First Posted: May 22, 2013 08:25 PM EDT
(Photo : Reuters) 11-time NBA Champion coach Phil Jackson said in a Wednesday interview that he laughed when he was told that the L.A. Lakers would hire Mike D'Antoni, not him, as coach of the Lakers.
When 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson was told by the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season that they would be hiring Mike D'Antoni instead of him, his response was rather blunt.
"I laughed," Jackson told ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" show Wednesday. "It was humorous to me when Mitch said that we think that Mike is a better coach for this group of guys."
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Of course, Lakers fans may not find the situation funny, at all. The aging Lakers struggled all season, injuries and a lack of chemistry all playing a part in their plight before they were swept 4-0 by the San Antonio Spurs for another first-round exit.
Jackson said that he was fairly convinced that the Lakers made that decision in order to appease Steve Nash, the Lakers' newly-acquired point guard and future Hall of Famer.
"I think it didn't happen because there was some concern, How are we going to move in the right direction for this ballclub?" Jackson said. "When Mitch gave me the call close to midnight on Sunday night right before I was going to give them an answer Monday morning and said, 'We've made a choice. We're going to hire Mike D'Antoni. We think he's the best coach for this group of guys,' My answer was, 'For Steve Nash, yes, I agree, but for?Dwight Howard, I'm not so sure.'"
Jackson believes that the answer to the Lakers' problems would have been an offensive system that would entail pounding the ball inside and having Howard and Pau Gasol prominently featured in an effort to have a superior interior game. That style was contrasting to D'Antoni's fast-paced, up-tempo style that involves having the team run up and down the court-something that, critics say, did not mesh well with an older Lakers squad.
As to whether he is open to coaching again anytime soon--or if he has a place in mind--Jackson didn't seem to give any such indication that he was in a rush to coach again anytime soon.
"I don't see myself coaching again, I really don't," Jackson said. "When I discussed this with Jeanie Buss, she said, 'Make sure you tell them that Jeanie still thinks you can coach even though you might say you're not going to coach again.' Jeanie still thinks I can coach, but I'm not going to go there."
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