After two seasons, L.A. Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni steps down.
After two difficult seasons, head coach Mike D’Antoni announced his resignation on Wednesday. The Lakers finished the season with a 67-87 record.
Although D’Antoni’s contract still had one year remaining and a $4 million salary, his agent claimed the head coach was motivated to quit after the Lakers declined to pick up his option for the 2015–16 campaign at the same cost.
The Los Angeles Times was informed by D’Antoni’s agent Warren LeGarie that his client made an untenable decision. “He cherished the young people, the guys on the team. They showed a great deal of buy-in to his belief that he had influenced their growth. However, it was obvious that not enough was there to help us overcome some of the problems.
The Lakers only made one trip to the playoffs in his brief career, which came in the previous season when they were soundly defeated in the opening round by the San Antonio Spurs. The All-Star team of the team, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, were also said to have disapproved of D’Antoni’s coaching methods.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak made a statement, saying, “Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons.” “The Lakers would like to express our gratitude to Mike for his daily contributions to the team’s work ethic, professionalism, and upbeat attitude. We hope the best for him.
On Twitter, however, where former Laker Magic Johnson delighted in the troubled coach’s exit, such generosity was conspicuously absent.
