Los Angeles Lakers Hire Mike D'Antoni

In a move sure to shock the basketball world, the Los Angeles Lakers have come to terms with coach Mike D'Antoni for their vacant head coaching position, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

It seemed sure the Lakers would bring back former coach Phil Jackson, but the sides likely could not agree on the terms. According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, Jackson had demands related to travel restrictions with the team as well as control over basketball-related operations.

Coach D'Antoni will come in with high expectations. The Lakers front office has already made it clear they want to win now. Can D'Antoni live up to the pressure?

It will be a gamble for the Lakers. D'Antoni didn't fare very well with his last trio of superstars in New York and resigned after not meeting expectations with a very talented group that included Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin.

Steve Nash will definitely enjoy Mike D'Antoni's arrival, as Nash won back-to-back MVPs under the coach during his time with Phoenix Suns. D'Antoni's fast-paced style suits the play of Nash and should cause the point guard to recover from his slow start.

How Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard adjust will be the important question.

Either way, the clock now begins to tick in L.A., and this time D'Antoni on the hot seat.

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