Lakers News: Mike D'Antoni's Adjustments Have Been Key to LA's Playoff Push

Mike D'Antoni will never be Phil Jackson. He'll never win 11 championship rings, guide three different three-peats or provide the Zen wisdom that has helped bring out the best in nearly every superstar he's come across. 

D'Antoni is ringless, his best three-peat was the fact that he had three jobs prior to coming to Los Angeles and his wisdom is oftentimes shrouded by blunt, sarcastic remarks that draw ire from fans and players. 

For that reason, Los Angeles Lakers fans will never fully embrace D'Antoni. At least not until he hangs a banner in the Staples Center. They will look at him as "Not Phil." As the guy drunk-with-power Jim Buss chose over a coaching icon to fulfill a personal vendetta. 

As much was clear on Tuesday night. With Jackson on hand to pay honor to legendary center Shaquille O'Neal, who was having his jersey retired, the crowd interrupted proceedings with an impromptu "We want Phil" chant at halftime.

Bemused, O'Neal acknowledged that he indeed wanted Phil, too. It was a scene as painfully awkward as one would expect, but not nearly as much as in the Lakers' locker room. According to Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy, the Lakers were watching O'Neal get honored until the chant started, at which point Kobe Bryant flicked off the television:

When asked about the situation after the game, D'Antoni was as gregarious as one could expect.

"He's only won 58 rings," D'Antoni said (via ESPN's J.A. Adande). "Why wouldn't they?"

It's a level of self-awareness that few thought D'Antoni had. The biggest criticism when D'Antoni took the Lakers job—and I was chief among those critics—was that his arrogance had always been his undoing. That he's become so married to his system and the merits of it that the confidence had manifested itself into obliviousness. It happened most notably in New York, where D'Antoni's Knicks somehow became a better team with Jeremy Lin than Carmelo Anthony.

Whether by hook or by crook, that's changed for D'Antoni with the Lakers.

The offense Los Angeles runs now bears very little resemblance to D'Antoni's spread pick-and-roll attack. You'll see parts of the offense sprinkled in—especially when Steve Nash is playing on the ball—but the Lakers' attack has actually become seemingly amorphic.

As the brilliant Zach Lowe of Grantland notes, the Lakers adjust their offensive strategy on nearly every possession. And while there are aspects of D'Antoni's offense present, most of these adjustments have come at the expense of his spread style. Lowe notes a particular offensive set—a rather standard look with a big man planted at the elbow—that was nowhere to be found during D'Antoni's previous stops.

It's the reason why so many have said D'Antoni's system could not work with Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard on the floor at the same time. Gasol can play on the elbow or in the post; D'Antoni's system is predicated on keeping the elbows free for pick-and-rolls with the team's second "big man" usually floating beyond the arc—the Earl Clark role when he's in for Gasol or Howard. 

Even D'Antoni acknowledges there has been a ton of adjusting in his first season. 

"We had to adjust a lot," D'Antoni said (per ESPN's Dave McMenamin). "We're not running anything that I would normally run. But, we feel like what we're doing is better for the team to win right now, and I'm comfortable with that."

Of course, it did not start out that way. D'Antoni's marriage to his scheme was apparent from the moment he took over in Los Angeles, and his lack of adjustment marred much of his early tenure. The result saw the Lakers start the season 17-25, many called for D'Antoni's head on a chopping block and even more astounded that a "NBA Finals contender" could miss the playoffs.

Then, about mid-January, something switched. Most would say it came overnight, but that's never what happens in actuality. It was a gradual adjustment, and folks started noticing right around the time Bryant's assist totals went through the roof. 

Since Jan. 23, the point where the Lakers hit 17-25, Bryant has averaged 24 points, 7.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds per night—mini-LeBron numbers. Steve Nash has backed off his facilitator role for the most part and has now used a shade under 18 percent of his used possessions this season as a spot-up shooter, per Synergy Sports.

This has been done for two reasons, both Nash related. First, Nash is not creating as well off the dribble this season. He was sat out nearly the first two months of the season with a shin injury and has lacked the initial burst that made him so effective in pick-and-roll situations. What's more, Nash's excellent three-point shooting—Nash is averaging 1.34 points per possession as a spot-up shooter this season, fourth in the NBA—makes him one of the few excellent outside options the Lakers have. 

Of course, the result is what we see heading into the season's final weeks. Prior to Friday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers are 39-36, with a full game lead over the Utah Jazz for eighth place in the Western Conference. They are 22-11 since starting 17-15, which makes the Lakers a roughly 54- or 55-win team since mid-January. 

Massive problems still exist for this team, mainly on the defensive end. It is still giving up 103.6 points per 100 possessions this season, good for 17th in the league, per NBA.com. Transition defense is still a nightmare, with Bryant nearly taking as much away from the team defensively as he gives on offense. 

These are deficiencies that will last into the postseason, assuming Los Angeles gets there, and certainly rest somewhat at the feet of D'Antoni. That said, much of the team's problems on the defensive end are personnel and effort-related—only one of which the coach can actively affect. 

The Lakers are bad defensively because their regular starting five has just two plus defenders. One of those players, Metta World Peace, is recovering from knee surgery just as the other, Dwight Howard, is finally starting to show flashes of full health.

Bryant, Nash and Gasol are all whopping minuses on the defensive end. Reserve Antawn Jamison is one of the worst defenders in the league, and Steve Blake is effort and little substance on that end. D'Antoni has never been a complete rube on the defensive end as some suggested, but he's not going to fix the personnel problems.

Not even Tom Thibodeau could make this Lakers team a top-10 defensive squad. 

So D'Antoni did what he could. Adjusted his offensive scheme for the talent on the floor and hoped for the best.

D'Antoni will never be Phil Jackson. He'll never be the same basketball mind because coaches like Phil are legends for a reason—they're once in a lifetime. So while Lakers fans can argue that Jackson would have done this or would have done that, it's time they recognize the man actually on the bench was critical to saving their season.

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