Mike D'Antoni Will Make Lakers Coaching Debut Tuesday vs. Brooklyn Nets

After a few false alarms, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni will make his debut tonight against the Brooklyn Nets.

The New York Times’ Howard Beck reported the news via Twitter:

"

D'antoni says he will coach tonight

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeckNYT) November 20, 2012"

The Lakers hired D’Antoni on November 11 to replace Mike Brown, who was fired just five games into the season. The move to hire D'Antoni was both surprising and controversial due to Phil Jackson’s interest in the job.

After taking the job, D’Antoni originally pegged Los Angeles’ November 16 matchup with the Phoenix Suns—his former team—to be his first time on the L.A. sidelines.

But D’Antoni is still recovering from knee surgery and did not feel up to making his debut last Friday. He took two more days and attempted to make his debut during the Lakers’ November 25 matchup with the Houston Rockets, but his recovery process once again led to his debut being delayed.

Now, Lakers fans will finally get the chance to see the team’s new coach on the court. Los Angeles has won four of the five games it has played since Brown was fired, and its only loss during this stretch was by just two points to the San Antonio Spurs.

D’Antoni’s reunion with Steve Nash will not come just yet, as the L.A. point guard is still recovering from a leg injury and will not be available until at least next week, as noted by Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell.  

Still, there is no shortage of storylines surrounding this matchup. The Nets and Lakers were two of the most active teams this offseason, and Dwight Howard was heavily linked to Brooklyn before finally moving to Los Angeles.

The Nets are 6-2 this season, and tipoff for D’Antoni’s debut is at 10:30 p.m. ET.