Mitch: Problem is the players' effort, not coach

[kblo247]

This is code for my two bosses named Buss are dumbasses with no sense of what it takes to win and didnt assess these parts, like with the last mike, so I have to cover for them and spot his new dumbass

[AcecardZ]

I wonder if they’d be in this mess if they’d signed Kidd rather than Nash, and subsequently, D’Antoni.

We'd still be slow but Kidd is infinitely more versatile than Nash. He's longer, rebounds better and defends better. It would have been interesting to see what impact he would have had on our team... With Kidd I believe we're in the playoff picture but still not contending.

[aguifs]

What a joke....

[dub81]

So a team with Kobe and Steve Nash who eats and breath's basketball are lacking effort? Thanks Mitch for the encouraging words

[vmor]

T.J. SIMERS, LAT: Mike D'Antoni isn't the one to flip the switch for the Lakers:

"... Kobe Bryant said things aren't working and it's time for a change.
Coach Mike D'Antoni decided the Lakers didn't need to practice Tuesday.
Dear Phil…"

"... He promised Showtime, but who knew he was talking about the opposition? In fact he promised a lot, and has yet to deliver anything.
...isn't the problem the guy who is being paid to get the most out of each one of them?
Yet it's unclear whether he even communicates with them..."

"... Does Howard return with D'Antoni in command?
If not, does Gasol move to center and play with zest for a coach who has already eviscerated him?"

Many of us thought MDA was the wrong choice from the beginning - and I sure still do!

[GeneralNash]

You really start appreciating Phil J. after watching the offense. It's like there are no plays99% of the time out there.

[nashill]

thought he was obviously referring to Dwight

Mitch Kuchak didn't mention the name "Dwight Howard" to me when he talked about the Lakers' lack of effort, but ...
Read this answer by Kupchak and tell me that you don't think he's not calling out Howard, considering all of the ways he's saying that effort can help the Lakers' game:

"I'm a little bit concerned about our effort," Kupchak said. "I'd like to see better effort on the court. When the ball is not bouncing your way, when shots aren't going in, you just can't seem to get a break, the one thing you can control on the court is your effort and loose balls and running the floor, defending, offensive rebounding. I think back to the Miami game and I have that vision of LeBron (James) diving on that ball at midcourt. That's effort. It's natural when things get tough to hesitate and be unsure, lose confidence. That's one thing that we can't let happen. We have to maintain our confidence and our effort more than anything has to be at an all-time to get through this period."

Loose balls. Running the floor. Defending. Offensive rebounding.

Sounds like a checklist for Howard to start working on crossing off, rather than be complaining about only getting five shot attempts, as he did after the Lakers' loss to the Bulls on Monday. about 5 hours ago

http://sulia.com/mcten/

[AcecardZ]

This is a no brainer. Of course I'd like to see Howard return assuming, this might be a huge assumption, we could get a coach in place that knows how to utilize the guy to his fullest potential. This includes a coach that Dwight respects and is capable of learning from. Does such a coach exist?

[Wile E. Coyote]

Mitch said that the talent on the team was more suited to D'Antoni's system.

That's only correct if Steve Nash is the only talent you have.

[contract]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The problem is that D'Antoni is obsessed with "small ball". The Lakers may as well have hired Don Nelson. If the Lakers had Tim Duncan and David Robinson, D'Antoni would find a reason to bench or trade one of them ... and he'd secretly wish to rid himself of the other one too.

[Kilroy]

Is't this pretty much the same thing they said about Brown a couple days before he was fired?

[snaquille oatmeal]

So it wasnt just Jim but Jerry also. So can the Mike D. coaching hire not just be blamed on Jim but Jerry Buss also. Like I've been saying the FO as a whole made the mistake

Just because Jerry said no to Phil doesn't automatically make it his idea or decision to go with Pringles.

[Kilroy]

It he had a say about Phil, logic would seem to dictate he had a say about D'Antoni too.

[leeprettyp]

So it wasnt just Jim but Jerry also. So can the Mike D. coaching hire not just be blamed on Jim but Jerry Buss also. Like I've been saying the FO as a whole made the mistake

Just because Jerry said no to Phil doesn't automatically make it his idea or decision to go with Pringles.

Yeah your right, but I'm saying as a whole the front office blew up the year when they allowed their stubborness to show and not hire Phil. And then that was after the mistake of hiring Mike Brown

[leeprettyp]

They're an old team with a weak bench with real liabilities playing too fast.

THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.