which none is but when you have the Staples center chanting "We want Phil" that is tough for someone who comes in and is not Phil Jackson. As far as on the court he will have to deal with spacing the floor with two 7 footers which in a system like D'antoni's is not an easy thing. He will also have to find shooters which is a big part in this system. The main thing is finding a way to get Kobe as many shots as he could. Say what you want about Kobe he is still a top 5 player at worst. Those are problems on the offensive side of the ball which could be corrected with the players they got they are smart players that can figure it out. Another huge thing is the defense if the Lakers can't find a way to defend with the west being so deep it can be a quick end to the season in Staples.

   The big thing that not many people are talking about is the fact that The Lakers got a coach that doesn't fit Dwights style of play and with this being a walk year for Dwight and D'antoni having a 3 year deal this could really be a big risk if it don't go well for the future of The Lakers.  

The Final Say

  All those things being said I think that as far as the regular season goes The Lakers will be a top 3 seed. I think that they will tweak some things that get Dwight and Pau involved together. I see Kobe really finding a way to make this work. On the defensive side of the ball  I think they will be the best defensive team D'antoni has had with guys like Dwight, Artest, and Kobe. If Dwight finds himself and gets right this team will still be a force. I did pick them to win it all and yes I am sticking with it, that being said I am less confident about it with D,antoni then if Phil Jackson was coaching this team.

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE…TO THE DRAFT BY MUEED KUMANDAN

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE… TO THE DRAFT BY MUEED KUMANDAN

With the latest struggles that the Eagles have been facing, much of the spotlight has been on Vick’s performance and Andy Reid's coaching; however, there are various assets that the Eagles struggle to perfect.

Quarterback: The Eagles have many problems, yet Michael Vick is the center of these problems. After 8 weeks, Vick has a 77.7 QBR with 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, which is subpar; but who can blame him. Vick has been sacked 27 times and has lost a total of 149 yards, encompassing 10 fumbles (5 of them lost).  

Running Back: This season, Lesean Mccoy has had 623 yards with 2 touchdowns and 4.3 yards a carry. His longest rush was 34 yards and has only had 6 carries with over 20 yards, but we can go back to the lack of a productive o-line. In addition, he has 30 receptions for 148 yards and 3 tds. Rushing-wise, Mccoy is capable of putting up better numbers to help Vick out, but their o-line needs to step up. Their other rb is Bryce Brown, whom does not have any tds and has rushed for 105 yards. This is another reason their offense has struggled. They do not have an effect 1 2 combo at rb, which can also help Vick out.   

Tight End: Brent Celek only has 1 td with 33 receptions and 436 yards. Really? Their other TE, Clay Harbor, was targeted 18 times and has 1 td. They have weapons but they need a better offensive gameplan.    

Offensive Line:  Dunlap has been playing good but he has been missing key blocks for Vick to hurry up. Evan Mathis has been slacking. Reynolds tries to do too much and gets knocked over. The rookie Kelly has an ankle issue and starts off well but needs to work on finishing games. The same thing with Herremans.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: After 9 weeks, this team has 11 sacks. They are on pace to put together 22 sacks by the end of the year. They are ranked 31^st in sacks. How is your defense inconsistent in producing sacks when you have Ryans, Cole, Jenkins, Cox, and Babin on your defense? Castillo has to use his players better because their guys are underperforming. Last season, Babin was 3^rd in the NFL in sacks with 18. So far this season, he has 3.5 sacks. Cole has 1.5 sacks. Unacceptable!

Secondary: Nate Allen gets burned on just about every Play-Action Pass. With only 24 tackles and 1 pick, Nnamdi has fallen short of expectations. He takes up 1/3 of their payroll too. Rodgers-Cromartie is another corner that bites on pump fakes. He has 24 tackles and 3 picks which isn’t too bad though. 

Special Teams: I enjoyed the trickery during Monday’s Saints and Eagles game. Too bad it didn’t count. Eagles are ranked 30^th in punt return average. They only have 3 returns that were more than 7 yards, the longest was 13. They are 26^th in Kick-Return Average, 28^th in Punt Coverage 25^th , and 23^rd in net punting average. Yeh, this special teams is that bad!

So through statistical evidence, I conclude that it is unfair to blame Vick for their recent struggles. Eagles’ defense and O-line have to step up to have any chance in making the playoffs. Only time will tell!