VIDEO: Lakers' Jeanie Buss Takes Shot at Mike D'Antoni Regarding Dwight Howard's First Failed Stint in LA
By Michael Luciano
While Dwight Howard might have put up some solid numbers (17.1 points, a league-leading 12.4 rebounds) during his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was far from the dominant big he was with the Orlando Magic. The Lakers, as a result, didn't win a playoff series that year under Mike D'Antoni, which helped convince Howard to leave for the Houston Rockets. Howard returned to the Lakers this season, and is averaging 7.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in a backup role on an LA team that is the No. 1 seed in the West. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss credits head coach Frank Vogel with turning Dwight around, as she claims he understands him better than D'Antoni, who "didn't respect his game."
Shots fired at Mike D'Antoni, who just won West coach of the month after the Rockets scrapped playing with a center entirely. (Also worth noting: Dwight Howard is having success in the second tenure with the Lakers in large part because he finally stopped demanding post touches.) https://t.co/8ze6t8SiIz
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 3, 2020
D'Antoni, known for his up-tempo offenses that feature a lot of three-point shooting and the ball almost always being in the hands of the point guard, didn't mesh with Howard's low post game, Pau Gasol's face-up midrange style, or Kobe Bryant's need to be the ball-dominant scorer.
D'Antoni has had success with the Houston Rockets this season after abandoning the center position and letting James Harden and Russell Westbrook work their small-ball magic. Still, he has to answer questions about his postseason performance, as his Suns, Lakers, and Rockets teams have all struggled in May and June.
Mike D’Antoni found a way to disrespect Dwight, Pau, and Kobe’s game all at once. One of the worst hires in modern Laker history https://t.co/CVhmGpkuU3
— Lakers Insiders (@LALInsiders) March 3, 2020
As good of a coach as D'Antoni is, he did not mesh with the Lakers, and the organization isn't too keen on giving respect to a guy who hasn't added a banner to Staples Center.