Laker Land

So long Mike Brown.  On Friday the Lakers coach was axed.  Holy panic move Batman.  Incredible.  He should have been given 20 games to figure it out.  That was not the case.  After a 1 and 4 start the coach had to go.  Kobe aside from the death stare at Mike Brown in Utah must have said something to management.  I guess the move reinforces that the window for the Lakers to contend and win another championship is very short.  Two years.
The main issue with the Lakers is footspeed.  The starters are old(kobe and nash) or big men.(howard and gasol)  Not exactly a unit that fits in with today"s fast paced game.  However, with the right coaching the Lakers can figure it out.
Bench play has also killed the Lakers.  Again the bench can become useful with more time and coaching.
The Princeton offense was a joke.  There is no need to have four future hall of famer's running around thinking too much about the correct play.  For the most part leave them alone and let them play their games.  Brown didn't deserve to be fired so early in the season but this offense was lunacy.  I would argue that the offense could be formulated by the players themselves given their experience.
What's next?  The Lakers are currently talking with Phil Jackson and Mike D'antoni.  Phil seems like a wiser pick should something be worked out.  Apparently he wants more control than his last time in LA given the issues he had with the Buss son.  Phil would like travel restrictions for himself regarding road games and his successor in place.  Look for Brian Shaw to fill this role.  The sides are in talks.  D'antoni seems a poor fit to me.  His uptempo style seems wiser for younger legs than the Lakers have.  Plus the guy can't spell defense.  I really hope something is worked out with Phil.  The triangle would work with the superstars and he is the Zen master.
On Friday the Lakers came out and throttled the Warriors.  It was easy to predict.  They played a self proclaimed playground style.  The classic " we are free, it was the coaches fault " game.  I had a weird feeling as a long time Laker hater Celtics fan.  I was rooting secretly for the Lakers to perform.  I reasoned it out to always wanting to see your rival perform.  The top tier teams are useless unless they are at their best.  The NBA landscape will be great if the Lakers get into contention mode.